The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c6.s3.t1.1

c6.s3.t1.1

According to Hwen Thsang, the province of *Su-la-cha*, or *Surâtha*, was a dependant of Balabhi. Its capital was situated at 500 *li*, or 83 miles, to the west of Balabhi, at the foot of Mount *Yeu-chen-la*, or *Ujjanta*. This is the Pali form of the Sanskrit *Ujjayanta*, which is only another name for the *Girinar* hill that rises above the old city of *Junagarh*. The name of *Ujjayanta* is mentioned in both of the *Girinar* inscriptions of Rudra Dâma and Skanda Gupta, although this important fact escaped the notice of the translators.[*] The mention of this famous hill fixes the position of the capital of Surashtra at Junagarh, or *Yavana-gadh*, which is 87 miles to the west of Balabhi, or very nearly the same as stated by Hwen Thsang. The pilgrim notices that the mountain was covered with thick forests, and that its scarped sides contained numerous chambers and galleries. This description agrees with the account of Postans,[†] who, in 1838, found the hill covered with "a thick jungul of the custard-apple tree," and a number of excavations at the base, consisting of "small flat roofed rooms, supported by square pillars without ornament."