Chapter 2 - Country of Fo-li-shi-sa-t’ang-na (Parsusthana or Vardasthana)

Note: Pāṇini mentions Parśusthāna, the country of the Parśus, a warlike tribe, in this direction.^[1]

This kingdom is about 2000 li from east to west and 1000 li from north to south. The capital is called Hu-pi-na (Hupiān),^[2] and is 20 li round. As regards the soil and the manners of the people, these are the same as in Tsau-ku-ch'a; the language, however, is different. The climate is icy cold; the men are naturally fierce and impetuous. The king is a Turk (Tu-kiueh). They have (or he has) profound faith for the three precious objects of worship; he esteems learning and honours virtue (or, the virtuous, i.e., the priests).

Going to the north-east of this kingdom, traversing mountains and crossing rivers, and passing several tens of little towns situated on the frontier of the country of Kapiśa, we come to a great mountain pass called Po-lo-si-na (Varasena),^[3] which forms part of the great snowy mountains. This mountain pass is very high; the precipices are wild and dangerous; the path is tortuous, and the caverns and hollows wind and intertwine together. At one time the traveller enters a deep valley, at another he mounts a high peak, which in full summer is blocked with frozen ice. By cutting steps up the ice the traveller passes on, and after three days he comes to the highest point of the pass. There the icy wind, intensely cold, blows with fury; the piled snow fills the valleys. Travellers pushing their way through, dare not pause on their route. The very birds that fly in their wheeling flight^[4] cannot mount alone this point, but go afoot across the height and then fly downwards. Looking at the mountains round, they seem as little hillocks. This is the highest peak of all Jambudvīpa. No trees are seen upon it, but only a mass of rocks, crowded one by the side of the other, like a wild forest.

Going on for three days more, we descend the pass and come to 'An-ta-lo-po (Andar-āb).^[5]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Pāṇini mentions Parśusṭhāna, the country of the Parśus, a warlike tribe, in this direction (v. 3, 117; Bṛh. Saṃ., xiv. 18). Baber (Mem., p. 140) mentions the Parāchīs among the tribes of Afghanistan. Ptolemy has two places, Parsiana (lib. vi. c. 18, s. 4) and Parsia (ib., s. 5), and also the tribes Parsioi and Parsuetai (ib., s. 3), somewhere in this vicinity.

[2]:

Hupiān or Opian, a little to the north of Chārikar, in lat. 35°2' N., long. 69°1' E., at the entrance of a pass over the north-east end of the Pamghān range.

[3]:

This pass over the Hindu Kush (the paropamisus or Indian Caucasus) is probably the same as the Khawak Pass described by Wood (Oxus, p. 274). He found it to be 13,000 feet in height.

[4]:

"Ngo ts'eung", soaring birds.

[5]:

See Book i., n. 146.