Cosmography and Geography in Early Indian Literature c8.s5.1

c8.s5.1

It is well known that the provenance of coins and inscriptions helped scholars in determining the sites of the ancient cities of Kapilavastu (near Lumbinīgrāma), Puṇḍranagara, Kauśāmbī, Śrāvastī, Karṇasuvarṇa, Madhyamikā, etc.²⁰ The location of the Buddha's birth place, viz. Lumbinīgrāma on the suburbs of the Śākya city of Kapilavastu, has been indicated by the discovery of a monolithic pillar near the village of Paḍariā within the Nepalese Tarai to the north of the Basti District of U.P. The pillar bears an inscription of the Maurya emperor Aśoka (c. 259-232 B.C.) who is stated in it to have raised the pillar at Lumbinīgrāma, the birthplace of the Lord Buddha Śākyamuni, after having offered worship at the holy place. The location of the city of the Puṇḍra people was disputed. Cunningham suggested its identification with modern Mahāsthān in the Bogra District of North Bengal. This identification has now been proved beyond doubt by the discovery of an early Brāhmī inscription from Mahāsthān, which mentions the locality as Puṇḍranagara. There was likewise controversy among scholars about the location of Kauśāmbī, the capital of the ancient Vatsa king Udayana, and that of Karṇasuvarṇa, the capital of Śaśāṅka, the 7th century king of Gauḍa, beeause literary evidence on the subjects was inadequate. But recent excavations have unearthed positive evidence that has solved this problem. A stone slab