Historical Geography of Ancient India c6.370

c6.370

*Kapilavastu (Chia-Wei-lo-Yueh)*.—It was the capital of the Śākyas among whom the Buddha was born. It is also known as Kapilavastu (*Divyāvadāna*, p. 67), Kapilapura (*Lalitavistara*, p. 243) or Kapilāhvyapura (*Ibid.*, p. 28). The *Divyāvadāna* connects Kapilavastu with the sage Kapila (p. 548). In the *Buddhacaritakāvya*, the city is described as *Kapilasya vastu* (B.K., I, v. 2). It was surrounded by seven walls according to the *Mahāvastu* (Vol. II, p. 75). According to the *Shui-Ching-Chu* the city contained some *Upāsakas* (lay disciples) and about 20 householders belonging to the Śākya family. The people of this city highly cultivated religious energy and still maintained the old spirit. They completely repaired the dilapidated *stūpas* (Northern India according to the *Shui-Ching-Chu* by L. Petech, p. 33). The famous Rummindei Pillar marks the site of the ancient Lumbinī garden, the traditional scene of Śākyamuni’s birth. Vincent Smith is inclined to identify Kapilavastu, which lay not far from the Lumbinīgrāma, with Piprāwā in the north of the Basti district of the Nepal frontier. Rhys Davids takes Tilaura Kot to be the old Kapilavastu.