Indian Antiquary Vol 50

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 23

JAN., 1921]
THE DESERT CROSSING OF HSUAN-TSANG
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important a part this hardy mount, "lean and of russet colour," for which he exchanged his own, was destined to play in the pilgrim's final escape from death in the desert.7
Thus mounted and accompanied by the young native who was to act as guide, Hsüantsang started at night from Kua-chou. "In the third watch they came to the river and sighted the Yu-mên Barrier from a distance. At 10 li from the point where the barrier stood 8 the upper river-course had its banks not more than a chang (10 feet) apart." Here a crossing was effected by a rough foot-bridge which the "young barbarian" improvised with cut-down branches of trees, etc. Then, after resting by the river-bank, they set out with the first rays of the sun. But after going a short distance Hsüan-tsang's companion, frightened by the dangers ahead, refused to venture beyond, and left the brave pilgrim to pursue his adventure alone.
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Before we proceed to follow Hsüan-tsang further, it will be convenient to sum up the indications derived from this brief account and from the local information previously reproduced and to compare them with the actual topography of An-hsi. Starting from the town of Kua-chou, the route to I-wu or Hami first led north for 50 li to the river Hu-lu, where the watch-station of Yü-mên-kuan, or the Jade Gate Barrier," was then placed. From this point the route towards Hami turned to the north-west and passed towards the five signal-posts maintained in the desert for look-out purposes. Hsüan-trang, having to avoid the "Jade Gate Barrier" where his unauthorized move beyond the border would have been stopped, set out from Kua-chou at night and reached the river at a point some 10 li above the watch-station. Having effected a crossing, unperceived, in the third watch, he thence picked up the track leading to the nearest of the watch-towers, and, as we shall presently see, arrived there after covering 80 li.
It is easy to demonstrate the full accord of these indications with the topographical facts as our survey shows them. By the river Hu-lu no other but the Sulo Ho can be meant. From the ruined town of Kua-chou-ch'êng, which in view of its central position and surviving local tradition may safely be assumed to mark the approximate site of the Kua-chou of T'ang times, it is 8 miles almost exactly due north in a straight line to the point where the present road to Hami crosses the Su-lo Ho. If we assume that the river-course in Hsüan-tsang's days lay about 2 miles further to the north where our survey marks an old river-bed, the agreement in distance with the 50 li of the 'Life' becomes still closer ; for the equation of 5 li to the mile is the one which my extensive experience of Hsüen-tsang's distance-reckonings along Central-Asian routes has proved to be the generally correct
The mention of this experienced equine wayfarer seems to me to give a distinct touch of reality to the story as recorded in the 'Life. Together with other points to be indicated below it creates a presumption in favour of the substantial veracity of the account as received and handed down by Hsuan-tsang's biographers.
At the same time the way in which the 'Life' connects the acquisition of this auspicious mount with a prognostic Hsuan-tsang had received from a diviner before his start from Ch'ang-an, shows the same quaint intermingling of sense of reality and naive credulity which characterizes the personality of my Chinese "patron saint "-like that of so many of his compatriots, ancient and modern--throughout his own Records; cf., e.g., Desert Cathay, 2, 169 sq., 180.
I follow here Beal's interpretation; see Life of Hiuen-taiang, ' p. 10. Julien's version would imply that the point of crossing was at the barrier itself. But this obviously cannot be the sense intended since the passage had to b effected secretly. Besides, we have been told before that the Yu-mên Barrie stood where the river was widest, and consequently may be supposed to have been fordable.
This identification with the Su-lo Ho, the Bulungir of the Mongols, was first correctly made by V. de Saint-Martin (cf. Julien, Mémoires de Hiouen-thrang,' 2, p. 202).