On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c15.105

v1.c15.105

Before we pass on to the next city in our pilgrim's narrative we may notice some of the more important omissions from his list of the interesting sights of the Śrāvastī district. There were two mountains in this district, one called the *T'a-shan* or Pagoda Hill, that is perhaps, Chaityagiri, and the other called the *Su* (in some texts *P'o-lo-lo* or Salar (?) mountain, and of neither of these have we any mention.² Some of the serious Brethren in the early church resorted to these mountains, and lived on them for several months. Then our pilgrim does not notice the *A-chi-lo* (阿耆 (or 𡈼) 羅) or Aciravatī River which flowed south-eastwards past the Śrāvasti city: nor does he mention the Sundara (or Sun-t'ê-li) or Sundarikā River.¹ We read in other books also of the "Pond of Dismemberment", and this is not mentioned by the pilgrim. It was the basin of water near which the Sakya maidens were mutilated and left to perish. This is apparently the Pu-to-li, the "celebrated water of Śrāvasti", also called Patali and Patala. The Tibetan translators apparently had Patali which they reproduce literally by "red-coloured". But the original was perhaps Pātala which is the name of a Hell, and it will be remembered that Yuan-chuang places the pond or lake through which Virūḍhaka went down into Hell close to the spot at which the maidens were mutilated. Then the lake is said to have received a name from this dismemberment. In the Avadāna Kalpalatā it is called the Hastagarbha or "Hand-containing" Lake, and this is apparently the meaning of the Tibetan name which Rockhill seems to translate "the pool of the severed hand".² Then that one of the Eight Great Topes of the Buddha which was at Śrāvasti is not mentioned, unless we are to regard it as the tope at Buddha's shrine already noticed. But the strangest and most unaccountable omission is that of the Pūrvārāma or East monastery. This great and famous establishment was erected by Visākhā known in religion as "Mrigāra's Mother". She was actually the daughter-in-law of Mrigāra; but after she converted that man, and made him a devout Buddhist, she was called his mother. In Pali her monastery is called Pubbārāma Migāramātu Pāsāda, that is, the East Monastery the Palace of Migāra's mother. This name is translated literally into Chinese, but the translators also render Migāramātu by Lu-mu or "Deer-mother", and Migāra is "Deer-son". This monastery which was second only to the Jetavana Vihāra was in a disused royal park. There were buildings at it for the residence of the bhikshus and bhikshuṇīs, and there were quiet halls for meditation and for religious discourse. Fa-hsien makes mention of this famous establishment and places its site six or seven *li* to the north-east of the Jetavana Vihāra. This agrees with references to the monastery in other books which place it to the east (or in the east part) of the city, and not far from the Jetavana.¹