Page:The Ancient Geography of India.djvu/21

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PREFACE. xi


river to the north he visited Paundra Varddhana, or Pubna, and Kámarúpa, or Assam.

Having now reached the most easterly district of India he turned towards the south, and passing through Samatata, or Jessore, and Támralipti, or Tamluk, he reached Odra, or Orissa, early in A.D. 639. Continuing his southerly route he visited Ganjam and Kalinga, and then turning to the north-west he reached Kosala, or Berar, in the very heart of the peninsula. Then re- suming his southerly course he passed through Andhra, or Telingâna to Dhanakakata, or Amaravati on the Kistna river, where he spent many months in the study of Buddhist literature. Leaving this place early in A.D. 640 he pursued his southerly course to Kanchipura, or Conjeveram, the capital of Dravida, where his further progress in that direction was stopped by the intelligence that Ceylon was then in a very troubled state consequent on the recent death of the king. This statement is specially valuable for the purpose of verifying the dates of the pilgrim's arrival at different places, which I have calculated according to the actual distances travelled and the stated duration of his halts.* Now the troubled state of Ceylon fol- lowed immediately after the death of Raja Buna-Mu- galán, who was defeated and killed in A.D. 639; and it is only reasonable to infer that the Ceylonese monks, whom the pilgrim met at Kânchipura, must have left their country at once, and have reached that place early in A.D. 640, which accords exactly with my calculation of the traveller's movements.

From Dravida Hwen Thsang turned his steps to the north, and passing through Konkana and Ma-

  • See Appendix A for the Chronology of Hwen Thsang's Travels.
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