Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c5.s2.t7.5

c5.s2.t7.5

According to Dr. Burgess the Amarāvatī stūpas at Dharaṇikoṭ (Dhānyakaṭaka) were originally constructed as early as the 2nd century B.C.⁴ and Nāgārjuna was closely associated with the Buddhist establishment of this place. At any rate there is no doubt about the fact that Dhānyakaṭaka was the chief centre of the Caityakas, the Pūrva- and Aparasaila branches of the Mahāsānghika school, and that the people living there and in its neighbourhood lavished gifts on this Buddhist establishment. It was one of the places mentioned in the *Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa*⁵ as suitable for carrying on Buddhistic practices. The *Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa* also mentions that it contained the relics of Buddha.⁶ This is corroborated by the recent find of an inscription, recording a gift of a pillar by the sister of Mahārāja Mādhariputra Śrīvirapuruṣadatta to the caitya enshrining the dhātu of Sammāsambuddha. Among the inscriptions of this place, edited by Dr. Burgess, there is one (No. 121) which refers to the Caityakas, of which the Pūrva- and Aparasailas were branches. Among the recent finds in the neighbourhood of the place, two among other inscriptions have been found, referring to the Puvaseliya (Pūrvaśaila) and Avaras (Aparaśaila).¹ The inscriptions are supposed to be of the 2nd century A.D. Another important place near Dhānyakaṭaka was Śrīparvata (Srisailam), where, according to the Tibetan tradition, Nāgārjuna passed his last days.² The Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa also takes notice of this mountain as a suitable place for Buddhistic practices, and one of the inscriptions, recently found, records that some devotees constructed a number of caityas and vihāras, and dug wells for pilgrims visiting the sacred place from Gandhāra, Cina, Aparānta, Vaṅga, Vanavāsī, Tambapaṇṇidīpa, etc.³ From these facts, it may be concluded that about the beginning of the Christian era there was on the bank of the Krishna in the Guntur district a very important centre of the Mahā-sāṅghikas. The name Andhakas given to the offshoots of this school⁴ also point to the fact of its popularity in the Andhra country and of its being supported, as the Amarā-vatī inscriptions show, by the kings, nobles and people of the Andhra country.