18G5.] Report of the Archaeological Survey. 217 



that the town as well as the Buddhist monuments must all have heen 

 swept away hy the change in the river's course. 



272. On leaving Nava-deva-kida, Hwen Thsang proceeded 600 

 li, or 100 miles, to the south-east, and recrossing the Granges he reach- 

 ed the capital city of A-yu-to, which was 20 li, or upwards of 3 

 miles, in circuit Both M. Julien and M. St. Martin have identi- 

 fied this place with Ayodhya, the once celebrated capital of Rama. 

 But though I agree with them as to the probable identification of the 

 name as that of the country, I differ with them altogether in looking 

 for the capital along the line of the Ghdghra River, which is clue east 

 from Kanoj, whereas Hwen Thsang states that his route was to the 

 south-east. It is of course quite possible that the pilgrim may occa- 

 sionally use the generic name of Ganges as the appellation of any large 

 river, such for instance as the Ghdghra, but in the present case, where 

 the recorded bearing of south-east agrees with the course of the Ganges, 

 I think it is almost certain that the Ganges itself was the river intend- 

 ed by the pilgrim. But by adopting the line of the Ganges we 

 encounter a difficulty of a different kind in the great excess of the 

 distance between two such well-known places as Kanoj and Prayag. 

 According to Hwen Thsang's route, he first made 100 li to Nava- 

 deva-hula, then 600 li to Ayutho, then 300 li by water to Hayamukha, 

 and lastly 700 li to Praydga. All these distances added together 

 make a total of 1,700 li, or 283 miles, which is just 100 miles, or 

 600 li, in excess of the true distance. But as a part of the jonrney, 

 viz., 300 li, or 50 miles, was performed by water, the actual excess 

 may perhaps not be more than 85 or 90 miles ; although it is doubt- 

 ful whether the distance of 300 li may not have been the road mea- 

 surement and not the river distance. It is sufficient for our purpose 

 to know that Hwen Thsang's recorded measurement is somewhere about 

 100 miles in excess of the truth. The only explanation of this error 

 that suggests itself to me is, that there may have been an accidental 

 alteration of one set of figures, such as 60 li for 600 li, or 700 li for 

 70 li. Supposing that the former was the case, the distance would 

 be shortened by 540 li, or 90 miles, and if the latter, by 630 li, or 

 105 miles. This mode of correction brings the pilgrim's account into 

 fair accordance with the actual distance of 180 miles between Kanoj 

 and Prayag. 



