National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

no satisfactory explanation to offer for the duplication. In Ma Huan's *Ying-Yai shênna-lg* of
1416, the name of the country is written 南浡里 Nan-po-li (*Nambori or *Nambri), but the author
adds that the native name of the ocean (*yang*) to the west of the country is 是 那沒梨 Na-mu-li
(*Namuri); with the frequent change *l* > *n*, this is the « Lāmuri » of Mussulman texts; cf. *TP*, 1915,
149-150; 1933, 403-404; 1936, 220.

**271. LAR**

*ar* V *lahe* VL *lier* VA
*iar* TA³ *lar* F, Fr, *t*, FA, FB, LT, VB, *loac* Rr
*jar* TA¹ Z; Rr *yar* TA³r
*lac* P; R

It seems as though the name meant was Lār (Skr. Lāṭa), an ancient designation of Guzerat and
Northern Konkan, but it would be strange to describe it as being reached by going west of the region
of Madras; on the other hand, the name cannot have been applied to Mysore. Polo, when speaking
of merchant-brahmans from « Lar », seems to have confused the brahmans whom he saw on the coast
of Coromandel with the « banyans » (merchants) who may have travelled from Konkan to Coromandel.
This is YULE's view (*Y*, II, 367), and it seems to be the soundest. In *Hobson-Jobson*², 505-506,
YULE has assembled ancient mentions of three different «Lar», but has been careful not to quote Polo.

**272. LIITAN SANGON**

*bitan sangon, liycan* FB *liytan* FA, FB *lufa* V
*lacansagor, tucansagor* VB *liytan sangon* FA
*liitam sangon, liitan, liitam* F *lucansor* R *lutan sangon, lutan* Z

In Chinese 李 璮 相 公 Li T'an *hsiang-kung* (see « Sangon »). The forms in *ᵒam* are mis-
readings of *ᵒā*, since *t'an* is not one of the words which were pronounced with a final *-m* in the Mon-
gol period. Polo's double *i* has been supposed to mark the *shang-shêng*, which, to foreign ears,
lengthens the pronunciation (cf. *Ch*, III, 12), but this is most improbable.

Li T'an's biography is in *YS*, 206, and T'u Chi, 66; *Ch*, III, 13-14, adds to MAILLA and PAUTHIER
some extracts from the *pên-chi* of *YS*. Li T'an's father, Li Ch'üan, had revolted against the Sung
in 1221 and greatly helped Muqali in bringing Shan-tung under the Mongol rule. As a reward,
Muqali, who was lieutenant-general in Northen China while Chinghiz-khan fought in the West,
created for Li Ch'üan a governorship which included a great part of Shan-tung and the region to the
south towards the Yang-tzŭ. Li Ch'üan died in 1231, and his son Li T'an succeeded him at the