power. The three sister kingdoms of the Cholas, the Cheras, and the Pandyas made their mark before the third century B. C., and Kanchi (Conjevaram), the capital of the Cholas, distinguished itself as the seat of Hindu learning at a later day. In the west the Saurashtras (including Gujarat and the Maharatta country) received Hindu civilization; and in this period
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SCULPTURE FROM THE BUDDHIST TOPE NEAR BENARES.
Ceylon was discovered, and formed a great resort of Hindu traders.
The practical and enterprising spirit of the age showed itself in literature as well as in territorial conquests.
All learning, all sciences, and all religious teachings were reduced to concise practical manuals called Sutras, whose characteristic is brevity, as verbosity is of the Brahmanas. One main reason which led to this extreme conciseness was that young Hindu students were expected to place themselves under some teacher
