On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c22.s21.2

v2.c22.s21.2

The *Fa-la-na* of this passage may be restored as Varaṇa (Julien) or as Varṇa. St. Martin thinks the country corresponds to the modern Vanèh in the middle part of the river Gumal's course. Cunningham confidently identifies Varaṇa with Banu (Bannu) in the Kuram river district; he also regards it as identical with Fa-hsien's *Po-na*.¹ The *Ki-kiang-na* of the above passage has been supposed to be an unknown district called Kaikānān and Kikān, and conjectured by Cunningham to be "somewhere in the vicinity of Pishin and Kwetta". But all these proposed identifications by Cunningham are open to serious exceptions, and they do not seem to be reconcileable among themselves. According to the Life when the pilgrim left Avaṇḍa he proceeded east 700 *li*, and crossing the Indus, entered Sindh: from that he went back to Nālanda in Magadha, and thence to Prayāga as has been related in a previous chapter. From Prayāga he resumed his journey, and passing through Jālandhara, Simhapura, and Takshaśilā came to the Indus again, and went on to the Capital of Lan-p'o (Laghman). From this last a journey of 15 days due south brought him to the Varaṇa of this passage. In a very mountainous country 50 *li* or 10 miles would probably be an average day's journey, and the river Gumal is above 150 miles due south from Laghman.