Traders, pilgrims and travellers

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  Recent archaeological discoveries of the Mustang cave civilisation and ancient civilisations of the Sakyas, Kolis and others in the western Tarai region of Nepal provide substantial evidence of the use of Nepali territories by ancient traders.

   There is no doubt that Kathmandu valley was never used as a part of the silk route but it was used by the traders and travelers as a transit point to go to Tibet and China. It was also used to go to Gandhara via Benaras, Mathura and Taxila by the Kushans.

We know that the silk route was used by the Buddhist pilgrims and traders for long. Buddhism, which flourished in the valley since the beginning of its history, might have played a role in linking Buddhist pilgrims and traders.

Since ancient times, the Western Mediterranean had trading contacts with the oriental world which were more intense than we could imagine. They took place along the caravan routes through Central Asia, and the maritime routes across the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. India, because of its geographical position, played a role in commercial trading and cultural exchange between the East and the West. The centuries-old commercial and cultural contacts of Nepal with India might have encouraged Nepal not only to trade with India and the Western world but also to enrich its culture. Since ancient Nepal was also famous for its woolen goods, herbs, timber, precious stones and so on, If Indian spices were popular in Roman cuisines such as cardamom, nard, pepper, ginger, sesame and musk, there are possibilities that some might have gotten there from Nepal. 

  The ancient pilgrimage and trade routes from the Kathmandu valley to mainland China via Tibet is not well recorded. But we know that at the time of Lichchavis, the valley had a commercial and cultural relationship with Tibet and China. The road used by these early pilgrims and monks was also used by the traders. The Chinese Ambassador to India in the court of King Harsha Vardhan in 643 AD, Li-y-Piao came to Nepal and he was warmly welcomed by King Narendra Deva. It was at the same time that the famous Chinese businessman cum traveller Wang-Huien-Che visited Nepal.

  Among the famous visitors, in about 10th century, Gyanendra, a Tibetan saint came to Nepal to meet Acharya Santi-Rakshita. On the request of Gyanendra, Archarya Santi-Rakshita went to Tibet and again came back to Nepal after some time. According to Tara Nath, who’s written a book called History of Buddhism in India”, Vasubandhu went to Nepal accompanied by a thousand disciples in the 5th century. When King Deva Pala was ruling Bengal in the 9th century, Vajra Deva, a highly successful bard had visited Nepal and so did Samanta Bajra Deva belonging to the court of the King Deva Pala of Bengal.

During 11th century Nepali scholars like Bhiro Chana, Ratna Kriti, and Kanak Shree were at Vikram Sheel University of Bihar for studies. At that very time about 300 Chinese laborers went back to China via Nepal from the kingdom of Magadha which was under the Palas during those days. Some of these visits were in pursuit of safety. After the death of King Rathika Sena in the middle of the 12th century, Turks invaded Bihar and Bengal. They destroyed Vikramasila and massacred many ordained monks in Odantapuri. To save himself from this Muslim onslaught Acharya Ratnaraksita went to Nepal. After the Muslim devastation of Nalanda and Vikram Sheel universities of India in about 12th century, Sakya Shree Bhadra also came to Nepal. It was the time when Kubla Khan was the emperor of the Mongolian empire. 

The most famous among Nepal’s travellers at that time was probably Araniko. A group of Nepalese artists under the leadership of Araniko went to China and there they constructed numerous monuments including the famous White Pagoda. All these accounts have proved that the routes between the Kathmandu valley and Tibet and those to India were very much in use during those days. 

But the routes between the Kathmandu valley and India (either Benaras or Pataliputra or Patna) were also not well documented until the time Colonel Kirkpatrick arrived in 1793. Kirkpatrick’s account was perhaps the first scientific documentation of the routes which was used later on by numerous other British missions. Most probably, it was the same route used by the Indian and Nepali traders and pilgrims since time immemorial. The route he followed from Segouly to Kathmandu may still sounds familiar, with names like Doon-baisi, Markhoo,Chitlong, Bheem-phede, Cheesapani-fort,  Hettowara, Bechiacori, Muckwanpoor-mari and Jhuhurjhoory. From Segouly one can easily touch the Grand

Trunk Road. The inscription of King Udayadev of the 7th century AD found at Chitlong has indicated that it was one of the main villages even during the Lichchavi period. The Lichchavi inscriptions found at Tistung, the next door village of Chitlong gives further evidence that it was from this point or village numerous Nepali goods such as iron, copper utensils, wool, tails of yak and musk were exported even during the time of the Lichchavis.

Therefore, for the time being, we can conclude that the Nepal valley was connected to the Silk Route via Grand Trunk Road built by the Mughal ruler Sher Shah in the middle of the 16th century. This road was connected from Peshawar to Bengal. From Muckwanpoor a section of this Grand Trunk road via Mughalsarai can be reached very easily. From there, the connections with Benaras, Mathura, Delhi, Lahore and Peshawar were also not difficult. The connection of Kathmandu valley

to the Silk Route through the Grand Trunk Road and the ancient trails from the valley to Tibet is certainly a romantic and thrilling subject of further research by scholars. 

Shaphalya Amatya is former Director General of the Department of Archaeology, Tribhuvan University.