The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c6.s3.t19.1

c6.s3.t19.1

Much difficulty has been felt regarding the position of Fa-Hian’s “great kingdom of *Shachi*,” and of Hwen Thsang’s *Visákha*, with its enormous number of heretics or Brahmanists; but I hope to show in the most satisfactory manner that these two places are identical, and that they are also the same as the *Sáketa* and *Ajudhya* of the Brahmans. The difficulty has arisen chiefly from an erroneous bearing recorded by Fa-Hian, who places *She-wei*, or *Srávasti*, to the south of *Shachi*, while Hwen Thsang locates it to the north-east, and partly from his erroneous distance of 7+3+10=20 *yojanas*, instead of 30, from the well-known city of Sankisa. The bearing is shown to be erroneous from the route of a Hindu pilgrim from the banks of the Godâvari to Sewet or Srâvasti, as recorded in the Ceylonese Buddhist works. This pilgrim, after passing through Mahissati and Ujani, or Mahesmati and Ujain, reaches Kosâmbi, and from thence passes through Sâketa to Sewet, that is along the very route followed by Hwen Thsang.* We have, therefore, two authorities in favour of Sewet being to the north of Sâket. With regard to the distance, I refer again to the Buddhist books of Ceylon, in which it is recorded that from Sakaspura (or Sangkasyapura, now Sankisa) to Sewet was a journey of 30 yojanas.† Now, Fa-Hian makes the distance from Sankisa to Kanoj 7 yojanas, thence to the forest of Holi, on the Ganges, 3 yojanas, and thence to Shachi 10 yojanas, or altogether only 20 yojanas, or 10 less than the Ceylonese books. That Fa-Hian's statement is erroneous is quite clear from the fact that his distance would place Shachi in the neighbourhood of Lucknow; whereas the other distance would place it close to Ajudhya, or Faizâbâd, or in the very position indicated by Hwen Thsang's itinerary. Here, again, we have two authorities in favour of the longer distance. I have no hesitation, therefore, in declaring that Fa-Hian's recorded bearing of She-wei from Sha-chi is wrong, and that "north" should be read instead of "south."