On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c21.s8: Wu-T'U (Ota)
On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c21.s8
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Wu-T'U (Ota)
v2.c21.s8.1
Continuing his narrative Yuan-chuang tells us that from Karṇa-suvarṇa he travelled south-west above 700 *li* and came to the *Wu* (or *U*)-*t'u* (烏 荼) country. This, he states, was above 7000 *li* in circuit, and its capital above twenty *li* in circuit; the soil was rich and fertile yielding fruits larger than those of other lands, and its rare plants and noted flowers could not be enumerated; the climate was hot; the people were of violent ways, tall and of dark complexion, in speech and manners different from the people of “Mid India”; they were indefatigable students and many of them were Buddhists. There were above 100 Buddhist monasteries, and a myriad Brethren all Mahāyānists. Of Deva-Temples there were 50, and the various sects lived pell-mell. There were more than ten Asoka topes at places where the Buddha had preached. In the south-west of the country was the *Pu-sie-p'o-k'i-li* (restored by Julien as “Pushpagiri”) monastery in a mountain; the stone tope of this monastery exhibited supernatural lights and other miracles, sunshades placed by worshippers on it between the dome and the amalaka remained there like needles held by a magnet. To the north-east of this tope in a hill-monastery was another tope like the preceding in its marvels. The miraculous power of these topes was due to the topes having been erected by supernatural beings. Near the shore of the ocean in the south-east of this country was the city *Che-li-ta-lo* (Charitra?), above twenty *li* in circuit, which was a thoroughfare and resting-place for sea-going traders and strangers from distant lands. The city was naturally strong and it contained many rare commodities. Outside it were five monasteries close together, of lofty structure and with very artistic images. Far away, 20 000 *li* distant in the south was the *Sêng-ka-lo* (Ceylon) Country, and from this place on calm nights one could see the brilliant light from the pearl on the top of the tope over the Buddha's Tooth-relic in that country.
v2.c21.s8.2
In the *Life* the pilgrim is represented as going south-west not from Karṇasuvarṇa but from Tāmralipti to *Wu-t'u*, and the distance between these two places is not given. If we understand Karṇasuvarṇa to have been to the north-east of Tāmralipti the difference between the statement in the *Records* and that in the *Life* is not important, as Tāmralipti would be south-west from Karṇasuvarṇa and between it and *Wu-t'u*. The country which Yuan-chuang calls by this name, pronounced Uḍa or Oḍa, has been identified with Uḍra or Oḍra, the modern Orissa. Fergusson thinks that the capital may have been on the site of the present Midnapur. The *Che-li-ta-lo* of this passage is apparently, as Julien restores it, Charitra. It is translated in a note to the text by *Fa-hsing* (發行), which may mean "setting out", that is, on a voyage or journey; and the city is supposed to have received this name because it was a starting place for navigators and land-travellers. But the *Fang-chih* gives as the translation of the word *Chiao-hsing-che* (教行者) which may mean "having religious observances", and this seems to agree with the common use of the word *Charitra*. Moreover the pilgrim apparently does not describe the city as a starting-point or terminus of a journey; his words seem rather to indicate that it was a dêpot and caravanseray for traders and travellers to and from the seaports and also by land. Cunningham thinks that "Charitrapura was probably the present town of Puri, or "the city", near which stands the famous temple of Jagannāth". Fergusson regards the city as represented by the modern Tumluk which is generally taken to be the old city of Tamralipti.¹ Dr. Waddell writes that at the time of our pilgrim's visit to this part of India "Yajapur was undoubtedly the capital of the country of 'U-cha'—the northern portion of Orissa". He adds—"Indeed the 'U-cha' of the pilgrim seems intended to represent the Sanskrit Yaja". This, however, is quite impossible as Wu-tu or U-t'a (or -ch'a) could not be taken to transcribe Yaja. Wu-tu is the reading of all the texts of the Records, and of one text at least of the Life. In the C text of the Life we have -ch'a which is often used for t'u, the characters represented by these sounds having formerly had a similar pronunciation. There can be little doubt that the name transcribed by Wu-t'u or Wu-ch'a was Odda or Otta.
v2.c21.s8.3
¹ 'Anc. Geog. of India' p. 510. Fergusson op. c. p. 249.
v2.c21.s8.4
As to the Che-li-to-lo of our text Dr. Waddell, after quoting Burnouf's translation of Yuan-chuang's description of the city, writes—"In the locality here indicated—in exact keeping geographically with the distances and directions noted by the pilgrim—in the Mahanadi delta, about 15 miles below Cuttack, we find the older channel of the great Mahanadi River is still known as the "Chitratola River", although no village or town of that name now exists on its banks. But at the highest point of this part of the Mahanadi channel, where the name of Chitratola still clings to this branch of the Mahanadi, at the village of Nendra, opposite Kendwapatana lock of the Kendrapara canal, the villagers point out the site of the old port on what is now a vast expanse of sand in the river bed". Dr. Waddell brings further evidence in support of his view that this vanished town of Chitratola was the Che-li-to-lo of the Records. He also thinks that Julien's restoration of Charitra is "doubtfully correct", and adds—"The original name seems more nearly to resemble or be identical with the still current name Chitratola". We may provisionally accept the site described by Dr. Waddell as that of our pilgrim's Che-li-to-lo, but while this transcription may possibly and probably stand for Charitra it cannot possibly be taken to represent a word like Chitratola.¹
v2.c21.s8.5
¹ Dr. Waddell in ‘Proceedings A. S. Ben.’ Dec. 1892.
v2.c21.s8.6
There is a remarkable contradiction between the statement in our text here, that the Brethren in this country were Mahāyānists, and the express declaration in an interesting passage in the Life that they were all Hinayānists, although in the short account which it gives of the country the Life agrees with the Records in stating that they were Mahāyānists.² Now in the next century after our pilgrim the Buddhists in this country were evidently Mahāyānists. We find their king at that time copying out with his own hand, and sending as a religious present to the Chinese Emperor Tê Tsung, the Sanskrit text of the Mahāyānist treatise called "Ta-fang-kuang-Fo-hua-yen-ching". This curious beautiful sūtra on its arrival in China was translated into Chinese by the learned Kapin Brother named Prajñā, with the assistance of several learned Chinese Brethren, and presented to the Emperor in A. D. 795.³
v2.c21.s8.7
² *Ch.* 4: Julien I, pp. 184, 220.
v2.c21.s8.8
³ It is No. 89 in Mr. Bunyiu Nanjio's Catalogue.
Linked texts (1)
- 大方廣佛華嚴經 — Classical Chinese