46 Verification of the Itinerary of Hwan Thsang [July, 



been at or near Burhanpur on the Tapti. This town is in the very 

 heart of the old Mahratta country, and from its vicinity to the celebra- 

 ted fortress of Asirgarh, I have little doubt that it was once the 

 capital of the country. Its present name is derived from Burhan 

 Nizam Shah ; but the town is mentioned by Ferishta as a place of 

 consequence during the reign of Ahmed Shah, the father of Burhan 

 Shah.) 



Thence to the W. at 1000 li (167 miles) across the river Nai-mo- 

 tho (in Sanskrit Narmada, the Namadus Fluvius of Ptolemy, and the 

 Narbada of the present day, to 



No. 98— Pa-lu-ko-chen-pho, 2400 to 2500 li (400 to 417 miles) 

 in extent. The people live by sea-trade. (The position, on the northern 

 bank of the Narbada, and in the vicinity of the sea, point to the 

 seaport of Baroch, the Barygaza of Ptolemy and the Brigu gacha 

 of the Hindus. The Chinese syllables seem to represent Brigu 

 ehampa, in which the first half of the Hindu name is correctly 

 preserved.) 



Thence to the N. W. at 2000 li (333 miles) to 



No. 99— Ma-lo-pho, 6000 li (1000 miles) in extent. The capital 

 is situated to the S. E. of the river Mtj-ho. (This is undoubtedly 

 Malava or Malwa, of which the ancient capital was Dhar or Dhdrana- 

 gar, situated to the S. E. of the upper course of the Mdhi river, the 

 Mais of the Periplus, as stated by Hwan Thsang. But both the dis- 

 tance and the bearing are wrong ; as the latter should be N. E. and the 

 former should be only 1000 li (or 167 miles) which is the exact distance 

 between Baroch and Dhar.) In all the five Indies, adds Hwan Thsang, 

 the two chief kingdoms for study are Malwa to the S. W. and Magadha 

 to the N. E. The history of the country mentions that a king named 

 Shi-lo-a-ti-to (or Siladitya) reigned there for 60 years. To the N. 

 W. of the town at 20 li (upwards of 3 miles) was a town of Brahmans. 

 At the period of Hwan Thsang' s visit therefore Buddhism was still 

 prevalent in Malwa.) 



Thence to the S. W. embarking and then turning to the N. W. at 

 2400 to 2500 li (400 to 417 miles) to 



No. 100 — A-cha-li, or A-tho-li, 6000 li (1000 miles) in extent. 

 (This description seems rather vague : but by first travelling from Dhar 

 to the S. W. to Baroch, and thence sailing along the coast till opposite 



