On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c19.60

v2.c19.60

The pilgrim continuing his narrative tells us that from the old monastery a journey south-west above 100 *li* brought him to the *Ti-lo-shi-ka* monastery. This establishment, erected by the last descendant of king Bimbisāra, had four courts with three-storeyed halls, lofty terraces, and a succession of open passages. It was the rendezvous of eminent scholars who flocked to it from all regions. The Brethren in it, all Mahāyānists, were above 1000 in number. At the head of the road², through the middle gate, were three temples (*ching-shê*) with disks on the roofs and hung with small bells; the bases were surrounded by balustrades, and doors, windows, beams, walls, and stairs were ornamented with gilt work in relief. The middle temple had a stone image of the Buddha thirty feet high; the left-hand one had an image of Tāra Bodhisattva; and the right-hand one had an image of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva: these three images were all of bronze (*tu-shi*). Each of the temples had a pint of relics which occasionally yielded miraculous phenomena.