The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c6.s3.t4.7

c6.s3.t4.7

Abu Rihân, the contemporary of Mahmud, places *Narâna*, the capital of *Karzât*, at 28 parasangs to the west of Mathura,† which, taking the parasang at 3 1/2 miles, would make the distance 98 miles, or 14 miles in excess of the measurement of Hwen Thsang. But as the narratives of the different Muhammadan historians leave no doubt of the identity of *Narâna* the capital of *Karzât*, with *Narâyana* the capital of Bairât, this difference in the recorded distance from Mathura, is of little moment. According to Abu Rihân, *Narâna*, or *Bazâna*, was called Narayan, ناراین by the Musalmans, a name which still exists in *Narâyanpur*, a town situated at 10 miles to the north-east of Bairât itself. From Kanoj to Narâna, Abu Rihân gives two distinct routes; the first direct viâ Mathura being 56 parasangs, or 196 miles, and the other to the south of the Jumna being 88 parasangs, or 308 miles.‡ The intermediate stages of the later route are, 1st, *Asi*, 18 parasangs, or 63 miles; 2nd, *Sakina*, 17 parasangs, or 59½ miles; 3rd, *Jandara*, 18 parasangs, or 63 miles; 4th, *Rajauri*, either 15 or 17 parasangs, 54 or 59½ miles, and 5th, *Bazana*, or *Narána*, 20 parasangs, or 70 miles. As the direction of the first stage is specially recorded to have been to the south-west of Kanoj, it may be at once identified with the *Assai Ghát* on the Jumna, 6 miles to the south of Etawa, and about 60 miles to the south-west of Kanoj. The name of the second stage is written سهينا *Sahina*, for which by the simple shifting of the diacritical points, I propose to read سهنيا *Suhania*, which is the name of a very large and famous ruined town situated 25 miles to the north of Gwalior. Its distance from the Assai Ghát is about 56 miles. The third stage named *Jandara* by M. Renaud, and *Chandra* by Sir Henry Elliot, I take to be *Hindon*, reading هندون for چندرا. Its distance from *Suhaniya* by the Khetri *Ghát* on the Chambal river is about 70 miles. The fourth stage, named Rajori, still exists under the same name, 12 miles to the south-west of *Mácheri*, and about 50 miles to the north-west of *Hindon*. From thence to Narainpur and Bairât, the road lies altogether through the hills of Alwar or *Mácheri*, which makes it difficult to ascertain the exact distance. By measurements on the lithographed map of eight miles to the inch, I make the distance to be about 60 miles, which is sufficiently near the 20 parasangs, or 70 miles, of Abu Rihân’s account.