On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c11.s2: Pan-Nu-Ts‘O
On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c11.s2
- Language
- English
Pan-Nu-Ts‘O
v1.c11.s2.1
From this (that is perhaps, the vicinity of the capital of Kashmir) the pilgrim travelled, he tells us, through a difficult mountainous district south-west for above 700 *li* to the *Pan-nu-ts‘o* country. This region he describes as being above 2000 *li* in circuit, as abounding in hills and mountain valleys, with narrow areas of cultivation. The country yielded grain and flowers; sugar-cane and fruits, except grapes, abounded. The country produced the mango, the fig (here called the udumbara), and the plaintain, and these trees were grown in orchards near the dwelling-houses. The climate was hot, the people were daring and straight-forward, they wore chiefly cotton clothing, and they were sincere believers in Buddhism. The Buddhist monasteries, of which there were five, were in a ruinous condition, and the country was a dependency of Kashmir. In a monastery to the north of the capital were a few Brethren, and to the north of this was a wonder-working tope made of stone.
v1.c11.s2.2
The *Pan-nu-ts‘o* of this passage has been identified with the modern Punach, or Punats as the Kashmiris call it according to Cunningham.¹ Instead of 2000 *li* as the circuit of the country given in some texts of the Records the old reading was 1000 *li*, and this agrees with Cunningham’s statement of the size of the district. In some old texts of the Life the name is given as *Pun-nu-nu-tso* (奔奴奴蹉) in which the second *nu* may be due to a copyist’s carelessness, this character being one of the two characters given to indicate the sound of *nu* 奴.
v1.c11.s2.3
¹ A. G. I. p. 128.