On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c14.41

v1.c14.41

The *Na-fo-t'i-p'o-ku-lo* of this passage, restored as Navadevakula, means "New Deva-Temple", and the site of the city so called is supposed to be represented by the present Nohbatgang.¹ This city has also been identified with or declared to be near the village (in one text, but in the other texts, wood) of *A* (or *Ho*)-li (阿利 or 何利) which Fa-hsien places three yojanas south of Kanauj and on the other side of the Ganges. Our pilgrim's city may have been in the district of the wood (or village) but it cannot be identified with the latter. In the Life this city is not mentioned, and the Fang-chih calls it "Navadeva city". It is not unlikely that it was from the splendid Deva-temple which Yuan-chuang here describes very briefly that the city obtained its name. This temple, which was evidently of recent date, may have been devoted to the worship of Vishnu whose name Hari may be the word transcribed by Fa-hsien's A (or Ho)-li.