Buddhist records of the Western world (Xuanzang)
by Samuel Beal | 1884 | 224,928 words | ISBN-10: 8120811070
This is the English translation of the travel records of Xuanzang (or, Hiuen Tsiang): a Chinese Buddhist monk who traveled to India during the seventh century. This book recounts his documents his visit to India and neighboring countries, and reflects the condition of those countries during his time, including temples, culture, traditions and fest...
Chapter 4 - Country of Po-lu-kie-ch’e-p’o (Bharukachha, Bharuch or Broach)
This kingdom is 2400 or 2500 li in circuit. Its capital is 20 li round. The soil is impregnated with salt. Trees and shrubs are scarce and scattered. They boil the seawater to get the salt, and their sole profit is from the sea. The climate is warm. The air is always agitated with gusts of wind. Their ways are cold and indifferent; the disposition of the people crooked and perverse. They do not cultivate study, and are wedded to error and true doctrine alike. There are some ten saṅghārāmas, with about 300 believers. They adhere to the Great Vehicle and the Sthavira school. There are also about ten Deva temples, in which sectaries of various kinds congregate.
Going from this[1] north-west about 2000 li, we come to the country of Mo-la-po (Mālava).[2]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
The geography of this part of the pilgrim's route is involved in obscurities. I can only therefore offer some remarks on the text. In Hwui-lih the symbol used is "chi", not "hing", from which it might have been gathered that Hiuen Tsiang did not himself visit this country, or at least on this occasion. But in the text the symbol "hing" is used, so that no weight can be given to this supposition.
[2]:
If this country be Mālava, it lies north-east from Bharoch. But, on the other hand, it does not follow that the route was a direct one. The pilgrim and his companions from Ceylon may have travelled east towards the head waters of the Mahī river, and then north-west. It is said in a note to be the same as the southern Lo-lo (Lāra) country.