Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c11.34

c11.34

Aśoka himself mentions in the Lumbinī inscription that he had in addition to a stone column also erected a stone railing which it appears followed the model of the Sarnath railing. He also refers to an enlargement to twice its size of the original Stūpa of the previous Buddha Kanaka Muni at Niglīvā (Buddasa konākamanasa thuve dutiyaṃ vaḍhite). Tradition ascribes to him the foundation of two cities, viz. Śrīnagara (Rājatarangiṇī, I, 101-7) in Kashmir and Devapattana in Nepal (CHI, p. 501). His choice of a royal site in the Kashmir valley bespeaks his patronage of that beautiful valley possibly as opening a new territory or for resort near the western province of Gandhāra. He also seems to have taken interest in the development of the river valleys of Nepal lying to the north of the central part of his empire. He is credited with the opening of the original eight Stūpas containing the relics of the Buddha and redistributing them over the ideal number of eightyfour thousand Stūpas traditionally mentioned as his Vaistārika activity. The Stūpas at Sarnath, Sanchi and probably Bharhut also were enlarged in Asoka's time by adding a brick casing round an earthen core, i.e. converting a small (alpeśakhya) Stūpa into a large one (maheśākhya).