Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

Historical Geography of Ancient India c8: Chapter III: Eastern India

Historical Geography of Ancient India c8

Language
English

Contents

Chapter III: Eastern India

c8.2

Agradvīpa.—It is an island in the Bhāgīrathī in the Nadia district (*Imperial Gazetteers of India*, by W. W. Hunter, Vol. I, p. 59).

c8.3

Ahiārī.—This village is situated a little to the south-east of Kamtaul about 15 miles north-west of Darbhanga. As traditionally known this place was the shrine of the sage Gautama whose wife Ahalyā was remarkable for her beauty (*Darbhanga*, by O’Malley, p. 141, *Bengal District Gazetteers*).

c8.4

Airāvaṭṭamaṇḍala.—This was included in the Paṭodāviṣaya. It has been identified with Raṭāgarh in the Banki Police Station of the Cuttack district (*E.I.*, XXVI, Pt. 2, p. 78; *J.B.O.R.S.*, XVII, 4).

c8.5

Ajaya.—This river joins the Bhāgīrathī at Katwā in the district of Burdwan and forms a natural boundary between the districts of Burdwan and Birbhum (Law, *Rivers of India*, p. 27). It is also known as Ajamati. It is Amyastis flowing past the city of Kāṭadvīpa according to the *Indika* of Arrian (*Ancient India as described by Megasthenes and Arrian*, p. 191). Jayadeva the great Bengalee poet was born on the bank of this river near Kenduli (*Kendulilva*).

c8.6

Allakappa.—Allakappa lay not very far from Veṭhadipa which is stated to be situated on the way from Masar in the Shahabad district to Vaiśālī. It was ten leagues in extent and its king was intimately related to king Veṭhadipaka of Veṭhadipa (*Dhammapada Commentary*, English Transl., Harvard Oriental Series, No. 28, p. 247). The Bulis who were a republican people belonged to Allakappa. They obtained possession of a portion of the Buddha’s relics and built a stupa over them (*Dīgha Nikāya*, II, p. 167). According to some the Bulis dwelt in the modern Muzaffarpur and Sahabad districts on both banks of the Ganges (L. Petech, *Northern India according to the Shui-Ching-Chu*, p. 52).

c8.7

Ambalaṭṭhikā.—It was a Buddhist site in and about Rājagṛha, mentioned in the *Dīgha Nikāya* (I, 1). The Rājāgāraka at Ambalaṭṭhikā was a garden-house of king Bimbisāra (*Sumaṅgalavilāsinī*, I, 41). According to Buddhaghosa it was an appropriate name for the royal park with a young mango-grove at its door (*Sumaṅgalavilāsinī*, I, 41). This royal garden-house stood mid-way between Rājagṛha and Nālandā (*Vinaya*, II, p. 287). It was the first halting place on the high road extending in the Buddha’s time from Rājagṛha to Nālandā and further east and north-east (*Dīgha Nikāya*, I, 1; *Ibid.*, II, 72ff.).

c8.8

Ambapālīvana.—This mango-orchard was in Vaiśālī where Buddha dwelt for some time. It was a gift from the courtezan named Ambapālī (*Dīgha*, II, 94).

c8.9

Ambasanda—(= Āmrakhaṇḍa).—It was a Brahmin village situated to the east of Rājagṛha to the north of the Vediyaka mountain and the Indasālaguhā (*Dīgha Nikāya*, II, 263). It was so called because there were mango-orchards not far from it (*Sumaṅgalavilāsinī*, III, 697).

c8.10

Ambavana.—It was a thicket of mango trees (*Sumaṅgalavilāsinī*, II, 399). It was a mango-orchard at Rājagṛha, belonging to Jivaka, the royal physician. Here Buddha dwelt for some time (*Dīgha*, I, 47, 49). King Ajātasattu of Magadha came here to see the Buddha.

c8.11

*Andhakavinda*.—It was in Magadha, where Buddha once dwelt. Brahmā Sahampati met the Master here and uttered some verses in his presence. (*Sam. Nik.*, I, 154). It was connected with Rājagaha by a cart-road (*Vinaya-Mahāvagga*, I, 109).

c8.12

*Andhapura*.—The inhabitants of the kingdom of Seri, who were dealers in pots and pans, crossed the river Telavāha and entered this city.

c8.13

*Aṅga*.—Aṅga was one of the sixteen *Mahājanapadas* of ancient India and was very rich and prosperous (*Aṅg.*, I, 213; B. C. Law, *India as described in early texts of Buddhism and Jainism*, p. 19; cf. *Mahābhārata*, 822, 46; *Mahāvastu*, II, 2; *Vinaya Texts*, S.B.E., II, 146 note). It is mentioned in the *Yoginītantra* (2. 2. 119). The *Atharvaveda* refers to the Aṅgas as a distinct people along with the Magadhas, Mūjavants and Gandhāris without specifying their territories (V. 22. 14). They were despised as *Vrātyas* or peoples who lived outside the pale of orthodox Brahmanism (*J.R.A.S.*, 1913, 155ff.; *J.A.S.B.*, 1914, 317ff.). In the *Gopatha-Brāhmaṇa* they are mentioned as Aṅga-Magadha (11. 9). Pāṇini groups together Aṅga, Vaṅga, Kaliṅga, Puṇḍra, etc., all placed in the Midland (VI, 1. 170; II, 4, 62). The *Mahābhārata* makes the races of Aṅga, Vaṅga, Kaliṅga, etc. to be the descendants of the saint Dīrghatamas by Sudeṣṇā, wife of Bāli (I. 104). According to Zimmer and Bloomfield the Aṅgas were settled on the rivers Son and Ganges in later times but their early seat was presumably there also (*Altindisches Leben*, 35; *Hymns of the Atharvaveda*, 446, 449). Pargiter regards them as a non-Aryan people that came over-sea to eastern India (*J.R.A.S.*, 1908, p. 852). Ethnographically they were connected with the Kaliṅgas and other peoples of the plains of Bengal (*Cambridge History of India*, I, p. 534). According to the Belāva Copperplate of Bhojavarman, the Varman kings extended their power over this country (N. G. Majumdar, *Inscriptions of Bengal*, Vol. III, pp. 15ff.). The Rewal Stone Inscription of Karṇa refers to Aṅga along with Kīra in the Kangra valley, Lāṭa Kuntala and Kulāñca. Aṅga comprised the country round the modern Bhagalpur (E.I., XXIV, Pt. 3, July, 1937). According to the Sarnath Inscription of Kumāradevī, Queen of Kanauj, Aṅga was governed by a viceroy named Mohana under king Rāmapāla who was the maternal grandfather of Kumāradevī (E.I., IX, p. 311). The Nilgund Stone Inscription of Amoghavarṣa of the 9th century A.D. states that the rulers of Aṅga, Vaṅga and Magadha worshipped him (E.I., VI, 103). In the Deoli Grant of Kṛṣṇa III, Kṛṣṇa II is said to have been worshipped by the Aṅgas, Magadhas and others (E.I., V, 193).

c8.14

The Aṅgas were named after an eponymous king Aṅga.¹ According to the *Rāmāyaṇa*, Aṅga was so named because the cupid God, Madana, fled to this country to save himself from the wrath of Rudra and became *anaṅga* or bodiless by giving up his *aṅga* here—an amusing philological explanation of the origin of the name.² The Ānava kingdom, the nucleus of which was Aṅga, became divided into five kingdoms said to have been named after five sons of king Bali. Pargiter points out that the Ānavas held all East Bihar, Bengal proper and Orissa comprising the kingdoms of Aṅga, Vaṅga, Puṇḍra, Suhma and Kaliṅga.³ This statement of Pargiter is not corroborated by any other reliable evidence. The princes of Aṅga were very beautiful and their dwelling place was known as Aṅga.⁴ The Angas occupied the territory corresponding to the district of Bhagalpur and probably including Monghyr.¹

c8.15

¹ Aṅga Vairocana is included in the list of anointed kings in the *Aitareya Brāhmana* (VIII, 22).

c8.16

² *Rāmāyaṇa*, 47, 14.

c8.17

³ *A.I.H.T.*, p. 293.

c8.18

⁴ *Sumaṅgalavilāsinī*, Pt. I, p. 279.

c8.19

¹ B. C. Law, India as described in early texts of Buddhism and Jainism, p. 50.

c8.20

The capital of the Angas was first called Mālinī which name was changed to Campā or Campāvatī² in honour of a king named Campa, Lomapāda's great grandson.³ The city of Campā was built by Mahāgovinda.⁴ It was here that the Buddha was compelled to prescribe the use of slippers by the monks.⁵ At the time of the Buddha Campā was a big town and not a village.⁶ It was once ruled by Aśoka's son Mahinda and his sons and grandsons of the Ikṣvāku race.⁷ The Uvāsagadasāo, a Jain work,⁸ points out that a temple called Caitya Puṇṇabhadda existed at Campā at the time of Sudharman, a disciple of Mahāvīra. This city was hallowed by the visits of the Buddha and Mahāvīra. Mahāvīra spent three rainy seasons here.⁹ It was the birthplace and the place of death of Vāsupūjya, the twelfth Tīrthaṅkara of the Jains.¹⁰ It is said to have been the headquarters of Candanā and her father.¹¹ It was a great centre of Jainism. It was visited by Prabhava and Sayambhava. It was here that Sayambhava composed the Daśavaikālika Sūtra.¹² A Brahmin of Campāpurī presented to Bindusāra, king of Pāṭaliputra, a daughter named Subhadrāṅgī.¹³

c8.21

² Mahābhārata, XII, 5, 134; XIII, 42, 2359; Vāyu Purāṇa, 19, 1056; Matsya, 48, 97; Brahmāṇḍa, 13, 43; Viṣṇu, IV, 18, 4.

c8.22

³ Harivaṃśa, XXXI, 1699-1700; Mahābhārata, Śāntiparva, 34, 35.

c8.23

⁴ Dīgha, II, p. 235.

c8.24

⁵ Vinayapiṭaka, I, pp. 179ff.

c8.25

⁶ Dīgha, II, p. 146.

c8.26

⁷ Dīpavamsa, p. 28; cf. Vamsatthappakāsinī (P.T.S.), pp. 128-129.

c8.27

⁸ Hoernle's Ed., p. 2 notes.

c8.28

⁹ S. Stevenson, Heart of Jainism, p. 41.

c8.29

¹⁰ C. J. Shah, Jainism in North India, p. 26, f.n. 5.

c8.30

¹¹ Indian Culture, Vol. III.

c8.31

¹² Hemchandra's Pariśiṣṭaparvan, Cantos IV and V.

c8.32

¹³ R. L. Mitra, Nepalese Buddhist Literature, p. 8.

c8.33

Campāpurī or Campānagara or Campāmālinī is described as a place of pilgrimage in the Mahābhārata.¹⁴ Yuan Chwang calls this city as Chanp'o. It is a sacred place of the Jains. The city of Campā is situated at a short distance from modern Bhagalpur. The river named Campā formed the boundary between Aṅga and Magadha.¹⁵ It was surrounded by groves of Campaka trees even at the time of the Mahābhārata.¹⁶ Buddhaghosa, a Buddhist commentator, refers to a garden near the tank called Gaggarā which was full of five kinds of Campaka flowers.¹⁷ According to the Jaina Campakaśreṣṭhikathā Campā was in a very flourishing condition. There were perfumers, spice-sellers, sugar-candy-sellers, jewellers, leather-tanners garland-makers, carpenters, goldsmiths, weavers, etc.¹⁸ It was a seat of Magadhan viceroyalty from the time of Bhaṭṭiya, father of Bimbisāra. Near Campā there was a tank dug by queen Gaggarā of Campā known as Gaggarāpokkharaṇī which was famous as a halting place of the wandering ascetics and recluses, resounding with the din of philosophical discussions (Samayapavādakā). In the Daśakumāracarita we find that Campā¹⁹ has been described as abounding in rogues. Campā was besieged by Candravarman whose king Sinhavarman was indomitable as a lion (Daśakumāracaritam, p. 52). There lived a great sage named Marīci in the Aṅga country on the bank of the river Ganges outside the capital of Campā (Ibid., p. 59). In this city there was a prosperous merchant named Nidhipālita who had a quarrel with Vasupālita on the subject of good looks and of cash (Ibid., p. 67).

c8.34

¹⁴ Vanaparva, Ch. 85.

c8.35

¹⁵ Jātaka, IV, 454.

c8.36

¹⁶ Anuśāsanaparva, Ch. 42.

c8.37

¹⁷ Sumaṅgalavilāsinī, I, 279-80.

c8.38

¹⁸ Shah, Jainism in North India, p. 95.

c8.39

¹⁹ (Madanmohan Tarkālaṃkāra Ed.), Ch. I, pp. 3, 6; Ch. II, pp. 7, 11, 12.

c8.40

Fa-hien, a Chinese pilgrim, who visited India in the fifth century A.D., followed the course of the Ganges, and descending eastwards for 18 yojanas, he found on the southern bank the kingdom of Campā, where he saw some topes.¹

c8.41

¹ Legge, The Travels of Fa-hien, p. 100.

c8.42

Yuan Chwang who came to India in the seventh century A.D., visited Campā which was situated on the south side of the Ganges and more than 4,000 li in circuit. He saw the monasteries mostly in ruins and there were more than 200 Hinayāna monks in the city of Campā, which was visited by the Buddha.

c8.43

Anga included Īraṇaparvata which along with Campā supplied war elephants.² According to the Rāmāyaṇa Sugrīva sent my monkey followers in quest of Sītā to the countries lying on the east among which Anga was one.³

c8.44

² Watters, On Yuan Chwang, II, pp. 181-182.

c8.45

³ Rāmāyaṇa, 652, 22-23.

c8.46

There were 80,000 villages in Anga, which is an exaggerated traditional figure.⁴ Anga was the country of the well-known author (Aurava) of the Rig Veda.⁵ There was a distinct local alphabet of Anga according to the Lalitavistara.⁶ A Brāhmaṇa youth named Kapila referred to the riches owned by the king of Anga.⁷

c8.47

⁴ Vinayapiṭaka, I, p. 179.

c8.48

⁵ X, 138; Pargiter, A.I.H.T., p. 132.

c8.49

⁶ Lalitavistara, 125-26.

c8.50

⁷ Rockhill, Life of the Buddha, p. 129.

c8.51

Ancient Anga is said to have included the hermitage of the sage Ṛṣya-śṛṅga, Karṇagaḍ or the fort of Karṇa, Jahnu-āśrama or the hermitage of the sage Jahnu and Modāgiri or Monghyr. The Mahābhārata mentions Anga and Vaṅga as forming one viṣaya or kingdom (44. 9). The kingdom of Anga was in the Buddha’s time a centre of activities of some well-known heretical teachers.⁸

c8.52

⁸ Majjhima Nikāya, II, p. 2.

c8.53

In the kingdom of Anga there were many towns, such as Āpaṇa⁹ and Bhaddiyanagara where Viśākhā, the daughter of Sumanādevī, lived.¹⁰ The way from Bhaddiya to Āpaṇa lay through Aṅguttarāpa, obviously a lowland.¹¹ There was another town of the Aṅgas named Assapura which was visited by the Buddha.¹²

c8.54

⁹ Saṃyutta Nikāya, V, pp. 225-26.

c8.55

¹⁰ Dhammapada Commentary, I, 384ff.

c8.56

¹¹ Vinaya, I, 243ff.; Dhammapada-aṭṭhakathā, III, 363.

c8.57

¹² Majjhima Nikāya, I, 281ff.

c8.58

In the Buddha’s time there were in Aṅga-Magadha several Mahāsālās or Snātaka institutions maintained on royal fiefs granted by the kings Pasenadi and Bimbisāra. According to the Mahāgovinda Suttanta seven such colleges were founded by Mahāgovinda in seven main kingdoms of his time including Aṅga with Campā as its capital. These were all theological colleges granting admission only to the Brahmin youths (māṇavakā). The numerical strength of each of them was no less than three hundred students. The high reputation of the head of the institution attracted students from various quarters and various localities.¹³

c8.59

¹³ Nānādisā nānājanapadā māṇavakā āgacchanti—Dīgha, I, 114.

c8.60

The sale of wives and children and the abandonment of the afflicted were prevalent among the Aṅgas.¹⁴ There was a custom-house between Campā and Rājagṛha for the realization of taxes from the public.¹⁵

c8.61

¹⁴ Mahābhārata, VIII, 45, 14-16; 28, 34.

c8.62

¹⁵ Divyāvadāna, p. 275.

c8.63

The king of the Aṅga country was invited at the horse-sacrifice of king Daśaratha.¹ The sage Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, son of Bibhāṇḍaka, came to Aṅga at the invitation of Romapāda, who was then the powerful king of the Aṅga country. King Romapāda received him cordially and gave his daughter Śāntā in marriage to him because the sage succeeded in removing drought from his kingdom.² At the request of king Romapāda of Aṅga, Ṛṣyaśṛṅga with his wife Śāntā came to Ayodhyā to perform the sacrifice of king Daśaratha who was a great friend of Romapāda.³

c8.64

¹ Rāmāyaṇa, 27, 25.

c8.65

² Ibid., 9th and 10th sargas, pp. 20-22; cf. Pargiter, Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, p. 464 and notes.

c8.66

³ Ibid., 24, 10-31.

c8.67

Karṇa was placed on the throne of Aṅga at the instance of his ally, Duryodhana and other Kaurava chieftains.⁴ The Pāṇḍavas, especially Bhīmasena, banned him as lowborn (sūtaputra), whom Bhīmasena declared as no match for his brother Arjuna with the result that Karṇa became an inveterate enemy of the Pāṇḍavas.⁵ At the Svayaṃvara ceremony of Draupadī, daughter of king Drupada of the Pañcāla-country, Karṇa was present with other Kṣatriya princes, such as Śalya of Madra and Duryodhana of Hastināpura. It was here that Arjuna won the hand of Draupadī by a wonderful feat of archery. Bhīma and Arjuna were then disguised as Brāhmaṇas. A quarrel ensued over the acquisition of Draupadī and a duel took place between Arjuna and Karṇa with the result that the latter was defeated.⁶ Arjuna on his way to Maṇipura (in Assam) visited Aṅga as a pilgrim and distributed riches there.⁷ Bhīmasena fought with Karṇa, king of Aṅga, and convinced him of his prowess prior to the Rājasūya sacrifice of Yudhiṣṭhira. He killed the king of Modāgiri (Monghyr).⁸ Karṇa is said to have attended the Rājasūya sacrifice of Yudhiṣṭhira at Indraprastha.⁹ On the eve of the Pauṇḍarika sacrifice of Duryodhana, the Aṅga country is referred to in connection with the digvijaya or military campaign of Karṇa.¹⁰ Bhīṣma, while lying on a bed of arrows in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, asked Karṇa to refrain from this fratricidal war, as he was not the son of a charioteer. His mother was Kuntī. But Karṇa said that he had already promised to fight for Duryodhana against the Pāṇḍavas.¹¹ He was made the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army by Duryodhana.¹² Arjuna went to the Aṅga country in quest of the sacrificial horse. The kings of Aṅga, Kāśī and Kośala and Kirātas and Taṅganas were compelled to pay him homage.¹³ King Jarāsandha is said to have extended his supremacy over the Aṅgas, Vaṅgas, Kaliṅgas and Puṇḍras.¹⁴ The Aṅgas were also defeated in a battle by Vāsudeva as we learn from the Droṇaparva of the Mahābhārata. In the Śāntiparva of the Mahābhārata,¹⁵ we find Vasūpama, king of Aṅga, visiting a golden mountain called Yuñjavat on the ridge of the Himalayas.

c8.68

⁴ Mahābhārata, Vaṅgavāsī ed., p. 140.

c8.69

⁵ Ibid., I, 25, pp. 140-141.

c8.70

⁶ Ibid., I, 4, 178-179.

c8.71

⁷ Ibid., 9, 195; 195, 10.

c8.72

⁸ Ibid., V, 2, p. 242.

c8.73

⁹ Ibid., 7, 245.

c8.74

¹⁰ Ibid., 8-9, 513.

c8.75

¹¹ Ibid., 1-39, 993-4.

c8.76

¹² Ibid., 43-56, p. 1174.

c8.77

¹³ Ibid., 4-5, p. 2093.

c8.78

¹⁴ Ibid., XII, Ch. 6607.

c8.79

¹⁵ CXXII, 4469-75.

c8.80

Seṇiya Bimbisāra was the king of Aṅga-Magadha when the Buddha renounced the world and Mahāvīra became a Jina. During the reign of king Bhātiya of Magadha, his son Bimbisāra ruled Aṅga as his viceroy.

c8.81

Throughout Jaina literature Kūṇika Ajātaśatru is represented as a king of Aṅga, but the fact is that he was only the viceroy of Aṅga, which formed a part of the kingdom of Magadha.¹ The annexation of Aṅga to Magadha was a turning point in the history of Magadha. It marked the first step taken by the king of Magadha in his advance to greatness and the position of supremacy which it attained in the following centuries. The *Campeyya Jātaka* records a fight between the two neighbouring countries of Aṅga and Magadha. From time to time Aṅga and Magadha were engaged in battles. Once the Magadhan king was defeated and pursued by the army of Aṅga but he escaped by jumping into the river named Campā flowing between Aṅga and Magadha. Again he defeated the king of Aṅga, recovered his lost kingdom and conquered Aṅga as well. He became intimately associated with the Aṅga king and used to make offerings on the bank of the Campā every year with great pomp.² The *Vinaya Mahāvagga* goes to prove that Aṅga came under Bimbisāra's sway.³ Immediately prior to the rise of Buddhism there were four powerful monarchies in northern India, each of which was enlarged by the annexation of neighbouring territories. Thus Aṅga was annexed to Magadha, Kāśī to Kosala, Bhagga to Vatsa and probably Śūrasena to Avantī.

c8.82

¹ Cf. *Nirayāvalī sūtra, Sthavīrāvalicarita*, etc.

c8.83

² *Jātaka*, Fausboll, IV, 454-55.

c8.84

³ *S.B.E.*, XVII, p. 1.

c8.85

The *Sonadaṇḍa Suttanta* of the *Dīgha Nikāya* refers to the bestowal of Campā, the capital of Aṅga, as a royal fief on the Brāhmin Sonadaṇḍa.⁴ Magadha was brought under the sway of Aṅgarāja.⁵ Dhataraṭṭha, king of Kāśī and Aṅga, was a contemporary of Sattabhū, king of Kaliṅga, and Reṇu, king of Mithilā.⁶ It is interesting to note that Aṅga and Magadha were conquered by the king of Benaras.⁷ Bindusāra married the daughter of a Brāhmin of Campā, who gave birth to a son named Aśoka.⁸ Sri Harṣa mentions a king of Aṅga named Dṛḍhavarman being restored to his kingdom by Udayana, king of Kauśāmbi.⁹ According to the *Harivaṃśa* and the *Purāṇas* Dadhivāhana was the son and successor of Aṅga. This Dadhivāhana could not have been the same king Dadhivāhana who is represented by the Jainas as a contemporary of Mahāvīra and a weak rival of king Śatānīka of Kauśāmbi.¹⁰ From the Hāthigumphā inscription we learn that after the defeat of king Bahasatimita, king Khāravela of Kaliṅga carried back to his capital the riches collected from Aṅga-Magadha.¹¹

c8.86

⁴ *Dīgha*, I, pp. 111ff.

c8.87

⁵ *Jātaka*, VI, p. 272.

c8.88

⁶ *Dīgha*, II, 220ff.

c8.89

⁷ *Jātaka*, Fausboll, V, 316.

c8.90

⁸ *Divyāvadāna*, pp. 369-70.

c8.91

⁹ *Priyadarśikā*, Act IV.

c8.92

¹⁰ J.A.S.B., 1914, 320ff.

c8.93

¹¹ Barua, *Old Brāhmī Inscriptions*, pp. 272-73.

c8.94

Pali Buddhist literature gives us some information about the religion of the Aṅgas.¹² The monks of Campā, the capital of the Aṅgas, were in the habit of performing some acts contrary to the rules of Vinaya.¹³ The Buddha, while he was dwelling at Campā, heard Vaṅgīsa, a famous disciple of the Buddha, uttering a stanza in praise of him.¹⁴ Many sons of the householders of Aṅga and Magadha followed the Buddha in course of his journey from Rājagriha to Kapilavastu.¹⁵ The chaplain of king Mahākosala, father of Pasenadi, became his disciple with many others.¹⁶ An Ājīvika declared himself to be a disciple of the Buddha.¹⁷ Bimbisāra was converted to Buddhism with many Brāhmin householders of Aṅga and Magadha.¹ Viśākhā was converted by the Buddha, while dwelling in Aṅga.² All the available evidence points to the fact that within the first decade of the Buddha’s enlightenment, Buddhist headquarters were established in various localities adjoining many important towns including Campā. At everyone of these places sprang up a community of monks under the leadership and guidance of a famous disciple of the Buddha.³

c8.95

¹² *Vinaya*, I, 312-15, 179ff.; *Dīgha*, I, 111-26; *Ibid.*, III, 272; *Majihima*, I, 271ff., 281ff.

c8.96

¹³ *Vinayapiṭaka*, I, 315ff.

c8.97

¹⁴ *Samyutta*, I, 195-96.

c8.98

¹⁵ *Jātaka*, I, *Nidānakathā*, p. 87.

c8.99

¹⁶ *Dhammapada Commentary*, III, 241ff.

c8.100

¹⁷ *Ibid.*, II, 61-62.

c8.101

¹ Petavatthu Commentary, p. 22.

c8.102

² Dhammapada Commentary, I, 384ff.

c8.103

³ Law, Historical Gleanings, p. 45.

c8.104

The inhabitants of Aṅga and Magadha evinced a keen interest in the annual sacrifice performed by the Jaṭilas of the Gaya region under the leadership of Uruvela Kassapa.⁴

c8.105

⁴ Vinaya, I, 27ff.

c8.106

*Aṅgāra.*—This village has been identified either with Mangraon or its neighbour Sangraon (E.I., XXVI, Pt. VI, April, 1942, p. 245).

c8.107

*Añjanavana.*—It was at Sāketa where the Buddha once dwelt (Sam., I, 54; V. 73, 219). It was a grove in which the trees were planted (*Samantapāsādikā*, I, p. 11).

c8.108

*Antaragiri.*—It is in the Rajamahal hills in the district of Santal Parganas (*Matsya Purāṇa*, Ch. 113, v. 44; Pargiter’s *Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa*, p. 325 note).

c8.109

*Apara-Gayā.*—It was near Gayā. Buddha came here at the invitation of Sudarśana (*Mahāvastu*, III, pp. 324-325; B. C. Law, *A study of the Mahāvastu*, pp. 156-157).

c8.110

*Apāpapuri.*—See *Pāvāpuri*.

c8.111

*Aphṣad.*—The Aphṣad or Aphṣaṇḍ Inscription of Ādityasena refers to Aphṣad or Aphṣaṇḍ, also called Jafarpur, a village near the right bank of Sakarī river about 15 miles towards the north-east of Nawādā in the Gayā district (C.I.I., Vol. III).

c8.112

*Aśokārāma.*—It was a Buddhist establishment at Pāṭaliputra built by Aśoka (*Mahāvaṃsa*, V, v. 80). The building of the establishment was looked after by an elder (*thera*) named Indagutta (*Samantapāsādikā* I, pp. 48-49). Here the third Buddhist council was held in Aśoka’s time (*Ibid.*, p. 48). According to the *Milindapañho* (pp. 17-18), a merchant of Pāṭaliputra said to the revered Nāgasena standing at the cross-road not far from Pāṭaliputra, ‘This is the road leading to the Aśokārāma. Please accept my valuable blanket.’ Nāgasena accepted it and the merchant departed therefrom being very much pleased. Nāgasena then went to the Aśokārāma to meet the revered elder Dhammarakkhita. He learnt from him the valuable words of the Buddha occurring in the three Piṭakas and also their deep meanings. At this time many elders, who assembled at the Rakk hitatala on the Himalayan mountain, sent for Nāgasena who left the Aśokārāma and came to them.

c8.113

The *Mahāvaṃsa* refers to a tank in the Aśokārāma (V. 163). Aśoka sent a minister to this *ārāma* asking the community of monks to hold here the Uposatha ceremony (*Ibid.*, V, 236). A compilation of the true Dhamma was made in this *ārāma* (*Ibid.*, V, 276). From this *ārāma* the elder named Mittiṇṇa came to Pāṭaliputra with many monks (*Ibid.*, XXIX, v. 36).

c8.114

*Audamvarika.*—The Vappaghoṣavāṭa Inscription of Jayanāga (E.I., XVIII, pp. 60ff.) mentions this *viṣaya*. Some have established the geographical connection between Udumvara of Sarkar Audambar (cf. E.I., XIX, pp. 286-287) and the south of the village of Mallasārul, Burdwan Division, Bengal (E.I., XXIII, Pt. V—Mallasārul Copperplate of Vijayasena).

c8.115

*Adipur*.—This village is in the Pānchpir sub-division of Mayurbhanj in Orissa (*E.I.*, XXV, Pt. IV, October, 1939).

c8.116

*Ālavi*.—As a principality it was included in the Kośalan empire. This town was 30 yojanas from Śrāvastī and 12 from Benaras (Watters, *On Yuan Chwang*, II, 61). It lay between Śrāvastī and Rājagṛha. The way from Śrāvastī to Ālavi lay through Kiṭāgiri (*Vinaya*, II, 170ff.). Some think that Ālavi was on the Ganges. According to some, it is identical with Newal or Nawal in Unao district in U.P., while according to others, it is Aviwa, 27 miles north-east of Etwah. There was a shrine called the Aggālava Cetiya near the town of Ālavi where the Buddha once dwelt (*Jātaka*, I, 160).

c8.117

*Āmgāci*.—It is a village in the Dinajpur district of Bengal, where the copperplate inscription of Vigrahapāla III was discovered (*E.I.*, XV, 293ff.).

c8.118

*Āmragarttikā*.—It may be the modern Ambahulā also called Simāsimi to the south of Mallasārul (*E.I.*, XXIII, Pt. V, p. 158).

c8.119

*Āraṇaghāṭā*.—It is a village situated about six miles north of Rānāghāt in the district of Nadia. The river Cūrṇi flows by the village and on its bank stands the Hindu temple of Jugalkishore. It is a holy place of the Hindus. (For further details, vide B. C. Law, *Holy Places of India*, p. 2).

c8.120

*Ārāma*.—It is described to be a prosperous city in Orissa with palatial buildings, temples, gardens, tanks, etc. It seems to have been situated not far from the town of Sonpur. Really speaking, it was a pleasure-garden where the king occasionally lived (*E.I.*, XXIII, Pt. VII).

c8.121

*Āriyālkhāl*.—From the right side of the Padmā, which in its lower course becomes known as the Kirtināśā or the destroyer of memorable works amongst the monuments and buildings of Rājā Rājvallabh at Rājnagar in the district of Faridpur, issues the Āriyālkhāl river below the town of Faridpur. It flows down into the Bay of Bengal through the Madaripur sub-division of Faridpur and the district of Backerganj. This khāl and the Madhumati are connected by a small river which flows from the former a little above the town of Madaripur and joins the latter a little above Gopālganj in Madaripur sub-division (Law, *Rivers of India*, p. 28).

c8.122

*Ātreyī*.—The river Ātreyī and the lesser Yamunā meet together in the district of Rajshahi, and then the united stream receives two small tributaries, one on the right and the other on the left. Then it bifurcates east of Nator. The main stream flows into the Ganges south-east of Boalia in the district of Rajshahi and the lesser stream into the Karatoyā (Law, *Rivers of India*, p. 29).

c8.123

*Baḍagaṅgā*.—It is a small rivulet about 14 miles north-west of Dabokā (*E.I.*, XXVII, 18).

c8.124

*Baḍal*.—It is in the Dinajpur district of North Bengal. A pillar inscription of the time of Nārāyaṇapāla has been discovered at a distance of three miles from this place. A pillar containing the figure of a mythical bird Garuḍa was found here (*E.I.*, II, 160-167). The Baḍal Pillar Inscription of the time of Guḍavamiśra credits king Devapāla with having eradicated the race of the Utkalas along with the pride of the Hūṇas.

c8.125

*Baḍkāmlā*.—It is situated near the northern bank of the river Meghnā. It was known as Karmānta near Comilla town in East Bengal. The modern village of Baḍkāmlā (*Jaya-Karmāntavāsakāt*, *E.I.*, XVIII, p. 35), is situated 12 miles west of the town of Comilla.

c8.126

*Bahuputta*.—It was a caitya (shrine) in Vaiśāli (*Digha*, II, 118).

c8.127

*Baidyanātha*.—It is also known as Hārddapīṭha and Deoghar. It is a small town four miles to the south of Jasidih Junction Station of the East Indian Railway and about 200 miles due west of Calcutta. During the later Moslem rule, it formed a part of the Birbhum district. It is now included in the Santal Parganas in Bihar. It is a place of Hindu pilgrimage. It is situated on a rocky plain, having a small forest on the north, a low hill on the north-west, a large hill called the Trikūṭaparvata about five miles to the east and other hills to the south-east, south and south-west at varying distances. Immediately to the west of the town there is a small rivulet called Yamunājor. Its area is about two miles. The soil is fertile and the crops are rich. It is a sub-division of Dumka. The temple of Baidyanātha is one of the famous temples in Bihar. It is visited by pilgrims throughout the year. Its antiquity is carried back in some of the Purāṇas ¹ to the second age of the world according to Dr. Rajendralala Mitra. The temple of Baidyanātha stands in the middle of the town and is surrounded by a courtyard of an irregular quadrilateral figure. The principal temple is a plain stone structure. Its surface is cut into a check pattern by plain perpendicular and horizontal mouldings. The presiding deity of the temple is the *Jyotirliṅga* or *Baidyanātha*. The ritual of worship is simple enough. The mantras are few and the offerings limited. This temple has now (Sept. 25, 1953) been thrown open to all Hindus irrespective of caste. There are many small temples at Deoghar (now called *Baidyanāthadhām*), e.g., that of Pārvatī, the consort of the presiding deity in the main temple; that of Kālā Bhairava; that of Sandhyādevī, the goddess of Vesper or the Sāvitrīdevī, the wife of the Sun.²

c8.128

¹ *Baidyanātha-māhātmya* of the *Śiva Purāṇa*, Ch. 4; *Baidyanātha-māhātmya* of the *Padma Purāṇa*, Ch. 2.

c8.129

² For details vide *On the Temples of Deoghar* by Dr. Rajendralala Mitra published in J.A.S.B., 1883, pp. 164ff.

c8.130

*Balabalabhi*.—The *Bhuvaneśvara Praśasti* refers to Balabalabhi. H. P. Śāstrī has identified it with Bāgḍi.

c8.131

*Bansi*.—It is a village in the district of Bhagalpur situated near the base of the Mandar hill. The numerous buildings, tanks, large wells and stone-figures found round the base of this sacred hill show that a great city must have once been in existence there. How the city fell into ruin is unknown, though the local tradition ascribes its destruction to Kālāpāhār. After the destruction of the temple of Madhusudana on the Mandar hill, the image of the deity was brought to Bansi where it now remains. On the last day of the Bengali month of *Pauṣ* the image is carried every year from Bansi to the foot of the hill. There is a sacred tank at the foot where the pilgrims bathe, as they consider the water of the tank to be sacred (vide *Bhagalpur*, by Byrne, *B. D. Gazetteers*, 1911, pp. 162-163).

c8.132

*Barabar hill* (vide *Khalatika*).—There are some caves in these hills situated about 16 miles north of Gayā. The caves known as *Sāṭgharā* (seven houses) are divided into two groups, the four southernmost in the Barabar group being more ancient. The Nyagrodha cave is hewn in the granite ridge and faces south. There is an inscription recording the gift of the cave to the Ājīvikas by Aśoka. The Lomasrishi cave is similar to this cave, but is unfinished. The side walls of the outer chamber are dressed and polished but the inside of the inner chamber is very rough. The entrance is finished and is, no doubt, the earliest example of the rock-cut *caitya* hall. The fourth cave of the Barabar group is the Viśvajhopri. It consists of chambers, but it is unfinished. There is an inscription on the wall of the outer chamber recording the gift of the cave by Aśoka (Law, *Geographical Essays*, pp. 17, 341).

c8.133

*Baranārk*.—The Deo-Baranārk Inscription of Jīvitagupta II refers to it. It is ancient Vāruṇika, a village about 25 miles south-west of Arrah in the Shahabad district (*C.I.I.*, Vol. III).

c8.134

*Barantapura* (Barantpur).—It is situated about 15 miles from Madhipura in the district of Bhagalpur, containing the ruins of a fort which is said to have been the residence of king Virāṭa mentioned in the *Mahābhārata*. The Pāṇḍavas, as told in the *Mahābhārata*, accepted service in disguise under him. Kīcaka, the brother-in-law of king Virāṭa, wanted to take Draupadī, the wife of the Pāṇḍava brothers, and was killed by Bhīmasena at this village. It is said that a party of king Duryodhana took away many heads of cattle belonging to king Virāṭa. Arjuna fought with them and recovered the cattle. The *Uttaragoṛha* or the northern grazing field was situated in the vicinity of this village (*Bhagalpur* by Byrne, *Bengal District Gazetteers*, 1911, p. 162).

c8.135

*Barākar*.—It is in the Burdwan district containing some late mediaeval temples (*A.S.I., Annual Report*, 1917/18, Pt. I, p. 9). Its ancient name is unknown.

c8.136

*Basāṛh*.—This village, situated 20 miles north-west of Hajipur, has been identified with Vaiśālī (*Muzaffarpur*, by O’Malley, *Bihar District Gazetteers*, pp. 138-139).

c8.137

*Bāṅgaṛh*.—It is in the Dinajpur district of Bengal, where the grant of Mahipāla I was discovered (*E.I.*, XIV, 324ff.). The ruins of Bāṅgaṛh or Bānnagara are found on the eastern bank of the river Punarbhavā, one and a half mile to the north of Gaṅgārāmpur which is 18 miles south of Dinajpur. For further details vide *Introducing India*, Pt. I, 79-80; *Proceedings of the Indian History Congress*, III, 1939-40; K. G. Goswami, *Excavations at Bāṅgaṛh* (Calcutta, 1948). See *Koṭivarṣaviṣaya*.

c8.138

*Bāripadā*.—It is in the Mayurbhanj district of Orissa (*E.I.*, XXVI, Pt. II, p. 74).

c8.139

*Beluvagāma*.—It was a village in Vaiśālī (*Samyutta Nikāya*, V, 152).

c8.140

*Belwā*.—It is situated at a distance of about 15 miles east of Hili Station. It is within the Ghoraghat P.S. in the Dinajpur district (*J.A.S., Letters*, Vol. XVII, No. 2, 1951).

c8.141

*Bhaddiyanagara*.—This city lay in the kingdom of Aṅga, where Visākhā was born (*Dhamma. Commy.*, Vol. I, p. 384).

c8.142

*Bhagavāṅganj*.—This village is situated in the south-east of the Dinajpur sub-division, a few miles south-east of Bharatpur. It contains the remains of a *stūpa* which has been identified with Droṇa-*stūpa* referred to by Hiuen Tsang. This Droṇa was a Brāhmin who distributed Buddha’s relics after his death (cf. *Mahāparinibbāna Suttanta, Dīgha*, II). This *stūpa* is a low circle mound about 20 feet high. Not far from it flows the Punpun river (*A.S.I., Reports*, Vol. VIII).

c8.143

*Bhaṇḍagāma*.—It was situated in the country of the Vajjis (*Aṅg. Nik.*, II, 1).

c8.144

*Bhāgīrathī*.—This river is mentioned in the *Harivaṃśa* (I, 15) and in the *Yoginītantra* (2. 4, pp. 128-129). It is so called because Bhagīratha brought this sacred river (*Brahmāṇḍa*, II, 18. 42). It flows through Suhma in Bengal (Dhoyī’s *Pavanadūta*, V. 36). According to the Sena and Candra Copperplates, the Bhāgīrathī is the Ganges (*Inscriptions of Bengal*, Vol. III, p. 97). The Naihati copperplate of Ballālasena points out that the Bhāgīrathī was regarded as the Ganges, and the queen mother performed a great religious ceremony on its banks on the occasion of the solar eclipse (*Ibid.*, p. 74). The Govindapur copperplate of Lakṣmaṇasena states that the Hooghly river was called Jāhṇavī, which flowed by the side of Betaḍ in the Howrah district (Ibid., pp. 94, 97).

c8.145

Bhānī.—The Kamauli plate of Govindacandra (V.S. 1184) records the gift of the village of Bhānī, situated in the paṭṭala called Maḍavattala. Both these places are not yet identified (E.I., XXXVI, Pt. 2, April, 1941).

c8.146

Bhāṭerā.—This village lies about 20 miles from Sylhet (E.I., XIX, p. 277—The Bhāṭerā copperplate inscription of Govinda-Keśavadeva (1049 A.D.).

c8.147

Bhāṭśala.—A village in Ghoraghat P.S. within the district of Dinajpur (J.A.S., Letters, Vol. XVII, No. 2, 1951, p. 117).

c8.148

Bhojpur.—This village lies two miles north of Dumraon in the Buxar sub-division. It contains remains of ancient places of the Bhojrājās (B. and O. Dist. Gazetteers, Shahabad, by O’Malley, 1924, p. 158).

c8.149

Bodh-Gayā (Buddha-Gayā).—Its ancient name was Uruvilva or Uruvelā which stood for a great sand bank, according to Buddhaghosa (mahāvelā). According to the Samantapāsādikā (V. 952), whenever any evil thought arose in any one person, he was instructed to carry a handful of sand to a place nearby. The sand thus carried gradually formed a great bank. It is situated six miles to the south of Gayā. The distance from Buddha-Gayā to Gayā was three gāvutas, i.e., a little more than six miles (Papañcasūdanī, II, p. 188). It was called Buddha-Gayā because here Gautama Buddha attained the perfect enlightenment under the famous Bo-tree. The Bodh-Gayā Inscription of Mahānāman (the year 169) mentions the famous Buddhist site at Bodh-Gayā (C.I.I., Vol. III, No. 71, pp. 274ff.). In this inscription the enclosure round the Bo-tree is mentioned as the Bodhimaṇḍa. In a postscript of a Bodh-Gayā inscription we find that a gold embroidered Kāṣāya (yellow garment) was brought by a Chinese pilgrim to be hung in the Mahābodhi-vihāra.

c8.150

According to the Ghosrawan Inscription of the time of Devapāladeva,¹ Viradeva, son of Indragupta, was born at Nagarahāra (modern Jelalabad). After studying the Vedas he decided to adopt Buddhism, and with this object in view he went to Kaṇiṣkavihāra. After receiving instructions from Sarvajñaśānti, he embraced Buddhism and came to eastern India, intending to visit the Vajrāsana at Mahābodhi. He stayed there for a long time at Yaśovarmapuramahāvihāra and received respectful attention from Devapāla. The Viradeva arrived at Mahābodhi to worship the Vajrāsana. He then proceeded to Yaśovarmapuramahāvihāra in order to meet some monks of his own province.²

c8.151

¹ J.A.S.B., XVII, Pt. I, pp. 492-501; I.A., XVII, 307-12; Gaudalekhamāla.

c8.152

² For literary references, vide Law, Geography of Early Buddhism, pp. 45ff.; Law, Geographical Essays, I, pp. 35ff.; Barua, Gayā and Buddha-Gayā, 162ff.

c8.153

Brahmaputra.—The Brahmaputra is the principal river of Assam. The Yoginītantra mentions it (Jīvānanda Vidyāsāgar ed., 1/11, p. 60; 2. 4, pp. 128-29). It is also known as the Lauhitya (Brahma Purāṇa, Ch. 64; Raghuvamśa, IV, 81; Yoginītantra, 2. 2. 119), which according to Kālidāsa, formed the western boundary of Prāgjyotiṣa. According to the Jambudivapaṇṇatti, the source of this river is traced to the stream which channels out through the eastern outlet of the eastern Lotus lake. Modern geographical exploration goes to show that its origin can be traced to the eastern region of the Mānasa-sarovara. There are three important head-waters of the Brahmaputra—the Kupi, the Chema-Yungdung and the Angsi Chu. All these headwaters rise from glacial tongues. The discharge of the Kupi river being the highest, Sven Hedin fixed the source of the Brahmaputra in the Kupi glacier. But according to Swami Pranavānanda of the Holy Kailāsa and Mānasa-sarovara, the Brahmaputra rises from the Chema-Yungdung glacier (for further details, vide S. P. Chatterjee, Presidential Address to the Geographical Society of India, Geographical Review of India, September, 1953). The Kālikā Purāṇa (Ch. 82) contains a legendary account of the origin of the Brahmaputra. It is stated therein that the Brahmaputra is situated between the four mountains of which the Kailāsa and Gandhamādana stand to the north and south respectively (Ch. 82, 36). It flows in a south-westerly direction from Sadiyā down to the place above the Garo hills. It flows south again to meet the Ganges at a little above the Goalanda Ghat. The course of the Brahmaputra through the tableland of southern Tibet is known as the Sunpa. For further details, vide B. C. Law, Rivers of India, pp. 29-30.

c8.154

There is a deep pool in the Brahmaputra known by the name of Brahmakuṇḍa on the eastern border of the Lakhimpur district of Assam. Paraśurāma, one of the ten incarnations of Viṣṇu, is said to have surrendered his axe at this pool, with which he destroyed the Kṣatriyas. The pool is situated at the place where the river emerges from the mountains and is surrounded on every side by hills. It is frequently visited by Hindu pilgrims from every part of India.

c8.155

Brāhmaṇi.—It is a sacred river which flows from north-west to south-east through the district of Balasore in Orissa (Mbh., Bhīṣmap., Ch. 9; Padma P., Ch. 3).

c8.156

Burbalang.—This river represents the lower course of Karkai, which takes its rise in the hills of Dhalbhum and flows through the district of Balasore (Law, Rivers of India, p. 45).

c8.157

Buridihiṅ.—This river which is an important tributary of the Brahmaputra meets the Brahmaputra south of Lakhimpur in Assam. For details, Law, Rivers of India, p. 30.

c8.158

Campā.—This river forms the boundary between Aṅga in the east and Magadha in the west.¹ It is probably the same river as the one to the west of Campānagar and Nāthnagar in the suburb of the town of Bhāgalpur. It was formerly known by the name of Mālinī.² Kālidāsa refers to the ripples of the Mālinī river on the banks of which Śakuntalā came with her friends (Abhijñānaśakuntalam, Act III). According to the Padma Purāṇa (Ch. 11) it was a place of pilgrimage.

c8.159

¹ Jātaka, IV, 454.

c8.160

² Mahābhārata, XII, 5. 6-7; Viṣṇu, IV, 18. 20; Matsya, 48. 97; Vāyu, 99. 105; Harivaṃśa, 31-49.

c8.161

Campāpurī (Campā).—It was the capital of Aṅga and was formerly known as Mālinī (Matsya Purāṇa, Ch. 48). The Jaina Aupapātika Sūtra refers to it, as a city adorned with gates, ramparts, palaces, parks and gardens. According to it the city was a veritable paradise on earth full of wealth and prosperity, internal joy and happiness (B. C. Law, Some Jaina Canonical Sūtras, p. 73). Here the twelfth Jina named Vāsupujya was born, who attained Kevalajñāna (perfect knowledge) and nirvāṇa. Karakandu installed the image of Pārśvanātha in the tank of Kuṇḍa. He afterwards attained perfection. Kuṇika, son of king Śreṇika, left Rājagṛha on the death of his father and made Campā his capital.³ We get a beautiful description of sea-faring merchants of Campā from Jaina Nāyādhammakahā.⁴ It was variously known as Campānagara, Campāmālinī, Campāvatī, Campāpurī and Campā. It was frequented by Gośāla, the founder of Ājīvikism and Jamāli (Bhagavatī, 15; Āvaśyaka Cūrṇi, p. 418).

c8.162

³ B. C. Law, Some Jaina Canonical Sūtras, p. 176.

c8.163

⁴ 97ff. For details, vide Aṅga, ante.

c8.164

This city was situated at a distance of about four miles to the west of Bhāgalpur. According to the *Mahābhārata* (Vanaparva, Ch. 85) it was a place of pilgrimage visited by Hiuen Tsang who described it as such. It was about 4,000 li in circuit and known to the Chinese as *Chenpo*. The land was level and fertile, which was regularly cultivated. The people were simple and honest. There were *Saṅghārāmas* mostly in ruins. There were also some Deva temples.¹

c8.165

¹ Beal, *Buddhist Records of the Western World*, II, 191-192.

c8.166

*Candradvīpa*.—The Rāmpāl grant of Śrīcandra refers to Candradvīpa which was ruled by king Trailokyacandra of the 10th or 11th century A.D.² This country included some portions of Backerganj. Some scholars hold that Baklā Candradvīpa was the only Candradvīpa meant in early literature,³ while others hold different views.⁴ It corresponded to Baklā Candradvīpa.⁵ The Madhyapāḍā Inscription of Viśvarūpasena mentions ‘-ndradvīpa’, which has been restored by some scholars as Kandradvīpa, Indradvīpa and Candradvīpa. It is supported by the fact that the territory in question included Ghāgharakāṭṭipāṭṭaka. Ghāghara is the name of a stream flowing past Phullaśrī in the north-west of Backerganj in the 15th century A.D. (*History of Bengal*, Vol. I, 18).

c8.167

² N. G. Majumdar, *Inscriptions of Bengal*, Vol. III, 2ff.

c8.168

³ *Indian Culture*, II, p. 151.

c8.169

⁴ *History of Bengal*, Dacca University, p. 18; *Bhārata Kaumudī*, Pt. I, pp. 53-54.

c8.170

⁵ *J.R.A.S.*, 1874.

c8.171

*Candranātha*.—This peak is regarded as a place beloved of Śiva, for here, tradition relates, the right arm of Satī fell when severed by the disk of Viṣṇu. It is in the Chittagong district and is visited by pilgrims from all parts of Bengal. In the vicinity of Sītākuṇḍa stands the temple of Candranātha and Śambhunātha. The shrine on the top of the hill contains a *liṅgam* or symbolical representation of Śiva and the ascent to it is said to redeem the pilgrim from the miseries of future births. (*Introducing India*, Pt. I, pp. 83-84.)

c8.172

*Chandimau*.—This village is situated on the old road from Silao to Giriyek in the Bihar sub-division of the Patna district at a distance of about three miles from the Giriyek police station. A number of very fine Buddhist images were found here (*A.S.I.*, Annual Report, 1911/12, pp. 161ff.).

c8.173

*Chattivaṇṇā* (Brihat).—It is a village mentioned in the Irdā copperplate grant of King Nayapāladeva. Some have identified it with modern Chatna in the thana Dāspur in the Midnapur district, Bengal (*E.I.*, XXIV, Pt. I, 1937, January, pp. 43-47).

c8.174

*Chinnamastā*.—This village is in the Golā sub-division of the Hazaribagh district where formerly human beings were killed and offered to the deity. It is situated in the midst of a jungle and the deity is worshipped by pilgrims from all parts of India. It can be reached by a bus from Ramgarh which is situated at a distance of 30 miles from Hazaribagh town. (Law, *Holy Places of India*, p. 14).

c8.175

*Corapapāta*.—It seems to have been a hill near Rājagṛiha (*Digha*., II, p. 116).

c8.176

*Daṇḍabhukti*.—The Irdā copperplate grant of king Nayapāladeva refers to Daṇḍabhukti. It seems that originally this village was known as Daṇḍa which was the headquarters of a *bhukti*. The origin of the name is unknown. Daṇḍa though originally a *bhukti* is found to be a *maṇḍala* under the Varddhamānabhukti (Uttara Rāḍha) (*E.I.*, Vol. XXIV, Pt. I, 1937, January, pp. 46-47). Daṇḍabhutti, otherwise known as Daṇḍabhukti, is the name of a country, the gardens of which are full of bees (Hultzsch, S.I.I., I, p. 99).

c8.177

Davāka.—Davāka which occurs in the Allahabad Pillar Inscription along with Samataṭa, Kāmarūpa and Kaṭripura, has been identified with modern Daboka in Naogong district, Assam. K. L. Barua identifies it with Kopili valley in Assam (History of Kāmarūpa, p. 42). According to Fleet, it was the ancient name of Dacca.¹ V. A. Smith takes it as corresponding to Bogra, Dinajpur and Rajshahi districts.

c8.178

¹ Cf. Raychaudhury, P.H.A.I., 4th ed., p. 456. Note 4.

c8.179

Dāmodara.—The Dāmodara which is the tributary of the Bhāgīrathī takes its rise in the hills near Bagodar in the district of Hazaribagh, and flows south-east through Hazaribagh and between the districts of Manbhum and Santal Parganas, and then through the districts of Burdwan and Hooghly. The Damodar flows into the Hooghly in several channels through the district of Hooghly (Law, Rivers of India, p. 27).

c8.180

Dāmodarpur.—This village lies about eight miles west of Phulbari P.S. in the district of Dinajpur, where five copperplates bearing inscriptions of the Gupta period were discovered (E.I., XV, p. 113).

c8.181

Dāpanīyā-pāṭaka.—It was a village referred to by the Mādhāinagar copperplate of Lakṣmaṇasena as situated near Kāntāpura in Varendrī within the Pauṇḍravardhanabhukti.

c8.182

Dehār.—It is near Viṣṇupura in the Bankura district containing a small temple of Sarēśvara (A.S.I., Annual Report, 1913/14, Pt. I, p. 5).

c8.183

Deo Barunārak.—It lies six miles north-east of Mahadeopur and 27 miles south-west of Arrah. It contains a shrine dedicated to the sun, having an image of Viṣṇu (B. and O. Dist. Gazetteers, Shahabad, by O'Malley p. 167).

c8.184

Deokālī.—This village is situated 11 miles west of Sītāmarhī containing the fort of King Drupada of the Mahābhārata fame (A.S.I., Reports, Vol. XVI, 29-30; Muzaffarpur, by O'Malley, B. D. Gazetteers, p. 144).

c8.185

Deopani.—It is a river in the Shibsagar district in Assam. Close to it in a jungle an inscription on a Viṣṇu image was discovered (E.I., XVIII, 329).

c8.186

Deulbāḍi.—It is a village situated about 14 miles south of Comilla, on the Trunk road from Comilla to Chittagong (E.I., XVII, 357).

c8.187

Devagrāma.—The Bhuvaneśvara Praśasti refers to Devagrāma which may be located in the Nadia district of East Bengal (cf. Stone Inscription of Bādāla-Maitra, Gauḍalekhamālā, I, pp. 70ff.).

c8.188

Dhaleśvarī.—It is a river of great importance in the district of Dacca. It receives the waters of the Lakṣhyā below Habiganj before it flows into the Meghnā as a river of great breadth. (For details, vide B. C. Law, Rivers of India, p. 33.)

c8.189

Dhekkari.—The Rāmganj copperplate of Īśvaraghosa refers to Dhekkarī. Some have located Dhekkari and the river Jaṭodā on which Dhekkarī was situated, near Katwa in the Burdwan Division (see, for instance, Introduction to the Rāmacarita by H. P. Śāstrī, p. 14). According to others, both are located in the Goalpārā and Kāmarūpa districts of Assam (see, for instance, N. Vasu, Vaṅger Jātīya Itihāsa, pp. 250-51).

c8.190

Dhruvilati.—It is mentioned in the copperplates belonging to Dharmāditya and Gopacandra. Pargiter identifies it with modern Dhulat in the Faridpur district of East Bengal.

c8.191

Disarā.—The Disarā takes its rise in the Patkai hills. It flows north-west and west to join the Brahmaputra to the north-west of the town of Shibsagar in Assam. It is included in the Brahmaputra-Meghnā river system (Law, Rivers of India, p. 30).

c8.192

Duārbāsinī.—It is in the Malda district, noted for its shrine which is much frequented by Hindu pilgrims (Law, Holy Places of India, p. 1).

c8.193

Durvāsā-āśrama.—It is said to have been situated on the highest peak of a hill called Khallipāhāḍ. It is two miles to the north of Colgong in the district of Bhagalpur and two miles to the south of Pāthārghāṭā (Martin, Eastern India, II, p. 167; J.A.S.B., 1909, p. 10).

c8.194

Ekanālā.—It was a Brahmin village in Dakṣiṇagiri, an important locality, which lay to the south of the hills of Rājagṛha. A Buddhist establishment was founded there (Sāratthappakāsinī, I, p. 242). The Saṃyutta Nikāya (I, p. 172) distinctly places it in Magadha outside the area of Rājagṛha.

c8.195

Gaggarā.—It was a tank not far from the city of Campā. It was dug by the queen Gaggarā. On the bank of this tank the Master taught the people of Campā his doctrine (Sumaṅgalavilāsinī, I, 279). This tank may be identified with the large silted-up lake now called Sarovar situated on the skirts of Campānagara, from the depth of which Buddhist and Jaina statues were recovered (J.A.S.B., 1914, p. 335).

c8.196

Garāi-Madhumatī.—The Garāi issuing from the Gaṅgā above Pānsā in the district of Faridpur, flows down under the name of Madhumatī, forming the boundary between Faridpur and Jessore districts, and reaches the Bay of Bengal, a little above Pirojpur in the district of Backerganj under the name of Haringhāṭā (Law, Rivers of India, p. 28).

c8.197

Gargaon.—It is near Nazira in the Shibsagar district (A.S.I., Annual Report, 1918/19, Pt. I, p. 7).

c8.198

Gāro.—The Gāro hills are the eastern continuation of the Meghalaya plateau.¹ These hills rise abruptly from the Brahmaputra Valley in the north and west and present an abrupt scarp towards the plains of Assam and Bengal (Law, Mountains of India, p. 9).

c8.199

¹ Le Plateau de Meghalaya, S. P. Chatterjee, Paris, 1937.

c8.200.1

Gauḍa.—It was the capital of Bengal during the Hindu and Muslim periods. According to the commentary on the Jaina Ācārāṅgasūtra (II 361a), Gauḍadeśa was noted for silk garments (dukūla). According to some, the name of Gauḍa is derived from Guda, i.e., molasses, as Gauḍa was formerly a trading centre of molasses. The ruins of Gauḍa lie at a distance of 10 miles to the south-west of the modern town of Malda. It was an ancient town situated at the junction of the Ganges and Mahānandā. It occurs in the Epics and the Purāṇas. The Padma Purāṇa (189. 2) refers to Gauḍadeśa which was ruled by the king named Narasimha. It was the capital of Devapāla, Mahendrapāla, Ādisūra, Ballālasena and Mahommedan rulers up to about the close of the 16th century A.D. It formed a part of the kingdom of the Imperial Guptas during the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries A.D. There is no trace, at present, of Rāmāvatī, the capital of ancient Gauḍa under Pāla rulers. It lay several miles to the north of the present site of the ruins of Gauḍa near the river Kālindi. Lakṣmaṇāvatī, built by king Lakṣmaṇasena was the later capital of Gauḍa under the Sena and Muslim rulers. Near the present site of Gauḍa stands the ancient site of Rāmakeli, which was visited by Caitanyadeva. King Ballālasena built a castle at Gauḍa known as the Ballālabāḍi or Ballālabhitā. The ruins of this fort are found at Shahdullāpura. One of the biggest tanks in Bengal, known as Sāgardighi, is attributed to him.

First 199 of 568 passages. Read on

Linked texts (126)