Geography of Early Buddhism c7.s1.16

c7.s1.16

It should be noticed that the name of the capital city of the Assaka country is given both as Potali and Potana. It may seriously be asked if the two names are identical though their identity has always been accepted without doubt. At one time the city of Potali was included in the kingdom of Kāsī, for in the Assaka Jātaka (Jāt., II, p. 155) we are told that there was once a King named Assaka who reigned in Potali which is stated to be a city in the kingdom of Kāsī. The Cullakāliṅga Jātaka (Jāt., III, p. 3) mentions another King of Assaka named Aruna and refers to a victory which he won over the King of Kaliṅga. In the Hāthigumphā inscription of King Khāravela, it is stated that King Khāravela, without taking into account King Sātakarṇi, caused a large army to move towards the western quarter (Pachima disam) and strike terror into Asaka (or Asika) nagara. The Assaka of the Cullakāliṅga Jātaka and the Asikanagara of the Hāthigumphā inscription are probably identical with the Assaka of the Suttanipāta which is stated to be located on the Godāvarī.