On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c19.14

v2.c19.14

We return to the pilgrim's description. Not far south from the Prison, he tells us, was a tope, the lower part of which had sunk out of sight leaving only the dome, which was ornamented with precious substances, and the stone balustrade. This, he adds, was one of the 84000 topes, and it was erected for Asoka in his palace by human agents; it contained a shêng or pint of the Buddha's, relics and it had miraculous manifestations, and illuminations by divine light. The pilgrim goes on to tell how the 84000 topes came to be built and the relics deposited in them. After Asoka had abolished his Hell the great arhat Upagupta made a skilful use of his opportunities to convert the king and succeeded in winning him over to Buddhism. When the king expressed to Upagupta his desire to increase the topes for the worship of the Buddha's relics the arhat replied— It has been my wish that your majesty by means of your religious merit would employ the gods that you might carry out your former vow and protect Buddha, the Canon, and the Church, and now is the opportunity. When Asoka heard all this he was greatly pleased, and having summoned the inferior gods (kuei-shên) he gave them his orders. The gods were to go over all Jambudvipa, and wherever there was a population of a full Koti, they were to erect a tope for Buddha's relics. The gods set up the topes, and reported to the king, who then divided the relics which he had taken from the topes of the eight countries and distributed them among the gods. He then told Upagupta that he would like to have all the relics deposited in the topes at the same instant. This was accomplished by Upagupta kindly putting his hand across the sun's face at midday, the gods having been ordered to deposit their relics at the moment the hand was seen darkening the sun.