Historical Geography of Ancient India c6.24

c6.24

The river Aciravatī flows through the districts of Bahraich, Gonda, and Basti and joins the Sarayū or Ghargharā (Gogrā), west of Barhaj in the district of Gorakhpur. According to the Chinese pilgrim Yuan Chwang it flows south-eastwards past the city of Śrāvastī.⁴ It is fed by no less than three tributaries on the left side, all in the district of Gorakhpur, and by a small tributary on the right in the same district. During the hot season it ran dry leaving a bed of sand.⁵ Two Sāvatthians, who adopted the religious life, came to this river. After a bath they stood on the sand enjoying the sunshine and talking pleasantly together.⁶ This river was crossed in rafts.⁷ It nourished wheatfields on its bank.⁸ A Sāvatthian Brahmin cut trees on its bank in order to cultivate the land. Crops grew on it but the whole crop was carried to the sea by a flood.⁹ The revered Ānanda came to this river with some monks to bathe. After his bath he stood in one garment drying his limbs.¹⁰ A Sāvatthian householder, who gave up his household life, went to the river Aciravatī, took his bath, and saw two white swans flying by.¹¹ A fisherman belonging to the village of Paṇḍupura on his way to Śrāvastī saw some tortoise-eggs (kacchapa-aṇḍāni) lying on the bank of this river.¹² The Chabbaggiya monks used to catch hold of the cows crossing this river by their horns or ears or necks or tails or spring up upon their backs.¹³ The people on the bank of this river were in the habit of casting nets for fishing.¹⁴ The early Buddhist records refer to the swimming of the cattle across it.¹⁵