A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms/Wiki Editor Notes
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- Here are some observation on content in various Chapters of the Book:
Places covered by Fahian in period (A.D.399-414)
Ch’ang-gan (Xi'an) → Shen-shen (Lopnor) → Yu-teen (Khotan) → K’eeh-Ch’a (Skardo) → Darada → Indus → Woo-chang (Udyana) → Soo-Ho-To → Gandhara → Takshasila → Purushapura (Peshawur) → He-lo (Hilda) Nagara → Lo-E-Pohna (Bannu) → Pe-t’oo (Bhida) → Ma-t’aou-lo (Mathura) → Sankasya → Kanyakubja (Kannauj) - A-le (?) → Sha-Che (Saket) → Kosala and Sravasti (Sahet-Mahet) → Too-wei (Tadwa) → Kapilavastu → Ramagrama → Kusanagara → Vaisali → Pataliputtra (Patna) in Magadha → Rajagriha (Rajgir) → Gridhra-Kuta Hill → Srataparna Cave → Gaya → Mount Gurupada → Patna. Varanasi → Dakshina (Paravata) → Patna → Champa (Bhagalpur) → Tamalipti (Tamluk) → Ceylon → China, Shan-Tung, Nanking.
Introduction: Clan of Fahian was Kang?
A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms/Introduction:
Fahian's surname was Kung, and he was a native of Wu-yang in P’ing-Yang, which is still the name of a large department in Shan-hsi.
Note - There is a need to research if Kung is same as Kang Jat clan?
Chapter 1: Origin of Changal clan from Chang'an
A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms/Chapter 1:
Fa-hien had been living in Ch’ang-gan1. James Legge comments at Footnote-1: Ch’ang-gan is still the name of the principal district (and its city) in the department of Se-gan, Shen-se. It had been the capital of the first empire of Han dynasty (B.C. 202-A.D. 24), as it subsequently was that of Sui dynasty (A.D. 589-618). The empire of the eastern Tsin, towards the close of which Fa-hien lived, had its capital at or near Nan-king, and Ch’ang-gan was the capital of the principal of the three Ts’in kingdoms, which, with many other minor ones, maintained a semi-independence of Tsin, their rulers sometimes even assuming the title of emperor.
This indicates that The Changal clan may probably get name after Chang'an , the ancient place in China.
Chapter 2 & 3: Uti or Yuti Jat clan
A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms/Chapter 2: A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms/Chapter 3:
According to James Legge, Fahian has mentioned Khotan as Yu-teen. Uti or Yuti is Jat clan.
Chapter 6: Kingdom of Daral Jat clan
A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms/Chapter 6:
From K’eeh-Ch’a (Skardo) Fahian went westwards towards North India, and after being on the way for a month, they succeeded in getting across and through the range of the Onion mountains. The snow rests on them both winter and summer. There are also among them venomous dragons, which, when provoked, spit forth poisonous winds, and cause showers of snow and storms of sand and gravel. Not one in ten thousand of those who encounter these dangers escapes with his life. The people of the country call the range by the name of “The Snow mountains.” When (the travellers) had got through them, they were in North India, and immediately on entering its borders, found themselves in a small kingdom called T’o-leih,1 where also there were many monks, all students of the hinayana.
James Legge comments on f.n.-1. T’o-leih: Eitel and others identify this with Darada, the country of the ancient Dardae, the region near Dardus.
Cunningham (“Ancient Geography of India,” p. 82) says “ Xuanzang arrived at Tha-li-lo, or Darel, which had been the ancient capital of Udyana. Darel is a valley on the right or western bank of the Indus, now occupied by Dardus or Dards, from whom it received its name.”
Chapter 14: Visit of Rohela and Punia kingdoms by Fa-Hien in 404 AD
A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms/Chapter 14:
The Chinese traveller Fa-Hien reached Mathura after crossing Sindhu River through the following route: Udyana (present Swat) → Kandahar → Taxila → Purushpur →Hilda → Kigdom of Lo-e → Kingdom of Poh-na → Bhida (Punjab) → Mathura
The text of Fa-Hien's account of his journey through Punjab is described by him in Chapter - 14 of the book by James Legge.[1], who writes that Having stayed there till the third month of winter, Fa-hien and the two others,1 proceeding southwards, crossed the Little Snowy mountains.2 On them the snow lies accumulated both winter and summer. On the north (side) of the mountains, in the shade, they suddenly encountered a cold wind which made them shiver and become unable to speak. Hwuy-king could not go any farther. A white froth came from his mouth, and he said to Fa-hien, “I cannot live any longer. Do you immediately go away, that we do not all die here;” and with these words he died.3 Fa-hien stroked the corpse, and cried out piteously, “Our original plan has failed; — it is fate.4 What can we do?” He then again exerted himself, and they succeeded in crossing to the south of the range, and arrived in the kingdom of Lo-e,5 where there were nearly three thousand monks, students of both the mahayana and hinayana. Here they stayed for the summer retreat,6 and when that was over, they went on to the south, and ten days’ journey brought them to the kingdom of Poh-na,7 where there are also more than three thousand monks, all students of the hinayana. Proceeding from this place for three days, they again crossed the Indus, where the country on each side was low and level.8
1 These must have been Tao-ching and Hwuy-king.
2 Probably the Safeid Koh, and on the way to the Kohat pass.
3 All the texts have Kwuy-king. See chapter xii, note 13.
4 A very natural exclamation, but out of place and inconsistent from the lips of Fa-hien. The Chinese character {.}, which he employed, may be rendered rightly by “fate” or “destiny;” but the fate is not unintelligent. The term implies a factor, or fa-tor, and supposes the ordination of Heaven or God. A Confucian idea for the moment overcame his Buddhism.
5 Lo-e, or Rohi, is a name for Afghanistan; but only a portion of it can be here intended.
6 We are now therefore in 404.
7 No doubt the present district of Bannu, in the Lieutenant-Governorship of the Punjab, between 32d 10s and 33d 15s N. lat., and 70d 26s and 72d E. lon. See Hunter’s Gazetteer of India, i, p. 393.
8 They had then crossed the Indus before. They had done so, indeed, twice; first, from north to south, at Skardo or east of it; and second, as described in chapter vii.
1. James Legge has commented at footnote – 5 that Fa-Hien crossed through the Kingdom of Lo-e that means `Rohi'. In Rajasthan Rohi means land. Fa-Hien had moved through the Land of Ponya or Punia. Here James Legge could not properly understand about the Kingdom of Lo-e. Dr Natthan Singh has mentioned in Jat Itihasa (page 113) about the existence of Rohe tribe in Afghanistan, the descendants of whom are Rohela or Ruhela Jats found in Rajasthan. Here it is interesting to note that in Afghanistan O and U are interchangeable. Similarly L and R are also interchangeable. Thus what Fa-Hien mentions as Kingdom of Lo-e is the Kingdom of Ruhela Jats in Afghanistan.
2.He has interpreted Poh-na in footnote-7 as Bannu in Punjab. In fact it is used for Ponya.
3. This period was 404 AD.
4. This period pertains to the rule of Punia Jats in Punjab, Haryana and part of Rajasthan. This has been mentioned by Thakur Deshraj (page 617) that the capital of Punias was at Jhasal near border of Hisar district.
5. Ram Swarup Joon[2] has also mentioned about Punia clan – "They are found in Bikaner, Luharu and district Hissar in large numbers. They had their capital in Bikaner. The Ponya king drove out the Dahiya rulers of Jodhpur region. They have about 100 villages in Rajgarh region. They are still found in large numbers in Deraghazi Khan and Bannu and they're all of who are followers of Islam. They have 100 villages in Tehsil in Dadri and about 10 in Aligarh. A few of them inhabit Rohtak also."
6. James Legge did not have idea about Punia clan, but Fa-Hien had clearly written it as Kingdom of Poh-na which means The Kingdom of Ponya or Punias. The Ruhela and Punia kigdoms were in neighbourhood at that time in Afghanistan.
7. Y and J are interchangeable. `Punjab' can be written as `Punyab'. Punyab=Punya+ab means the land of Punya.
8. Punya as tribe has been mentioned in Rigveda also in Punjab. Punjab must derive its name from Punya, which later was interpreted as land of five rivers.
Chapter 18: Identify A-le?
A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms/Chapter 18:
Having crossed the Ganges, and gone south for three yojanas, (the travellers) arrived at a village named A-le,4 containing places where Buddha preached the Law, where he sat, and where he walked, at all of which topes have been built.
4 This village (the Chinese editions read “forest”) has hardly been clearly identified.
Notes - Is it Alipur Khera - Village in Mainpuri district, UP? Or Ali Nager (Kannauj) ? Or some other place ?