1837.] Chinese Account of India. 65 



fertile. The king who rules here has the title of Maou-liin* ; the suhurhs 

 of the fortified city in which he resided are watered by rivulets, which 

 flow on all sides, and fill the deep ditches surrounding the city. Below it 

 flows the great river (the Ganges). All the palaces are covered with 

 sculptured inscriptions, and other ornaments in relief. A winding street 

 forms a market, a le in length. The dwelling-houses have several storiesf. 

 Bells and drums are their instruments of music, and the dress of the peo- 

 ple is adorned with fragrant flowers. They travel by land and by water ; 

 their commercial transactions are considerable, in jewels and other valua- 

 ble articles of luxury, and every thing which the heart can desire is pro- 

 curable here. On every side, to the right and to the left, you behold only 

 agreeable and seductive objects ; the houses are overshadowed by foliage, 

 and cooled by the motion of waters of all kinds. There are sixteen great 

 kingdoms which are remote from India; some distant 2,000 le ; others 

 3,000. All these kingdoms honor and respect India, which they regard as 

 placed between heaven and earth." 



The fifth of the years yuen-kea of Wan-te, of the Sungs (A. D. 428), 

 the king of the kingdom of Kea-pih-le (Kapila) in India, named Yue-gae 

 (' beloved of the moon'J), sent an ambassador to him to present him with 

 letters of submission (peaou), and to offer diamonds, valuable rings, 

 bracelets, as well as other ornaments of worked gold, and two parrots, one 

 red and the other white. 



The second of the years tne-she of Ming-te (A. D. 466), an ambassador 

 came to offer tribute. This ambassador had the rank of lieutenant-gene- 

 ral of the army. 



Note of the Chinese Editor. 

 [The eighteenth of the years yuen-kea (A. D. 441), the king of the king- 

 dom of Soo-mo-le sent an ambassador to offer the products of his country. 

 The second of the years heaou-keen, of the emperor Heaou-woo (A. D. 455), 

 the king of the kingdom of Kin-to-le§ sent a superior officer to offer gold 

 coin and precious vases. On the first of the years yuen-wei, of Fei-te 

 (A. D. 473), the kingdom of Pho-le(?)sent an ambassador to offer tribute. 

 All these kingdoms practised the doctrine of Ftih.J 



In the beginning of the years teen-keen of the dynasty Leang (A. D. 

 502), the king of India, named Keu-to, sent his great officer, named 

 Choo-lo-ta, to present letters of submission, and to offer vases of crystal, 

 perfumes of all sorts, precious talismans, and other articles of this kind. 



This kingdom (India) is traversed by great rivers|j. The spring or 



* This title must be the Chinese transcription of *r^TT;tn Mah&rana ; there can 



be no doubt in respect to the first syllable, maha (in composition) ' great ;' but the 

 Sanscrit word represented by lun (or run, ran) is less certain. At all events, this 

 must be a king of India whose reign corresponded with this date, between A. D. 222 

 and 280. 



"t* This is the case at Benares, where many of the houses have seven or eight 

 stones ; and the numerous temples and public edifices are covered with sculpture! 

 and bas-reliefs. 



% In Sanscrit, Chandrakanta, ' well beloved of the moon,' a name also given to 

 a precious stone ; or rather it would be Chanclrananda, 'joy or delight of the moon,' 

 cited in the fifth table of the Ayeen Akbiri, in the history of Cashmere. [Dr. Mill 

 suijirests that this monarch is Cliandrasri. Seep. 100 of Genealogical Appendix. 

 -Ed ] 



$ The Gandari of Herodotus and Strabo ? In Sanscrit 3I"^pr; Gandhari, or aj-^jrj 

 Gandhara. 



|| " KvoO lin ta keang, 1 ' literally, ' the kingdom overlooks great rivers.' 



