On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c21.s14.2

v2.c21.s14.2

This passage differs from the Life in the direction assigned to Chu-li-ya from Dhanakaṭaka, the pilgrim giving it as south-west, while the Life in one text has west and in another has south. The Chu-li-ya of the text has been restored as Cholya, and it corresponds, no doubt, to the country of the Choḍas mentioned in Asoka's second and thirteenth Edicts,¹ and of the Cholas often mentioned in literature from the fifth century onwards. Cunningham suggests as its modern representative the district of Karnūl "which is 230 miles in a direct line to the north-north-west of Kāñchipura, and 160 miles to the west-south-west of Dhāraṇikoṭṭa".² Fergusson, however, assuming that the object for which the pilgrim was travelling here was "to get to the port of embarcation for Ceylon" thinks that "the direction and distance would take us to Nellore, which is an important place".³