Indian Antiquary Vol 07

Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 13

JANUARY, 1878.)
ANANDAPURA IN SAURASHTRA.
the commerce between India and the Golden Chersonese and the regions to the farther East, and so of every sea-board beyond India between China and'the western world, was within their territory; and all the diamond mines then known to the world were also within their dominions, and had probably supplied every diamond which up to that time had ever adorned a diadem. The bulk of that commerce went southwards from that "locus unde solvunt in Chrysen navigantes" in coasting vessels around Cape Kumari to the ports of departure for the markets of the West on the western coast : but the lighter and most valuable articles, and especially the diamonds and other precious stones, would naturally find their way by the shorter land-route to those ports; and merchants laden with these precious commodities would need to be protected along the wild roads across the peninsula, and could well afford to pay for that protection Fah Hian's "certain sum of money to the king of the country."
For these reasons the conclusion seems to me to be irresistible that Fah Hian's kingdom called Tha-thsen' is the great kingdom of the Pallavas of Kanchi.
If this identification is well established, it will supply an important missing link in the history
of India between the times which are covered by the classical and the Buddhist relations, and by the evidence of coins, and the dawn of the unbroken period from the 5th century downwards which is covered by Sir Walter Elliot's Chilukya inscriptions; it will prepare the way for an investigation of the next earlier link in the chain, namely, the question of the origin of these kings of the Palla va s, which will probably fill in the remainder of the gap; it will account for the possibility of the splendid commerce of these parts up through the age of Ptolemy to the times of the Periplus, by showing the existence of a local government sufficiently powerful for its protection; it will also, I hope, contribute something towards the completion of Mr. Fergusson's almost perfect continuity of Buddhist architectural history from the topes and viháras of Gandh î ra, through the Tope of Amråvati, the nine-storeyed Chaitya of the Diamond Sands, the Pigeon Monastery of Fah Hian, and the Vihara Rath of Mah amallapura, down to the manystoreyed rihúras of Java, and the pyramidal vimanas and Goparas of medieval India; and it will help to restore an almost forgotten empire to its due place in the ancient history of India.
FRAGMENTS RELATING TO ANANDAPURA IN SAURASHTRA.
BY MAJOR J. W. WATSON. The Anandapura of Hiwen Thsâng is is about 64 miles to the north-west of Valabhi stated by that author to be 700 li, or about 135 as the crow fies; but as the hilly country miles, to the north-west of Vala bh i. General between Valabhi and Anandapura,.commencing Cuaningham, in his Ancient Geography of India near Gadh rå, was in former times not (p. 493), says that the town has been identified only covered with thick jungle, but also de with Barnagar (Vadnagar in Gujarat) by M. void of roads, it is not only possible, but proVivien de Saint-Martin ;' he, however, mentions bable, that a traveller would be obliged to that Vadnagar is 150 miles to the east of make a détour of forty, or fifty miles to reach north, and he subsequently suggests that the that town, the territories subordinate to which, kingdom of Anandapura may correspond with after making so long a détour, one might be apt to the triangular tract lying between the mouth consider of greater extent than they really of the Bank 8 river on the west, and the were. It is, therefore, just possible that the Sabarmati river on the east.
Anandapura in the Panchala is really Now Anandapura in Saurashtra, the Anandapura of the Chinese pilgrim. It is or more correctly in the Dev a-Panchala, doubtless of very respectable antiquity, and
Julien, Mém. sur les Cont. Occid. tom. II. p. 406. This logical Report on Kachidvad and Kachh, pp. 84, 85, where was on the authority of Stevenson, Kilpa Sittra, pp. 2, 15. it was suggested that the Anandapura of Hiwen Thsang Cunningham makes oli equal one mile, and so makes might be that still existing.-ED. Anandapura only 117 miles from Valabhl. Conf. Archæo. The Deva-Panchala is a fubdivision of Saurashtra.