which I have assigned for the prince's passage of the stream. On reaching the opposite bank, the prince alighted from his horse and directed his attendant Chandaka to return to Kapila.* At this spot there stood a stupa called Chandaka-nivarttana, or "Chandaka's return," which in the spoken dialects would probably have been shortened to Chanda-bartta. This place may, I think, be identified with the village of Chandaoli on the eastern bank of the Aumi river, near the head of the Aumiyar Lake, and 10 miles to the south of Gorakhpur. With his sword the prince then cut off his long locks of hair, chuda, which being thrown aloft were caught by the gods, who built a stupa on the spot called Chuda-pati-graha, or the "heap of hair-locks." In the spoken dialects this name would have been shortened to Chuda-gaha, which, I think, may be identified with the village of Chureya, 3 miles to the north of Chandaoli. The prince next changed his royal garments, called kásáya, because made of the fine fabrics of Kási, or Banâras, for the plain dress of an ascetic; and on the spot where this took place the people erected a stupa, named Káṣáyagrahan, or "doffed garments." This place I would identify with the village of Kaseyar, 3 miles to the south-east of Chandaoli. In favour of these identifications I may mention that Hwen Thsang places the stupa of the "doffed garments" to the east of that of "Chandaka's return;" but his position of the stupa of the "cut hair" at a short distance from that of the "doffed garments" is directly opposed to the site that I have suggested at Chureya, which is 6 miles to the north of Kaseyar. It seems probable, therefore, that * Lalita Vistâra.' Foucaux, translation from Tibetan, p. 214. will there be any Anoma (inferiority) in my ordination,' he pressed his heel to the horse and gave him the signal to leap." Turnour notes that "this remark involves a pun;" but that a pun "is by no means a matter of levity in Buddhistical literature." By some oversight, Turnour has rendered anoma by "inferiority," whereas its meaning is exactly the reverse, and is correctly given by Hardy and Bishop Bigandet. According to the text of the Burmese and Ceylonese chronicles, it would appear that the name of the river was Anoma, the "not inferior," that is the "superior," and the prince's remark must have been that so also would his ordination be anoma, or "superior." But as the name of the river at the present day is Aumi, or "inferior," and as Turnour's translation of the word as "inferiority" would seem to show that in his copy at least the name was Oma or Auma, I cannot help suspecting that this is the true reading; and that when the prince was informed that the name of the river was Auma, or "inferior," he remarked "My ordination shall be anauma, or "superior." If the original name of the stream had been Anoma, it is difficult to understand how it could have been changed to Aumi, which has the very opposite meaning. But if it was properly Aumi, that is the "inferior" or lesser branch of the Rapti, and it was arbitrarily changed by the Buddhists to Anauma, a return to the use of the original name would have been only a natural consequence of the downfall of Buddhism. But the identification of the Buddhistical Anoma with the modern Aumi is still further confirmed by the existence of three significant names on the eastern bank of the river, within a short distance of the point in existence during the flourishing period of Buddhism. It is 20 miles distant from the Chandaoli Ghat, on the Aumi, measured in a direct line on the map; but by the road it is not less than 25 miles, owing to the numerous streams that intersect the route. The position therefore corresponds as nearly as possible with that assigned to the Charcoal Tower by Hwen Thsang, but I have no confirmatory evidence to offer, unless the name of the village of Srinagar Kolua may be connected with Koil, or charcoal, which is not very probable. I may add, however, that the bearing of Kasia from Sahankat corresponds with the north-east direction of Kusinagara from the Charcoal Stupa which is recorded by Hwen Thsang. 20. KUSINAGARA. Fa-Hian places Kusinagara at 12 yojanas, or 84 miles, to the eastward of the Charcoal Stupa, a distance which is quite impossible when compared with its other recorded distances from Vaisâli and Banâras.* Unfortunately, Hwen Thsang, contrary to his usual custom, has omitted to note the distance, and simply states that he travelled in a north-east direction for a long time through a vast forest, full of wild bulls and wild elephants, and infested with brigands. A portion of this forest still exists to the north and east of Sahankat, and wild elephants still abound in the Tarai forests to the north of Gorakhpur. Wilson first proposed Kasia as the site of Kusinagara, and the suggestion has since been generally adopted. The village is situated exactly 35 miles to the east of Gorakhpur, at the crossing of two great thoroughfares.† It *Beal's Fah-Hian,' xxiv. 93. † See Map No. XI. for its position. is 28 miles to the north-east of Sahankat in a direct line measured on the map, or about 35 miles by road. The distance is therefore only 5 yojanas, instead of 12, as noted by Fa-Hian. It cannot be placed further to the north-east without increasing its distance from Banâras, and lessening its distance from Vaisâli. Now the former is limited by Hwen Thsang to 700 li, or 117 miles, and the latter is fixed by Fa-Hian himself at 25 yojanas, or 175 miles; and as both estimates agree very closely with the actual position of Kasia, I am satisfied that Fa-Hian's 12 yojanas must be a mistake. Anrudhwa, near Kasia, is exactly 111 miles to the north-north-east of Banâras, measured in a direct line on the map, and cannot, therefore, be less than 120 miles by road. The distance between Kasia and Vaisâli, by the route which I marched, is just 140 miles; but this was along the new straight lines which have been laid out by the British authorities. By the old winding native tracks the distance would have been much greater, or certainly not less than 160 miles. At the time of Hwen Thsang's visit the walls of Kusinagara were in ruins, and the place was almost deserted; but the brick foundations of the old capital occupied a circuit of about 12 l, or 2 miles. The existing ruins between Anrudhwa and Kasia are scattered over a much larger space; but some of these were certainly outside the city, and it is now quite impossible to ascertain its exact limits. It most probably occupied the site of the mound of ruins to the north-east of the village of Anrudhwa. The spot where Buddha obtained Nirvana would then correspond with the site of the stupa and ruins now called in existence during the flourishing period of Buddhism. It is 20 miles distant from the Chandaoli Ghat, on the Aumi, measured in a direct line on the map; but by the road it is not less than 25 miles, owing to the numerous streams that intersect the route. The position therefore corresponds as nearly as possible with that assigned to the Charcoal Tower by Hwen Thsang, but I have no confirmatory evidence to offer, unless the name of the village of Srinagar Kolua may be connected with Koil, or charcoal, which is not very probable. I may add, however, that the bearing of Kasia from Sahankat corresponds with the north-east direction of Kusinagara from the Charcoal Stupa which is recorded by Hwen Thsang. 20. KUSINAGARA. Fa-Hian places Kusinagara at 12 yojanas, or 84 miles, to the eastward of the Charcoal Stupa, a distance which is quite impossible when compared with its other recorded distances from Vaisâli and Banâras.* Unfortunately, Hwen Thsang, contrary to his usual custom, has omitted to note the distance, and simply states that he travelled in a north-east direction for a long time through a vast forest, full of wild bulls and wild elephants, and infested with brigands. A portion of this forest still exists to the north and east of Sahankat, and wild elephants still abound in the Tarai forests to the north of Gorakhpur. Wilson first proposed Kasia as the site of Kusinagara, and the suggestion has since been generally adopted. The village is situated exactly 35 miles to the east of Gorakhpur, at the crossing of two great thoroughfares.† It *Beal's Fah-Hian,' xxiv. 93. † See Map No. XI. for its position. |