The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c5.s4.t12: 3. Shorkot.

The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c5.s4.t12

Language: English

3. Shorkot.

c5.s4.t12.1

Hwen Thsang calls the central district of the Panjâb *Po-fa-to*, or *Po-la-fa-to*, for which M. Stanislas Julien proposes to read *Parvata*. But to this it may be objected that *parvata*, which means a “hill,” could not be, and in fact never is, applied as a name to any place in the plains. The capital was situated at 700 *li*, or 117 miles, to the north-east of Multân, a position which agrees almost exactly with the site of *Jhang*, on the Chenâb. But as this place lies at some distance above the junction of the Jhelam and Chenâb, it is most probable that it belonged to the northern division of *Táki*. In this case the distance recorded by Hwen Thsang would be too great, which might be due to his overlooking the shortness of the *kos* in this part of the country, as I have already explained in my account of Singhapura. This *kos* is only 1 mile and 2½ furlongs, or just 2/3 of the common *kos*. At this valuation Hwen Thsang’s distance would be only 76 miles, which is within a few miles of the position of Shorkot, or Shúr, as it is called in the ‘Ayin Akbari.’ Now the initial syllable *po* of the Chinese name is frequently interchanged with the syllable *so*, of which we have a notable instance in *Po-lo-tu-lo* for *So-lo-tu-lo*, or Salátura, the well-known birthplace of the famous grammarian Pânini. It is quite possible, therefore, that the same interchange may have occurred in the name of *Po-lo-fa-to*, for *So-lo-fa-to*, or Soravati, which would be a synonym for Shorkot. This is a mere suggestion to account for the Chinese name of the capital, which does not affect the identification of the province, as it is quite certain, from its position to the north-east of Multân, that it must correspond with the *parganah*, or district of Shorkot. The people I take to be the Sudrakæ, or Oxudrakæ of the classical writers, a point which will be fully examined in my account of Ajudhan.

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The province is described by Hwen Thsang as being 5000 *li*, or 833 miles, in circuit, which must be greatly exaggerated. On the east the boundary was limited by the Satlej, which for 100 miles formed the frontier line of the kingdom of Gurjjara; on the north it was bounded by the province of *Tâki* for a distance of 200 miles from the Indus to the old junction of the Byâs and Satlej, near Firuzpur; on the south it was bounded by Multân for a distance of 150 miles from the Indus, near Dera Din-panáh, to the Satlej, below Pákpatan; on the west it was bounded by the Indus itself for about 50 miles. The total length of frontier is therefore not more than 520 miles, which is considerably less than the circuit recorded by Hwen Thsang. The discrepancy may perhaps be explained, as before, by the use of the short *kos*, which would reduce the circuit of 833 miles to 531, which agrees very closely with the actual measurements.

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Within these limits there are several important towns, and many ruined mounds, the remains of ancient cities, which once played an important part in the history of the Panjâb. These are:—

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