The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c5.s4.t12.1

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.