The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c6.s3.t9: 7. Ahichhatra.
The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c6.s3.t9
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7. Ahichhatra.
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From Govisana Hwen Thsang proceeded to the south-east 400 *li*, or 66 miles, to *Ahi-chi-ta-lo*, or *Ahichhatra*.[*] This once famous place still preserves its ancient name as *Ahichhatr*, although it has been deserted for many centuries. Its history reaches back to B.C. 1430, at which time it was the capital of northern Pánchála. The name is written Ahi-kshetra, as well as Ahi-chhatra, but the local legend of Adi Raja and the Nâga, who formed a canopy over his head when asleep, shows that the latter is the correct form. This grand old fort is said to have been built by Raja Adi, an Ahir, whose future elevation to sovereignty was foretold by Drona, when he found him sleeping under the guardianship of a serpent with expanded hood. The place is mentioned by Ptolemy as Ἀδισάδρα, which proves that the legend attached to the name of Adi is at least as old as the beginning of the Christian era. The fort is also called Adikot, but the more common name is Ahichhatr.
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∗ Julien's 'Hiouen Thsang,' ii. 234. See Map No. X.
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According to the ‘Mahâbhârata,’ the great kingdom of Pánchála extended from the Himâlaya mountains to the Chambal river. The capital of north Pánchála, or Rohilkhand, was Ahi-chhatra, and that of south Pánchála, or the Central Gangetic Doab, was Kámpilya, now Kampil, on the old Ganges between Budaon and Farokhabad. Just before the great war, or about 1430 B.C., the king of Pánchála, named Drupada, was conquered by Drona, the preceptor of the five Pândus. Drona retained north Pánchála for himself, but restored the southern half of the kingdom to Drupada. According to this account, the name of Ahi-chhatra, and consequently also the legend of Adi Raja and the serpent, are many centuries anterior to the rise of Buddhism.
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It would appear, however, that the Buddhists must have adopted and altered the legend to do honour to their great teacher, for Hwen Thsang records that outside the town there was a *Nâga-hrada*, or “serpent tank,” near which Buddha had preached the law for seven days in favour of the serpent king, and that the spot was marked by a stupa of King Asoka.* Now, as the only existing stupa at this place is called *Chaltr*, I infer that the Buddhist legend represented the *Nâga* king after his conversion as forming a canopy over Buddha with his expanded hood. I think, also, that the stupa erected on the spot where the conversion took place would naturally have been called *Ahi-chhatra*, or the “serpent canopy.” A similar story is told at Buddha Gaya of the Nâga King *Muchalinda*, who, with his expanded hood, sheltered Buddha from the shower of rain produced by the malignant demon *Mâra*.
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The account of *Ahi-chhatra* given by Hwen Thsang is unfortunately very meagre, otherwise we might most probably have identified many of the existing ruins with the Buddhist works of an early age. The capital was 17 or 18 *li*, or just three miles in circuit, and was defended by natural obstacles. It possessed 12 monasteries, containing about 1000 monks, and 9 Brahmanical temples, with about 300 worshippers of *Iswara Deva* (Siva), who smeared their bodies with ashes. The stupa near the serpent tank, outside the town, has already been mentioned. Close beside it, there were four small stupas built on the spots where the four previous Buddhas had either sat or walked. Both the size and the peculiar position of the ruined fortress of *Ahi-chhatra* agree so exactly with Hwen Thsang’s description of the ancient *Ahi-chhatra*, that there can be no doubt whatever of their identity. The circuit of the walls, as they stand at present, is 19,400 feet, or upwards of 3½ miles. The shape may be described as an irregular right-angled triangle, the west side being 5600 feet in length, the north side 6400 feet, and the long side to the south-east 7400 feet. The fort is situated between the *Rám Ganga* and *Gánghan* rivers, which are both difficult to cross; the former on account of its broad sands, the latter on account of its extensive ravines. Both on the north and east the place is rendered almost inaccessible by the *Piria Nala*, a difficult ravine, with steep broken banks and numerous deep pools of water, quite impassable by wheeled vehicles. For this reason the cart road to Bareli, distant only 18 miles due east, is not less than 23 miles. Indeed the only accessible side of the position is the north-west, from the direction of Lakhnor, the ancient capital of the Katchria Rajputs. It therefore fully merits the description of Hwen Thsang as being defended by "natural obstacles." *Ahi-chhatra* is only seven miles to the north of *Aonla*, but the latter half of the road is rendered difficult by the ravines of the *Gánghan* river. It was in this very position, in the jangals to the north of *Aonla*, that the Katchria Rajputs withstood the Muhammadans under Firuz Tughlak.[*]
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∗ Julien’s ‘Hiouen Thsang,’ ii. 235.
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*Ahi-chhatra* was first visited by Captain Hodgson, the surveyor, who describes the place as "the ruins of an ancient fortress several miles in circumference, which appears to have had 34 bastions, and is known in the neighbourhood by the name of the "Pândus Fort." According to my survey, there are only 32 towers, but it is quite possible that one or two may have escaped my notice, as I found many parts so overgrown with thorny jangal as to be inaccessible. The towers are generally from 28 to 30 feet in height, excepting on the west side, where they rise to 35 feet. A single tower near the south-west corner is 47 feet in height above the road outside. The average height of the interior mass is from 15 to 20 feet. Many of the present towers, however, are not ancient, as an attempt was made by Ali Muhammad Khan, about 200 years ago, to restore the fort with a view of making it his stronghold in case he should be pushed to extremities by the King of Delhi. The new walls are said to have been 1¼ *gaz* thick, which agrees with my measurements of the parapets on the south-eastern side, which vary from 2 feet 9 inches to 3 feet 3 inches in thickness at top. According to popular tradition, Ali Muhammad expended about a *karor* of rupees, or one million pounds sterling, in this attempt, which he was finally obliged to abandon on account of its costliness. I estimate that he may perhaps have spent about one lakh of rupees, or £10,000, in repairing the ramparts and in rebuilding the parapets. There is an arched gateway on the south-east side, which must have been built by the Musalmans, but as no new bricks were made by them, the cost of their work would have been limited to the labour alone. The ramparts are 18 feet thick at the base in some places, and between 14 and 15 feet in others.
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∗ Briggs's 'Ferishta,' i. 457.
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The district of *Ahichhatra* was about 3000 *li*, or 500 miles, in circuit. With these large dimensions I believe that it must have comprised the eastern half of Rohilkhand, lying between the northern hills and the Ganges, from Pilibhît on the west to Khairabad near the Ghâgra on the east. This tract has a boundary of 450 miles measured direct, or about 500 miles by road distance.
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8. PILOSHANA.
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From *Ahi-chhatra* the Chinese pilgrim proceeded in a south direction a distance of from 260 to 270 *li*, from 23 to 25 miles, to the Ganges, which he crossed, and then turning to the south-west he arrived in the kingdom of *Pi-lo-shan-na*.[*] His route to the south would have taken him through Aonla and Budaon to the *Budh Ganga* (or old Ganges), somewhere near Sahâwar, a few miles below Soron, both of which places stood on the main stream of the Ganges so late as 400 years ago. As his subsequent route is said to have been to the south-west, I believe that he must have crossed the Ganges close to Sahâwar, which is 42 miles from *Ahi-chhatra* in a direct line. From all my early inquiries I was led to believe that *Soron* was the only ancient place in this vicinity; and as Hwen Thsang does not give any distance for his south-west march, I concluded that *Soron* must have been the place to which he gives the name of *Pi-lo-shan-na*. I accordingly visited *Soron*, which is undoubtedly a place of very great antiquity, but which cannot, I think, be the place visited by the Chinese pilgrim. I will, however, first describe *Soron* before I proceed to discuss the superior claims of the great ruined mound of *Atranji-Khera* to be identified with the *Pi-lo-shan-na* of the Chinese pilgrim.
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*Soron* is a large town on the right, or western, bank of the Ganges, on the high-road between Bareli and Mathura. The place was originally called *Ukala Kshetra*; but after the demon *Hiranyaksha* had been killed by the *Varâha Avatar*, or Boar incarnation of Vishnu, the name was changed to *Sukara Kshetra*, or “the place of the good deed.” The ancient town is represented by a ruined mound called the *Kilah*, or “fort,” which is one quarter of a mile in length from north to south, and somewhat less in breadth. It stands on the high bank of the old bed of the Ganges, which is said by some to have flowed immediately under it so late as 200 years ago. The modern town stands at the foot of the old mound on the west and south sides, and probably contains about 5000 inhabitants. There are no dwellings on the old mound, which is occupied only by the temple of *Sita-Rámji* and the tomb of *Shekh Jamál*; but it is covered with broken bricks of large size, and the foundations of walls can be traced in all directions. The mound is said to be the ruins of a fort built by Raja Somadatta of Soron many hundred years ago. But the original settlement of the place is very much older, being attributed to the fabulous Raja Vena Chakravartti, who plays such a conspicuous part in all the legends of North Bihar, Oudh, and Rohilkhand.
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∗ Julien's 'Hiouen Thsang,' ii. 235. See Map No. X.
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The great mound of ruins called *Atranji-Khera* is situated on the right or west bank of the *Káli Nadi*, four miles to the south of *Karsána*, and eight miles to the north of *Etah*, on the Grand Trunk Road. It is also 15 miles to the south of Soron, and 43 miles to the north-west of *Sankisa* in a direct line, the road distance being not less than 48 or 50 miles. In the ‘Ayin Akbari’ Atranji is recorded as one of the parganahs of Kanoj, under the name of *Sikandarpur Atreji*.[*] *Sikandarpur*, which is now called *Sikandrábád*, is a village on the left bank of the *Káli Nadi* opposite Atranji. From this it would appear that Atranji was
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[*] Gladwyn gives “Secunderpoor Aterchhy,” ii. 214.
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still occupied in the reign of Akbar. The parganah was afterwards called *Karsána*, but it is now known by the name of *Saháwar Karsána*, or of *Saháwar* only. The name given by the Chinese pilgrim is *Pi-lo-shan-na*, for which M. Julien proposes to read *Virasana*. So far back as 1848 I pointed out that, as both *pil* and *kar* are Sanskrit names for an elephant, it was probable that *Pilosana* might be the same as *Karsána*, the large village which I have already mentioned as being four miles to the north of *Atranji Khera*. The chief objection to this identification is the fact that *Karsána* is apparently not a very old place, although it is sometimes called *Deora Karsána*, a name which implies the possession of a temple of note at some former period. It is, however, possible that the name of *Karsána* may once have been joined to *Atranji* in the same way that we find *Sikandarpur Atreji* in the ‘Ayin Akbari.’ As the identification of *Karsána* with *Pilosana* is purely conjectural, it is useless to hazard any more speculations on this subject. The bearing and distance from *Sankisa*, as recorded by Hwen Thsang, point to the neighbourhood of *Sirpura*, near which there is a small village called *Pilkuni* or *Pilokuni*, which is the *Pilukhoni* of our maps. It is, however, a very petty place; and although it boasts of a small *khera*, or mound of ruins, it cannot, I think, have ever been more than one-fourth of the circuit of two miles which Hwen Thsang attributes to *Pi-lo-shan-na*. But there are two strong points in its favour—namely, 1st, its position, which agrees both in bearing and distance with the Chinese pilgrim’s account; and 2nd, its name, which is almost identical with the old name, *sh* being very commonly pronounced as *kh*, so that Hwen Thsang’s *Piloshana* would usually be pronounced *Pi-lokhana*.
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In proposing *Atranji-Khera* as the site of the ancient *Piloshana*, I am influenced solely by the fact that this is the only large place besides *Soron* of any antiquity in this part of the country. It is true that the distance from *Sankisa* is somewhat greater than that recorded by the Chinese pilgrim,—namely, 45 miles, instead of 33 miles; but the bearing is exact; and as it is quite possible that there may be some mistake in Hwen Thsang’s recorded distance, I think that *Atranji-Khera* has a better claim than any other place to be identified with the ancient *Piloshana*.
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The only objection to the identification of *Atranji* with *Piloshana* is the difference between the distance of 200 *li*, or 33 miles, as stated by Hwen Thsang, and the actual distance of 43 miles direct, or about 48 or 50 miles by road. I have already suggested the possibility of there being some mistake in the recorded distance of Hwen Thsang, but perhaps an equally probable explanation may be found in the difference of the length of the *yojana*. Hwen Thsang states that he allowed 40 Chinese *li* to the *yojana*; but if the old *yojana* of Rohilkhand differed from that of the central Doâb as much as the *kos* of these districts now differ, his distances would have varied by half a mile in every *kos*, or by two miles in every *yojana*, as the Rohilkhand *kos* is only 1½ mile, while that of the Doâb is two miles; the latter being one-third greater. Now if we apply this difference to Hwen Thsang’s measurement of 200 *li*, or 33 miles, we increase the distance at once to 44 miles, which agrees with the direct measured distance on the map. I confess, however, that I am rather inclined to believe in the possibility of there being a mistake in Hwen Thsang’s recorded distance, as I find exactly the same measurement of 200 *li* given as the distance between Sankisa and Kanoj. Now, the two distances are precisely the same,—that is, Sankisa is exactly midway between Atranji and Kanoj; and as the latter distance is just 50 miles by my measurement along the high-road, the former must also be the same. I would therefore suggest the probability that both of these distances should be 300 *li*, or 50 miles, instead of 200 *li*, as recorded in the text. In favour of this proposed correction I may cite the testimony of the earlier Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hian, who makes the distance from Sankisa to Kanoj 7 *yojanas*, or 49 miles.[*] At Hwen Thsang’s own valuation of 40 *li* to the *yojana*, this measurement would give 280 *li*; and as Fa-Hian does not record half *yojanas*, we may increase the distance by half a *yojana*, or 20 *li*, which will bring the total up to 300 *li*, or 50 miles.
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But whatever may be the true explanation of the difference between the actual distances and those recorded by Hwen Thsang, there still remains the important fact that Sankisa was exactly midway between Kanoj and Piloshanna, just as it now is midway between Kanoj and Atranji. If we couple this absolute identity of position with the fact that Atranji is the only old place in the part of the country indicated by Hwen Thsang, we can scarcely arrive at any other conclusion than that the great ruined mound of Atranji is the site of the ancient Piloshana. This conclusion is strengthened by the fact that the mound of Atranji corresponds almost exactly in size with Hwen Thsang's measurement of 12 *li*, or 2 miles, for *Piloshana*. The mound is 3250 feet in breadth at base, or a little more than 2 miles in circuit. Its highest point is 44¾ feet above the level of the country; but there are no remains save the foundations of walls and masses of broken brick.
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∗ Beal’s ‘Fa-Hian,’ chap. xviii.
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*Piloshana* is said to have been 2000 *li*, or 333 miles, in circuit; but this is certainly too great. With reference to the surrounding districts, its limits may be defined approximately as extending from Bulandshahar to Firuzabad on the Jumna and Kâdirganj on the Ganges, which would give a circuit of not more than 250 miles.
Linked texts (1)
- Mahābhārata — Vyāsa, Sanskrit