On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c17.s2.2

v2.c17.s2.2

To the sout-heast of the old city (that is, the former capital), he tells us, was a brick tope nearly 100 feet high. This had been built by the king of this country (who obtained one of the eight portions of the Buddha's relics) to enclose his share for preservation and worship. Beside this Relic Tope was a clear tank the dragon of which, when he went out for a stroll, assumed the form of a snake, and performed pradakshiṇa to the Tope by crawling round it to the right. The wild elephants also came in companies and strewed flowers at the tope; all this went on without intermission. When king Asoka was dispersing the Buddha-relics of the eight topes, having taken away those of seven of the topes, he came to Rāma in order to carry off the relics in its tope also. As he was about to begin work the dragon of the tank, afraid of being dispossessed, changed himself into a brahmin and tapping the [king's] elephant in the face, said "Your Majesty's kindness extends to all Buddhadom, and you have largely sown the seeds of good works. I venture to beg you to dismount and deign to visit my abode". Asoka accepted the invitation, and followed the dragon to his palace. There overpowered by the splendour of the dragon's paraphernalia for the worship of the relics, he granted the dragon's petition, and abandoned the idea of rifling the tope. A memorial at the place of coming out from the tank recorded the event.