Geography of Early Buddhism c9.2

c9.2

According to the Brahmanical tradition recorded in the Kavyamimāmsā (p. 93), the country lying to the west of Devasabhā (a city on a mountain not yet identified) was called the Paścātdeśa or the Western Country (Devasabhāyāḥ parataḥ paścātdeśaḥ, tatra Devasabha-Surāṣṭra-Daseraka-Travana-Bhrigukaccha-Kacchīya-Anarta-Arvuda-brāhmanavāha-Yavana-prabhritayo janapadaḥ). Devasabhā is also referred to in the Arthaśāstra (Sanskrit text, p. 78) as producing red sandal. According to the Buddhist tradition recorded in the Sāsanavaṃsa (p. 11), Aparāntaka is, however, the region lying to the west of the Upper Irawady. According to Sir R. G. Bhandarkar, Aparānta was the Northern Konkan, whose capital was Surpāraka (mod. Sopārā); while according to Bhagavānlal Indraji the western sea-board of India was called Aparāntaka or Aparāntika. Yuan Chwang, the celebrated Chinese Buddhist traveller, seems, on the whole, to be more definite on this point. According to his account, the Western Country seems to comprise ‘Sindh, Western Rajputana, Cutch, Gujarat and a portion of the adjoining coast on the lower course of the Narmadā, three states—Sindh, Gurjara and Valabhi’ (CAGI., Notes, p. 690).