The History of Bengal (Vol. I: Hindu Period; Vol. II: Muslim Period 1200–1757) v1.c19.s8.t2.13

v1.c19.s8.t2.13

Besides the sea-routes, there seem to have been a number of land-routes by which Bengal's foreign trade was carried. One of these was the route which connected Puṇḍravardhana with Kāmarūpa. It was along this route that Hiuen Tsang journeyed to the latter kingdom in the seventh century A.D.³ From very ancient times Kāmarūpa was noted for her textiles, sandal and agaru,⁴ and it seems likely that these were taken to the main centres of business in Northern India along this highway of traffic. But Kāmarūpa was not the terminus of this route, for it seems to have extended eastwards to South China through the hills of Assam or Manipur and Upper Burma. This is testified to by the famous report which Chang-kien, the Chinese ambassador to the Yue-chi country, submitted in 126 B.C. When he was in Bactria he was surprised to find silk and bamboo which came from the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Szechwan. On enquiry he was told of the rich and powerful country of India across which the caravans carried these products from southern China to Afghanistan. This route evidently continued in use till the ninth century A.D., and was joined by another from Annam. For the itinerary of Kia Tan (785-805 A.D.) describes the land-route from Tonkin to Kāmarūpa, which crossed the Karatoyā river, passed by Puṇḍravardhana, then ran across the Ganges to Kajaṅgala, and finally reached Magadha.¹