137 



Memorandum on the Ancient bed of the River Soane and Site of Pa- 

 libothra. By E. C. Ravenshaw, Esq., B. C. S. f with a Coloured 

 Map. 



One of the chief difficulties in identifying Patna as the site of Pa- 

 talipootra, the capital of Chundragupta, has been the distance which 

 at present exists between the river Soane and the city of Patna. 

 Any satisfactory evidence, therefore, which can be brought to esta- 

 blish the fact that the confluence of the Soane and Ganges in former 

 days took place in the vicinity of Patna, is of importance both in a 

 geographical and historical point of view. Major Rennell, in his 

 " Memoir of a map of Hindoostan," (page 50,) observes, that " Late en- 

 quiries made on the spot (about 1787 A. D.) have brought out this 

 interesting discovery, that a very large city which anciently stood on, 

 or very near, the site of Patna, was named Patelpoother (or Patalipu- 

 tra according to Sir W. Jones,) and that the river Soane, whose con- 

 fluence with the Ganges is now at Moneah (Muneer), 22* miles 

 above Patna, once joined it under the walls of Patelpoother. This 

 name agrees so well with Palibothra, and the intelligence altogether 

 furnishes such positive kind of proof, that my former conjecture 

 respecting Conoge must fall to the ground." In page 53, he adds, 

 that " The ancient bed of the Soane is yet traceable on the south of 

 Patna, and seems to have led into the Ganges near Futwah." 



On accidentally meeting with the above passages in Major Rennell's 

 work, at the time that the Professional Survey of the Patna district 

 was going forward, I requested Lieutenant Maxwell of the Bengal 

 Artillery (the officer in charge of the survey) to endeavour, if possible, 

 to trace out the course of the old bed of the Soane, with a view either 

 to verify or disprove the correctness of Major RennelFs information. 

 Lieutenant Maxwell entered into the enquiry with his usual zeal, and 

 with no other hints than what are contained in the above quotations, 

 was successful in clearly tracing the old bed from a point on the Soane, 

 near Sydabad (about 18 miles above Muneer) via Bikrum, Nowbut- 

 poor, Phoolwaree, Meethepoor to Bakipoort, where it appears to have 



* It is dow only 12 miles above the Golah, and 17 above the Western Gate of the 

 old Fort of Patna. 



t Called by European Kesidents, Bankipoor. 



