~Fâ-hien's Stay in Champâ and Tâmaliptî~
Following the course of the Ganges, and descending eastward for eighteen
yojanas, he found on the southern bank the great kingdom of Champâ, with
topes reared at the places where Buddha walked in meditation by his
vihâra, and where he and the three Buddhas, his predecessors, sat. There
were monks residing at them all. Continuing his journey east for nearly
fifty yojanas, he came to the country of Tâmaliptî, the capital of which
is a seaport. In the country there are twenty-two monasteries, at all of
which there are monks residing. The Law of Buddha is also flourishing in
it. Here Fâ-hien stayed two years, writing out his Sûtras, and drawing
pictures of images.
After this he embarked in a large merchant-vessel, and went floating
over the sea to the southwest. It was the beginning of winter, and the
wind was favorable; and, after fourteen days, sailing day and night,
they came to the country of Singhala. The people said that it was
distant from Tâmaliptî about seven hundred yojanas.
The kingdom is on a large island, extending from east to west fifty
yojanas, and from north to south thirty. Left and right from it there
are as many as one hundred small islands, distant from one another ten,
twenty, or even two hundred li; but all subject to the large island.
Most of them produce pearls and precious stones of various kinds; there
is one which produces the pure and brilliant pearl--an island which
would form a square of about ten li. The king employs men to watch and
protect it, and requires three out of every ten pearls which the
collectors find.