The Ancient Geography of India/Garjapatipura
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22. Garjapatipura
From Banaras, Hwen Thsang travelled eastward for about 300 li, or 50 miles, to the kingdom of Chen-chu, which is a Chinese translation of the original name, meaning " lord-of-battles." M. Julien proposes Yodhapatipura or Yodharaja-pura ; but as the translation alone is given, we have a choice of several terms, as Vigrahapati, Yudhanatha, Ranaswami, etc. The capital situated on the Ganges was 10 li, or 1-2/3 miles, in circuit. The place thus described is certainly Ghazipur,
[p.439]: which is on the Ganges just 50 miles to the east of Banaras. The present name was given by the Muhammadans, and is said to be only a slight alteration of the original Hindu name of Garjpur. This is most probably the name referred to by Hwen Thsang, as Garjan, which means primarily any roaring noise, signifies also "battle," and Garjana-pati is a title of the " god of war."
Ghazipur is now a large city about 2 miles in length, and 5 or 6 miles in circumference. Hwen Thsang estimates the circuit of the district at 2000 li, or 333 miles, which is almost exactly the size of the tract lying between the Ghagra on the north and the Gomati on the south, from Tanda on the west to the confluence of the Ganges and Ghagra.
At 200 li, or 33 miles, to the east of the capital, Hwen Thsang visited the Aviddhakarna monastery, which was adorned with very fine sculptures. Following the bearing and distance, this place should be looked for in the neighbourhood of Baliya on the bank of the Ganges. Aviddhakarna means the "pierced ears," and I think it possible that the name may still be preserved in Bikapur, a village 1 mile to the east of Baliya, as Aviddkakarna-pura might easily be shortened to Bidkarnpur and Bikanpur. It seems probable also that this is the same place that is mentioned by Fa-Hian under the name of the " Vast solitude,"[1] which he places between Patna and Banaras, at 10 yojanas, or 70 miles, from the former, and 12 yojanas, or 84 miles, from the latter. The Indian name is not given, but as the literal translation of the " vast
- ↑ 'Fo-kwe-hi,' chap, xxxiv. The Rev. Mr. Beal in his translation calls this Vihar simply 1he " Desert."
[p.440]: solitude " would be Vrihadaranya or Bidaran, this name might easily be altered, either by ignorance or design, to Biddhkarn. The two distances from Patna and Banaras agree exactly with the position of Baliya, which is 72 miles from the former, and 86 miles from the latter.
From the monastery Hwen Thsang travelled to the south-east for 100 li, or 16 miles, to the Ganges, which he crossed, and then turning to the south for some unrecorded distance he reached the town of Mo.ho.so.lo, or Mahasara. This place was inhabited by Brahmans who had no respect for the faith of Buddha. It has been identified by M. Vivien de Saint-Martin with the village of Masar, 6 miles to the west of Ara (Arrah of the maps), near which Buchanan discovered some ruined buildings, and a considerable number of Brahmanical figures.[1] The pilgrim then suddenly mentions his arrival at the temple of Na-lo-yen, or Narayana, to the north of the Ganges, without stating either its distance or bearing from the last place. But with reference to his subsequent route to Vaisali, I feel satisfied that he must have crossed the Ganges above Revelgaj, which is nearly due north from Masar exactly 16 miles, or 100 li. This point, near the confluence of the Ganges and Ghagra, is deemed especially holy, and numerous temples have been erected on the bank of the united streams just above Revelganj. Here then I would place the site of Hwen Thsang's temple of Narayana or Vishnu, which he describes as being two storeys in height, and adorned with the most marvellous sculptures in stone.
At 30 li, or 5 miles, to the east of the temple there
- ↑ 'Eastern India,' i. 143.
[p.441]:was a famous stupa built by Asoka on the spot where Buddha had overcome and converted certain evil Demons, who were said to live upon human flesh.[1] The Demons embraced Buddhism, or as it was expressed by the ancient Buddhists, sought the refuge or asylum of the Three Precious ones, that is, of the Buddhist Triad, Buddha, Dharnia, and Sangha. Now Sarana is the Sanskrit term for asylum or refuge, and as this is also the true name of the district of Saran, in which the conversion of the Demons was said to have taken place, I conclude that the monument erected on the spot must have been called the Sarana Stupa, or Asylum Tope. The stupa must therefore have been one of considerable celebrity, as there can be little doubt that its name was eventually imposed on the district in which it stood. Now 5 miles to the east of Revelganj will bring us to Chapra, the present capital of the Saran district. Unfortunately I cannot find any information whatever about Chapra ; but it is certain that it must have been a place of considerable consequence, otherwise it would not have been selected as the British head-quarters of the district.
From the Asylum stupa the pilgrim proceeded 100 li, or 16-2/3 miles, to the south-east to another stupa, which was reputed to have been built by the Brahman Drona over the vessel with which he measured the relies of Buddha. According to the Ceylonese scriptures this stupa was built by the Brahman Dono (or Drona), over the Kumbhan or measuring-vessel, and was there- fore called the Kumbhan stupa.[2] Hardy calls the
- ↑ Julien's 'Hiouen Thsang,' ii. 381. See Map No. 21.
- ↑ Tumour, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, vii. 1013.
[p.442]:Brahman Droha, and the vessel a " golden measure."[1] In the Burmese books the vessel is the same, hut the Brahman is named Dauna.[2] In the Tibetan account the name of Drona is referred to the " measure " of the relics, which is certainly wrong, as the Brahman did not obtain any of the relics, but only the vessel with which he had measured them. This vessel was most probably equal to a drona in capacity, as each of the eight shares of the relics is said to have measured one drona. The stupa may, therefore, have been called the Drona stupa, because it held the drona measuring-vessel with which the Brahman had divided the relics amongst the eight rival claimants. But this was not the only name of the monument, as the Ceylonese chronicler calls it the Kumbha stupa. Now a kumhha is a water-vessel of large size, which may be seen sculptured on many Indian pillars as a round wide-mouthed vase full of flowers. I can find no name like Kumbha or Drona in the position indicated by Hwen Thsang at 17 miles to the south of east from Chapra. But at that spot there is a village named Deghwara, which, as degh is the common Hindi name of a large metal vessel of exactly the same shape as the kumbha, may possibly be only an altered form of the original name. But deg is also the Persian term for a similar vessel, and I would therefore only refer to Degwara as a convenient name to remember, because it has the same signification, and occupies the same position us the famous Kumbha stupa of Buddhist history.