Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c6.s3.163

c6.s3.163

Then again, we have several references to *thūpas* (*Stūpas*),² built upon the remains of the deceased persons. The *Sujāta Jātaka*³ relates, that a land-owner from the day of his father’s death was filled with sorrow, and taking his bones from the place of cremation he erected an earth-mound (*mattikāthūpam*) in his pleasure-garden, and depositing the remains (*atthīni*) there, he visited the place from time to time, adorned the tope with flowers and studiously lamented, neglecting his daily duties and personal comforts.⁴ Another *Jātaka*⁵ gives an account, much more minute, of the obsequies of a king. The ladies of the royal harem came to the cemetery (*ālāhanam*), as retinue for the deceased king, with red garments, disheveled hair and torches in their hands. The ministers made a funeral pyre (*dārūnam citakam*) with a hundred wagon-loads of wood. On the spot, where the body was burnt, a shrine (*Cetiya*) was erected and honoured for seven days with offerings of incense and flowers. The burnt skull (*sīsakapālam*) inlaid with gold, was put at the king’s gate, raised on the spear-like staff (*kuntaggee*) serving as royal insignia, and was honoured. Then taking it as a relic (*dhātu*) another shrine (*Cetiya*) was built and honoured with incense and garlands.