The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c6.s3.t38.1

c6.s3.t38.1

From *Champâ* the pilgrim travelled to the eastward for 400 *li*, or 67 miles, to a small district named *Kie-chu-u-khi-lo*, or *Kie-ching-kie-lo*.[*] The distance and bearing bring us to the district of *Râjmahal*, which was originally called *Kânkjol*, after a town of that name which still exists 18 miles to the south of Râjmahal. Following the river route viâ Kahalgaon (Colgong) and Râjmahal, the distance from Bhâgalpur is just 90 miles; but by the direct route through the hills, viâ Mângaon and Bharhat, the distance is under 70 miles. As this position agrees with that of the place indicated by Hwen Thsang, I suspect that there may have been a transposition of two syllables in the Chinese name, and that we should read *Kie-kie-chu-lo*, which is a literal transcript of *Kánkjol*. In Gladwyn’s translation of the ‘Ayin Akbari’* the name is read as *Gungjook*, but as all the names are given alphabetically in the original, it is certain that the first letter is a *k*; I conclude, therefore, that the true name is *Kánkjol*, as the final *l* might easily be misread as a *k*. In his Gazetteer, Hamilton† calls the place *Caukjole*, which is probably a misprint for *Cankjole*. He notes that the district of Râjmahal was formerly “named Akbarnagar from its capital, and in the revenue records *Caukjole*, as being the chief military division.”