On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c23.s5: Mêng-Kan (Mungkan)
On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c23.s5
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Mêng-Kan (Mungkan)
v2.c23.s5.1
The pilgrim appends to his description of the Ts'ung-Ling the statement that "going east above 100 *li* he came to the Mêng-kan country". This, he adds, was old Tokhara territory; it was above 400 *li* in circuit and its capital was 15 or 16 *li* in circuit. In native products and ways of the people the country was very like Huoh; it had no sovereign and was under Turkish rule.
v2.c23.s5.2
The account in the Life makes the pilgrim set out from Huoh with a party of traders and after a journey of two days (that is probably, about 100 *li*) arrive at Mêng-kan. This country has been identified with Mungan (or Munjan) which "is still a feudatory province under Badakshān, on the slopes of the Hindu kūsh". Yule's remarks on the pilgrim's account are based on the mistake in Julien's translation which gives 4000 *li*, instead of 400 *li*, as the circuit of the district. But Yule's suggestion that the pilgrim's Mêng-kan is the modern Talikhan may perhaps be accepted: it cannot be the Mungān of Macartney's map, or the Minjan of Wood's map.¹
v2.c23.s5.3
¹ Yule op. c. p. 105.