RASHI′DU-D DI′N, FROM AL BI′RU′NI′.
Guzérat,[1] eighteen. When the capital of Guzérat was destroyed, the inhabitants removed to a town on the frontier.[2] The distance between Narána and Máhúra is the same as between Mahura and Kanauj, that is twenty-eight parasangs.
In going from Máhúra to U′jain, you pass' through several neighbouring villages, at no greater distances from one another than five parasangs.[3] From Máhúra, at the distance of thirty-five parasangs, you come to a large town called Dúdhí; thence to Bás,húr,[4] seven; thence to Mahábalastán,[5] five. This is the name of the idol of that place. Thence to U′jain[6] nine, the idol of which place is Mahákál. Thence to Dhár,[7]
- ↑ [A. writes this کورات, C. کژرات.]
- ↑ [A. and B. have شهر حدودة C. حدودة بلدۃ, the first edition translated it, “a new town.” The town of Hudúda.]
- ↑ [So it stands in the first edition in accord with Al Bírúní, but there is an omission in A. and C., the former makes the distance to Dúdhí five parasangs, and the latter, thirty parasangs.]
- ↑ [So in A. Reinaud has “Bamhour;” the first edition had, “Bafhúr”;” B. and C. have “Máhúra.”]
- ↑ [“Bhaylesan,” in Reinaud; Mahabhalesán in first edition; Bahábalistán in A., and B. has the same in the first instance, but in the second the first letter may be m; C. has Baháílasán here and Bahábalasán below. It says “Balasán” is the name of the idol (
)—Mahábalastán has been selected as being probably intended for the Sanskrit Mahábalasthán.']
- ↑ [The first edition had U′jain, and so has MS. C. Reinaud has “Ardyn.” A.
, and B. .]
- ↑ [So in Bírúní, in first edition, and in B.; A. has
, C. has بادھار, the Persian original of which was probably تادھار.]
Narwar, and entered into details to support this view, but he was unable to account for its being called the capital of Guzerát. General Cunningham takes another view, and says, “In my fourth Report I have identified Guzerát with Bairát, or the ancient Matsya. Bairát was the capital, but it was also used for the name of the country, as for instance by Hwen Tsang, who calls it Po-li-ye-to-lo. Firishta gives these two names as Kariát and Nárdin, which, he says, were two hilly tracts, overrun by Mahmúd of Ghazní. Now Guzerát and Kariát are only slight corruptions of Bairát, when written in Persian characters; and Nárdin and Narána are still slighter alterations of Náráyana, which is the name of a town to the north-east of Bairát, about twelve miles. Mathura is said to be equidistant from Kanauj and from Narána, which agrees with this identification.” General Cunningham proceeds: “Asi is on the Jumna below the junction of the Chumbul, and therefore a favourable point for crossing. Sahina I take to be Suhania, a very ancient town thirty miles to the north of Gwalior, and which is said to have been the capital of the country in former days. Its ruins cover several square miles. Chandra I take to be Hindon, and Rájáori is still known by the same name. It will be found between Hindon and Bairát, to the north of the Bán Ganga river.”—Cunningham, MS. Note.]
