On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c22.s9.2

v2.c22.s9.2

Julien restored the *Su-la-ch'a* (or *-t'a*) of this passage as Surāshṭra, the modern Kāthiāwāḍ. Here again we have a book-term ascribed to the pilgrim who apparently uses the local or popular name. It would be better to read Surath or Suratha, the latter being the form used in the Andhra inscription of Nāsik. In the Life the direction from Valabhi to Suratha is north-west (instead of the west of the present passage) the distance being the same. All texts of this passage have the reading *Mo-hi* as the name of the river which was on the west of the country, or of the capital according to Julien's interpretation. The hill here called Yü-shan (or Yhu-shen)-to was restored by Julien as Ujjanta. Cunningham states that this is the Pali form of Ujjayanta, and identifies the pilgrim's hill with the mountain of that name in Surāshṭra—"the Girinar hill that rises above the old city of Junagarh".¹ This city, called by other writers, Junāgaḍh, is supposed to correspond to our pilgrim's capital of his Surat. The name of the hill is also given as Ujjinta, which is nearer the Chinese transcription, and it was on this peak that the Jaina Arhat named Nemi died at a very advanced age.² It may be noted that the Fang-chih does not give the name of this hill, and the Life has no particulars about the country.