Indian Antiquary Vol 07

Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 11

JANUARY, 1878.]
FAH HIAN'S KINGDOM OF THE DAKSHINA.
in a southerly direction from Banaras, and de- pretation with what is known of the history of flecting it a little to the west, to keep within the the portion of South India to which it refers in limits of the land, the end of the 900 miles will tho days of Fah Hian. The most northerly be found in the neighbourhood of Madras; and, locality to which his indications have brought as Madras is only about 2, degrees to the west us, namely, the deltas of the Godavari and of the meridian of Banâras, any place in the Krishņâ, lies within the limits of the ancient neighbourhood of Madras will suit Fah Hian's kingdom of Vengi; and the most southern distance and direction, according to this mode point lies within forty miles of Conjeveram, the of measurement. It seems certain, however, old capital city Kanchi, famous amongst that while we may consider Madras to be about both Buddhists and Brâhmans as the seat of a the extreme south point to which his description powerful kingdom, and the centre of the civilizacan apply, Fa Hian had a more practicable route tion of Southern India, in the earliest days of in mind than the crow-fight line; and when he its known history. says that “the roads of the kingdom of Tha- That both Vengi and Kanchi formed thsen are dangerous, teilsome, and not easy to portions of one and the same kingdom at the know," he seems to suggest an intricate inland time when the grants of the kings of the route, rather than the road by the coast. If so, Pallavas in Sir Walter Elliot's collection allowance must be made for the circuitousness were issued is abundantly evident from the and sinuosities of that route, and the end of the contents of those grants, especially when taken 900 miles will then fall a good deal north of in connection with those of their neighbours Madras. In this long distance perhaps en al- the Chera, the Kadamba, and the Chalowance of about one-fourth will be sufficient to lakya kings; and there is no likelihood of cover these deflections from the straight line ; any doubt being raised, in the present position and the end of Fah Hian's line will then fall in of our information, that those grants of the the neighbourhood of the Krishpå.
Pallavas which have already been published, The result of this method of interpreting Fah though they bear no date, certainly belong to Hian's 35th chapter may now be stated in these the time which closely bordered on that of Fah words :-Two hundred travelling stages to the Hian's visit. For the purposes of this paper, south of Banaras-that is to say, somewhere therefore, it amounts to the same thing whether between the basin of the Godavari and the the central spot of the kingdom of Tha-thsen, basin of the Palar-lay, in the year 400 to which Fah Hian's information referred, lay in A.D., the heart of an extensive kingdom, the basins of the Godavari and Krishna, or in namely, the kingdom of the south,' where the the basins of the Palar and the Pennárs, since arts of architecture and sculpture had attained the whole of these localities were in his days a high stage of progress; where religion, philoso- under the rule of the kings of the Palla vas. pby, and literature were represented by Buddhist All that is at present known of these kings monks, Brahmans, and other religious sectarians; and their dominions corresponds with the interwhere internal order was maintained by a woll- pretation which I have above offered of Fah organized police, whose services were available | Hian's narrative : for the protection of pilgrims of religion, as 1. That they were the paramount power in well as for merchants and their merchandize; the Dakhan when the first Chala kya which possessed Buddhist monuments of suf army crossed the Narmada, in or about the 5th ficient interest and importance to induce "the century A.D., has long been known from Sir Clergy of Reason of the other kingdoms (to] go Walter Elliot's earliest papers on the Chalukya thither and practise the rites;" whose material dynasties.. The earliest kingdom of the Chåprogress was apparently aided by a rich and ex- lukyas in the Dakhan was conquered by them tensive commerce; and which was governed by a from the Pallavas, and their peaceable possesmild and enlightened monarch, who, while he sion of it was confirmed by the marriage of the seems to have himself possessed Buddhist sym- Chalukya king with a princess of the Palla pathies, was nevertheless tolerant of all other vas. So that a short time after, and so, apreligions.
parently, at the very time of Fah Hian's visit, We may now proceed to compare this inter the Pallava dominions extended far up into