On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c21.s6.2

v2.c21.s6.2

The *Tan-mo-lih-ti* of this passage is for Tammalipti which corresponds to the Tāmralipti of other writers and perhaps also to the modern Tumluk. Fa-hsien travelled east to this place from Champā, and he estimated the distance as fifty yojanas.¹ I-ching, who remained here for some time, describes the Port as being 60 or 70 yojanas east from Nālanda.² Tāmralipti was the place of disembarkation for travellers to India from China by sea, and it was here that I-ching and other Chinese pilgrims landed, and from it voyagers started on their return to the south and to China.³ Fergusson gives reasons for dissenting from the common opinion that Tumluk is the modern representative of Tāmralipti, and considers that Satgaon answers better to the requirements.⁴ But a more recent investigator, Śri Rajendra Lal Gupta, has traced the history of the old Tāmralipti and its modern continuation Tumluk.⁵ There seems to be little reason for doubting that this latter is on or near the site of the Tammalitti or Tāmralipti of the Chinese pilgrims and other old writers,⁶ the physical features of the district having in the course of centuries undergone some changes.