The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c7.s1.1

c7.s1.1

From Puṇḍra Varddhana, or Pubna, in Middle India, the Chinese pilgrim proceeded for 900 *li*, or 150 miles, to the east, and crossing a great river, entered Kia-mo-leu-po, or *Kāmarupa*, which is the Sanskrit name of Assam.† The territory is estimated at 10,000 *li*, 1667 miles, in circuit. This large extent shows that it must have comprised the whole valley of the Brahmâputra river, or modern Assam, together with Kusa-Vihâra, and Butân. The valley of the Brahmâputra was anciently divided into three tracts, which may be described as the Eastern, Middle, and Western districts, namely, Sadiya, Assam proper, and *Kāmrup*. As the last was the most powerful state, and also the nearest to the rest of India, its name came into general use to denote the whole valley. *Kusa-Vihára* was the western division of *Kāmrup* proper; and as it was the richest part of the country, it became for some time the residence of the rajas, whose capital, called Kamatipura, gave its name to the whole province.‡ But the old capital of *Kāmrup* is said to have been Gohati, on the south bank of the Brahmâputra. Now, Kamatipura, the capital of *Kusa-Vihára*, is exactly 150 miles, or 900 *li*, from Pubna,§ but the direction is due north; while Gohati is about twice that distance, or say 1900 *li*, or 317 miles, from Pubna, in a north-east direction. As the position of the former agrees exactly with the distance recorded by the pilgrim, it is almost certain that it must have been the capital of *Kâmrup* in the seventh century. This would seem to be confirmed by the fact that the language of the people differed but slightly from that of Central India. It was therefore not Assamese, and consequently I infer that the capital visited by Hwen Thsang was not *Gohati*, in the valley of the Brahmâputra, but *Kamatipura*, in the Indian district of Kusa-Vihâra. The great river crossed by the pilgrim would therefore be the *Tista*, and not the Brahmâputra.