1899.] 
MUHAMMADAN NOTICES. 
25 
river Jailam comes,’ that is, of the gorge through which the river flows 
immediately below Baramfila. This estimate agrees closely with the 
actual road distance between Muzaffarabad and Baramula which is 
given by Drew as 84 miles. 1 At the other or Kasmir end of the ravine 
Alberuni places quite correctly ‘ the watch-station Dvdr ’ (Skr. Dvara ) 
the position of which, as we shall see below, is marked to this day by 
the site of the old gate known as Drang. 
“ Thence leaving the ravine you enter the plain, and reach in two 
more days Addishtan , the capital of Kashmir, 
tion of the Valley passing on the road the village Ushkara. All 
this is perfectly accurate. Adhistbana ‘the 
capital ’ is, of course, meant for S'rinagara 2 and Ushkara for Uskur , 
opposite Baramula, the ancient Huskapura already mentioned by Hiuen 
Tsiang. 3 Alberuni’s mention of Uskur which is on the left river bank, 
shows that then as now the ordinary road from the ‘ Grate of Varaha- 
mula’ to S'rlnagara passed on the left or southern side of the Valley. 
Two marches are still counted for this part of the journey. 
The capital is correctly described as “ being built along both banks 
of the river Jailam which are connected with each other by bridges 
and ferry boats.” It is said to cover ‘ a space of four farsakh .’ This if 
interpreted to mean ‘ a space of four Farsakh in circumference,’ would 
not be too far from the truth, assuming that all suburban areas around 
the city are included in the estimate. The course of the river above 
and below the capital is traced rightly enough as far as the Valley is 
concerned. “ When the Jailam has left the mountains and has flowed 
two days’ journey, it passes through Addishtan. Four Farsakh farther 
on it enters a swamp of one square Farsakh.” Here, of course, the Volur 
lake (Mahapadma) is meant. “ The people have their plantations on 
the borders of this swamp, and on such parts of it as they manage to 
1 See loc. cit. According to Drew’s table six marches are counted, but one 
of them is very short. On the modern route following the opposite side of the 
river five marches are now reckoned from Domel, opposite to Muzaffarabad, to 
Baramula. 
2 Adhisthana, used again ii. p. 181, is a term which indicates that Alberuni’s 
informant was a Sanskrit-speaking person. The common designation of the capital 
was S'rinagara or simply Nagara; see § 91 below. 
S The text as rendered by Prof. Sachau, speaks of “ UshTcdra which lies on 
both sides of the Yalley, in the same manner as Baramula .” There is either some 
corruption in the text here or Alberuni’s informant had not made himself sufficiently 
clear. What he must have meant, is that Ushkara lay on the opposite side of the 
river in the same manner as Baramula, that is at the entrance of the ravine. 
Baramula as the text spells the name, reproduces an earlier form of the Kasmiri 
Varahmul, from Skr. Vardhamula. 
J. i. 4 
