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 7 - Country of K’ie-ch’a (Kachha)
Note: The distance is to be reckoned from the kingdom or country of Mālava, but the place is not named.[1]
This country is 3000 li or so in circuit, the capital about 20 li. The population is dense. The establishments wealthy. There is no king (great ruler) amongst them; the country is an appanage of Mālava, and the climate, products of the soil, and manners of the people are very similar in both countries. There are some ten saṅghārāmas, with about 1000 priests, who study alike the Great and the Little Vehicle. There are also several tens of Deva temples with very many unbelievers (sectaries).
From this going north[2] 1000 li or so, we come to Fa-la-pi (Valabhī).
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
General Cunningham proposes to read 1300 li from Dhār to Kheḍa; this last place is a large town of Gujarāt, situated between Ahmadābād and Khambay, and would be in its Sanskrit form the same as Kheḍa, which again is the equivalent of the Chinese Kie-ch'a. But Kie-ch'a, although it might be correctly restored to Kheḍa, is the name of a country. The distance, also, being "three days," in Hwui-lih, seems to confirm the 300 li in the text. We must therefore retain the restoration of Kachha.
[2]:
Although we should expect the direction to be south from Kachh, the reading is north, both in the text and in Hwui-lih; wherever the Valabhī of Hiuen Tsiang was situated, it is said to have been "the kingdom of the Northern Lāra (Lo-lo) people." (Note in the Chinese text).