Book Title: Political History Of Ancient India
Author(s): Hemchandra Raychaudhari
Publisher: University of Calcutta

Previous | Next

Page 649
________________ 620 POLITICAL HISTORY OF ANCIENT INDIA modern Sind, and nothing but Sind, is unsupported by any early evidence. Yuan Chwang went east from Sin-tu above 900 li and, crossing to the east bank of the Indus, came to the Mou-lo-san-pu-lu country. This proves that Sin-tu lay to the west of Mou-lo-san-pu-lu (Multān), and was situated on the west side of the Indus. The commentator of the Kāmasutras of Vātsyāyana makes the clear statement frafata FESSITAT PER AT FAPTER 17 HAFI The major part of modern Sind was clearly outside the geographical (as opposed to political) limits of ancient "Sin-tu” or Sindhu and was, in the days of Yuan Chwang, included in the countries of A-tien-p'o-chih-lo, Pi-to-shih-lo, and A-fan-tu. Part of the modern territory of Sind may have been included in Sauvira whose southern limits undoubtedly reached the sea, because the Milinda-Panho mentions it in a list of countries where "ships do congregate". We are informed by the author of the Periplus that "ships lie at anchor at Barbaricum" (at the mouth of the Indus). But the evidence of Alberuni leaves no room for doubt that the northern limits of Sauvira reached Multān. A scholar like Alberuni thoroughly conversant with Purāņic lore, is not likely to make an unwarranted statement. In fact, the inclusion of Multan within Sauvīra receives striking confirmation from some of the Purāṇas The Skandapurāna, for instance, referring to the famous temple of the Sun at Mūla-sthāna or Multān, says that it stood on the banks of the river Devikā (Devikātaţa) :- . ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि मूलस्थानमिति श्रुतम् । देविकायास्तटे रम्ये भास्करं वारितस्करम् ॥ In the Agnipurāņathe Devikā is brought into special relations with the realm of Sauvira : सौवीरराजस्य पुरा मैत्रेयोभूत् पुरोहितः। तेन चायतनं विष्णोः कारितं देविकातटे ॥ According to Yuan Chwang, Sin-tu and Multān were neighbouring countries lying on opposite sides of the Indus. 1 Watters, II. 254. 2 Benares edition, p. 295. 3 Prabhāsa-kshetra-Māhātmya, Ch. 278. 4 Ch. 200.

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 647 648 649 650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674 675 676 677 678 679 680 681 682 683 684 685 686 687 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 695 696 697 698 699 700 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 708 709 710 711 712 713 714