Historical Geography of Ancient India c8.474

c8.474

Sitavana.—It was the name of a cemetery grove (*Sāratthappakāsinī*, III, p. 17, Siamese edition). The site was used for a charnelfield where the dead bodies were thrown or left to undergo a natural process of decay (*Saṃyutta*, I, pp. 210-11), or to be eaten by carnivorous beasts, birds and worms (*Dīgha Nikāya*, II, pp. 295, 296). This grove was enclosed by a wall and fitted with doors that remained closed during the night (*Saṃyutta*, I, p. 211). It was situated near the north face of the Vaibhāra hill beyond Veṇuvana. Its location must be beyond Jarāsandha-Kā-Baiṭhak (B. C. Law, *Rājagṛha in Ancient India*, pp. 10-11).