Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c5.t4.29

c5.t4.29

From east to west (*pubbantā aparantam*)³ is of course a general term for the great trade-route that passed through different stages. Taking Benares as the centre of this route we can trace out the different stages through which the traffic was carried on. Leaving out Tāmalitti on the extreme east coast which was undoubtedly a great port,⁴ but which does not appear in the stories, we see that Campā was the next great trading Centre from the east. We know that traders from there sailed to Suvaṇṇabhūmi,⁵ probably passing through Tāmalitti. On land Campā was joined with Mithilā, the Videhan Capital.⁶ But further west, along the river Ganges, came the great centre Benares.⁷ On land Benares had busy trade relations with Ujjeni.⁸ The route, probably, passed through Kosambī and the Ceti country, as we have mention at least of a high way from Benares to Ceti.¹ On this side, the route branched off to Rājagaha.² From Videha to Gandhāra was a very brisk traffic.³ It was largely by river, and must have passed through Benares. To reach Kampilla or further still to Indapatta from Mithilā,⁴ one must have had to follow up this route upto Payāga, and then sail up the river Ganges, while the Yamunā might carry him up to Madhurā. Further westward the journey would again be overland to Sindha, whence came large imports in horses and asses⁵ and to Sovīra and its ports. Northward (*uttarāpatha*) lay the great trade-route connecting India with central and western Asia, by way of Taxila (Takkasilā) in Gandhāra near Rawalpindi and presumably also of Sāgala in the Panjāb.⁶ Now this was the route which passed through the great desert (*marukantāra*)—60 leagues wide⁷—probably the sandy desert of Rājputānā—of which we read so often. Caravans crossed this desert day and in day out. "The tradesman," says Fick,⁸ "who goes about the country with his caravan is in fact a typical figure in our narratives and, according to the statements in these, caravan traffic cannot have been small, either with regard to the distance traversed or with regard to wares carried." Thus we see that big trade-routes, through rivers and deserts, crossed the land in all directions and carried on an exchange of goods (*bhandam*) between the several and widely different parts of India.