Historical Geography of Ancient India c8.20

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