The only date which has emerged from this vague antiquity is that of Chandragupta, a contemporary of Alexander, and called by the Greek historians Sandracottus.

He became king B.C.315, and as, at his accession, Buddha had been dead (by Hindoo statement) one hundred and sixty-two years, Buddha may have died B.C.

477.
We can thus import a single date from Greek history into that of India.
This is the whole.
But all at once light dawns on us from an unexpected quarter.

While we can learn nothing concerning the history of India from its literature, and nothing from its inscriptions or carved temples, _language_, comes to our aid.

The fugitive and airy sounds, which seem so fleeting and so changeable, prove to be more durable monuments than brass or granite.