The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c5.s3.t6: Satadru.

The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c5.s3.t6

Language: English

Satadru.

c5.s3.t6.1

The district of *She-to-tu-lo*, or *Satadru*, is described by the Chinese pilgrim* as 2000 *li*, or 333 miles in circuit, with a large river forming its western boundary. The capital is placed at 700 *li*, or 117 miles, to the south of Kullu, and 800 *li*, or 133 miles, to the north-east of Bairât. But there is a mistake in one of these numbers, as the distance between the capital of Kullu and Bairât is 336 miles, measured direct on the map, or not less than 360 miles, by road. There is a deficiency, therefore, in one of the distances of about 110 miles, or nearly 700 *li*, in a direct line between the two places, or of about 150 miles, or nearly 1000 *li*, in the detour, as shown by his bearings. Now it is remarkable that there is a deficiency of about the same amount in the return journey along a parallel line of road, from Mathura to Thanesar, which the pilgrim makes only 500 *li*, or 83 miles,* instead of 1200 *li*, or 200 miles, the actual distance being 199 miles. As it would seem that both routes, for some unknown reason, had been subjected to the same amount of curtailment, it is probable that the deficiency in the western line will lie in the southern portion between Satadru and Bairât, which is contiguous to the parallel line between Mathura and Thanesar. I would, therefore, increase the distance between the two former places by 150 miles, or in round numbers 1000 *li*, which would make the total distance 283 miles, or nearly 1800 *li*, instead of 800 *li*. Taking this corrected distance from Bairât, and the recorded distance of 117 miles south from Kullu, the position of Satadru will correspond almost exactly with the large city of Sarhind, which both history and tradition affirm to be the oldest place in this part of the country.

c5.s3.t6.2

∗ Julien's ‘Hiouen Thsang,’ ii. 205.

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The present ruins of Sarhind consist almost entirely of Muhammadan buildings of a late period; but it must have been a place of some consequence in the time of the Hindus, as it was besieged and captured by Muhammad Ghori, the first Mussulman king of Delhi.† The name of *Sarhind*, or "frontier of Hind" is popularly said to have been given to the city at an earlier period, when it was the boundary town between the Hindus and the later Muhammadan kingdom of Ghazni and Lahor. But the name is probably much older, as the astronomer Varâha Mihira mentions the *Sairindhas** immediately after the *Kulûtas*, or people of Kullu, and just before *Brahmapura*, which, as we learn from the Chinese pilgrim, was the capital of the hill country to the north of Haridwâr. The *Sairindhas*, or people of *Sirindha*, must, therefore, have occupied the very tract of country in which the present Sarhind is situated, and there can be little doubt that the two names are the same. But the geographical list of Varâha Mihira is copied almost *verbatim* from that of the still earlier astronomer Parâsara, who is believed to have flourished not later than the first century after Christ.†

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∗ Julien's 'Hiouen Thsang,' i. 104, and ii. 211. † Dowson's edition of Sir H. Elliot's 'Muhammadan Historians of India,' ii. 295.

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† Kern's Preface to the ‘Brihat Sanhitâ,’ p. 32.

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If we apply the correction of 110 miles, or about 700 *li*, to the northern half of the line between Kullu and Satadru, the position of the latter will be brought down to Hânsi, which is an ancient fortified city of even greater strength and reputation than Sarhind. But as Hwen Thsang specially notes that the territory of Satadru was only 2000 *li*, or 333 miles, in circuit, and that it was bounded on the west by a great river, which can only be the Satlej or Satadru, it is quite impossible that Hânsi could be the place intended, as it is upwards of 130 miles distant from the nearest point of that river.

c5.s3.t6.7

The position of the celebrated fortress of Bhatner would suit the description of a small district bounded on the west by the Satlej, and would also agree with the corrected distance from Kullu: but the direction is south-west instead of south, and the distance from Bairât is upwards of 200 miles, instead of 800 *li*, or 133 miles, as stated by the pilgrim. The bearing of Bairât is, however, in favour of Bhatner, as the pilgrim’s south-west is certainly a mistake for south-east, otherwise the distance of Bairât from Mathura would be nearly 1500 *li*, or 250 miles, instead of 500 *li*, or 83 miles, as recorded. If we might read 1500 *li* instead of 500 *li*, the relative positions of Bhatner and Bairât would correspond very well with the pilgrim’s account, as the road distance between the two places, *viâ* Hânsi, is about 250 miles. It is quite possible also that there may be a mistake in the initial Chinese character, *She* or *Ṣa*, which is very much like *Po* or *Bha*; and if so, the Chinese syllables *Po-to-tu-lo* would represent *Bhaṭasthala*, or Bhatner. The latter name means the “fortress of the Bhaṭis,” but the town itself was called *Band*, or *Bando*, which was probably the contracted form of *Bhaṭasthala*, just as *Máru* is now the common contracted form of *Marusthala*. But in spite of these plausible agreements both in name and in position, I am inclined to think that Sarhind must be the place indicated by the pilgrim as the capital of the ancient district of *Śatadru*. This conclusion is strengthened by the pilgrim’s statement that the country produced gold, which, so far as I know, can only apply to the lower hills lying to the north of Sarhind, where gold is still found in some of the smaller affluents of the Satlej.

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∗ Dr. Kern's edition of the ‘Brihat Sanhitâ,’ b. xiv. 29, 30.

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Accepting Sarhind as the capital of *Śatadru*, the boundaries of the district may be determined approximately from its size. On the west and north it was bounded by the Satlej for upwards of 100 miles from the neighbourhood of Simla to Tihâra, below Lûdiâna. On the south the boundary extended for about 100 miles from Tihâra to Ambâla, and on the east for about the same distance, from Ambâla to Simla. The circuit thus described embraces a considerable portion of the hill states to the west and south of Simla, together with the districts of Sarhind proper and Lûdiâna in the plains. As it is the only district lying to east of the Satlej that is included within the limits of Northern India, I infer that it must have been a dependency of the neighbouring state of Jâlandhar.

Linked texts (1)

Bṛhatsaṃhitā — Varāhamihira, Sanskrit