History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c15.s2.t6: Foundation of a town
History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c15.s2.t6
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Foundation of a town
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Yaśovarman is credited with having founded a town in his name in Magadha,¹ and this, I suppose, he did either to commemorate his victory over the "lord of Magadha and Gauḍa," or to mark the site of the battle. Such a practice was not uncommon in ancient times, and we may recall that Alexander similarly marked his victory by the foundation of two towns, one named Nikaia situated on the battlefield; and the other called Boukephala, located at a point whence Alexander started to cross the Hydaspes.² Yaśovarman's town has been identified by Cunningham with the present town of Bihar,³ but Kielhorn was of opinion that preferably Ghosrawa was its modern representative.⁴ We get a glimpse of its importance during the Pāla period also, for it was to the *Vihāra* of Yaśovarmapura that Viradeva went after visiting the diamond throne at Mahābodhi (Bodh Gayā), and stayed there for a long time enjoying king Devapāla's patronage.⁵
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¹ *Arch. Surv. Ind. Rep.*, III, pp. 135-36; XV, 164.
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² *Early Hist. of India*, 4th ed. pp. 74-75.
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³ *Arch. Surv. Ind. Rep.*, III, pp. 120, 135-36; VIII, p. 76.
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⁴ *Ind. Ant.*, XVII (1888), pp. 309, 311, note 30.
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⁵ *Ibid.*