The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c6.s3.t42: 33. Ujain.
The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c6.s3.t42
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33. Ujain.
c6.s3.t42.1
Hwen Thsang describes the capital of *U-she-yen-na*, or *Ujjayini*, as 30 *li*, or 5 miles, in circuit, which is only a little less than its size at the present day. The kingdom was 6000 *li*, or 1000 miles, in circuit. To the west it was bounded by the kingdom of Malwa, with its capital of *Dhára-nagar*, or *Dhár*, within 50 miles of Ujain. The territory of Ujain could not therefore have extended westward beyond the Chambal river, but to the north it must have been bounded by the kingdoms of Mathura and Jajhoti; to the east by Maheswarapura, and to the south by the Sâtpura mountains running between the Narbada and the Tapti. Within these limits, that is from Ranthambhâwar and Burhânpur on the west, to Dumoh and Seoni on the east, the circuit of the territory assigned to Ujain is about 900 miles.*
c6.s3.t42.2
The kingdom of Ujain was under the rule of a Brahman Raja, like the two neighbouring states of *Jajhoti* and *Maheswarapura*; but the king of Jajho'i was a Buddhist, while the other two kings were Brahmanists. To the west, the king of Malwa was a staunch Buddhist. But the *Mo-la-po*, or *Malwa*, of Hwen Thsang is limited to the western half of the ancient province, the eastern half forming the Brahmanical kingdom of Ujain. As the political divisions of the province thus correspond with its religious divisions, it may fairly be inferred that the rupture was caused by religious dissensions. And further, as the western or Buddhist half of the province still retained the ancient name of Malwa, I conclude that the Brahmanists were the seceders, and that the kingdom of *Ujain* was a recent Brahmanical offshoot from the old Buddhist kingdom of *Malwa*. Similarly, I believe that *Maheswarapura* must have been a Brahmanical offshoot from the great Buddhist kingdom of *Kosala*, or Berar, which will be described hereafter. In Ujain, there were several dozens of monasteries, but at the time of Hwen Thsang’s visit, there were only three or four not in ruins, which gave shelter to about 300 monks. The temples of the gods were very numerous, and the king himself was well versed in the heretical books of the Brahmans.
c6.s3.t42.3
∗ Julien's ‘Hiouen Thsang,’ iii. 167. See Map No. I.