On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c7.s10.4

v1.c7.s10.4

Bang)-yen (疑衍), each representing a sound like Bam-yan. Our pilgrim represents the inhabitants as using the natural strongholds of the hills and defiles for their places of abode. The district, we learn from the T'ang-Shu, had several large towns, but the people lived chiefly in mountain caves.¹ Writing from reports of recent travellers Colonel Yule tells us: "The prominences of the cliffs which line the valley of Bámián are crowned by the remains of numerous massive towers, whilst their precipitous faces are for six or seven miles pierced by an infinity of anciently excavated caves, some of which are still occupied as dwellings. The actual site of the old city is marked by mounds and remains of walls, and on an isolated rock in the middle of the valley are the considerable ruins of what appear to have been the acropolis, now known as Ghúlghúla."² This Ghulghula probably represents part of our pilgrim's capital, the name of which in the 7th century was Lo-lan (羅爛). Ibn Haukal tells us that "Bamian is a town about half as large as Balkh, situated on a hill. Before this hill runs a river, the stream of which flows into Guyestan. Bamian has not any gardens nor orchards, and it is the only town in this district situated on a hill."³ The Life tells us that when Yuan-chuang arrived at the capital the king came out to meet him and then entertained him in the palace and that in this city the pilgrim met with two learned Brethren of the Mahāsaṅgika school who were very kind to him. The king was probably regarded by Yuan-chuang as a descendant of the Sākya exile from Kapilavastu who went to Bamian and became its king.