On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c23.s10: Hi-Mo-Ta-Lo
On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c23.s10
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Hi-Mo-Ta-Lo
v2.c23.s10.1
The pilgrim’s description proceeds. From Krism he went east over hills and across valleys for over 300 *li* to *Hi-(or Si)-mo-ta-lo*. This country, which was old Tokhara territory, was above 3000 *li* in circuit; it was an unbroken succession of hill and vale, with a fertile soil good for grain and yielding much early wheat with prolific vegetation and fruits in abundance. The climate was very cold; the people were of a violent impetuous disposition; they did not recognize moral retribution; they were small, ugly, and without good manners; in the materials of their clothing—coarse woollen cloth (felt), skins, and serge—they rather resembled the Turks. Their married women wore as a head-dress a wooden horn above three feet high, with two branches in front one above the other; the upper branch represented the woman's father-in-law and the lower her mother-in-law; a branch was removed from the horn on the death of the relative represented, and when both of the husband's parents were dead the horn head-dress was laid aside.
v2.c23.s10.2
The pilgrim continuing his account of this country tells us that those who had formerly made themselves kings of this land were of the Sākya stock, and the greater part of all west of the Ts'ung-ling had became subject to them; as this country was on the confines of the Turks it became influenced by the ways of the latter; the inhabitants moreover were raided while keeping their own territory, hence the people of this country became vagrants in other lands; there were some tens of strong cities each with its own governor; the dwellers in felt tents went about from place to place reaching westward to the Krism country.
v2.c23.s10.3
The original of this passage presents some difficulties and the translation here given is not very satisfactory. The Hi-mo-ta-lo of this, and of two other passages of the Records, is translated in a Chinese note by "Foot of Snow Mountain", and restored as Himatala which has a similar meaning. But this name is probably derived from Buddhist books, or from Indian Brethren settled in the district, and there was presumably a local and popular name. Yule thinks we find a trace of the word Himatala in the name "of one of the still existing feudatory provinces of Badakshān, Daraim or Dara-i-aim". The account in the Life makes the pilgrim go from Mungkan east 300 *li* among hills and so on to Himatala, but as this account is evidently derived from the Records it is possible that there is a mistake as to the place of departure. In the Records' description of the pilgrim's journey out, Himatala is mentioned between Ku-lang-na and Po-li-ho. The Fang-chih agrees with the present passage of the Records in placing this country 300 *li* east of Krism, and 200 *li* west of Po-to-ch'ang-na (Badakhshān).
v2.c23.s10.4
In the pilgrim's description of the people of Himatala the words "did not recognize moral retribution" are for the Chinese *pu-chi-tsui-fu* (不識罪福), lit. "do not acknowledge guilt and happiness", and the meaning of the phrase is "do not believe in the action of karma". Julien translates the words "ne savent pas distinguer le crime de la vertu", but this is not what the text states. The form of expression, which we have met before, merely indicates ignorance of, or scepticism as to, or denial of, the doctrine of karma, and tells us that those to whom it is applied were not Buddhists.
v2.c23.s10.5
The wearing of the conical wooden head-dress by the married women in Himatala as described by our pilgrim was a very peculiar custom. Among the Ye-t'a, supposed to have been of Yue-ti (Getæ) stock, and inhabitants of this region, the married women, we are told, wore a horn head-dress, but with them the number of knobs or horns indicated the numbers of their brothers-in-law who were also their husbands.¹ So also in the *Hua* (滑) country the married women wore on the head a carved wooden horn six inches high and adorned with gold and silver.² Among the Tartars the wives had a head-dress of a peculiar kind, apparently not very unlike those just mentioned.³ William of Rubruck tells us that the Tartar married women "have a head-dress, which they call *bocca*, made of bark, or such other light material as they can find, and it is big and as much as two hands can span around, and is a cubit and more high, and square like the capital of a column."⁴
v2.c23.s10.6
¹ Wei Shu, *ch.* 102; cf. Ka-lan-chi, *ch.* 5.
v2.c23.s10.7
² Ma T. l., *ch.* 338.
v2.c23.s10.8
³ op. c. p. 108.
v2.c23.s10.9
⁴ Rockhill's "Journey of Friar William of Rubruck" p. 73. Mr. Rockhill's note to this passage is very interesting.
v2.c23.s10.10
The pilgrim's statement about a Sākya or Sākyas having obtained forcible possession of the throne of this country is explained in his account of the sack of Kapilavastu by king Virūḍhaka. Instead of stating that "the inhabitants were raided while keeping their own territory" the author probably meant to state that the Himatala people made raids into other countries while guarding their own borders. One of the kings of Himatala had, as the pilgrim relates in another passage, invaded Kashmir and murdered its king.¹ Then the words "reaching westward to the Krism country" are treated by Julien as a separate clause—"du côté de l'ouest ce pays touche au royaume de Kharism". There is nothing in the original for "ce pays", but *hsi-chie* (西接) seems to mean "du côté de l'ouest touche". The pilgrim, however, has already stated that Himatala was above 300 *li* distant from Krism, and we must apparently understand the passage as meaning that the nomads of Himatala had their temporary encampments as far west as the confines of Krism.
v2.c23.s10.11
¹ See *Chuan* III.