国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

which dischargeth it selfe in Ganges, beginnes in it.» He adds that it belongs to
the N.E. bounds of Great Mogul.¹ Roe says that Gor lies »toward the head of
Ganges.» ² On Roe's map ³ Gor is not at all near the head of Ganges, but on the
upper course of Sersily flu., which is shown as a very considerable tributary from
the northern mountains. But as Patna is placed on this same river, the Sersily is
in fact identical with the Ganges, as Roe's hydrography is very confused.
The Aín-i-Akbari ⁴ informs us that »Jannatábad is an ancient city: for a time,
it was the capital of Bengal and was widely known as Lakhnauti and for a while
as Gaur. His Majesty the late Emperor Humáyún distinguished it by this title of
Jannatábád.» In the beginning of the thirteenth century Mussulman India could indeed
be divided into two separate regions, the Kingdom of Delhi, the Kingdom of Gour,
and on one occasion a Sultan of Gour conquered all Hindustan and the Panjab.⁵
The ruins of Gaur are situated on the left bank of the Ganges, a little east
of 88° E. long., and therefore at a considerable distance below Patna, not above it
as on Roe's map. This place belongs, as for instance Kashgar and Khotan, to the
wandering cities on ancient maps, and on several maps it appears twice, as on
Gastaldi's, (Pl. XVII), where we find a city Gaur on the westernmost branch in the
Ganges delta; this Gaur therefore comes nearer to the real site. Still I believe that
Barros' and Gastaldi's Caor or Gor, cannot be anything but the ancient kingdom
and city of Gaur. One should therefore conclude that the river of Caor were the
Ganges. But that would, of course, be absurd, as Ganges was known, the existence
of Gaur, Caor, Gor also known, but its situation unknown. On Pl. XVII Gor has
been taken from the Ganges and transplanted to the Brahmaputra. And still a
hundred years later the Ganges was reported to come from the Chiamay lake.
As to Camotay I think it must be identical with Hiuen Tsang's Kia-mo-leu-po
or Kâmarupa, which is the Sanscrit name of Assam. According to Cunningham
the valley of the Brahmaputra was anciently divided into three tracts, which he de-
scribes as the Eastern, Middle, and Western districts, namely, Sadiya, Assam Proper,
and Kamrup. The old capital of Kamrup was situated on the south bank of the
Brahmaputra, and had another name.⁶ The Ain-i-Akbari tells us that the country
of Kamrup was »commonly called also Kaonru and Kamta». This Kamta may easily
be Gastaldi's kingdom and city Camotay, a surmise which, if correct, confirms the
identification of Gastaldi's Caor river with the Brahmaputra in Assam, for Kamta is
the same as the present Assam.⁷