On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c21.s5: Samataṭa
On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c21.s5
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Samataṭa
v2.c21.s5.1
The narrative in the *Records* proceeds to relate that from Kāmarūpa Yuan-chuang went south, and after a journey of 1200 or 1300 *li*, reached the country of *San-mo-ta-t'a* (Samataṭa). This country, which was on the sea-side and was low and moist, was more than 3000 *li* in circuit, and its capital was above twenty *li* in circuit. It had more than 30 Buddhist Monasteries and above 2000 Brethren all adherents of the Sthavira School. There were 100 Deva-Temples, the various sects lived pell-mell, and the Digambara Nirgranthas were very numerous. Near the capital was an Asoka tope where the Buddha had preached seven days for devas and men. Beside this were vestiges of a sitting and an exercise place of the Four Buddhas. In a monastery near this spot was a dark-blue jade image of the Buddha, eight feet high, showing all the distinctive characteristics and exercising marvellous powers. The pilgrim then names in succession six countries beyond Samataṭa; these were not visited by him but he gained information about them at Samataṭa. These six countries are—(1) *Shih-li-ch'a-ta-lo* to the north-east among the hills near the sea, (2) south-east from this on a bay of the sea *Ka-mo-lang-ka*, (3) *To-lo-po-ti* to the east of the preceding, (4) east from To-lo-po-ti was I-shang-na-pu-lo, (5) to the east of this was Mo-ha-chan-p'o, the Lin-yi (林邑) of the Chinese, and (6) to the south-west of this was the Yen-mo-na-chou country.
v2.c21.s5.2
Cunningham regarded the Samataṭa of this passage as being the district of "the Delta of the Ganges and its chief city which occupied the site of the modern Jessore".¹ Fergusson considers it to be the Dacca district the former capital of which was Sonargaon.² We should probably place it south of Dacca, and in the district of the modern Faridpur. I-ching, who uses our pilgrim's transcription of the name, merely places the country in East India.³ He calls the king at his time Hoh-lo-she-po-t'a (曷羅社婆吒) which M. Chavannes restores as Harshabhaṭa. But the first three characters are, as he states, used to express Rāja, and the King's name was probably Rājabhaṭa. This king was an enthusiastic adherent and patron of Buddhism, and the number of Brethren in the capital had risen, from the 2000 in our pilgrim's time, to 4000 who were all maintained by the king. Yuan-chuang tells us that the Brethren in the capital were of the Sthavira School, and at the time of I-ching's visit they were evidently Mahāyānists, but, as our pilgrim uses these terms, there is nothing conflicting in the two accounts.⁴
v2.c21.s5.3
¹ A. G. I. p. 501.
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² op. c. p. 242.
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³ Hsi-yü-ch'iu, ch. 2 and Chavannes, ‘Mémoire’, p. 128 and note.
v2.c21.s5.6
⁴ See above p. 138.
v2.c21.s5.7
Of the six countries mentioned in the passage under notice as heard of, but not visited by our pilgrim, Shih-li-ch'a-to-lo, which has been restored as Śrīkshetra or Śrīkshatra, is the Shih-li-cha-to-lo of I-ching. This has been identified with the Burmese Tharekhettara or the district of Prome.⁵ But this identification requires the substitution of south-east for the pilgrim's north-east which is the reading of all the texts, of the Life, and of the Fang-chih. For this reason and because Prome is far from the sea the identification cannot be accepted. Śrīkṣatra according to the pilgrim's information should correspond roughly to the Tipperah district. The *Ka-mo-lang-ka*, restored as Kāmalankā, is supposed to be I-ching's *Lang-ku-su*, and it is said to be "Pegu and the Delta of the Irawadi". *To-lo-po-ti* is the city with this name to which Shan-ts'ai went in order to consult Mahādeva its patron god.¹ It is also supposed to be I-ching's *She-ho-po-ti* (社和鉢底). M. Chavannes gives the first character the exceptional sound *tu*, and Mr. Takakusu has apparently done the same.² Our pilgrim's *To-lo-po-ti* has been restored as "Darapati?", and as Dvārapati or Dvāravati, "the Sanskrit name for Ayuthya or Ayudhya the ancient capital of Siam", but the characters seem to stand for Tālapati, that is, Mahādeva.³ I-ching's *She-ho-po-ti* may be for a name like Javapati. The *I-shang-na-pu-lo* of our text, restored as Īśānapura, has been identified with Cambodia and with the *Poh-nan* or *Fu-nan* of I-ching. *Mo-ha-chan-p'o* or Mahā-champā is the *Chan-p'o* of I-ching corresponding to the modern Cochin-China and part of Annam. *Yen-mo-na-chou* is evidently for Yamana-dvīpa, but no probable identification has yet been proposed, for it cannot possibly have been the island of Java.
v2.c21.s5.8
⁵ Nan-hai-ch'i-kuei, ch. 1: Takakusu, Int. p. LI and note, and p. 9;
v2.c21.s5.9
¹ Hua-yen-ching (No. 88), *ch*. 68.
v2.c21.s5.10
² Hsi-yü-ch'iu, *ch*. 1; Chavannes, 'Mémoire', p. 58 note.
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³ The *Tu* (or *Shê*)-ho-lo-po-ti of another passage of the Hsi-yü-ch'iu is restored by Chavannes as Dvāravati, and the *she* 社 of the texts may be for *tu* (杜). Chavannes, 'Mémoire', p. 57 note. See also Phayre's History of Burmah p. 32 note.