On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c22.s1: Kung-Kan-Na-Pu-Lo
On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c22.s1
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Kung-Kan-Na-Pu-Lo
v2.c22.s1.1
We return again to the narrative of the pilgrim's travels as told in the Records. From the Draviḍa country, we read, he went north into a jungle, infested by troops of murderous highwaymen, passing an isolated city and a small town, and after a journey of above 2000 *li* he reached the Kung-kin (or kan)-na-pu-lo country. He describes this country as being above 5000 *li* and its capital above thirty *li* in circuit. It had more than 100 Buddhist monasteries and above 10 000 Brethren who were students of both "Vehicles". Close to the capital was a large monastery with above 300 Brethren all men of great distinction. In the temple of this monastery was a tiara of Prince Sarvārthasiddha (that is, the prince who afterwards became Gautama Buddha) which was nearly two feet high adorned with gems and enclosed in a case; on festival days it was exhibited and worshipped, and it could emit a bright light. In the temple of another monastery near the capital was a sandal-wood image of Maitreya made by the arhat Śroṇaviṃśatikoṭi. To the north of the capital was a wood of tāla trees above thirty *li* in circuit, and within the wood was a tope where the Four Past Buddhas had sat and walked for exercise, and near this was the tope over the relics of Śroṇaviṃśatikoṭi. Near the capital on the east side was a tope which had associations with the Buddha's preaching; to the south-west of the capital were an Asoka tope at the spot where Śroṇaviṃśatikoṭi made miraculous exhibitions and had many converts, and beside the tope the remains of a monastery built by that arhat.
v2.c22.s1.2
In the Chinese text of this passage for the Kung-kin (or kan)-na-pu-lo of the other texts, the D has *Tu* (that is, *Da*) han-na-pu-lo, the Life has *Kan* (or *Kin*)-na-pu-lo, and the Fang-chih has *Kung-ta-na-pu-lo*; but we may regard Kung-kin (or kan)-na-pu-lo, as the correct reading, the variations being probably misprints or copyists' errors. The original name has been restored as Koṅkanapur, and the restoration has been generally accepted. In all texts of the Records, and in the Fang-chih, the direction from Draviḍa is given as north, but the Life makes it to have been north-west. M. Saint-Martin, Cunningham, and their successors all adopt the direction given in the Life, passing over the statement in the Records. Saint-Martin thinks it possible that Banavasi (or Vānavasa) may have been the Koṅkana-city of our pilgrim.¹ Cunningham suggests "Annagundhi on the northern bank of the Tungabhadra river" as the capital of the country, and Fergusson can only refer the capital to some place in Mysore.² Mr. Burgess is disposed to seek for Koṅkanapur about Kopal or Kokanūr (? Koṅkanūr) which is 310 miles as the crow flies from Kāñchi and 335 miles from Nāsik;" this seems to be also the present opinion of Dr. Fleet who was at one time disposed to identify Koṅkanapur with Karnūl.³ But these identifications seem to be all beset with difficulties. The country Koṅkaṇa was in the southern division of the Bṛihat Saṃhitā, and Alberuni places it in the south near the sea.⁴ If we could adopt the reading of the D text, viz-Tu (茶) or Ch'a (茶) for Kung, the original would be a word like Dakkanapura or Thakkanapura.
v2.c22.s1.3
¹ Julien, III, p. 401.
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² A. G. I. p. 552; Fergusson, op. c., p. 267.
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³ Ind. Ant. Vol. XXIII, p. 28 and XXII, p. 115.
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⁴ Alberuni, Vol. I, p. 301; Ind. Ant. Vol. XXII, p. 182.
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The pilgrim describes the country as having a fertile soil yielding good crops, with a hot climate; its inhabitants were of swarthy complexion and had rude rough ways, but they were fond of intellectual and moral acquirements.
v2.c22.s1.8
Our pilgrim here, as before, gives "Heard 200 koṭi", instead of "Heard twenty koṭi", as the translation of the name Śroṇa (or Śrota)-viṃśatikoṭi.