The Geographical Dictionary of Ancient and Mediaeval India c5.s2.22

c5.s2.22

Baisâlî-Besâḍ in the district of Muzaffarpur (Tirhut), eighteen miles north of Hâjipur, on the left bank of the Gaṇḍak (General Cunningham's Anc. Geo., p. 443, and Râmâyaṇa, Âdikâṇḍa, ch. 47). The Râmâyaṇa places Biśâlâ on the northern bank of the Ganges and the Ava. Kalp. (ch. 30) on the river Balgumatî. The Pergana Besâḍ, which is evidently a corruption of Biśâlâ, is situated within the sub-division of Hâjipur. Baisâlî was the name of the country as well as of the capital of the Vrijjis (Vajjis) or Lichchhavis who flourished at the time of Buddha. The southern portion of the district of Muzaffarpur constituted the ancient country of Vaiśâlî. The small kingdom of Vaiśâlî was bounded on the north by Videha and on the south by Magadha (Pargiter's Ancient Countries in Eastern India). It appears from the Lalitavistara that the people of Vaiśâlî and the Vajjis had a republican form of government (see also Mahâ-parinibbâna Sutta). Buddha lived in the Mahâvana (Great Forest) monastery called Kuṭâgâraśâlâ or Kuṭâgâra hall, rendered as "Gabled Pavilion" by Rhys Davids (Chullavagga, ch. v; sec. 13, and ch. x, sec. 1; SBE., vol. XI), which was situated on the Markaṭa-hrada or monkey-tank near the present village of Bakra, about two miles north of Besâḍ, and near it was the tower called Kuṭâgâra (double-storeyed) built over half the body of Ânanda. About a mile to the south of Besâḍ was the Mango-garden presented to Buddha by the courtesan Âmradârikâ called also Ambapâlî. Châpâla was about a mile to the north-west of Besâḍ, where Buddha hinted to Ânanda that he could live in the world as long as Ânanda liked, but the latter did not ask him to live. The town of Baisâlî, which was the capital of Videha at the time of Buddha and Mahâvîra, consisted of three districts: Baisâlî or Beśâlî proper, Kuṇḍapura or Kuṇḍagâma (the birth-place of Mahâvîra, the twenty-fourth or last Tîrthaṅkara of the Jainas), and Bâniyagâma, occupying respectively the south-eastern, north-eastern, and western portions of the city (Dr. Hoernlo's Uvasagadasao, p. 4 n.; Âchârâṅga Sûtra, and Kalpa Sûtra in SBE., vol. XXII, p. 227 f.). The second Buddhist Synod was held at the Bâlukârâma vihâra in 443 B.C., but according to Max Müller in 377 B.C., in the reign of Kâlâśoka, king of Magadha, under the presidentship of Revata who was one of the disciples of Ânanda (Turnour's Mahâvaṃśa, ch. iv). Baisâlî, however, has been identified by Dr. Hoey with Chirâṇḍ, seven miles to the east of Chapra on the Ganges (see Chirâṇḍ in Pt. II). At Beluva (modern Belwa, north-east of Chirâṇḍ), Buddha was seized with serious illness (Mahâ-parinibbâna Sutta, ch. ii). Châpâla (Mahâ-parinibbâna Sutta, ch. ii) has been identified by Dr. Hoey with Telpâ (or Talpâ, a tower) to the east of the town of Chapra, which was built for the Mother of the Thousand Sons. Titariâ, west of Sewan, has been identified by him with the forest, the fire of which was extinguished by the Titar or partridge. The name of Satnarnâlâ has been connected with the seven (sapta) princes who were prepared to fight with the Mallas for the relics of Buddha. Bhâta-pokhar (Bhakta-Pashkara) is shown to be the place where Droṇa divided the relics among the seven princes. The country to the east of the river Daha near Sewan was the country of the Mallas. The river Shi-lai-na-fa-ti (Suvarṇavatî) of Hiuen Tsiang has been identified with the river Sonḍi. Dr. Hoey identifies Besâḍ with the town of the Monster Fish, Vasâlhya (really porpoise) [JASB., vol. LXIX.—"Identification of Kusinara, Vaisali and other Places" and my article on "Chirând in the district of Saran" in *JASB.*, vol. LXXII. The places where Buddha resided while in Vaiśālī are Udena-Mandira, Gautama-Mandira, Saptambaka-Mandira, Bahuputraka-Mandira, Saranda-Mandira, and Châpâla-Mandira (*Mahâ-parinibbâna Sutta*, ch. 3; Spence Hardy's *MB.*, p. 343). For the names of other places in Baiśālī where Buddha resided, see *Divyâvadâna* (Cowell's ed., chs. xi, xii).