On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c14.s2: A-Ye-Mu-K‘A
On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c14.s2
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A-Ye-Mu-K‘A
v1.c14.s2.1
From Ayudha the pilgrim travelled east, he writes, above 300 *li*, and crossing the Ganges to the north, arrived in the *A-ye-mu-k‘a* country. This country he describes as being 2400 or 2500 *li* in circuit with its capital, situated on the Ganges, above 20 *li* in circuit. In climate and natural products the country resembled Ayudha: the character of the people was good, they were studious and given to good works. There were five Buddhist monasteries with above 1000 Brethren who were adherents of the Sammatiya School, and there were more than ten Deva-Temples. Not far from the capital on the south-east side, and close to the Ganges, were an Asoka tope at a place where the Buddha had preached for three months, traces of a sitting and walking place of the Four Past Buddhas, and a dark-blue-stone tope with Buddha-relics. Beside this last was a monastery with above 200 Brethren, and in it was a beautiful life-like image of the Buddha: its halls and chambers rose high, and were of exquisite workmanship. It was in this monastery that the Śāstra-Master Buddhadāsa composed his great vibhāshā treatise of the Sarvāstivādin School.
v1.c14.s2.2
The name of the country here transcribed *A-ye-mu-k‘a* was restored by Julien in his translation of the Life as *Ayamukha*, but in the present passage he makes these syllables stand for Hayamukha. This latter restoration seems to be inadmissible; and as *A-* is the first syllable of the name in all the texts of the Life and Records, and in the Fang-chih, we must regard Ayamukha as the name which the pilgrim transcribed. It is not impossible that the correct form may have been Hayamukha or Āyamukha, the former word meaning "Horse-face" and the latter meaning a *creek* or *channel*. Cunningham, who finds Yuanchuang's Ayudha in the present Kākūpur, thinks that Ayamukha may be represented by "Dauṇḍia-khera on the northern bank of the Ganges". But these identifications are mere conjectures and are of little use.¹
v1.c14.s2.3
¹ A. G. I. p. 387.
v1.c14.s2.4
In the corresponding passage of the Life we are informed that the pilgrim left Ayudha in a boat along with a party and proceeded east down the Ganges towards Ayamukha. When about 100 *li* on the way, in a wood of asoka trees, the boat was attacked by Thugs who robbed the party. When these Thugs saw that the Chinese pilgrim was an uncommonly fine-looking man they decided to sacrifice him to their cruel deity Durgā. From this terrible fate the pilgrim was preserved by a providential hurricane which put the wicked Thugs in fear, and made them release their doomed victim, treat him with awe and reverence, and under his teaching give up their wicked profession, and take the vows of lay-Buddhists. After recording this episode the Life goes on to state that the pilgrim "from this went above 300 *li* east and crossed to the north of the Ganges into the Ayamukha country". The "this" here may be taken to mean the place of the encounter with the Thugs, and the distance from Ayudha to Ayamukha would then be 400 *li*. But the words "from this" in the above extract from the Life should perhaps be treated, in accordance with the text of the Records, as indicating Ayudha city as the point of departure. The pilgrim apparently travelled by land eastwards from the place where the boat was seized by the Thugs, and he crossed to the north side of the river near Ayamukha city. This river cannot have been the Ganges and it may have been the Sai. We may even doubt whether the river in the Asoka wood on which the Thugs had their piratical boats was the Ganges proper.
v1.c14.s2.5
The great vibhāshā treatise, which Yuan-chuang here tells us was composed by Buddhadaśa in a monastery of this country, is probably the "Varma-vibhāshā" already mentioned, above p. 353, in connection with the pilgrim's account of Kanauj.