On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v1.c15.2

v1.c15.2

From the Viśoka district the pilgrim travelled, he tells us, above 500 *li* (about 100 miles) north-east to the *Shih-lo-fa-si-tí* (Śrāvastī) country. This country was above 6000 *li* in circuit: its "capital" was a wild ruin without anything to define its areas; the old foundations of the "Palace city" were above twenty *li* in circuit, and although it was mostly a ruinous waste yet there were inhabitants. The country had good crops, and an equable climate: and the people had honest ways and were given to learning and fond of good works. There were some hundreds of Buddhist monasteries of which the most were in ruins: the Brethren, who were very few, were Sammatiyas. There were 100 Deva-Temples and the non-Buddhists were very numerous. This city was in the Buddha's time the seat of government of king Prasenajit and the foundations of this king's old palace remained in the old "Palace city". Not far east of these was an old foundation on which a small tope had been built: this was the site of the large chapel (Preaching Hall) which king Prasenajit built for the Buddha. Near the site of the chapel was another tope on old foundations: this marked the site of the nunnery (*ching-shê*) of the Buddha's foster-mother, the bhikshuṇī Prājapati, erected for her by king Prasenajit. A tope to the east of this marked the site of the house of Sudatta the Elder (chief of the non-official laymen). At the side of this was a tope on the spot where Angulimāla gave up his heresy. This Angulimāla, whose name denotes Finger-garland, was a wicked man of Śrāvastī who harried the city and country, killing people and cutting a finger off each person killed, in order to make himself a garland. He was about to kill his own mother in order to make up the required number of fingers, when the Buddha in compassion proceeded to convert him. Finger-garland on seeing the Buddha was delighted, as his Brahmin teacher had told him that by killing the Buddha and his own mother he would obtain birth in Heaven. So he left his mother for the moment, and made a motion to kill the Buddha. But the latter kept moving out of reach, and by admonishing the murderer led him to repentance and conversion. Finger-garland then was admitted into the Order, and by zealous perseverance he attained arhatship.