Indian Antiquary Vol 09

SR No.: 032501
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 398
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 17 MB

Page 27

JANUARY, 1880.]
CHINESE ACCOUNTS OF INDIA.
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emperor being attacked by a mortal malady | kia-y-to" (Lokaditya), a native of U-ta," ordered him to prepare his marvellous remedy. obtained an interview with him by aid of his Thsui-tun-li, chief minister of war, was ordered (pretended) knowledge of magic. He received to protect and watch over his emissaries, who the title of Hoai-hoa-ta-tsiang-kiun. would be obliged to travel through all the In the third years of the Khien-fong period empire to collect medicinal plants of extra. (668 A. D.), the kings of the five Indias all came ordinary virtue, and very rare minerals, some to do homage to the emperor. of them even went into all the kingdoms of In the Khai-yuen period (713-714) ambasthe Po-lo-men (Brahmans). According to him, sadors came three times from Central India, the river called Pan-da-f a flows out of a and once an envoy came from Southern India. stone trough, and is guarded by men hewn ont They brought a bird which could speak, and of stone. It has seven kinds of waters : some whose plumage was of five colours. They are hot and others cold : the former dissolve
asked troops to punish the T-shi" (the Tâzi rapidly plants, herbs and metals. If any one - Arabs)" and the Tu-fan (Thibetans), and plunges his hand into it, he finds it cooked desired the emperor to give their army an and dissolved the same moment. This water honorary name. Hiweu-tsong passed a deoree, is drawn with the skull of a camel, and poured
in which he gave it the name Hoai-te-kiun into a calabash.
(the army which cherishes virtue). “There is a tree called ta-la-la, the leaves of "Foreigners," the ambassador said, “think which resemble those of the li (a kind of ebony) :
themselves honoured only when they receive a it grows on the ragged sides of & perpendi- cloak and a girdle ; upon which the emperor cularly shaped mountain, the approach to which made him a present of a brocaded cloak, a is guarded by a serpent hidden in a cave. Those leathern girdle enriched with gold, a satchel who wish to obtain the leaves, knock them ornamented with fishes," and seven other valodown by shooting arrows with four cornered able articles. points against the branches, but they are soon The king of Northern India came once to do carried off by the birds, they shoot more arrows, homage to the emperor. and at last obtain the leaves. Such were the Towards the end of the Khien-yuen period fables which this quack narrated. But at last, (668–670), China having lost the country of Hohis magical science having remained ineffectual, long, the kings of India ceased from that time the emperor permitted him to return; but before to come to court. In the third year of the he had time to set out he died at Chang'an." Kwang-shun period (959 A.D.) sixteen Samaneang While the Emperor Kao-tsong, (who mount
from Western India, Sa-man-to (Samanta) and ed the throne in 650 A.D.) was reigning, L 0-1 others, brought some very fine horses as tribute.
0 Tao-tsung, who reigned from A.D. 626 to 649.-J. A. 8. curious pasage throws great light on this obscure period B. 1.8.
of Indian history, and confirms fact hitherto Karcely 1 This is a very exact transcription of the Persian word noticed, but which has been asserted by two Arabian
authors Almakin and Abu'l Feda, namely the invasion of Panjab, the 'five waters,' or 'five rivers' (in Sans- India by the Arabs at the beginning of the eighth century. krit Panchananda). The last syllable fa in the Chinese " Muhammad ben K im," says the former, in his History transcription represents the more faithfully the syllable db, of the Sarrasins, "took India; be obtained possession of innamuch as the confonants composing it are two labials the countries adjoining the Sind (Indus), gave battle to very often taken one for the other. 1.4.8. B. 1..
Dahar, who was king of them, vanquished him, made him . The Capital of China at that time.-Pauthier, 1. 8. prisoner, and put bim to death." The other, in his Musalp. 58.
man Annals, translated by Reiske, says "Muhammed ben 3 That is, Ladyatika, or follower of the atheistical Kasim overran India as conqueror." But the following is a system of philosophy founded by Cherwika, entitled passage, curious in another respect, concerning the same Lakdyata (see Mr. Colebrooke's Essays on the Philosophy fact, it is taken from the History of the Empire of the of the Hindus). The saffix ka, which forms collective Khalifs, translated from Tabari (Turkish edition), for a names in Sanskrit, is represented in Chinese by the char. knowledge of which we are indebted to M. Reinaud - actor che, which serves in like manner to form adjectives and * This same year 87 (A.D. 709) was gloriously terminated collective names in Chinese. J.A. 8. B. u. 8. p. 71.
by the defeat of 200,000 barbarians, who had entered the .. Niao-ta is the word in the text; it is & mistake for country of the Musalmane, commanded by Begbaban, Uda (Odra, now Orissa). Pauthier, however, says it was nephew of the emperor of China. The Musalmans oonalso called Kiwan-yu-mo, where were many stôpas, &o.- fessed that they owed this important victory to the Examen, p. 59 n.
protection of God. J. 4. 8. B. vol. VI. p. 71. • The other account has the second year (887 A. D.)- On the T-shi, seo Breitschneider, On the knowledge Pautbier, W. 8. p. 59.
possessed by the Ancient Chiness of the Arabs, &c. " See D'Ohsson, Hist. des Mongols, tom. I. p. 217; Trübner, London 1871).-ED. Bretachneider's Mediaval Geog. and Hist. pp. 48f-ED. * We see in the Thang andals, that these fishes were
Ta-shi' great enters,' (rather tdi, Arabiana) is the sometimes made of jade, and sometimes carved in gold or name by which the Chinese designato the Arabe. This silver.