1847.] On the route of Fa-hian through Behar. 953 



Notes on Places in the Province of Behar, supposed to be those 

 described by Chy-Fa-Bian, the Chinese Buddhist Priest, who made 

 a pilgrimage to India, at the close of the fourth century A. D. ; by 

 Captain M. Kittoe, 6th Regiment, N. I. 



In my former notes on the Viharas of Magadha or Behar, I express- 

 ed my desire to examine Rajagriha, Burgaon, Behar and Pawapuri. 

 I have lately been enabled to pay a hnrried visit to several of these 

 places, which I was induced to do more particularly, after perusal of 

 extracts from Remusat's translation of the Travels of Chy-Fa-IIian, 

 [made at the close of the fourth century of the Christian era] oblig- 

 ingly furnished by our co-Secretary, Mr. J. W. Laidlay : these extracts 

 are here given for ready reference. 



Had I had full leisure and the season been more favourable, I should, 

 no doubt, have been able to have made a better harvest of information 

 than I have by such a hurried trip, with a burning sun and oppressive 

 heat, which forbade much roaming about the rocks and jungles ; in- 

 deed, as it is, I suffered severely. 



It would have been better could I have taken Patna, (Pa-lian-fou, 

 Pataliputra) as my starting point, and from thence have followed in 

 the very tract of Fa-Hian to " the little hill of the isolated rock," but 

 unable to do this, I sent a trust-worthy servant to Behar and have 

 perused Buchanan's notice of the same place and its curiosities ; also to 

 another spot held sacred by the Jains called Pawapuri lying between 

 that and Girryek. The remainder of the route I have traced myself. 



" Chap. XXVII. Departing from thence (Pataliputra, Pa-lian-fou) 

 towards the south-east nine yeou yans bring you to " the little hill of 

 the isolated rock." Now assuming the yeou yan to be the ^rT*7*r " yoyun" 

 or " jojun" of the Sanscrit, which is equal to four 5ffT¥j; or kos, our 

 pilgrim will have travelled thirty-six miles in a south-easterly direction, 

 as near as can be that of Behar ; no intermediate spot is mentioned, 

 nor can I hear of any which could have attracted his particular 

 attention; he describes the place (Behar ?) as the "little hill of the 

 isolated rock." " On the top of this rock is a stone building, facing 

 towards the south : Foe being seated there, the king of heaven, 

 Chy (Indra), made the celestial musicians Pant eke play on the khin,* 



* A kind of lyre. 



