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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

28

FA-HIEN.

U. FRANKE places Tzú-ho S. E. of Kashgar, and, probably, in the valley of Yarkanddarya. Chieli-cli a he identifies with Skardo, or some place north of it.'

2. FROM KHOTAN TO TZU-HO.

Hitherto the most important contribution to the interpretation of Fa-hien's itinerary has been given by M. A. STEIN on the basis of the translations and explications of the brilliant French sinologist EDOUARD CHAVANNES. Stein reminds us of the fact that Fa-hien and Sung Yün are the earliest Chinese travellers of whose visit to Sarikol we have any record. In the case of the former , however, our knowledge is exceedingly brief, and »dependent on a conjectural identification».2 However according to HERRMANN Chavannes' interpretation is impaired by two serious errors. The second error, viz., the location of the third station Chieh-ch` a at Kasligar will be dealt with later on. The first error consists in the fact that Chavannes has removed the first station too far north or to Karghalik. As already the Chinese Commentators have observed, and as especially pointed out above (p. 19) Tzú-ho was situated 6o km. farther south or at the place Kök-yar of our days. Therefore we have not to place the section from Yü-t` ien (Khotan) to Tzü-ho (Kök-yar) along the present line of Khotan-Guma-Karghalik, but to remove it farther south into the northern ranges of the Ts ung-ling system, perhaps across the Sanju and Kiliang.3 This is the same road that in 519 A. D. was travelled by Sung Yün and, in the opposite direction, in 64o by Hsüan-chuang.

and the Zoji-la at the head of the Sind valley. The alternative route would be to the head of the Tagdumbash Pamir, over the Killik Pass, and by Hunza to Gilgit and Astor ... We may assume, however, that Fa-Hian entered the central valley of Kashmir from Leh, for it gives a reasonable pretext for his choice of a route out of it.»

How it would be possible for the pilgrims to reach North India after a month's journey westward from Kashmir   2
(Chieh-ch`a) and another i 5 days journey towards the S. W., is difficult to see. One is surprised to find oneself taken down to Kandahar instead of Udyåna. If Sir Th. Holdich had presumed Chieh-ch`a to be Ladak there would at least have been room enough for one month's journey nearly westwards and 15 days S. W. to Udyåna.

His alternative route by Hunza to Astor does not appear more likely. »Fa Hian says so little about the kingdom

J

of Chieh-ch`a which can be made use of to assist us, that it is not easy to identify the part of Kashmir to which he refers. Twenty-five days after entering the Tsung-ling mountains would enable him to reach the valley of Kashmir by the Karakoram Pass, Leh, and the Zoji-la at the head of the Sind valley. It is not a matter of much consequence for our purposes which route he took, as it is quite clear that all these northern routes were open to Chinese pilgrims' traffic from the very earliest times. The alternative route would be to the head of the Tagdumbash Pamir, over the Killik Pass, and by Hunza to Gilgit and Astor.» — The Gates of India, London 1910,

p. 177 et seq.

I »Nach 25 Tagen, von Khotan an gerechnet, erreichte er das Land Tse-ho. In den Ts`ien Han shu (Kap. 96 a, Fol. 9 r°) scheint dies ... als identisch mit dem ... Si-ye südöstlich von Kashgar angenommen zu werden. Die Hou Han shu (Kap. 118, Fol. 8) erklären solche Identifikation aber für einen Irrtum. Jedenfalls müssen beide Gebiete unmittelbar nebeneinander gelegen haben, Tse-ho noch etwas mehr nach Süden, nach der letztern Quelle woo Li von Kaschgar, vermutlich im Tale des Yarkand darja. Von hier wandte sich Fa hien nach Süden durch die Berge und gelangte in 29 Tagen nach Kie-cha, wohl mit Iskardo oder Skardo am Indus oder mit einem Punkte nördlich davon identisch. Darauf wandert der Pilger nach Südwesten, dem Zuge der Bergketten folgend, und kommt nun an die enge Felsenschlucht des Indus ... Fa Kien wanderte dann von dort weiter nach Udyana ...» Beiträge aus chinesischen Quellen zur Kenntnis der Türkenvölker und Skythen Zentralasiens. Abhandlungen der Königl. PreuB. Akademie der Wissenschaften 1904. Philos. und histor. Abh. I, p. 56.

2 Ancient Khotan, Detailed Report of Archæological Explorations in Chinese Turkestan, Vol. I, Text,

Oxford 1907, p. 28.

3 Regarding the distances in li and the number of days HERRMANN says: »Wenn Fa-hien sagt, er habe von Yü-t`ien (Khotan) westlich nach Tzit-ho 25 Tagereisen gebraucht, so darf man daraus nicht etwa schließen,