On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c14.s5.8

v1.c14.s5.8

Cunningham thinks he proves that the Pi-sho-ka or Viśoka (?) of Yuan-chuang is the Sha-ki (or Sha-ti) of Fa-hsien, and the Saketā or Ayodhyā of Indian literature.¹ But in his arguments he seems to quite ignore the fact that Fa-hsien places Shaki thirteen (not as Legge has by a slip, three) yojanas or nearly 100 miles in a south-east direction from Kanauj and so either at or near Yuan-chuang’s Ayudha which was 100 miles south-east from Kanauj. Then Cunningham makes the name of this city to be the same as that of the lady Visākhā: but Yuan-chuang, like others, transcribes the lady’s name by three characters different from those which he uses for writing the name of this city. Further, from Shaki to Śrāvastī the direction was south and the distance eight yojanas or less than 50 miles, while from Viśoka to Śrāvastī it was 500 *li* or about 100 miles in a north-east direction. Moreover, the Life, as has been stated, places Viśoka 500 *li* to the east of Kosambī. So, unless we agree with Mr V. Smith in treating Fa-hsien’s distances and directions as mistakes, we cannot make Yuan-chuang’s Viśoka to be Fa-hsien’s Shaki, but the former may perhaps be taken to represent the Saketa of the Buddhist scriptures.