Indian Antiquary Vol 28

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 75

MARCH, 1899.) ARCHÆOLOGICAL TOUR WITH THE BUNER FIELD FORCE.
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given his eyes in charity for the sake of a man," and where a great Stupa had been erected in honour of this legendary event. It is to be regretted that the sacred site here meant cannot yet be identified. Sung-Yun also mentions it; but from his somewhat confused account it can only be gathered that it lay somewhere in the central part of the Yuzufzai plain.20 A similar conclusion can be drawn also from Fa-Hien's own statement, who speaks of having reacbed Chu-cha-shi-lo, or the place of the head-offering,' the well-known site of Taxila, after a seven days' march to the east of Gandhāra, i. e., of the spot already specified.30
On the first look it might appear strange that Fa-Hien in order to go from the Girārai site to the central part of Gandhāra or Yusufzai should proceed in an easterly direction, and should take five days to accomplish the journey. A reference to the map and a consideration of the ordinary routes still followed to the present day will, however, easily explain this.
Leaving the sacred site of the Dove-ransoming' Fa-Hien may naturally be supposed to have taken the most convenient and frequented route. In view of the topographical features of the country this would have been in his days just as now the route which leads first to the east down the Barandu Valley and then crosses the range of hills by the Ambēla Pass down to Rustam, an important site already in ancient times.31 It is practically this route which was followed by the late expedition. On it five daily marches of the customary length would still be counted for the journey from Girārai to Mardān, which latter place in view of its central position may here be taken as an approximate substitute for the site of the eye-offering. '32
Route to Shan-ni-lo-shi. — A second test for the correctness of our proposed identifications is supplied by a statement of Hiuen Tsiang. He informs us that " going north-west from the place where Buddha redeemed the dove, 200 li or so, we enter the valley of Shan-ni-lo-shi and there reach the convent of Sa-pao-sha-ti.'33 Major DEANE in bis very instructive Note on Udyāns and Gandhara" has proposed to identify the Shan-ni-lo-shi of the Records with the large Adinzai Valley, which opens to the north of the Swāt River near the present Fort Chakdarra. The careful examination I was able to make during my two tours in the Swāt Valley of the several topographical and archeological facts bearing on this question has convinced me that Major Deane has in this, as in other instances, been guided by the right antiquarian instinct. I hope to discuss this point in a separate report on the remains of the lower Swāt Valley. Here it may suffice to state that the Sa-pao-sha-ti convent with its high Stūpa must in all probability, as already recognized by Major Deane, be looked for among the several great ruined mounds which are found in the very centre of the valley close to the point where the present military road turns sharply to the west towards the Katgala Pass.
The general direction of the Adinzai Valley from Girārai is north-west, exactly as stated by Hiuen Tsiang. The nearest and apparently easiest route between the two places leads over the Banjir Pass down to the Swāt River. Thence the road lies along the left bank of the latter to Chakdarra, which owing to its natural position must have at all times been the favourite point for crossing. Measured along this route the total distance on the map from Girārai to the central point of the Adinzai Valley above indicated amounts to 25 miles. This is almost exactly the distance which we have found above as the equivalent on the map of Hinen Tsiang's 200 li between Manglaur-Mangali and Pinjkotai-Mahāvana. It is thus evident that given the identical base of conversion, the 200 li of the pilgrim represent here with equal closeness the actual road distance between Girarai and Adinzi.
20 See Si-yu-ki, transl. by Beal, p. ciii.
50 Si-yu-ki, p. Xxxii. Taxila, marked by the ruins of the present Shah-ke Dhori, is placed by al Chinese accounts three marches to the east of the Indus; see Cunningham, Ancient Geography, p. 104
$1 Ancient Gcography. p. 6o.
11 The probable stages would be Karapa or Sunigräm; Ambela : Kurtam; Bakhshaii - all places which either by their remains ur position can lay claim to importance from early times,
34 See Si-yu-ki, transl. Beal. i., p. 125; Mémoires de H. Th., i.. p. 137. * Compare Journal oj the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Irita n. 1890 . 7.