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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
CHAP. XLIV. TIIE LAMAS
2 2 I
writes it after Rashid, I presume on good grounds, as Cka»zidschzr, i.e. Kaniiju or Kalzzichu. And that this was the Western pronunciation of the name is shown by the form which Pegolotti uses, Canzexu, i.e. Camechu. The p in Polo's spelling is probably only a superfluous letter, as in the occasional old spelling of dazzzpnzrm, contezzzpnere, hy»zp1zzrs, tira»zpzus, sompzour, Danzpne Deu. In fact, Marignolli writes Polo's Quinsai as Campsay.
It is worthy of notice that though Ramusio's text prints the names of these two cities as Succuir and Campion, his own pronunciation of them appears to have been quite well understood by the Persian traveller Hajji Mahomed, for it is perfectly clear that the latter recognized in these names Suhchau and Kanchau. (See .Ram. II. f. 14v.) The second volume of the Navisationi, containing Polo, was published after Ramusio's death, and it is possible that the names as he himself read them were more correct (e.g. Succiur, Campjozr).
NOTE 2.—This is the meaning of the phrase in the G. T. : " Ceste grande yd; e gigent," as may be seen from Ramusio's giaciono distesi. Lazari renders the former expression, " giganteggia un idolo," etc., a phrase very unlike Polo. The circumstance is interesting, because this recumbent Colossus at Kanchau is mentioned both by Hajji Mahomed and by Shah Rukh's people. The latter say : " In this city of Kanchú there is an Idol-Temple 500 cubits square. In the middle is an idol lying at length which measures 50 paces. The sole of the foot is nine paces long, and the instep is 21 cubits in girth. Behind this image and overhead are other idols of a cubit (?) in height, besides figures of Baksliis as large as life. The action of all is hit off so admirably that y ou would think they were alive." These great recumbent figures are favourites in Buddhist countries still, e.g. in Siam, Burma, and Ceylon. They symbolise Sakya Buddha entering Nirvdna. Such a recumbent figure, perhaps the prototype of these, was seen by Hiuen Tsang in a Vihara close to the Sál Grove
at K usinágara, where Sakya entered that state, i.e. died. The stature of Buddha was, we are told, 12 cubits ; but Brahma, Indra, and the other gods vainly tried to compute his dimensions. Some such rude metaphor is probably embodied in these large images. I have described one 69 feet long in Burma (represented
in the cut), but others exist of
much greater size, though pro
bably none equal to that which Hiuen Tsang, in the 7th century, saw near Basilian, which was moo feet in length ! I have heard of but one such image remaining in India, viz. in one of the caves at Dhamnár in Málwa. This is 15 feet long, and is popularly known as " Bhim's Baby." ( Cathay, etc.,
pp. cciii., ccxviii. ; Mission to Ava, p. 52 ; I . et I'. de H. T., p. 374 : Cunningham's Archa'l. Reports, H. 274 ; Tod, ii. 273.)
[" The temple, in which M. Polo saw an idol of Buddha, represented in a lying position, is evidently Wo fo-sze, i.e. 'Monastery of the lying Buddha.' It was built in I103 by a Tangut queen, to place there three idols representing Buddha in this posture, which have since been found in the ground on this very spot." (Palladius, l.c. p. Io.)
--~.-~--~-_-__ -
Colossal Figure, Buddha entering Nirvana.
" Tta'r b.az bi tint be pbrrs xiYre ,c:irrttt grant
bit Iiaa. . . . strztr grant ybrcz gigent." . . .
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