The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c6.s3.t14.6

c6.s3.t14.6

By adopting the first supposition, Hwen Thsang’s distance from *Nava-deva-kula* to the capital of *Ayuto* will be only 60 *li*, or 10 miles, to the south-east, which would bring him to the site of an ancient city named *Kâkûpur*, just 1 mile to the north of Seorâjpoor, and 20 miles to the north-west of Cawnpore. The subsequent route would have been from *Kâkûpur* to *Daundiakhera* by boat, a distance of exactly 50 miles, or 300 *li*, and from thence to Prayâg, a distance of more than 100 miles, which agrees with the 700 *li*, or 116 miles, of the pilgrim. By the second supposition the subsequent route would have been from *Khara* to *Papamow* by water, about 50 miles, and thence to Prayâg, about 8 miles of land, which agrees with the 70 *li* of the proposed correction. In favour of this last supposition is the fact that the bearing from *Khara* to *Papamow* of east by south is more in accordance with Hwen Thsang’s recorded east direction than the south-east bearing of Daundiakhera from Kâkûpur. I confess, however, that I am more inclined to adopt the former correction, which places the chief city of *Ayuto* at Kâkûpur, and the town of *Hayamuka* at Daundiakhera, as we know that the last was the capital of the *Bais Rajputs* for a considerable period. I am partly inclined to this opinion by a suspicion that the name of *Kâkûpur* may be connected with that of *Bâgud*, or *Vâgud*, of the Tibetan books.* According to this authority a *Sâkya*, named *Shâmpaka*, on being banished from Kapila retired to *Bâgud*, carrying with him some of Buddha’s hair and nail-parings, over which he built a *chaitya*. He was made king of *Bâgud*, and the monument was named after himself (? *Shâmpaka stupa*). No clue is given as to the position of *Bâgud*, but as I know of no other name that resembles it, I am inclined to think that it is probably the same place as the *Ayuto* or *Ayuda* of Hwen Thsang. The two names have a striking resemblance; and as each of the places possessed a stupa containing some hair and nails of Buddha, I think that there are strong grounds for the identification.