Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924024153987).pdf/534

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Sitapur, or Satrikh in Bara Banki; then 500 li or 108 miles to the north-east to Sahet Mahet.

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Identity of Ayuto and Ajodhya. Messrs. Julien and St. Martia suppose that Hwen Thsang, passing by or near Bangarmau, crossed Oudh to Ajodhya, just as Fahian did before him that he went on to Ayamukha down the Gogra, then went across to Allahabad, then east again to Kosambi, they think, on the Ganges, but, as General Cunningham clearly proves, on the Jumna; the matter is of no consequence as bearing on the general direction of the journey. The pilgrims then went north to Kusapur, which they place in the map. In the map accompanying the volume, not far from where Satrikh now stands in Bara Banki, they place Visakha near Kurasar in Bahraich in that district. It is impossible to give the details here, and to reconcile this chart with the actual distances of- those places from each other.

There is evidence of validity for the conclusion that Ayuto is Ajodhya* General Cunningham differs from Messrs. Julien and St. Martin, and places Aynto near Cawnpore at Kukupur, Ayamukha at Daundia Khera; his arguments are not convincing.

Hwen Thsang relates that he went 700 li or 140 miles from Kanauj to Ayuto, stopping by the way at Navadeva Kula, twenty li south-east of Kanauj. Now this would exactly agree with the road from Kanauj vid Bangarmau to Ajodhya, and this is admittedly the road which Fahiaa followed: why should the latter pilgrim not have taken the same ? General Cunningham first creates a difficulty, that Ajodhya is not south-east of Kanauj, but east. Kanauj is 27° 8' north latitude, and Ajodhya is 26°47', The Bangarmau ruins are well known. so Hwen Thsang is quite right. General Cunningham supposes that 600 li is a mistake for sixty, and that Daundia Khera is an old city; whereas the traditions of its foundation about the 12th century, five centuries after the date of Hwen Thsang, are very clear. Similarly, he urges incorrectly that Manikpur is an old city. His object is to prove that Visdkha, not AyutOj is AjodRya. Now, is

no river mentioned as near Visakha, nor coming to or leaving it, and the presence of rivers

in the first place, there is

as crossed

by the

traveller

always carefully recorded.

Secondly, the account of the AjnatO rivers fairly with those now at Ajodhya.

and sacred buildings corresponds very

Without going into minute detail, I may note the correspondence. The ancient and holy place inside the city wiU answer to the E^mkot. The buUdings half a mile to the north on the river will answer to the Swargaddwari. The ancient convent where was Asanga's school, sis li south-west, will answer to the Maniparbat and the sacred buildings, 40 li or eight miles to the north-west on the river, will correspond to the Guptar Bagh temples, exactly in that direction.

It may be noted that according to the itinerary there were pagodas where Buddha's hair and nails were preserved, and where the four Buddhas sat and promenaded both in Ayuto and Visdkha.. Further, it may be mentioned that the pilgrim mentions Ayuto as a school of the Hindu rehgioa, which Ajodhya certainly was he does not say the same about Vis^kha^