."----...a ...... -_ .... ...a...

r-__ __
I l
~ ~ \ , . Y 0", I
I 1
l
l
l
l
i 1
i DELHI UNIVERSITY 1
, LIBRARY 1
, J
, l
i I
t 1
l 1
I l
. ~ - ......... .-...... - ...... . - . . . ~ - - -
DELHI UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
Cl. No. \1.2. --- - (,4"
Ac No . .:;2 y for loan
This book should be returned on or before tIt? la68
below. An overdue charge of 5 Paise will be collected for each day the
book IS kept overtime.
INDIAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE PUBUCATIONS
INDIAN HLSTORY SERlES-NO. I
GAYA AND BUDDHA.GAYA
HISTORY OF THE HOLY LAND]
I
BooK I
BY
BENIMADHAB BARUlA, MA.. D.l..it. (Lond.)
lal (JU.aC.:II OF :um DiIl.D:llIU'I OF P.IU.. CAIIlnTA UIIilDMIft,
_h ll'B"fI OF '..1 BuroaE OF PJll'rBODR!.ft'IC I-...
"BuaBn J"Sl!OUPJlll!IlI... DiD "0uJ BaJ.B.I -
I!o.iIIC!lIlPIUOSl!. "PI .;. Urut\l.1RlL
AD 1Uwaw;ou C.l1'1l!l.. ..
PUBL1.,JiED BY OAlIS CHANDRA t-J \L, lit A, B L ,
BONY CEOBE1ARY, INDIAN RE5EmCH I'I6TITUTIl,
55, UPPElI. C1U'l'POlI.L ROAD, CALOUriA
REVISED EDITION
Pllnted By J C Ghobh itt the Cotton Pless 57, RO'lIl, Ctl(uttt
The title page, Plefdce to the EdItion, the pubh.lll'l S 1\1ote
and pagelr 9192, 181182 207208, alJd 253254, only die pl"ll1ted
by S C K'lyct of U Roy and 'Sons,
117f1, B,,\\bll'lT E,llellt Calcut\tl
P"CBLIKHER'S NOTE
The public and the scholarly world are by this time
\\e1l aware of the aims and activities of the Indian
Hesearch Institute. In its humble way it is trying to
resuscitate the magni.ficent cultural tradition of India
by publication of the Vedic and Post-Vedic Literature
in critical editions with translations and copious notes.
J t has also started its :Fine Arts Series publications
beginning with an illustrated Monograph on Barhut
MonumentI'; and Sculptures in three books, and the Indian
Positive Sciencf's Reries publications.
With the revised edition of the \'01. I (Book I) of
Dr. B. M. Barua's MOllograph-Gaya and Buddha
Guyu, the Hindu and Buddhist Holy Land, it now starts
the Indian History Series which, as it is contemplated,
will include simihu works dealing "ith various aspects
of the Religious and Cultural History of India and the
countries around. The Vol. IT (Books IT-V). by the same
author, which is but an illustrated Monograph on the
old shrines of Bodh Gaya is published and
is included as No. 4 of its Fine Arts Series.
The institute feels that for a comprehensive Religious
and cultural History of India, requiring a good deal of
generalisations, sufficient data should he collected by an
iutensive study of the history of all local centres of
importance and the present Monograph is offered as
nothing "but a model of the work which remains yet
to be done by different scholars.
Xl
The Illstitute has to record its grateful thanks to
Dr. B. C. Law, M.A., B.L., Ph.D. for his kind patronage
,
but for which such costly publications could not have Leen
undertaken.
Taking both the volumes together, the price has been
moderately fixed just to cover the printing costs and the
Institute expects that all public libraries and lovers of
Indology will sympathise with the present venture of the
Institute by purchasing its publications.
Indian Research Institute, } St' Ch d Seal
Dated, the 8th Nov .. 1934. a IS an ra
GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAYA
BOOK I
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY OF GAYA
1. TASK DEFINED
Our task in this book is suggested in its title. By
"Pre-Buddhistic History of Gaya" wc are to lmderstand here
a systematio histOlical account of Gara as it stood prior to
and at the time of the rise of Buddhi&m, and by Gaya we
ate to undel'stand that portion of t 110 ancient kil'gdom of
Magadha which Was cove' eel. by Gaya-k&hetJa cs distil:-
gujfhcd nom Ma gadha-hhc{J a. III the following pages
we are to present a picture of this ancient holy place
chiefly as it is said to have been found by Prince
Siddhartha of Kapilaviistu when he ,,'andered about as a
lonely ascetic ill EaRtern India ill the 6th century B. C.,
giving a ~ : : e t c h of its subsequel!t llistory from the time of
Asoka down to the Pala period a.nd aftcr.
The task thus defined cannot be an eabY ono. FOT here
we are not so much to dL3W a pictllle of Gaya-kshetra long
after it had elllC I ged ill to It wuIlel -wid e impOl tanco 011
account of its aSbociatioll with SOllle of the momentous
events in the life-hibtory of the Buddha, the founder of
Buddhihlll, ah to give clear glimp&e& mto the dark back-
ground frOlU which it emerged into,";: '\ an importance.
We are to clisabube Oul mind of all the false and delusive
impre!Sions that are likely to be created by the pious legends
of later growt;h and the nUnlelOUS &hl'ilJes of worship and
2 GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
art built in after ages by the Buddhists, the Hindus and
the Jains.
Here We are not so much to witness the play from. a
front seat reserved for the audience ['s to go behind the
scene and examine the mechanism' of the stage and have a
vjew of the unpainted figures of the players.
2. GAYA-MAHATl\IYA-A lUOl\STROUS LEGEND
far as Brahlluwical literatltl'c goes, the Gaya-
Mahatlllya in the is the only elaborate legend-
ary aCCOlUJt
1
whirh the nwd',ml hiRtoJ.'ian has to rely upon
in wliliing a sober history of Uaya-kRhotTa. When exactly
the Gaya-mahatlllYu ",aH composed a1'(l when it cam.e to
fOllll a section of the YaYU-Pm.'iil).a ale still a matter of con-
jecture. But ce.1taiJl it is that this pious wlogium of Gaya-
kshetra was the literary production of an age when the
Vaish1).avas got hold of the Hindu shrines in the old town
of Gaya (pura1pa Gaya) and its suburbs. and found it expe-
dient to canyon a vlgorous propagamla work for attracting
annually a large number of pilgrims hom the different parts
of India. This VaishQ.ava eulugium of Gaya-kshetra
2
was
characterised by Dr. Buchanan Humiltcn as "a monstrous
legend" on the basis of which no history of the place
could be written. Even Dr. Rajendrah.'.la Mitra who spared
no pains to glean som.e histo:dcal trut.hs from this eulogium.
could not help characterising it as "a wild story."s The
reader must, first of all, be intlOduced to the contents of the
The AUlIi-Pura'l,lu presents in chapters CXIY-CXYIl a ovme\\hat later, abridged
and slIghtly diffelwt Ycrsion of the Gayu-11Iiilta17I1Yu
J The Agni-Puril}& version may be appropriately judged as a YijiiiJ,. (Sakta)-
Vrnsb1)ava eulogium of Gayi.
lllitra.'s Buddlw, Gaga, p. 10.
PRE-BUDDHlSTIO HISTORY 3
Gaya-mahatrnya in Older that he may judge for himReU
what these signify and how far these deserve credence.
3. GAYA-l\IAHAT.i.\1YA-ITS CONTENTS
The Gaya-mabatmya which forms the roncluding section
of the compl'i15cs altogether eight chapters,
its first chapter J:andirg as the 105tL dUlptrl and its eighth
or last chaptc ,_ counted as the 112th (hapter of the
Purfu;J.a in its eni.;.xety, That the Ga) a-mahatmya repre-
sents a distinct amol1g the r:.eYcl'al sections or books
of the PuraJ).a is proved, by the fact that it has been
commenced with a prologue and concluded with an
epilogue and its chapterR have been so arranged that
the succeeding chapterfl hal
1
g on the first as elaborations
of the vheses presented in the first or opening chapter, The
concluding stanzas constitutillg its epilogue state in clear
terms that the Gaya-mahatmya might otherwise he called
Gayalchyance or G(f.yopakliyal1r , '"The hardic naITation of the
legendary story of G't) a." and Gayii-mcehimana, "The
traditional culogium of Uayii, " Its prologue
l
and C:pllogue
cloarly bling out this fact that it was intended to Rerve this
twofold plUpose: (I) to extol thQ high antiquity, great
sanctity and special impvliauC'e of the holy tract of Gaya
(Gaya-kshetra) , and (2) to emphasize its authonticity '1nd
value as a pilglim's guide-book (Gaya-yatra).
Brahma is said to have declared that the tract
of Gaya was 5 krosas in Qxtent; thai Gaya proper ropre-
1 VdYU-Puliir;ta, 1033_ 112,1-67 :
N ii,ra.rJa ulliieM :
me brukZ tirtkam tirtTaotlamottamam I
taraka.1/1 sarva.-bTat7tana71' patTaata'll' bri7].va.tal'Jl talka q
4 GAYA. AJ\1J) BUDDHA-GAYA.
senting the inner zone of the tract of Gaya was 2i krosas in
extent; an.d that Gayasila or Gayasllsha determining the
extension of the ancient town of Gaya and represeuting the
innermost zone of the tract of Gaya was 1 krosa in extent.
1
It is boldly claimed tIlat there is nQ spot within the holy
tract of Gaya where there is Jlot a ttrtlw or umctormn (hath-
ing place or shrine) wOlth visiti]lg,2 which is to say, all
the artltaS associated with the name of Gaya ,,"'cre situated
wit,hin this geographical extellsion.
3
It stated that flaya was a holy hact in the kingdom
(If Klkata or l\Iagacl.ha which in its western extel1sion incluckd
tIle s3-creel riYer PiiIlpiin and in its eastern extersion included
the pleasant 'W'oodlar..d of Rajagriha.4 We are led to think
that tho kingdom of Klkata-1Iagadha was extended so far
tow,mls the west as to include the Son region.
5
1t is certain that, i!ccOlding to description in the Gaya-
1 \'ii) u-PulIil}a, 10':;.29, 106 (j,j :
/lIam/f!! Oaye'tl Brallma7)el itam 11
paiiehakro8a1fl Gayii-ksltelrar}l, 1:,o.a1ll ekaTfl Gay&irap I
tan madkye aa,j,a-tirtkiilli prayaccl/.Qutu kital]l nriniim 11
Cf. Agni-Purii7Ja, 115.42.
B Viiyu-Purii7JQ, 103.47 :
Gayiiyii1p, na 111 tat sthiinalTl yatra tirtka'lp, na llidyate I
aiJnnidhya'lp, aarva-urtkana1f& Gayii-tfrthal]l tata varam /I
Cf. Agni-Puriifla. 116.27-28.
a Viiyu-PuriituZ, 105.30 :
Tan madkye Bal trailokye yani Ballti vai I
I.riirldkakrirJ, yo Gayii-hhetr6 pitri7Jihn. r:mri1)O 1ti 1/
, 108.73 :
Kikateaku Gayii pU7Jyli, punyflYJI Ra.iagrikmp, !'a1_>7'" I
punyaT/1>, 11adi pU7Jyii "
6 Viiyu-Purii7JQ. 108.74. Raj endIalala Mitra observes {Buddha Gayii, p.8, I.n. (a.h
"Kitaka(? Kikata) is now accepted as a synonym for lIagadha; but it was. evidently
the na.me of thc southern portion of it. Its area, given in the Delliivali, :: l!ledia!val
work, would barely cover the district of Oa)d.."
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY
5
mahatmya, Gaya-kshetra exte:r..dcd towards the north as
far, at least, as the Pr eta , Pretasila or Pretakiita bill,l ard
extended towards the south as far, at least, as the saored
Bo-tree (Mahiibodhitaru, Bodhi-druma) at Bodh-Gaya.
H
The pmichakroi Gaya is said to haye been extonsive
enough to contain 55 villages, mflny fh"!.o houses built for the
Brahmins and provided with all necessaries of life, the
milch-cows, the Wishing a11d Palijata trees, such saored
streams as the Maha:r.adi, the Ghritakulya ar.d the
kulya, many large tanIes ard seycral holy mountairs.3
"The Phalgu," as deRctibecl. in the District Gazetteer
of Gaya (p. 8), "flowipg l"!.orth and south, interseots the
distriot. It is formed by the junotion, some 2 miles below
Bodh-Gaya, of the Nilajan and the l\Iohana-two large
hill streams, each of which is over 300 yards wide. The
united stream flows on to the north past the town of Gaya,
where it attairs a breadth of 900 yards. The Phalgu here
impinges on a high rocky bank, on the stoep sides of which
are many ghats leading down to the river-bed, while high
above are the Vishnupad temple fFig. 1] with many minor
shrines, and the houses of the Gayawlils. It then mns in
a north-easterly direction for about 17 miles, and opposite
the Barabar Hills it again takes the name of Mohana and
divides into two branches, which eventually flow irlto a
branch of the Piinpiin."
The Gaya-mahatmya is not concerned to describe the
1 vaytt.Puratta, 108.67-69.
S Vayu.P'Urii.'!!a, III 26-27. Cf. Rajendrululu Mitru's Bttddha Gaya, pp. 1819:
"In fact. everywhere in the mah/itmya Gayi. is e.Fsumed to include the l\ohoJe area
from the little hill on the north, to the :Bodhidruilla. on the south, a dilohmce
of 13 miles." a Yayu.Purava, lOo.7276,
G GAYA A1'Il) BUDDHA-GAYA
full course of the PhaJgu river. It has nowhe-re mentioned
that the two Jargo I,m stream.s, the Nilajan (Buddhist
Nera1ijara or Nairaiijanii) and the ){ohana flowed together
as Phalgu within the distance of tW'tNty miles or so, and
that jn the north bey01Jd this distance iho lmited &tream
Phalgu again assumed the IHUlle of l\Ioha'Ja and eventually
flowed into a branch of tho Piinpiil1. liver, bcwg divided into
two branches. But jt o;.pre&&ly says that the Phalgutirtha
proper was co-extensive with the Gayasira or Gayasirsha
hill and its spurs, the Nagakiita, the Gridhrakiita, the
Janardanakiita aDd the site of the Brahmayiipa. its oxtension
from. the Gayasira hill to the North, ::Uanasa tank being I
krosa.
1
If the Gayasira b,lll and its spurs detelmined the
extension of the then l:uown town of Gaya (Gayapuri) from
south to north. we can say that this town of Gaya, too, was
neither more ror less than 01_0 J..J"Ob(J in extent. arc
fUl ther told that that p:r t of the PhalgutiJ tha . which
extended from the KlJ.d:chapada [8 far south [8 the
Gayasira hill plOper lOlmed the face or fr011t of Gayasura
(Gayasuramukba).2 it il'l. thOll, certain that, accOldulg io
the Gaya-mah.atmya, the ancient town of Gaya was situated
on the. western bank of the Phalgu river.
The Mahanadi, the Madhukulya, the Dadhikulya, the
1 Viiyu.Purana, 111.4142, 111.21 :
SiikBbii,d GayaBlra8 tatra Phalgutirthfdrita1f kritam I
Nitgaj Janiirdaniid Blakl1layiipiick ckottara-Miinasiilll
etad ploktam Phalgutirtham tad uckyate 11
Niigakiltad Gndkraldltlid Yii.p4cZ Uttara.Manasiit 11
etad GayMZ1a7J prokta1f Pkalgut'irtkam tad uckyak 11
ViiyuPuriina, 111.44 :
Kraunckapadat Pkalgutiltkarp. yavat 8akshiJd GayMzralj, I
mukha1f Gayiisu/Usyailat ta!l1lluck ckkliidtlham ih'ik8kallam 11
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
Ghritakulya and the Madhusra va are mentioned as the
important rivers in Gaya-kshetra.
1
The Mahanadi lay
just to the east of the gate of Gaya.
2
The PhaJgu is men-
tioned as a river of Gaya [Fig. 3J which was even m.ore
sacred than the Ganges.
3
From the position assigned to
the Mahanadi it appeals that it the same river as the
Phalgu. There are two stanzas in which Devika may be
taken as another popular llallle for the l\Iahanadi,4 while it
lS distjJlctly stated, in the Mahabharata that this Mahanadi
was other thitll the large rivC'T which was known (at
in patt) by the namo of Pllalgu."
The Madhuscava, is a 81111111 rivulet. which flows down
into tho Phalgu river throughout the year from tho east
side of the GS} aRjLa hill plOper. the modflm Brahmayoni
hill. The Gllritakulya. the D&dhikulya and the lViadhukulya
are nothillg but three little parallel cataracts that flow
down the southeru slope of the hill during
the rains and completely dry up during winter and summer.
A little higher up towards the peak of the Brahmayoni hill
1 riiyu.Pur{qra, 1091617, 100.7473, 11230, 10344.
2 VUyu.PuliillU, 1106:
1'alo Gayu'll1ave(,e cna .. lIahiillacli.
It seems that MaM,nadi1B the same wIth "hat is known as the river MoMI14.
a Vayu.Purana. 11116 :
Ganga. piidodalca7J1 Yish,wl1- Phalgurhyadi.Gadadhat'al1-/
ovaya7/l111 dravaliipena wsmad Gangadhlkarp, vldul1-11
The high sanctity of the rIver Phalgu 1S brought forth thus in the
115.17.33: "the liltha i& caIlcd Phalgu from the fact of prosperity and heaven being
the product (pllellltm) thereof."
, Viillu.PwiilIQ, 109.7, 11230: DetiJ.a. clla l1Ialliinacli.
6 Mahab1talata, Vallaparl'Q, 8.3 12 :
Si cka punlla.iala wlra Pkalgu ?lama lIIahimadi I
Cf. J.lIahabhiirata, Vanapalt'a. 82.83,82.97. and 86.11. whem the Mana'llalliappeara
to have bten distinguished from tIll; Phalgu river.
OXyA Y1
one may m.axk out thTee sur h other f'ataraetb uearing the
name of Subhra, Agnidhara and Kapilii, the laf)t named
cataract feeding thQ waters of the Rulanll}.ik:t.m.iJ.a. The
Akiisaganga sym'holif>Utg the Milky Way of the sky is a
f)imilar catala(t to hI"' located 011 a hill +0 the east of the
Bhasmakiita,
W'o haw still to fjf>r(>ltam the dic,tanf'c in miles COYCled
b) th"l fixe Jws f>xt(,-_c,InU of GrIya-k.,bctra, A('(ording to
modem Indian Ubaw', ont> kos ic, bToddly equal to two miles.
Wc may maintain tJut t11'> equhal,.n
f
c hu1il.'> hue also of
krosa as emplo)':!d in th" nflya-ll1ahiihnya. If thf' full
ex1iellf>ion of Ga)-a-hhptra laJlg(ld OY .1 dic;tanre of fh-e
kro5fls. aud thl' holy trad flf (,.ayl. c:l\tembd as far "louth
as th'3 Bn-tree at Borlh-fia .. a, ,. w-:h }', Htuatefl '-olJl. mIle'l
to the south of the town of G- 1 alld 8.b tal' l.mth ae; the
Pretasua hill which if> &ituatf'd ..lye JUllcf> on the nOlth-wc">t
of the town of Gaya it is e' ident that :fixe l.os extension
of Cfaya-kshetra covered tt., d,i&tance of not lebS than tell
w.iles from south to llol tt
We need no longer k in the dark about the pred ... e
m.eaning of the expressiOll explained by the Brahmilt cale-
takers an.d beneficiaries of the sh.mes and bathing gldits or
Gayii. and pilgri1ll.h' gmdes called Gayawals. The
pmichakrosa, ":6. r /.05." sjguifie& the widest CllclUt of pil-
gLim.age to be com.pleted. by a "Gaya pilgrim with the Yirm1;l.u-
pada temple as its Ctwtrc." The intended meal1llig hA...,
thus been brought out in the DIstrict Gazetteer of a
(p. 215) :
"In another courtyard (of the YiBhnupad temple)
clobe by btandl:> a small granite temple dedicated
PRE-BUDDHlSTIC HISTORY
9
to Vishnu as Gadadhar or the mace-bearer, and
neal' its north-western corner there is a small
rough pillar, and a rude carving of an elephant,
called Gaj, from which the five kos forming the
circuit of pilw:image are measured."
From this explanation, it is clear that the utm.ost circuit
of pilgrimage which a Gaya pilgrim is expected to complete
denotes the circulllference of a circle of which the radius
is five kos or tell miles. From a certain date the extension'
of five kos became the maximum tracl.it.ional circuit of
grimage to be travelled oyer by a pilgrim to each Hindu
holy place, whethel' it is Gaya, Kabi 01' Prayaga.
1
The Gayasira, the 2'IUI)(laprin)1tha. the Prabhasa, the
Udyanta, the Gitaniida, the 1hr sl1lukftta, the Nagakuta,
the Gridhrakiita, the Adipala, the Alfnil daka, the Ramasila,
the Pretasila-these are the sacl'ed hills aud rocky peaks,
ridges aud SplU'S in Gaya-kshetra.
2
The Phalgu, the l\Iahanadi, the Dadhikulya, the Ghrita-
kulya, the Maclhukulya, the )fadhusraYu" the Agnidhara,
the Kapila-these are the holy l'iY(:l'S and streams.
3
The Phalgututha, the 8ilfitiri.ha. the Ramatirtha, the
Gadalolatrrtha, the YaitaraJ;Li, the Bl dunHsara, the Brahma-
kut;Ll;la the North :\liilla&a, the l\Ianasa, the
Rulanil].ikuJ;Lc;la, the Pretak-uJ;Lc;la, the Nikshara-pushkal'i:r;ti,
the ).Iatailgavapi-these are the princip8l bathing places.'
1 Theu,ib d. fanulidr 6d.,ingJ1l Bengal, IJG /la k,[e lJQiichakuoi, tlir ki>cr Id;";? "He
who does not eoml,Jctc tho circuit of the ko" haa Lo dune tbe pllgrimago to Bcndres ,"
2 Ji'ayu-Puliilw. 10812-13,10861,10868,109.14-15,109.36,109.43,111.22.4]-42.
3 Ji'ayuP t!rii 11 (1, 1O':>A4, 106.74-7':>, lOS.16, ]0857-liS, ]09. 16-17. Agni-Puriina,
106, adds the river .JkiiSaganga. -
, Viiy::-P1trii!la. 108.2, 10817,108.27,108.44, 111.2, 11122, 11124-25. lI130,
111.75-76 . ..d.glli-Pfmi./ta, 10.j.2
7
33. mentions also the HaTf,qlliirlha and the- Kfl/liirilm.
2
-
10
GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
T1I.e Pafichaloka, the Saptaloka. the the
Gopraehara, the DhalmaraI;l.ya-these are the f>aCTed sites.
l
The .A.kshayavata. the G.rid,hrakiitavata. the Brahma-
prakalpita .!m.ra, the Bodhidruma Asvattha-these are
t he sacred trees.!
The Visru;l.Upada the Kraunchapada. the Rudrapac1 .
the Btahmapada. the Ka sra pa parla. the DahhiI;l.agnipac1 .....
the GarhapatYd.pafla. the 1'12bhyapada. the Avasathyapada.
the Balcrapada. the Agastyapada, the Sfuyapada, th/}
Karlikeyapada. the are the variOUb
baered footprint"- s
The the Kaka are the sacrul
f,t(Jn.eb 4
The Adigadarlhilrd. thf' I+JyahI. the F-a:viiTi. the Sandh}:;.
the Sd.fa'>vstti. the (T3r.3.(lit:a. the, L"ttaliuka. the Dakshll).-
arb. the five+- ell ka. the N'aimibha, the GaI).anatba, the
Eight Ya E>U>3 , the Eleven. Rudras, the Seven I;tishis. the
Somanatha. the the Kstpardi5a. the Yinayaka. the
NarayaI;l.a, the 'IIahalahhmi. the Brahma. the 8ripUIu-
shottama. the the Kotisa. the Ail.giresa,
the Pitamaha, the Prapitamaha, the Yriddha Prapitamaha,
the Janardana. the PUI;I.Q.arikakshr. the Phalgucha:Q.Qi, the
8masanakshi. the the Yam.a Dharmaraja, the
Dharme 8Val'a- theE>e are the yibible forms or images of
v:rriouE> deitieb.:;
1 l'uyu-PlJrUllll, lo!) lb, 111 :n, 111 1:;
I ilyll Purawl, IOj.Jj 1112627. 111 n
, rilllll.l'uli1na, 109.1b.lll, 111 44 ';1>.
, Vilyll-PUTiina, 107.43, 108 15, 108 23. 10946-
Viiyu.Puriina, 10920.24, ui 26 11258 The Agm.P'IIrlina. 106.116, mentions
al.;o tht uo" n ai J agalLflill1lu, Bulablladl a and SubhaiJl a (composing the Hindu
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
11'
The Gayasira or Gayasirbha, as mown to the author
of the Gaya-mahatmya, is a set of such rocky hills,
peaks and ridges as the Gayiisira hill proper (sakshat
Gayasira), the l\Im;H;laprishtha, the Prabhasa, the Naga-
and the Gridhrakiita ranging over a distance
of 1 kl'osa. This set or l'ocky which is said to
have heen co-enensiw' '\yith the Phalgutiitha determined
the extension of GayapUli. the old city of Gaya and inner-
most zone of Gaya-hhetra.
The GayasiTa hill proper [Fig. 4J fonning the southern
or more accurately the f'>outh-western limit of the old city
of Gaya is no other than the rugged hill to the south of Gaya
town "which rises some 400 feet above" this town and is
now known as the Brahma:roni hill on arcount of the fact
that it has ""u small natural fissure in the l'ocks at the top,"
which "is looked upon as the yolti or womb" of Brahma ..
This fissure if> jUf'>t w'icle enough to allow a man anyhow to
crawl thlough it anrl "it if> heli,Yt'rl that 1Jr crawling through
it the pilgrim lebirth {HIm a human womb."l The
peak of this hill with its f'>outherl1 ridge presents the figure
of .111 elephant set on the grom.cl.
The is a pillow-like lidge upon which
rests, as the fantastic Hindu legend ill the Gaya-mahatmya
puts it, the back of the head of the giant Gayasura.
2
It
is a small hill. which is bituated on the western hank of the
Phalgu river. As a matter of fact, the Phalgutirtha proper
Tria.d), Miidha'Va, Gauli, Kiilua, 6IUllu'Vala, VQliilia, N,isimka, Bri, llama, Hifa,
Gar'llila and Viimana, among othelS
1 District Gazettesr oJ Gaya, p. 216 Of. 10S 84, for the traditional
belief in tJt'e efficacy of crawling th'rough BraMnaycrni.
B Y
a
ll'U-Purana, 106.51-55, 108.12.
12 GAY.! Al\TD BUDDHA-CAVA
(sakshiit Phalgutirthaka) repreRcnting the main bathing place
in the Phalgu riYer lies just under this hill.I There is a tank
at the foot of this hill, ,,-here 'a pilgrim may perform ablu-
tions to enable the departed spirits cOIUlected with his
family to go to heayen.
2
It is on a Rpot on this hil1, lmown
as Krauiichapada, that the sage Kraunchamuni
and it is on a declivity of thitl hill that the well-known sage
LomaharRhaI).a Lomasa attainpd siddlti or final heatitude
by practising se,ere This Tocky iOl"mation of
the earth is otherwise ImoW'n as Kl'aurchapada on account
of the fact that it bealS the sacred footp ints of the silent
contemplatiye Kraunchamuni who medita:ed upon it assum-
ing the posture of a krml1icllCt 01' crano.4 That palt of the
holy riYer Phalgu whirh ('xtends with its seyeral "Lathing
ghats from the K1'aui'ichapada 01' }IUlJQ.aPfishtha to the
Gayas.ira hill propel" is tlaicl to haye formed the face of the
giant Garasula, apparently iu the tlt'l1se that the Gayasira
set of hills is directly confconted by it. far as the des-
in the Gaya-lllahatmya goes, the l\IUJ;l.Q.aprishtha
is no other than the modern VishQ.upada hill which repre-
sents "the centre of the Gaya pilgrimage.
6
The Mu:Q.Q.aPfishtha is overshadowed by another hill
which is called Prabhiisa, "the Luminous," because it is
illuminated by the sun.
7
The suggested etym.ological ex-
planation of the name may easily lead one to think that a
certain image of the Slill-god is installed upon its top. But
.1. ViiyU-PUTiitla, 111.45 :
M'II/lJIJapri8htha'l1l nagiidha&tat 8ak81ldt tat PhalgutitUl(ikam. I
V iiVUPUfii1)a, 108.76. I Viiyu-Puriina, 108.77.
Viiyu.Purii'!la. 108,75. ViiyuPuriitza, 111.44
Viiyu.Pumtla, 109.46, 111.46. 7 Viiyu.PlIrii'!l, 108.13.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 13
the Gaya-mahatmya does not leave us in the dark as to
what special object of worship is to be found there. It
expressly says that a Sivaliilga stands there as a pinnacle
of the hill, and that this liitga is but a visible symbol of the
deity honoured by the name of Prabhasesa, "the Lord of
the Prabhasa hill.'l
The Gridhrakuta hill is called Gridhrakuta or Vultures'
Peak on account oI the fact that the great sages attained
t,he final beatltude by meditating upon it, assuming the
posture of 8 vultUl'e. Its special sanctity lies in the fact
that a linga of the Siva deity honoured by the name of
Gridhresvara, "the Lord of the hill," is ins-
talled upon it. This hill bears also the footprints of Siva.
There is in this hill a cave where a pilgrim offers oblations
to the manes, and there is also a ballyan tree,
2
which a
pilgrim worshjps for the attainment of his highest de&ires.
There is, moreover, a sanctified boundary called Sulakshetl'a
for offering pil.lija to enable the spilits of deceased f01'e-
fathers to go to heaven.
3
It will be a mistake to suppose
that the GfidJu.'akl1ta of the Gaya-mahaymya is one of the
five hills which surrounded GiriVTaja or Old Rajagriha,
the nlOst ancient IDlOwn capital of l\lagadha. This G:ridhra-
kiita is evidently a hill in the neighbourhood of the old city
of Gaya.
Across the stands another hill called
the Adipala. The latter hill has a statue of the elephant-
faced god GaJ).esa enshrined upon it."
1 Va!fU-pulana.l0S.14.
B Th?, tree has died out and no trace of It is to be found now.
a Vayu-Purana.l0S.61.64.
, Vayu.PurliV40 108.65.
]4 GAY! AND BUDDHA-GAYA
The Ramasila, as described in the District Gazetteer of
Gaya (p. 216), is a granite hill, which is situated to the
. north of the modern town of Gaya with an altitude of 372
feet [Fig. 7]. It beaTs upon it a sanctified small fragment
of stone, called Kiikasila or "C'rows' stone," upon which the
offorings are made to the CTOWS.
The PretakUta or Pretasila, as described fantastically
in the Gaya-maha1mya, is a peak [Fig. 5J, which Yama. the
Lord of Justice, finding it to be heavy with the hurden of
sin, kicked off, to a distance isolatillg it from the Gayasira
set of hills. This apparently haughty action of Yama served,
however, a useful purpose in that the Pretakiita hill became
a sanctum. as a happy result of being touched with his
eet.
1
Divested of its mythological trappings, the Preta-
sila is "a hill 540 feet in height, situated 5 miles north-west
of 8-aya." "The m.eaning of the llame if! the hill of ghosts,
and it is sacred to Yama, the Hindu god of hell, alld forms
one of the sacred places of pilgrimage."2 There is to be
seen on the top of this hill a granite boulder
like !:" llitting elephant [Fig. 6].
The remaining nam.es, Bhasmakiita and the rest. denote
certain hills, peaks and ridges in the neighbourhood of the
MUl}.Q.appshtha hill and the Gayasira hill proper bearing
diverse sanctuaries and enjoying the importance of being
each a special place of pilgrimage and worship.
It will appear from the supplied list of names that the
bathing places in Gaya-kshetra, precisely like those in many
other places of Hindu pilgrimage, comprise rivers, lakes,
tanks,. and hot springs. The chief bathing places ot Gays.
1 Dis'ricC (JazaUeer 0/ Gaga, p. 235.
I District Gazetteer 0/ Gaga, p. 234.
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY JIs
are, however, the bathing glUits that lead down to that part
of the Phalgu river which extends along the GayitSira $et
.
Aocording to the legend in the Gaya-maMtmya, the
Gad,alolatirtha reprep.ents that sacred lake ox pool of water
(on the east side of Bnthmayoni hill and close to the
where Vislw.u in his form
(.A.diga({iidlw,ra) washed hit> mace after beaking the head .
of the giant H('ti with it,1 and the Riimatirtha represents
that par!; of the l\Iahana(U 01' the river l\Iohana"where
Rama bathed together with /';itii, his wife.
2
The Vaitaral)i stanoing as a Vlfuble symbol of the celestial
"lver of the same name is a holy tank at a small distance
!rom the foot of the Bh8smakftta hill.
Bl'ahmasata IS a tank, which fonns 0110 of the main
lmthing places of a site sacred to Brahma an.d is to be located
to the east of the GadaJolatiItha.
The North l\fanasa is a sacred tank, which lies t<' J.'
north Gayapuri, tho old
}Iall:tsa IS an.other holy tank WIDJr'11tv 0.1. t'J.. ) ..... _7Tb.a
.1 " r h :f Kal).a-
khala, and this is placed s.out ''.m
Gay;t-kshetra Bra.'!r Kanlilial must be a plaOO'
oh
is located in odhidrup:/fom a place of the same name, whi
famc-d Peepul!a:ridvara or Hardwal'.'. '1' :lied- to the
Build.hfI '-.. is a tank, whlch HI ooa .
The
RnkWl)lku......... d mattel' of fact, 18
R '1- 6 an as a
I'ast of th.e cataract. apt a.
red by the latter. 1086-7. ,
9912 11th aentllryA.D . seepaB8'm.
1 ViiyllPUI Ul)a, 10 ; 'It wo.s excavated in the the eanctury
s Vaytlpurl1.l).a, 111.4
S
Ag,li.puriina, 115, 80.yB
, VOlyu.puriilla, lll'\h of the hill. -
of :Kal;;hal1ieq to the
101>.07
10 GAy! AND BUDDHA-GAY!
The PretakuJJ.qa, noW known by the name of Brahma-
kUl).Q.a, is an important bathing place at the foot of the
PretakUta or Pretasila hill,l
T.b.e Nikshara-pushkal'm,i is the far-famed sarred tank
at the foot of the Kraunchapada, l\lu1).qap:pshtha or Vishn,.u-
pada hilLS
The MataJigavapi is another sacred tank located in
site, w.hich may be identifi.!:'d. at least
in part, with what the Buddhists call the jurgl(' of Uruvela
or Urll'vilva (Bodh-Gaya).
Among the sacred sites in Gaya-kshctra, tue GopracMra
is a sanctified boundary for the pilgrims to give away the
cows as gifts setting them free after due consecration, and
it forms a small tableland on a southern slope of the Bha;ma-
kiita hill. It consists of a sulphur-coloured m8ssiYe block
of conglomerate stone difiering from. the granite boulders
ill which the hills of GayB. abound and deeply flet in the
11 J. The significance of Its name is derived
of CO" s. . it shows certain curious resembling
l'he as
tll Oaya-kshetfa, aTIl1 it represe?t& -->ne implies, is a jungle tract
. side which iD the Image llaJ:l,ctified poundary
and reiglls the Bo-tree of .
f 4 'fhe enshrinement of the llliage of Buddha-Dhar-
am,e. d tl.e presence of the famous Bo"tree suffice to
mes,ara an 'JJ,
_ 10867 Vayu.Purona. 109.84.
" 111 za-24 The or Elephant.tank is to be loca.ted
Vay III 6 "situated half Q nule to the rast of BodhGay;t on the narrow
in Ba!..lBur. 11 v ag th N I"J n antI Mohiinj mel&" It. lemam< RIO "mRlked
nlck olloncl blt\\Cen e ,/ 11 a I VIIoVu.Pullil,lG, 11128.29.
by MlClent embankments.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
indicate that the Dharmaranya Ot the Gaya-mahatmya is,
at least, ill part, no other sacred site than the precincts of
the Bodh-Gaya temple replesenting the jungle of Uruvela
or Uruvilva of Buddhist literature.
As regards the sacred trees in Gaya-ksheha. the one
of paramount imp01'tance to Hindu pj]gcims in point of
antiquity as well as sanctity is the Alulhayavata or Undyi11g
Banyan [Fig. 8] which is situated "atout half a mile to the
south-west of the Vislmupad (Mm;u;Iapris1Jtha), ard imme-
diately tUlder the Brahmajoni Hill (Gayasira hill propcl')."
It is at this tree that "the pilgrims make their offerings to
the Gaya\V'als and conclude their pilgrimage." "Close to it
is the temple of Prapitamahe Bwar, built entirely of granite
bIoI" kR, the remams of former buildings. and the we&tward
is a large tan k called n ukmillikund.' '1
The (iri(lllrakfita-vata is anothpr holy Ballyall tree
which I'tood closo to and mr,rking out the GrirlhrakfLta
hilU
The Brahmaprakalpita Allll'a is the wOllderful Mango
bee which is 10(latec1 in the vicinity of tho sacred site, cnllNl
Gopl'achara (Gopmc7uira-samIpastlw Anwa). It had. gTown
on the bank of tlle tank Bra11l11D.l3ara.
3
And the Bodhidruma A svattha' is undoubtedly the far-
famod Peepul tree at Bodh-Gaya at the foot of which the
Buddha, the founder of BuddhiBm, attained Bud.dhahood.
Among the padas or surled footprints in Gaya-kshetl'a,
those of Kasyapa, Vislu').u, Rudla and B.rahma are believ('d
1 Diatlic! Gazetteer of Gaga, pp. 21516; T'llyu,Puliina, 11179-82.
B YiiyuPulana, 108.63. The tree has died out leaving no trare of its exilltence.
a Yii1fU-Purana, 111.36. The tree has wed out leaving no trace of it.
, YaYft.Puliina, 111.27.
3
18
GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
to be of supreme importance to the pilgrims.
1
The VishI}.u-
pada [Fig 2] represents the footprint of the Ad1'ga,dadhara or
mace-bearing fOTm of Visw.,u which is enshrined on the
or VishI}.upada hill.2 The remaining foot-
prirtc" too, are enshrined on certain rocky sites and have
le]1t their names to thorn.
The Dharmasila or Stone of Virtue is the massive block
of stone which, accordwg to a pious legend in the Gay.-
mahatmya, was fOlmcd in the abode of Yama, the supreme
ruler ot the nether world, and placed, when necessity arose,
on the forehead of the giant GayaE>ura to pr{,E>s his monstrous
head under it and render his vigorous bod.y motiollless.
3
This Stone of Virtue was bl.lt a rocky transfOlmation of the
pure body of Dharmavratfi. the viltuous lady who" as the
worthy dauglJter of Dhannu ard Vibvariipa al d tbc lovil1g
wife of the foaJful sage :;'\lallchi. TIJC iocl{j' transfolmation
of her PUl'(, f>elf camo to happen ar, an inevitable effect of a
fateful curse, although it waE> uttered by her husballd for
really no fault of hers.
4
The gods were, however, pleased
to grant her this boon, in answer to her last prayer, that
her transformation would be venerated as the holiest
stone on the earth and serve as seats for the practice of
penances by the powerful sages for final beatitude and no
less as altars for the offering of oblations for the release of
disem.bodied spirits as well as for general worship for the
1 Viiyu-Puriina, 11156
S Viiyu PUliina, 11145-46 The Vlshnupada at Gayii. can be easily c:hstmgulshed
from the ImpleSSlOn of Buddha's feet bJ< the fact that It IS an ImprInt of J ust one foot
on a C1rculal block of stone [FIg 12 J
a Viiyu-Puriina, 106 45-46. 0
, Viiyu-Puriina, 10723, 107.17, 107.21-27. According to the .A.gni-PuriituJ. 114,
was the name of Dhal1Davratii.'s mother.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
19
attainm.ent of heavenly woTlds.
1
It is UpOll this hlork 01
stone that Brahma performed the saClifice of great historic
importance.
2
This is the sacred stone wllich was destined
to bear the impress of the foot of the mace-bearing fprm
of Vish1;lu as well as the impresses of other deities and sages.'
The figures or statuaries of various d.eities and luminaries
remailled hidden (avyakta) in it.4 It supplied tJle rocky
material for carving the manifest forms (vyakta linga1.zi)
of various deities and luminaries in Gaya-kshetra.
5
The Gaya-mahatmya as a Vaish1}.ava manual rc.presents
Vish.r;l.U, particularly in his mace-bearing (Gadadl'ala) form,
as the presiding deity o{ Ga.ya-kshetra and extols his ico:1ic
represe1
1
tation as the highest ohject of veneration.
6
The
JaIl 3.1 dal' a or humal1e. th" Narayal).a or super-human and
the PUl).Q.arikaksha or lotu&-eycd fOllns, too, are worshipped
in Gaya.
7
That is to &a.y, Vishl).U figul'es in i.he holy land
of Gaya in four different af>pects: (1) the Gadadhara or
terrible, (2) i.,he Janardana or mild: (3) the Naraya:Q.a or
awe-inspiring, alld (4) the Pm:\.(;l.arikaksha or beautiful, the
first aspect getting predominallce over the rest. Bl'ahma,
the supreme deity of the Brah11lanical hermits al1d Vcdic
sacrificers, Siva, the suprcm.e deity of the Brahmanical
ascetics, are introduced as aids of Vishnu, the suprelne deity
of the Vish:Q.u worshippers, in times of emergency.
8
The
Gaya-mahatmya clistil1guishes the triple forms or &ymbols
of the presence of Vish:Q.u, which is to say, the three stages
in the process of visualisation: (1) the avyalcta or unmani-
1 Vityu-Pwiina, 107 -1258
I Vayu-P'Ura'!'a, 107.58.
3 Vayu.1>'Ura1la, 107.44-45. 109.18-25.
, Vi.iyu-Puri.i!Ul, 106'55, 109.24.
6 Viiyu-Pwitna, 106.72.
8 Vityu-Purana, 107.44-45.
7 Viiyu-Purana. 109.14.31.
8 Vayu-Puril'!'a, 106.47.51.
20
GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAYA.
fest, (2) the vyaktavyakta or semi-manifest, and (3) the
vyakta or manifest. The slabs of stone on the rooky hills
and peaks of Gaya are said to represent the unmanilest
fmm or potential stage; the footprints, the semi-manifest
form or suggestive stage; and the stone-figures or statuaries
of various deities and luminaries, the nlanifest form or
full iconic stage.
1
The gada or maco by which the Gada-
dhara Hari or Vishl).u Lroke the head of the giant Heti
during the dispensation of l\Janu S, ayambhuva
2
and ren-
dered the body of Gayasura motionless during the age called
Svetakalpa
3
"'as made of an adamantine bone of the giant
Gadasura.
4
It is because this gada or nlace was handled
first by Hari or Vishl;1.U that this god came to be honoured
by the epithet Adigadadhal'J.
5
Such is the legendary
origin or the fantastic etymological explanation 01 Adi-
gadadhara as an epithet of Vishl)u worshipped in Gaya.
The Gaya-mahatlllya list of images leaves no room. for
doubt that Brah,rna, v ishl).U and Siva are the principal deities
'Worshipped in Brah,ma Uaya or Gaya propel'. Among these
three princjpal deities, Blahma figures in two difierent
forms: (1) as Brahma and (2) as Pitanlaha or Prapitam
a
ha
8

VislllJ.u figuros, as noticed above. in at least four distinct
forms, and in five
1
if the Uttama, or 8ripurushottama be
added; and Siva figures as SomanatD,a, Siddhesa,
Kapardisa and the like. Am.ong the minor deities, male as
1 10943-44, 109.24
2 Va1fU-PU'I'ana, 109.5. 4 109.35.
Va1J'U-Pu'I'a'!la,109.3.4. Vayu-P1trana.109.12-14.
Strictly speaking, the name of the object of worship is Prapitamalte8vara, and
it signifies a Btvalinga with a human face, the human form representing Brahmi.
This curlOUS fonn of Bivali1v,]a resulted evidently from 0. comprolJlise between
Brahmanism and S,uv16m.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
'Well as female, the majority are purely Vedic. The Gayatri,
the Savit-ri, the Sandhya, the Sarasvati, the Sun-god, the
Eight Vasus and the Eleven Rudras are all Vedic divinities.
The Seven 1;tishis, too, are Vedic deities and personalities.
It will be noticed that the Gaya-mahatmya list mentions
some five varieties of the figure of the Sun-god, namely,
(1) the Gayaditya, (2) the Uttararka. (3) the Dakshi.I).arka,
(4) the Svetarka and (5) the Naimisha. The first three
are, however, recognIsed aa the prlncipal forms,l the Uttar-
arka being taken to represent the sun in his nothern half-
yearly course (uttarJya'}Je), the the sun in his
southern hall-yearly course, and the Gayaditya, the sun
at one of the equinoxes.
The Vinayaka is nothing but a form of the elephant-
faced god Ganesa. The Phalgu-chaneJi, the Smasanakshi
and the Maligala are the tlrcee distinct forms in which Sakti
is worshipped in Gaya-kshetra. Alld Dharmesvara or
LOl d of Righteousness is a form of the Buddha worshipped
in Dharmaranya or precincts of the Bodh-Uaya temple,
presumably the image of the Buddha confronting the Bo-
tree Asvattha.
All these may suffice to pl'ove that at the time of com-
posItion of the Gaya-mahatlllya the Saiva, the SalU'a, the
GaJ?,apatya and the SaktR forms of Pauranic Hinduism
prevailed ill Brahma-Gaya together with the Vedic form
of old Brahmanism and the late phase of Vaishna-
while the worship ot the Buddha was concentrated
in Bodh-Gaya.
1 106.57 :
Gayadityrd cllOetararkt1 Dak8kiu.arkaa tridM. I
24 GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAYA
of the pious pilgrims who will visit this holy place for per-
forming the funeral rites and the acts of merit, and if they
honour you, I shall always feel that I myself have been
honoured by them.."l
So far rega-rding the earlier sectarian distinction between
Brahma Gaya and Dharma or Buddha Gaya lurking in
the Gaya-m.ahatmya story of Brahma and the Gayawal
Brahmins. NoW' as to :the origin and significance of certaiu
names, the Dharmasila, the Gadiilola-tirtha, ard the like,
we have seen what an important role was played by philo-
logical ingenuity in the invention offalltastic legends serving
as a ready-made explanation calculated to satisfy the
credulity of old-world inquiry. The Dharmasila is a rocky
transformation of the body of Dharmavrata, a virtuous
lady who was the wife of Uarichi and the daughter of Dharma
(Virtue) and Visvarupa (Omniform). The Gadalola-tirtha
is the bathing place where Vishnu rolled or washed his
gada (mace) after brC'akil
1
g the head of the giant Heti with
it. The Gada itself was only a rocky bone of the giant
Gadasura.
2
But it remains yet to be seen how similar
ingenuity played its part also in the invention of two other
1 Vayu.Purana, 106.83.84- :
Tn.ch ehlirutva brahmandn Bra7uua provarltedaql. dayiinvita'{& I
"Tirthopaj'ivikii yilyalit iichandriirkarp. blUlvi8hyatha 11
Lokii1,6 p1Lf).ya Gayayfif/t ye briiddhino BrahmaZokaga7). I
YUBhmiin ye pujayiBhyanti tail' aMfjt puj!tal& 8adii 11
Cf. Agni.Purana, 114- 3341.
1 Cf. Bum a'llgala. Vilil8in'i, I., where Buddhaghogha cites the following interest.
ing instances of simil ar reasoning: Kako seto althina'f{l setaltii, balaldi rat/a loMtassa
rat/alta'ti evam iidil.;a lokayata.",ita'l,lda.8aUapakalha." "The crow is white because
its bones are white. The crane is red because its blood is red. These "\Dd similar
other random talks rego.lding the origin of the wOlld and of things. For the origin
Ilf Qaaa.sce also the AYlIi.P1tra'Qa, 114.1732.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
legends, one accounting for the origin ar d significance of
the name Gayapuri ard the other that of Gayasim and
Gayii-kshetm.
The Gayapuri is, according to the Gaya-mahatmya, the
holy city which derivd its nanle from that of Gaya. Gaya
was the pions king who performed a great sacrifice at the
close of which ho these two pray('l'S to Vishl).U and
other gods: (I) that they may be pler,scd to see that the
Gayawal Bmhmills who aro cursed by Brahma regain their
dignity ar..d are honoured at the timo of saC) ifice, al:!d (2)
that they may be pleased to see that Gayapuri is rellowned
like Bmbmapuri, the heaven of Brahma, being named
a ftel' him.
1
The Gayasim or Gayiis'ii'sha is represented in the Gaya-
mahatmya as the range of hills which extends trom the
Gayasira or Gayasllsha hill proper to as far north as the
site of Bl'ahmayupa a1 cl on which rests the he!:d of
the giant Gayasul'a, the Gayasila hill proper fOlll1il
r
g its
highest elevation ard the l\fuI).<:1apfishtha a pillow-slwpod
ridge OIl which rests just the back of the giant's head. TIle
Dharmasila is the massive f\tGne placed as a doad-weight
on the forehead of the to render his body motionless,
his navel, that is to say, the middle part 01 11is body, bcillg
rendered motionless Ly the weight of the saored hill Vitaja
(a hill at Yajpur in Orissa) 91 cl his feet, that is to say, the
1 Vayu-Pura!!u, 112. 4-:; :
Gayas tan pllil thayamusa ab1l!saptus clla ye p1trii IJ
Brftlnnuna le dVljal) plita bi'lUWlIlll lIaIU-JJlijiUil) I
ti mun 7liimllU lhyata yatllii U
The Agni-Pura'Qa has notlung to so.y o.bout I{mg Go.yo. or the no.ming of the city &.frer
him. making any nice distinction between Gayiipuri and GalliikBketra., it
simply says (114.41) that the place ,vas named Gaya after the demon Ga;v-a.
4
26
GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
lower extremities of his body', by the heavy weight of the
hill known as Mahendragiri (a hill in Rajmahendri}.l
The Gaya-kshetra is the holy land of Gaya which
memorates the name of Gayasura. The is the
legend of GayasUl'a whicll is met with in the Gaya-mahatmya.
Brahma, the great father of the l1uiverse, created all
living beings in compliance with tho request of
From. his fierce nature he bl.'ougut forth the giants, while
from his cheerful disposition he produced the gods of joyous
mood. GayasUl'a was born in the race of the giants. Among
the giants, he 'Was endowed with mighty strength and great
vigour. He was one hundred and leagues
(yojanas) in height and sixty in girth. He became
distinguished as a devout VaishI).Rva. He remained station-
ed on the noble hill of Kolahala for many thousand years
stopping the bl'eathil1g procc<'s and pLactising the most
rifEorous austerities. The gods trembled in fear lest they
might lose their happy estate in consequence of the giant's
ceaseless exertion. How to avert this danger betimes
They sought the help of Bl'ahma, the supreme deity of the
Bran.manist. Brahma finding himself incapable of the
task, led them into the presence of Siva, the supreme deity
of the Saiva. Siva lacking confidence in himself, led them.
into the presence of VishI).u, the supreme deity of the Vaish-
:r,tava. Vish1}.u thinking that the right way would be to
1 Yayu.Pura1.la, 106.85.86:
daitya':Ja!hara'IJ/ dharmev,a VirajlZdri1)ii I
Niibki.lcapa.8a1nipe !u devi yu Virajii 8thifit 11
Taw" pifl4lldikam kritvii trillsaptakulam. 'Udd1i4ret I
Makendragiri'(lu ea8Y" lcritau piidau 8u1Ii8ellalav.1I
TatTa :pi1.ltJ,adikarp. 8apta.kuUill udrJl,ulats lIarii!& "
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
dissuade the giant from the fateful c(urse by granting
what he wished, appeared ill no time together wit,h Sivl1,
Brahma and all the n1inor gods before tIle giant and said:
"Well satisfied with your devotion, We are come to grant
you any favour that you may desire. Say, Gayasura, what
do you wish 1"
The giant said: "If you are really satisfied with me,
render my body purer than all that is and may be conceived
as pure." "Even so be it !" was the leady respollse of the
gods headed by Vish1}.u.
The result of this blessing Was that the mottals who
beheld or touched the giant ,vont up to the immol'tal worlil
of Brahma, tIle hoav(>11 of the Thrity-three gods hecame
empty, and consequently tIle domailJs of Yuml1 and htdm
Were deprived of their illhabitants. Thus deprived of their
subjects, both Yama and Illdl'a alol1g with other gods waited
upon Brahma and requested hilll to take back the offices
tllat 11e had bestowed on them. In the last resort, the
gods with Brahma at their head. sought again the l1elp of
Vish1}.u. The resourceful deity said to them: "Do you
go and ask the giant to give you his body to perfoTlll a
sacrifice thereon." They at once carried out Vish1}.u's
suggestions. Brahma asked the giant to offer his holy
body for the performance of a sacrifice. The giant agreeing
to ofter his body, fell prostrate on the Kolahala hill, leaning
towards the south-"fest, with his head restil1g on the Eorth
side and his feet extended towards the south. But lo!
the hody of tht" giant was still mov!ng on the sacrifinial
ground ... What else could be done Brahmaordered Yama
to fetch from his abode in the nether world the Dkarmasilii
28
GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAYA.
or Stone of Virtue and to place it on the giant's head to
render it motionless. The Stone of Virtue was forthwith
placed on the giant's head, and Brahma, Rudra and the
rest of the gods preSe!lt sat upon it. But even after being
pressed down with the feet of all these gods and the dead-
weight of the Stone itself, the giant's body still moved.
VishJ}.u who was ag1ill approached hy the gods drew forth
from his person a tenible fOIIll, the foun of the wielde.r
ot the maee (gadiid!l1,m), and :sat upon the Btone to prevent
its luoving. It is br striking tIle Stonc with his mace that
Vit;lu;m at last succecuefl il! rC11d,(>l ing the giant's body
completely motionless.
Gayasura addressed the gods. saying "Why shculd you,
after I have given my sinlesR hody to Brahma, treat me
thus 1 Would I not have become mo1..iollless at the request
of Hari 1 Why, thcll, should you thus tOl tUl'C me \vith his
mace, and the gods should join him? And now sillce you
all have so cruelly treated me, do you show your mercy to
me."
He prayed: "As long as the eilrth and the mouIltains,
as long as the n)'oon and the stars, shall last, so long may
you, Brahma, Yishl}-u, and Mahesvara, rest on this stone.
May you, the Devas, rest on it too, and call this place after
me the sacred Kshetra of Gaya,1 extending ovel' five krosas,
of which one kro8a would be covered by my head. Therein
should abide, for the good of mankind, all the sacred pools
on earth, where perSOIlS, by bathing and offering of oblations
1 iiyv..Puritt&a, 106.63 :
Yavat pritkvi parvalii. CM gavaek ekandritrkatiil'aka(& I
Tavaeh cllklliiya1/& hshlhanlu Brahma Vi8htlu.Mahe8varaf I!
.tI.nv
e
GM &akal4 de&'4 man nalnna kskelram astu vai 11
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
of water, and funeral cakes may attain high merit for them-
selves, and translate their ancestors, blessed with all that
is desirable and salvation, to the region of Brahma. As
long as Vish:r;m in his triple form shall be adored by the
learned, so long should this be renowned on earth as tne
sacred place of Gayasura, and resort to it should rinse mon
of even the sin of killing Brahmins."
The legend says that all that the giant wished came to
be fulfilled by the boon granted by the ods, headed by
Vish:r;l.U.
1
The sages always recomnlend the month of Chaitra
(M.arch-April) when the sun passes through Piscls, the
lllonth of Vazsaklta (April-l\Iay) whon the snn passes through
A1"ies, the month Jyaishtha (l\Iay-J"lUle) when the sun passes
through Tau1'1ts, the month of Asvina (September-October)
when the sun passes through Virgo, and the month of Pa'llslta
(Decem,ber-January) when the sun passes through Sagittarius
as the opportune time for Gaya pilgrimage.
2
The most
opportUlle time, however, is the month of Mag/ta (January-
February) when the sun passes through Capricomu8, es-
pecially if the eclipse of the sun or of the moon takes place
in it.
3
1 Vayu,Pul'a1).U, 106.172. The I:)unllnary given above is substantially based
upon Rajcndralala l\litra's tranblation in his Buddlla Gayii, pp. 10-14. Cf . .4.0ni
Pt!lii'1).a, 114.132.
2 Vuyu.Pt!lii'1).a, 103.47 :
llline llleshe stJdte biirye Kallyuyii?/1 Kunniike Gltale I
Gayayiim dUllublta7!! loke vada1!ti 1 isltuyal) sada 11
8 Vayu,Pul'iillU, 105.48 :
Jll akure Varttamane cllu oraha(16 clmndm.suryuyol} I
Durlabha'T{l trishu lokeshu Gayii.{,ruddllu'I/! suaurlabka?1I 11
The quoting the opinion of Kiityiiyana prescribes (117.5763) the 9th
day of the blight fortnight in .ABviD, the 12th day of the fortnight in KarUk, the 3rd
30
GAY.! AND BDDDHA-GAYA
Though, for some reasons or other, these months are
specjfied as instances of opportune tim.e, the sanctity of
Gaya is so great that pilgrimage thereto may be undertaken
and obsequies performed thore at all times, there being
U"o reasons for fear even if the time chosen happens to be
an inauspiciol1S month, or a hirth-day, or the hour of the
setting of Venus or of Jupiter, or the period when Jupiter
is found in conjunction with Leo, or the occasion ot the
solar or the lunar- eclipse.
1
A man should desire to have many sons (descendants)
in the hope that at least one of them will m; clel"take pilgrim-
age to Gayii or perform a horse-sacrifice or give away a bull
of yellow colour for the liberation of his disembod.ied soul or
day in MagTt and BhMra, the ne" -moon day in Pliulflllll, thc 11th day of the fortnight
in PaUBh, the 10th day in AshUdh, thc 7th d,ty of tIle fOl'tnight in J1Iagh. the 8th day
of the dark fortnight in Bravan, and the full-moon day in AbI!a41L, Kartik, PlLalg'Utll
and J yaiahlha. "
1 105.18-19:
Gayiiyii'l(& aarvakiileshv. dadyiid vichuJ.:s7/a'l)uq, \
Adhimiisejanma.dine chiiste: pi Gurlt.Sul..rayoq, 11
Na Gayft.{,rflddTlal(! Ril(!hasthe' pi Briltu81Jalav. I
Ohandra.s!i.rya.grahe cltaiva pi1Jqu.!.armasv. 11
On this head we have the following information .upplied in the Di8trict Gazetteer
of Gayii( p. 64): "In the Gayii..mii.hiitmya it is laid do\\n that the Gaya is
equally efficacious at 8.11 times of the year, but there are three seasons when pilgrims
flock to the sacred city. viz, (1) the month of Asin (Se1ltember.Qctobcr), (2) of PaUB
(December.January), (S) of C!ha;! (March-April) ; the.c three seasons are signifioantly
styled /asils or harvests. Pilgrims from Bcngal and the East come chiefly in Ohait,
and pilgrims from the northwes \ and weot of India in the month of .lain", " But
considerations of convenicncc probably rebrulatc the mOle than anytbing else.
Thc importance o! getting ill the lich ricc halvebt, for illbtance, probably deters the
Bengal pilgriDlB from coming in thc 'A.in boa.OIl; and the llilgnms from Northcrn
and North.westem India do not like bcing a'\ ay from home while the rabi it. bcing
harvested. The pilgrims arc also influenced by the occurrence of a. kala BUddha ( aus-
picious time) or kala asuddha (inauspicious time), and the occurrence ofoan eclipse
is the occasion for a great influx of devotee ....
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
31
for the propitiation of his departed sllirit.
1
A houst'holder
truly becomes the father of a family of mell by having a
son (descendant) who o.H;ers phuJ,a at Gaya. Th\.'
of the place is such that by staring throe fOl'tnights theT6
and living the pious life of a pUg-dnl a dt'bCOlldUlll if! U 111(' to
sanctify the trad.ition of I:leven gOlll'l'UtiolUl nf fOl'l,f,ltlwl':-l
on his father's side and on the mother's sillt'.3 A hdil'wl'
wishing to l'eap tho fruit of his UdH of llU'l'it at (hlYU. mUKt,
put away lust, allgt'r and greed. remain {'llaRte in lift,. ('ut
one meal a day, sleep on bare gl'Ounil. sp('ak tll<' tmth,
maintain the P1Ujty of s('1I und be intelJt oH doing good
to all living beings.
3
No formal invocation is necessary UeCltl.1SO the departed
spirits either clw('ll theTe "'aiting for the Ul'l'i v.:1l of their
descenclauts or accompany tJlel1l. wht'tI t,IH'Y 1'1'ol'(,(,c1 to Uarit.
The quarters alO not to he gwmlecl hj 1'11)('111'1, llO}' jl'> tbl'l'e
any lear of an m 11 ('yo. 1'110 wise lllulortake to
Gava aIld P<.-'llOllll {Ull.el'allites in the humhleness of spirit.
4
Now tht' l:nmUllal'Y oC tho contents of tIle GayJ.-mii1Iatlllya
may be cOll.eludc(l with a quotation from the Gayit lJlbtl'it:t
Gazetteer (pp' 62-63) bearing upon the actual corelllonios to
be obseTveu at Uayil hy a lliu(lu pilgrim:
1 10610 :
Eaht'nya balunah p1l1lil yrulyd.o 'pi GayiJrp vrajee 1
Yajeta (/!ri,wmed/len(/' la uhrlje/ll
8 Viiyu.Purltna, 105.11 :
8 ViiYU.PU7Una, 10540 41 :
Kiimalp. l.rodharp talM lobkam tyale/vii kiirt/ii leriyiiniAam 11
BrahmucMryekabhoji cha bMlioayi 8(dyalliik 8uclitll 1
SarvabhiUahtle HIla(/. .a tirthap/w.la7/! a$nute 11
, Viiyu-luriina, 105.38, 110.28 :
Niilliihanam na digbandho nu M8l10 dris1l#.,ambluwalll
Sakaru'(l.yena lcarlaDyarp tirtha.Bfaddhatp, fJiokauluJI')tli; 11
32
GAY! AND BUDDHA-GAY!
"The first ceremony to be observed by the pilgrim is to
shave at the river Piinpiin, and on arrival at Gaya itself he
conducted before the Gayawal who is his family priest,
and worships his feet.1 The Gaya sriiddha then begins,
and the pilgrim visits, if he is piously inclined, and has time
and money to spare, all the 45 vedis, which lie within the
holy ground extending for sonl.e 15 miles between the PJ.eta-
sila Hill on the north ar .. d. Bodh Gaya on the south, and
which centre in Gaya itself. It is absolutely \.ssential,
,
however, to offer pindas or balls of rice to the spirits of the
dead
2
in three places (repeating the prescribed texts and
prayers under the direction of the Gayawal), at the
Phalgu river, the Vishnupad temple, aEd the AksIlayabat or
1 The Dhiimis represent a special class of priests who "alone have the right to
officiate at tho ceremonies pel'fOlmed at five Vedis, Pl'etaoiilii, Riimal.ilii. RlimakuJ:lQa,
Brahmo,]mJ:lQa and Kiigbl1li, out of the hltnl of forty.five !'edis. tho Gayiiwiils having
a monopoly of the remainder." "The five !'eclis, the pallc1lUt'edi "hieh eomplises
the second day of the pilgrim's tour, arc nil &ituatcd on 01' a bout the h' 0 Rama.
sili!. and which alt l'eeuli'llly <In ottd io Yan1a ancI (vil
O'Malley's Gaya Sriiddllfl and Ga?}Cilui/., ;1. JARB, 190:1. No, 1, 1).6.
B "The number of pillCla8 varieR with the num bel' of aneeRtorq for whom the s7ucldka8
are celebmted, and the size of the balls and the matel'ialR o[ which they arc composed
differ according to the and the country of those who perform the rite'." ReligifYUs
LiJe and Thougltt in Illdia by p. 311. It will be noticed that the
Va;shJ:la.va manual does not prescribe any oblations that involve the slaughter of
animal life or the offering of any food uther than yegetarian. But the Agni.Purln)a,
117.44-48. quoting the views of Katyayana, attaches greater importance to oblations
eonsisting of fish and meat. "Oblations eompm,ed uf cereals gro\Vll in villages as
well as forest fruits, bulbs and roots last one's forcfatherM for a month, while those
consisting of fishes and venison would them well for double or triple that division
of time .......... The departed souls are supposed to Jive satisfactorily upon goat's meat
for six months, meat of tortoisc, pork, mutton, and buffalo flesh lasting them for
Sl'ven, eight, nine and ten months respectively. S"cetcned llonidge and butter of
cowmilk offered in a clarified state would gratify them for a whole yea.r. while the
meat of a full grown sacrificial goat as well as the sword of a rhinoceros, flesh of an
antelope or that of a red goat and honey should be considered as their full and proper
ration ........ Offerings made during the rainy season should consist of having
ll'rge scales."
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 33
undying fig tree. The Phalgu is ...... peculiarly associated
with sraddha ceremonies, as Sit, here oflered a pinda of sand,
in default of rice, to the spirit of Dasarath, the father of
Rama. Here the pilgrim begins his round by a sankalpa,
i.e., a vow to portorm all the rites duly, and, this is followed
by tarpana, or homage offered to the spirits of the departed,
with water, kusa grass and sesamum seed. Then comes the
full sraddha with sandal wood, betel-leaves, etc. and small
lamps. The rites of bathing, tarpana and pindaclan
are Iepeated, one or more of them, at all the vedis subsequent-
ly visited ...... at the end of his pilgrimage he (is tG offer)
1Jindas to the spirits of his ancestors and gifts to tbe Gayawal,
before whom he (is to prostrate) himself in worship. The
Gayawal (IS to touch) him on the back and (bless) him by
pronouncing the word suphal, assuring him thereby that
his worship has been 'fruittul,' i.e., that he has secured
Ralvation for his ancestors and blessings for himself."
3. LEGEND OF GAyASURA-MITRNS INTER-
PRETATION
In discussing Dr. Buchanan Hamilton's opinion about
the story of Gayasura representing it as "a monstrous
legend" Dr. Rajendralala l\fitra admits that "at first sight
nothing can appear more absurd and stupid than this story,"
offending, as it does, "every sellse of propriety," and baving
"not even the merit of ingenuity in its narratIOn." "The
Brahmayoni Hill, which is the same with the Kolahala
Mountain, is scarcely three miles in length, and the idea of
locating it a being 125 YO.ianas, or 576 miles, in height
and 268 miles in girth would never strike the poorest fabler.
5
36
GAY..! AND BUDDHA-GAY"!
on the head of the infidel, and the force 01
the gods kept it fixed and immovable. It
was the blessing of the gods, too, which sancti-
fied the seat of BuddhiRm into a prinoipal
sanotuary of the Hindu faith.'l
(5) "The prominent position whioh the impression
of Buddha's feet occupies in the most sacred
temple of the place, the Vishnupad a:ffords a
strong proof in this respect, for nowhere else
within the length and breadth of I'1dia has the
worship of footmarks received so :igh a place
in the cultus of the Hindlls."2
(6) "Nor were He Hindus sa.j.isfif..d \yjth
the Buddhist sanctuaries of Gay;" to their
worship. They repeatedly assigned to Vishnu
epithets which were purely Buc.c1histic, and
did not even let alone the term r:tl.ddha itself.
They likewise attempted to take all the leading
Buddhist places of note, such as Rajagriha,
Buddha Gaya, as saored in their
creed."3
5. O'MALLEY'S CONTENTION ANJ) COUNTER-
THEORY
Referring to the legend of Gayasura on whioh the Gaya-
wals base their olaims to be considered first of Brahmanas
and in whioh Dr. Rajel1dralala Mitra an allegory of the
triumph of Hinduislll over Buddhism between the third and
fourth oenturies of t.be Cnristian era, 1\;1'. O'M.allg,y III his
1 Buddha Gayii, p. 17.
B Buddha Gaya, p. li. D Buddha Gaga, p. 18.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
37
instructIve paper (on GayiiSraildha and Gayiiwiils, propounds
a counter-theory offeritlp' the following crIticism. of Dr. Mitra's
interpretation :-
(1) "It is difficult to extract a substratum of truth
from Indian mythology, which has been stig-
matized by one writer as an incrustation of
dead matter or to deduce conclusions from the
distances given among the fantasies of a Hindu
legend. The demon, moreover, is represented
throughout as a devout worshipper of Vishnu
and quite obedient to him, though the premise
is that he represents the antithesis of
Vishuuism. "1
(2) "Hindu mythology is, however, full of instances
of holy men, whose penances would force the
kingdom. of Heaven, and whom the gods there-
fore crush like Gaya."2
(3) "If the theory of Dr. Rajendralala Mitra be correct,
the origi:r;t ot the Gayii-Sriiddlta and of the
Gayawals, m.ust be put ill the eady centuries
of the Christian era. Fa Hian, the Chinese
pilgrim, who visited India 399-413 A.D., fouud
in his travels both Brahmana and Buddhist
priests; the temples of both religions flourishing
side by side, but Gaya was desolate and deserted.
The great Chinese traveller Hiuell Tsang, Who
visited Gaya ill the comse of his long pilgrimage
(629-645) AD. found it a Hindu town with a
small population and a thousand families of
1 JABB. 1903, p. 3.
11 JABB, 1903, p. 3.
38
GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
Brahmanas, th'} descopclants of a Rishi, who
were highly rspected by the people and ex-
empted by the king from the service of vassals.
Even Bodh Gaya. tIle hirth-placo of Buddhism,
he found, was given over to the Brahmallical
idolater. Arc we to these Hrahmanas
the first <.:-ayawals? There is llothillg to show
they presided over allY Srciddlw and furthel',
it has been stated in the early yoarH o[ the laRt
century the ulIivers"ll o}Jinioll was that
"five or six conturies ago Uaya al'l cl place of
pilgrimage "'as in comp'!ratiYe OhSCUl ity, wlleu
probably the legend now ClUxent was invented
and adapted to prevailing Opi
1
li
o
ns."l
(4) "The Gaya,,'aJs tholllSelyo'3 pfofes::. as their religion
the Vaishnavism establibhod by the Dravira
Brahmana, l\fadhavacharyya, in southern India,
during the fourteenth century A,D. and ac-
lmowledge as their spiritual head the Mahant
of Hari Narasirphapnl"a, a cOlll:ection still kept
up, as evinced by a visit he paid to Uaya som.e
ten years ago.'2
As regards his own theory l\h. O'l\Ialloy HeelllS illcliuCll
to think: "The Gaya Sraddlta is essentially a gloomy rite
intimately associated with the terrOlS or the nether world
and far removed from the Vaishnavislll of Jagallnatha.
The conception of the state of evil roam.ing spirits, who are
to be saved by offering, is not distinctively Hindu and
appears to warrant a suggestion that the worship bound ut>
1 J.18B, U1UJ, l' !
- r 1 'lP, 1 'JUJ I' !
PRE-BUDDHISTTC mSTORY
39
with the Gayawals represents an am.algamation with the
popular demonolatlY which preceded Brahmanism and
has co-existed with it. The Hindu abhorrence of Magadha
is usually explained by its been the ancient home
of Ruddhism ...... May not this feeling be as fairly attri
buted to the dislike of as a home of aboriginal
peoples, beliefs, and cults 1 In the Gaya district to this
day we find the prevalent form o[ religion consists in the
propiatioll (jf evil RpiritR, in Gaya itself -{,here se<.'m
to be much of the Rame helief under the cloak of
orthodoxy. "I
6. CRITICISM OF l\UTRA'S INTERPRETATION
To criticise Dr. Rajendralala l\Iitra 's philosophic-historical
interpretation of the legend of Gayasura is mainly to reiterate
Mr. O'Malley's arguments against it sbengthen them
with new dab from liter.:>,ture and inscriptions. The
three points that deserve rOllbideratioll are: (I) whether or
110, the demon Gaya. can 1e taken to 1e a personification of
Buddhism; (2) whether or 110, the dimension of the demon's
body can be takeJl to represent the area of the portion of
India from Kalinga to the HimaJaya and from Central India
to Bengal over which Buddism had spread at the time when
the legend WolS first written during the third and fourth
centuries of the Christian era; and. (3) whether or no, the
legend of Gayasura can, upon the whole, be regarded as an
allegory of the triumph of Brahmanical Hinduism over
Buddhism..
I. Our difficulties in taking Gayasura as a personific.a-
1 JASB, 1903, p. 6.
40
GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
tion of Buddhism are indeed many. In the first place,
piety may be pointed out as a Buddhist quality but certainly
not the practice of self-mortification (atta-kilamatha) which
is put down in Buddhism as one of the two extremes (dve
anta) to be a voided by a true follower of the religion of the
Middle Path.
1
Even piety is not exclusively a Buddhist
virtue, it being a com.mon element in all religions. There is,
moreover, nothing in the action of the demon to show th t
it is any way anti-Brahmanical or un-Hindu. If he had
tried, as is claimed by Dr. 1\Iitra, to make salvation too
simple al.d summary, he did so only on the strongth of the
boon granted by the gods and highest deities, Brahma,
Siva and Vishnu, of the Hindu pantheon. Reading between
the lines, one may easily detect that the real motive behind
the legend is not to indicate the anti-Brahmanical or un-
Hindu mode of the demon's action but to impress on popular
minds by the artifice of a fabler the high &anctity of the
Gaya range of hills e:rielldillg along the we&tern bank of the
Phalgu.
It is difficult to associate the demon GaYilJ with Buddhism
for the simple reason that he figures nowhere in its long
tradition. On the other hand, Gaya, Namuchi or Vritra
is represented in the Vedic texts as a demon of death,
darkness and destruction who is a veritable rival and eDemy
of Indra, the wielder of thunder. In explaining the Vedic
allegory of the three strides of Vishr}.u or the Sun,
2
Yaska
in his Nirukta (Daivata-kal).Q.a, 6.19) quotes the views of
1 See Dhammachakka PaMttanaBulla tn tile MaMvagga. the Sa1Jlyutta.
Ni1..iiya, the Lahta. the Maltiha8tll, and the Buddhacllanta.
s Ordmallly known Vlshnu's tnpiidavll.tU'IIla The Vedlc pa8!agt ill: lda'1(l
ViBhtz.ur vichakrame tredliil IlIdudlie padallt.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
41
two earlier commentators, SakapurI,li and AurI,lanabha,
who suggested two altogether difterent interpretations,
one offered with reference to the yearly course or the sun
and the other with reference to his daily course. In accord-
ance with 8akapurI,li's view, the three strides are to be
explained as signifyillg "when Vishl).u f:>ets his {eet on the
earth on the filmament (antalll.slw), and on
the heavell above it (clivi). "'1 Diyested of allegory, Saka-
pUrl).i's interpretation is taken to explain the three strides
as meaning "when the Run is in his northerly course
(utta1'ayat1C6), at the meeting point of two COUl'S('S, that is to
say, at one of the equinoxes, and in his southerly course
(d(&kshiJ.tayana)." According to Aurlpmabhn, the sallle must
be ta.ken to mean "when (the Sun is) on the rising point
(flnlUi1rohUl).e), in his pO'litioll in the meridian (VishQ.upade,
the 'Viblwu'R foot-path). and in his btmld on Gaya's hend'
at the time of setting (Gayasirasi). "2 Consibtently with
Vedic mythology, one say th.t Gaya sira. the "Gaya's
head," is the same term as G,tyasUl:l&ila. the "head the
demon Gaya."' It is here. then in the Vcelic legend
of the dernol! Gaya ,md in the Vec1ic allegory of
VishI,lu's three strides Bnd AurI,lanabha's interpretation
thereof th.!tt we can h-'lppily trace the nucleous of the magni-
fied legend of Gayasura in the Vayu and Agni Pura:t;las,
If it be contended that the demon Gaya as Gaya may
not figure in Buddhist legends but he does as Namuchi,
the reply is th'lt Namuchi or l\Ia.ca figures in Buddhism
1 "Yad _jam T .. moM tad vrMamate V'STIn'U8 trld"" nidkatte padam tredhii-blliivilya
pri!1w/,yiim, antwiIske, tI SaT.apiirnd,.
"Ba1l1flJ/oTutne V.slm'llpade Gayabilusi" tyaurnaniibka(6.
6
42
GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GJ\ YA.
invariably as its enemy and far other than its personifica-
tion.I
Gaya was born, no doubt, in the race of mighty Asuras,
and as an Asura, he may indeed be supposed to have been
by the tradition of his race a tenacious and artful rival of
the gods. One may even freely cOHccde that the Gaya-
mahatmya has changed the character a
1
1d elevated the
position of GayasUI'a of VecUc mythology hy representing
him as a devout Vaishl).l1vl1 or But
this is not the only instance in the Pural).as where an AS1l?a
is represented as a devout worshipper of Vislu:l.U. PrahHida,
the son of the HiraI).yakasipu. figUles in the
legend of the Vishl).u-Pural).a aA a glorious character for his
unsurpassed and unflinching devotion to Vi&hl).u. It is not
to be supposed that the amelioration of the religious condi-
tion of some of the .. ls1I/"a'S took plal'(> only in the popular
legends of medireval or later mediwv<11 period. It may Le
satisfactolllY proved that the tracliLion of the piety of Prah-
lada is really very old; it is at least as old as the time when
the dialogues in the Pali Nikayas took their final shape,
-the dialogues which are of a pre-Christian, and even of
a pre-Aookan date. The Asura-prince Prahlada who figures
in the legend of the Vishl).u-Pural).a as an outstanding person-
ality among the 'Worshippers of Vishl).u has been represented
in one of those Pali dialogues as a sensible worshipper of the
Buddha. In this interesting dialogue, Prahlada (Pali Paha-
rada) has been described as an A surinda, or king of the
Asuras, who loved to roam about in the waters of the deep.2
1 Padhal1a-SlItla In the Sutta.Nipala und Itq ml',,"cd Bunsl,11t in the
Lallta- J'lBulIa_ ..4ngutto1U Palt n',}'l' 11)7-204.
PRE-BUDDHIS'l'IC HISTORY 43
And in Hindu mythology, too, the Asuras appear as the most
powerful rivals of the gods in the churning of the oceau for
the nectar that would give them immortal life.
The conventional art of impressing the importance of
an act of religion or of moral virtue, practised by some one,
by representing it as causing fear to the gods of losing their
happy abodes in heaven and as impelling them. to dissuade
him by some artifice from practising that act any further
is not peculiar to Hindu legends. Tt is an Indian art tried
alike by the Hindu and the Buddhi.st writers. There are
several Budd.hist Birth-l'>tol'ieH. in which :111yextraordinary
practice of vittue il') s'tirl. to h we the he!we 1 of 8'11aa
to tremble, the throne of Fhkra to glow wjth heat, and Sakra
himself to '1pprehend the chance or being driven from his
high estate. Attention might, for instance,be drawn to such
JatakaE: as the Ura.g'1 (FJ.usholl, No. 1':>4), the Sam.bula
(No. 519), the lVliigapakkha (No. 538), and the VeSS:1ntara
(No. 547). The Jataka which 113.s a direct bearing upon
the point at issue is. howeyer. the Alal1lbus:1 (No. 523) which
gives the following desC'} iption of the and pen
ances practised by the Y'Hltitful ascetic Isisiilga (:J;tjshya.
sringa) :
"Isisinga lived in the Himalayan region revelling in the
ecstasy of meditation, practising rigorous penances and
annihilating the selll:les. So potent was the effect or his
virtue that it shook the pnJllce or I:hkk!l. Sakkll reflecting
and knowing the cause of it, thought 'The fellow, (meseems),
will bring 111.e down frOlU my estate! I will forthwith send
down alJlovely heavenly maiden to destroy his virtue and
frustrate his ambitioll."
44
GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
It was certainly not noble on the part of the king of the
gods to play such a trick to upset the YOW of a Dlan in fear
of losing his estate. But the purpose of the fabler's art
wa:; apparently to thl'uw tll(> illtel);-.ity and. seriousness of
Isi&iuga'l'> act of illto clen relief. ... \nd. what is in
this respect true or the BuilrJ.hi&t &tory 01 Isisiflga, is equally
true of the mag.aified. Hindu legeJ'Cl of Garasura.
1t would seem Dr, }Lltra has )!ut the cart before the
horse in maintaining t]le pr')mi1lellCe of the Hllldu
worship of the foot)!rillt of Yislu;1.U ill the Yishl).upvda temple
in the t')Wil of Ga.ya. ,,af. oligillally dne to the prominence
ac coruec1 l)y the t') ih0 imptesc;ion of Buddha's
feet in their most 1>[I.(,1'c(l tf"lllple a.t Bodh Gaya. As we
shall try to show in B3qk If. th.j p','ef ent Bo(lh Gaya temple
of the Bud.d.hifots had not come into existence ,,,hen Fa
Hian visited the pla('e in the fir&t quarter of the 3th Century
A.D. Furihellllore. neither Pa lIian llor Ih'Cll Tlu"aug
S,tW any footpriut/, or the llucl<1h.t iher0. llot to &peak of
their wor&hip or 01 it& p,'omillencc. The impression of
Buddha's reet to he OIl the We&t side of the
Bo-tree and side l)y sid.e with the foot mark of Yi&hl).u, the
macc-bearer, was set up. as proyed hy the circular shape
of the d.rcssc<1 81a1> of f.tOll(} hc!.tnnrr the Impression, in com-
parati"mly recall!; tiull's, And 110lIC :,lll bay tllat it cnjovs
any promilLence, compared with the import,ance attached
to the worship of th .. Bo-Tree and the Diamond-throne.
'Ve may venture to say that it is not ouly at Bodh-Gaya
but in all Buddhist holy places, where Buddha's footmarks
appear UnlOllP the objects of W'orsllip, these oecnp:' but an
ulIimport,mt po::.ition. At all cYcnt&. there is not a single
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
45
instance known to us where the footmarks of the Buddha
are worshipped by the Buddhists in the manner of the
worship of VishI;l.Upada for the release of the departed
spirits of their forefathers. Dr. Kern who has discussed
this point in some detail, has rightly remarked: "The origin
and history of the Sfipadas are as yet wrapt in darkness,
but have sufficient data to wanant the inference that
their worship is connected with the strides, vikrarnas, of
Purushottama, VishI).u (the Vedic allegory of the three
strides of Vil:lhI).u and AurI).anabha's interpretation
thereof). "1
The last point in Dr. l\Jitra's argumert is the appl'O-
priation by the Hindus of the Buddhist ::;al1ctuaries of Gaya
to their w<.H,l.ip wllich they had done along with the appro-
priation 01 the epithets 01 He Buddha to the of
their supreme deity. '\YJ have every reason to
doubt j{ Gaya proper or Bellarcs propel was at allY time a
site {or Buddhist sumtuaries. And regarding the appro-
priation of epithets. it is yet to be determined ,vhether the
Buddhists were guilty of Iiransfel'1'ilJg the epithets of Vedic
VishI).u to the Buddha, or the Hindu!) of applying
the epithets of the Buddha to VishI).u. Oue Iact is certain
that none of the peculiarly Buddhistic epithets of the
Buddha, /:iuch al:) Sasta, Sug(t(, l'(th(('gata, and Sam!Jak
Sambtlddha is to be found among the epithets of the Hindu
deity.
Thus considered from all points of vieW', it would appear
that Dr. Mitra has raised a mere presumption without being
able to- prove his case. No one can reasonably on the
1 JIulluul uf illdwn BlIddltiblll,l' Ut>
46 GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAYA.
strength of his argument take the Gayasura of the Gaya-
m.ahatmya to be a personification of Buddhism.
n. We canJlot reasonably appreciate Dr. Mitra's in-
genious E.uggestion that the legendary lJUlk of the giant's
body, 125 yo.janas with 576 milef in height and
60 yojanas (equated with 268 mileb) in girth. may bo taken
to represent the area 0,- that part 0,- hldia over which
Buddhism had spread at the time when the Gaya-manatmya
was first "W'Titten, say. durilJg thE:' third ahr1 fourth centuries
of tho Christial1 ora. We mm.t plead our ignorance as to
the correctness of the proposed idcntifkatio11 01 the K( lahala-
giri (the Hill-in-('onullotio11) on which Uayur,ura is helieved
to have practised 4u&terities al cl llit-> gigantic body
is said to have rCf>tccl at full lenQ'th. wlth'lllC Brabmayoni
hill in the tOWll of Gaya. It ,,-ill be a ftnglant
tion, we think, ot the a( count in the Hllldu leend to try
to expose its absnrclity by contruf.til'jr the hugeness of the
bulk of the giant's body with He smallllel)s of the size of the
Brahmayoni hill. For the ({aya-mahatmya makes 110
secret of the fact that when the body of the giant or demon
(asura, daitya) was stretched on the ground, his head rested
k on the Gaya range ol hills, his navel rested on the Viraj a
hill (at Jajpur in the district of Cuttack)2 and his feet on
the Mahendragiri (which is a hill at Rajamahendri).3 Fur
- theY, it expressly sa) s that the trialJt1ay dOWll or the Kola} ala
giri, 'keeping his head towards the north (more accurately,
the north-webt), his feet towards the south (more acourately,
1 Viiyu-Purunu. 111.42.
2 Viiyu-Pwunu. lOb 85.
a Vuyu.Puliiltu, lOb.b6.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
47
tlle south-west),l and hIS face turned towards the river
Phalgn.
2
"Jajipur wIlirh is a town in the district of Cuttack is
further esteemed," says ]\fr. Stirling, "from its being sup-
posed to rest on the navel of the tlemendous giant or demon.
called the Gaya A'lU1 who Wa& ovelthrown by Vishnu.
Such was his bulk that when stretched on the ground. his
head rested at Gaya, his navel (nabln) at this place, and hi'J
feet at a spot near Rajamahendri. There is a very sacred
well or pit within the enclosure of one of the Jajlpur temples,
called the Gaya-Nabhi or BampIll, which is fabled to reach
to tIle navel of t1le monster, afld into it the Hindu pilgrims
throw the pinda, or cake of lice, and sweetmeats, which is
offered at particular conjunctions as an expiation for the
&ins of their ancestors "3
The Gaya-mahatlllyn iliRtiuctly says tllat jU'3t as on t.b.e
lull of (b) a &0 on the Ynall }1l11 (of Jajpur) on
which the Imago of the goddess called Vlraja
4
is installed
and the lVIahendragrri (of Rajumahendri) a man may offer
pwda for the lelease of the spllits of Ilis iorelatlleIs.
From a comparative view of the efficacy of p1ni/.a offered,
the Gaya range of hIlls is tllO biw or principal Gaya because
by performing the funeral rites here a man may aspire to
1 Vugu PUriina, 106 32
ltyuUlii .o'patad blliimau S"etulalpe Gayuaural I
Namtum dl.am rtbllfya lada Aoluhale gllau I1
fmah 1 dallyah piidU1! 1 rltta tu dalshlne 11
D Viiyu Pmiina, III 44
3 Quoted In the D8tnct GazeUeel 0/ Gaya, p. 61, from A n account 0/ OM88a Proper
or Out/acT. bJ A biIlbng.
, JiiJPult ID Ollssa IS populally kllo"n 1I0,,a da,s as Vllalii kslletra and Variiha-
lshetla, the sanch!) of the place being derived flonl the presence of the Image of
goddess VnaJ d and that of the Boar IDcanlatxon of 'lsh:Qu.
4.8 GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAY1\.
attain the world of Brahma ; the Viraja hill is the nabhi or
intermediate Gaya because by offering pi'IJi!a here one may
liberate twenty-one generations of 011e's tOl'efatherR; and
the Mahenc1ragiri is the piidct or inferior Gnyii. because by
ofiering here onn may libelatE' JllSt Sf,\Tcn
of one's forefathers,l the term Gaya being taken to signify
the sanctified spot or sacred place {or the offering of
for the liberation of departecl spirits.
2
From. the statement that Kolahala was the gi1'i which
ran north-west and south-west and on which the body of the
giant rested. at full length with his head on the Gaya range
of hills, navel on the Viraja hill and feet on the Mahendra-
giri, the conclusion is irresistible that KoHihala. as known
. to the author of the Gaya-mahatmya. was not the name
of a particular hill, such as the Bl'ahmay01,:. l:mt that of a
,long chain connecting the G a ya sira hill with the ViJ: ,: it
,at Jajpur and the IHaheJ1dragil'i at Rajamahenclri. If so,
the stated bulk of the giant's lJody must 1:e taken to symbo-
lise not the area over which Buddhism had spread but the
area in legendary estimate over which the hills composil1g
the Kolahala chain were known to have been djstIibuted.
1 Va1fll-.P'UTii,(!a, 106.84-86 :
Loka7j, pU1)ya. Gayuya'lfl ye bli'rdclltino Brahmalokagii( I
......... * .........
Akranla'lfl daitya.ia1hufafT/o dnarme!1a T'irajMri1)ul
1I'ubhiT..iipa.sa'l/lipe tu detf ya. Vira}ii slhilii 11
Tatra. pi'l,!diidika'lfl hiM'! bi(lsapta-k'lllalll udd11aret I
Mahendragiri1Ju taaya kritau piidau Buniichalau JJ
Taba pim/adikafl! lrittii sap/ak'Uliin 'Uc1i11wTate narii! I!
Reckoning the ii l'Ilngc of hills as thc bil a in modem tiJl1cS l
leo
l
1
)c
locate tIle nabM or intelmediate it un n lIiIl ill odhJii (the dibtIitt ot Oudh)
and the piida or infetiol' Gayu. on the Chancl1aniith hill at Si:t9.kllnda in tbl} dibb iet of
C'hittagong. The IlCWlmt in the a contains, no ju&tification
for this,
PRE-BUDDffiSTIC mSTORY 49
The height of one hundred and twenty-five yoja'YIQs
and the girth of sixty yojaJlas as legendary measurement
of the giant's bocly cannot Reriouslr be taken to denote
an area covering so wide a space as one from Kalinga to the
Hinlalnya and from Central India to Bengal. The descrip-
tion in terms of yojaJ/as is indeed far from giving an accurntp
measurement, The Gayii-mi:lhiitmya definitely says that
the height of the giant's hody was co-extenRiye with thl
o
Kolahala chain cOllnecting the Gayasira lUll in the north-
west with the J\Iaheuclragiri in the south-west, For forming
an idea of the intended space one must take guidance from
this rather than from the yojanas.
If, according to the Gayu-muhiitmya, tIle head of thu
giant had not extended beyond the Gaya range of hills, it
will be preposterous to talk about the extension of the
intended space from Kalinga to the Himalaya and from
Central India to Bengal. The Himalaya mountain is far,
far off, from Gara. and the expression from Central India
to Bengal sufIers from its extreme vagueness. Obviously',
the Hindu legend delimits the intended space to a chain of
hills, the Kolahalagiri, which was belieyed to hayc run
north-west and south-west from Gaya to Rajamahendri
via Jajpur in Orissa proper,
If the Gaya-mahatmya weTe. as presumed by Dr, ~ I i t r a
a composition of the third or fourth century A.D., it would
be just to betray one's ignorance of the history of Buddhism,
to imagine that the bulk of the giant's body determined by
the extension of the Kolahala range of hills might be taken
to repr.esent the area of that part of India over which
Buddhi$m had spread at that time. The suggested date of
7
50
GAY! AND BUDDHA-GAY!'
composition of the Hindu legend is very nearly the same
as that of the pilgrimage of Fa Hian. As clearly attested
by the travels of Fa Hian and such other authentic evidences
as the commentaries of Buddhaghosha, the Great Chronicle
of Ceylon, the inscriptions of Killg Asoka, the numerous
Buddhist insOl'iptions of pOflt-Asokan and pre-Gupta dates,
the manuscript remains of Buddhist literature found in
E. Turkestan, the various ancient sites of Buddhist stUpas,
monasteries and other sanctuaries and the general traditions
of the Buddhists, by this time Bud.dhism had spread not
only over the whole of India from Kiindahar to Bengal and
from. the foot of the Himalaya to Cape Comorille but also
over China, Mongolia, Coylon and Central Asia. If such
'Were the expansion of Buddhism at that tim.e, comparec1 with
its personification, the giant Gayaaura with Ilia monstrous
body would appear as a mere pigmy.
1 the legendary yojana-measurement of the giant's body
bA still pressed as a point of argument, even then the stated
bulk of 125 yojanas in height and 60 yojunas in girth may
certainly be shown to be too small to bear comparison with
the area covered by the expansion of Buddhism. We m.ay
leave aside the state of things that prevailed in the early
centuries of the Christian era. Let us go baok to the days
of King Asoka, to the third century B.C., and ascertain
what had happened then. In the Second Rook Edict,
His Sacred Majesty says that at the time when this
edict was promulgated he had arranged for two kinds of
treatment and caused other philanthropic or humanitarian
works to be done throughout his own dominiollfl as well
as in the outlying unconquered tracts including the
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
51
principalities of five Greek allies in the north-west and
the countries of Chola, PaI}.Q.ya, Satiyaputra, Keralaputra
as far south as Ta1llbapazpni or Ceylon. And in the
Thirteenth Rock Edict, we are told that his instructions
on the laws and ideals of piety and morality Were followed
both within his own empire and outside it, in the neigh-
bouring principalities of the five Greek rulers and the
oountries of Chola, Pal).Qya and the rest, all together
covering a vast sp:1ce of 600 yojemas (in length as well as
in In spite o[ the universal character of
Asoka's Dlwmma, it cannot he doubted thll.t it was
nlainly inspired hy lllHhlhif->lll in the bense that its
principles are wholly wnSil>tc'lt with tll() kaching of
Buddhism and not wholly inconsistent with the tenets
other religions then known to him.
Thus considered in the light of these facts, Dr. Mitra's
suggestion regal'ding the interpretation of the monstrous
bulk of the giant's body must be rejected at once as
utterly fallacious and miE,leading, the stated height
of the giant's body being co-extensive with the length
of the Kolahala range running north-west and south-west
from Gaya to Rajamahendri via Jajpur in Orissa proper.
HI. The discussion has reached at last a point where
We may conveniently face the question as to whether, if at
all, the Gaya-m.ahatmya story of GayasUl'a can be
prated as an allegory of the triumph of Brahmanism over
Buddhism,-Brahmallism. which is taken by Dr. Mitra
just a s another name for Hinduism. We do not see how
1 it : ludu clta buvrBbltu clta ullllebhlu a
1'1 YUJum/
52
GAYA. AND BUDDHA-GAYA.
tbis story can be interpreted. in the light of such an allegory,
there being hardly anytJ,.ing to bear out such a far-fetched
interpretation as this. The data furnished by the story go
against all hypothesis of antagonibm between Brahmanical
Hinduism and Buddhism.
The Hindu Holy Land of Gaya-. ar:. defined in the Gaya..
mahatmya, includes in it Bodl1-Gaya, the bacred site of the
Buddha-image Dharllle sval'a and the Bo-tree AS/)attha.
The legend enjoins upon each Hindu who undertakes pil
grimage to Ga) ii to visit this hol) site a11(1, worship the
BUfld.ha-image al1c1 the Bo-tree for tlle releaf>e of the departed
spirits of his forefathelS. From the prcf>cribed formula of
prayer. it appears that the Bo-tree Was viewed. as a very
special object of worship to the Hinduf> it heing extolled as
a living manifestation of the divinity of the Hindu Triad.
1
If it be argued that even admitting all these data to be
true, the fact remains that the Gaya-luahatmya story bears
clear evidenoe of a sectarian plejudice against Buddhism
when it relates that the Blahmi1.J.s of Gaya incUl'red the
displeasure of Brahma by conducting the worship of Dharma
Dharmesvara at Dharm.araI].ya and receiviI.tg feeE. and gifts
in return of their service. But it is easy to understand that
the Gaya-mahatmya explanation for the miseries of the
Brahmins of Gaya if.. far ITom indicatillg antagonism between
Hinduism and Butldhism. The legend definitely mentions
1 Viiyu-Pu1av.a.lOO 729
Namas te Aavattha ra3aya Bralunii-
Badka.dllJ.mliya ]..arttHnau" pdt1nQ.1p, tiiranaya cllu 11
l..ule IniitrtUllllb8 du/gat/m gatah I
Pad 8parbUflack cha svalguh1[ yalttu babvatim 11
l!"natrayum maY(L da/tam Gayal/l Ugaty" t1,ls""'''li
Tvad prasucliin 7IIakii.piilJdd vl1lul.jQ 'lwlr!
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
53
that the term of the liberal gifts made by Brahma to the
Brahmins of Gaya was that they must remain satisfied with
what they received from him and. must neither demand
nor actually accept gifts from any other hand.. But they
being led by STeed, conducted the worship of the Buddha-
image at Bodh-Gaya and accepted fees and gifts in return
of their service, and for that they "'ere cursed by Brahma
and deprived. of his favours. H one would term it sectarian
prejudice, tbis prejudice was not precisely against Buddhism
but rather against aggrandisement of the privileges which
Were not originally intcnded for the Bl ahmins of Gaya.
The historical bearing of the cxplanation is that origil1ally
the jUlisdiction of the Brahmins of Ga) a was limited to
Brahma-Gaya or Gara proper and it was cOl1sidered against
all laws of fairl!Css and equity that they should go beyond
their own jurisdiction and elljoy the prjvileges that Were not
meant for them.
It is not difficult to imagine that the followi:rg two
allegories arc in the immediate background of the magnifbl
legend of Gayasma : (1) the Vedic allegory of three strid(-s
of VishI).u explained by AUTI).aIlabha in the light of three
stations of the sun duriug his daily course (samarollat
w
,
Vish'f}upade, Gayasirasb), and (2) the Pauranic or cosmogonic
allegory of upheaval of the Kola.b.ala chain of hills in general
and of the Gaya rallge in particular by the action of tre-
mendous natural forces. The first allegory is
and the second geological in its main conception.
Viewed in astronomical perE>pective, the Holy Lar_d of
Gaya to present the picture of a cosmographic chart of the
heaven above with vibiblc reprcE>eutatiollb of its priucipal
54
GAYA BUDDHA-GAYA
dwellers, the sun, the plall.ets and the stars, and with a
fanciful location of the Milky Way, the three stations of the
SUll in the sky during his daily course and the three stations
of the sun in the sky during his annual COUl se. The sun on
the rising point (samii1'oJza't}e) is emhlamatic of cJlildhood,
the sun in the meridian (Vls7'FUT(1de) is emblamatic of glori-
ous youth, and the SUll on the unif.hing point (Gayairasi)
is emblamatic of old age or death.
Turning to the the Pauranic or cosmogonic allegory we
find that the Gaya-mahatm} a relfgates the upheaval of tbe
KoHihala thain of hilJ" to a remote geological period called
S'I.'efa'I.'araha-kall1a.l The I [l111e KoHi.l
l
ala ("tlle pill ill
commotion") is significant [If> f>uggesting that tIle chain
designated by it wa& helie, cd to l'ave bee11 oligil
1
all) a
volcanic range. The vaJious Ol hot bplil gf>, many
of which have now cooled dow'!). may be rcgaldcd as proofs
of thermo-dynamic action.
2
Thele was, as late as the 7th
century A.D .. an active volcano in the adjoinillg di&trict of
MOl1ghyr, as will be evidellt from Hwen Thsang's descrip-
tion of the HiraI).ya-parvata, identified by Beal with the
Monghyr hill (Modagiri, Mudgagiri): "By the side 01 the
capital and borderil1g on the Ganges river is the Hira'Jfya
(I-Ianna) mountain, from which is belched forth mas::.cs
1 T'ayu.Purana, 10.3. 7 :
S"elakalpe tu VarW'8 GU?JO ?Ja{jUlrI u1.aJa?Jut I
Cf The geologl(.al account III the Dob wt oJ Gava, pp !l-1O: "The glcatel
p&rt of the 1:1 occulllcd thc GallgctlL allUVIUm, but oldel lOehb ll<L abo,e
cl (./uefly III the aouth and eabt Thebc lOLhs ale eompobecl fOl the most part of a
foll .. ted of a gleat 'auot) of stalhne lOohs fOlIDmg parallel bands
IInd ].1101\11111 the geoiogJCaillomcncJatuzc of In<ha as tllC Jkllgai a 6ubdn ISlon
of th(. Ateh,w,lll \Yhtlll1 "hlllt (ontauh the lUll" of the c uth-b "
C. DIS/llct Uu,zeUecr of .1lollghyr, 11 ;:; ,1Ild 11 21.1. lul l'I" It uj'lnIult Ull the ],ulllt
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY 55
of smoke and vapour which obscure tb,e light of the sun
and moon. From old. time till now J;tishis and saints have
come here in succession to repose their spirits. Now there
is a Deva temple here, in which they still follow their rules
handed down to them."l
"'hile by volcanic action or by the action of some tre-
mendous natural forces the KoHihala chain of hills struggled
hard to rise up above the ordinary level of the earth aspiring.
so to speak, to reach up the highest heaven, these were
prevented from rising up beyond a certain low height, being
pressed. down, as it Wele, by the dead-weight of a massive
block of stone placed on their summit The largest and
heaviest of these blocks was the Dharma sila or the Stone
of Virtue, a curious prodigy of nature whICh appeared. on the
summit of the Gayasira hill proper and supplied afterwards
the material for carving the numerous foot-prints, em.blems
and statues of the deities worshipped at Gaya. Dharma-
pala, the author of the Udana-Commentary, records that
there was on the Gayasira hill a huge block of store which
resembled in shape the crown of an elephant and afforded
seats for a thousand persons.
2
1 Beal's Buddhist Records 0/ the Western World, Vol. II, p. 187. The author of the
District Gazetteer o( 11Iongllyr observes, on p. 5: "The Kharagpur Hills contain several
hot springg, situated near Kachu, at Sringirikh, Bhimbandh, Rishikund, Blmdurio.
Hill, Sitakund, and, close to the l)lace last named, at Borde and Bainsa Hill. They are
probably due to a deepseated thermo.dynamic action, and it is interesting to find
historic testimony to the former existencc in this region of an active volcano." "Nearly
all these springs," writes Col. WaddelI (JASB, old felies, Vol. LIX, Pazt I1), "are
worshipped by the Hindu and semiaboziginal viIIagers in the vicinity; for these
strange outbursts of heated waters boiling up cauldronlike and wreathed in clouds
of vapour are regarded by tllem as bupernatural phcnoll"ena and csrecial expression
ofthe prosenIe of a deity.'. .
9 Udilna. Vatttluna, Siamese edition, p. 95 ; Tal/ha attlll elo 1Jabbato GayasIBa,"a.
mako yaUlIG l&attliikll1l1b!ta.sailise pi{tltipusii.'Qe bhikkkusahassassa oWso llOtj.
58
GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
Confining our observations to the Vayu-Pura:t;,la version,
it is difficult to agree with Dr. Mitra in assigning it to early
centuries of the Christian era, and. to differ materially from
Mr. O'Malley who regards the legend as an invention of tbe
fourteenth or fifteenth century A.D. It will. however,
be noticed that the data upon w1.ic11 1\lr. O'Malley bases
his opinion are suggestive but not E>ufficiently convincing.
The data relied upon b) him are these: (1) that the
Gayawals whose claim to pre-e1nil
1
cnce among tIre Brahmins
rests on the sole scriptural autIrority of tIre Vayu-Pural].a
version of the Gaya-mahatm.ra "prole&s as tIleir religion tbe
Vaishnavi&lll established by tIre Dravida Bralllna1).a, l\Hidhav-
acharyya, in southern India, during the fourteenth century
A.D. and acknowledge as their spiritual head the lVIallant of
Hari NarasiIp.hapura, a connection &till kept up;" and (2)
that in the opinion of Prof. Hara Pra&ad Sashi '"five or six
centuries ago Gaya a'3 a place of pilgruuage \vas in compara-
tive obscurity."
Prof. Rara Pra&ad Sastri"s opinion call1lOt be mistaken
for Hthe universal opinion" in India, especially when it is
based upon the quotation of a certain Sanskrit verse con-
taining an enumeration of certain recognized Hindu holy
places that excludes Gaya The omission of Gaya from a
particular list is, after all, an a?"f)llmenturn ad upon
which nothing can be defillltely built. Similarly the simple
tact that the Gaya-mahatmya in the VaYl1-Pura:tta is the
sGriptl1ral authority of the Gayawal& and the Gayawals
themselves profess the Vaishnavism of M.adhavacharyya
wh,o flourished in the fourteenth century js not elJough by
itself to prove that the Eulogium was a compo&ition of the
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
59
fourteenth century, there being nothing explicit or implicit
in tn.e Eulogium itself to indicate a connection of tbe Gayavvais
with the Vaishnavism of Madhavacharyya. If the com-
parative modernity of the Eulogium in tIle Vayu or the
Agni Pural,la is to be provec1, it must be proved on uata
other than tllose brougM forward by :Mr. O'l\Ialley. Wllat
are these new data
(1) The Gaya-lllahatmya, as we have scen, distin!zuishes
three stages of manifestation of the existence of V i s h ~ u
the luaoe-bearor : (1) ctvyakta, undeterminate or potential as
exemplified by the rooky materials; (2) vyaktiivyakta, semi-
determinate or merely suggestive as represented by the
footprints; and. (3) '1:yctkta, fully determiIlate or ioonic as
represented by the various images oet up as objeots of
veneration. These three stages of manifestation of the
existence of the deity of Gaya may be historically inter-
preted as indicative of three successive periods of the life of
Gaya as the Holy Land of the Hindus :-
(1) the fir&t or earliest period when the rocky hills aIJd
peaks and the hill-streams alone Were venerated
as saored objects, that is to say, when Gaya
proper presented a scene of pure nature-worship;
(2) the second or middle period when the human
footprints and phallic signs carved ih stone
constituted the objects of worship as symbols
of the holy presence and living recollections of
the time-honoured divine personalities; and
(3) the third or last period when idols oame to' be
.. ac1.de(1 er worship as typified human fOlms
of tho Divinity.
56
GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAYA.
One may try to form some idea of the general appearance
of the Gayasira hill proper with the massive block 01 stone
on its top with the aid of the follo"'ing account of Kauadol
hill, situated nearly one mile to the south-wef,t of the Barabar
hills:
,'It (rises) abruptly from the plains to the height of
ahout 500 feet; it is fOlmed entirely of huge l1labSeS of
granite piled precipitously one above the other, and lS
crowned by a gigantic block of stone, which is inaccessible.
It is said. that this pinnacle 'was topped by another (rockil g)
block which " ... as ...... perfectly balanced."l
It is interesting indeed to find that the Preta 8ila hill
which bears the general fOlm of other hil1s of Gaya has on
its top a boulder of appreciable size appearing in its shape
like a sitting elephant.
All these considerations may suffice to show that the
allegory of the triumph of Brahmanical Hinduism over
Buddhism is out of the questIOll. The Ved.ic allegory of the
three strides of VishJ?u as explained by AUrI;lanabha and
the Pauranic allegory of the upheaval of the granite hills
of the Kolab,ala chain by volcanic action lie at the back of
the Gaya-mahatmya story of Gayasura.
7. CRITICISM OF O'MALLEY'S COUNTER-THEORY
We cannot but welcome M:r. O'Malley's suggestion that
"the worship bound up with the Gayawals represents an
amalgamation with the popular demonolatry which preceded
Brhmanism and has co-existed with it." Th,? upshot
1 DIstrict Gazelteer of Gaya, 11 227.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 57
of it is that the history of this demonolatry representing
the beliefs and cults of the aboriginal peoples who lived in
Magadha is not only pre-Buddhistic but pre-Brahmanic.
As a suggestion for future investigations, it is alright. But
the crux is-can this be deduced from the data yielded by
the Eulogium of Gaya1 Would it be right at all to presume
on the evidence of this In ter legendary Eulogium that Yama
who prominently figures as a god of the Vedic pantheon
was a pre-Vedic aboriginal deity? We have already shown
that Mr. O'Malley's suggestion is based on misinterpretation
of <'ertain verses in the Gaya-mjhatmya (ante, p. 31). The
inferior position of the Dhamis representing a special section
of the Brahmins of Gaya. who officiate as priests at five
veil1s, specially f,acred to Yama, does no.t prove the case.
There is nothing to show that they arc descendants of ahori-
ginal priests.
8. ANTIQUITY OF THE GAY.A-l\IIAHATMYA
There is a sharp difference of opinion regarding the
antiquity of the Eulogium of Gaya in the form in which it
is presented in the concluding section of the Vayu-Purji:r;ta.
Dr. Rajendralala Mitra places its date of composition in the
early centuries of the Christian era, and definitely assigns
it to the third or fourth century A.D. Mr. O'Malley, on
the other hand, inelhle<; to regard it as a legend invented
probably in the fourteenth 01' fifteenth century A.D. They
have nothing whatever to say regarding the date of composi-
tion of the Agni-Pur3J;!.a version or of the version which
may be traced in the lVlahabhal'ata, the Ra.maysl}.a and the
numerous Smriti-compilations.
8
60
GAY.A. AND BUDDHAGAyl
Inasmuoh as the Gaya-mahatmya gives an account of all
these three stages, it must have been posterior to the time
when the final stage in the process of manifestation had
been reached. .But we are still groping ill the dark as to
when the iconic stage was reached and cOIJsummated, when,
in other words, various images, even including those of
Sakta worship (Pha]gu-Chal}.QI, Bma s1inakshi, and the rest)
had been installed in different shrines ur temples.
(2) It is conclusive from inteThal evidence of the
Euloaium of Gaya that whell It was oomposet: III its later
legerdarj form and as a propagandir:.t manual, all clas!!cs
of Hindu deities, Vedic, Saiva, Vaishv.ava, Saura, GiiI).a-
patya and Bakta, came to be worshipped in their diverse
iconic representations in the sanctuaries scattered over
Brahma-Gaya. The presiding deity was, of course, Vishl}.u,
the supreme deit) et the vai<llwavas, ad red in his mace-
beariI,g aspeot, as Gadadhara. It ,,,ould be idle to hnagine
that the images as worshipped were not installed in some
shrines or temples erected for them. The erection of sb,rincs
or temples would be unnecessary only where some such
bonvenient recesses, structures or edifices as the ca
dwellings in the Barabar and the NagarJuni hills were found
already in existence. Happily we have {'pigraphic evidence
to show that the shrines or temples were built along with
the installation of the images. We can make bold to main-
tain that none of the temples and images at Gava propn
\H:f( built prior to the times of the PaIas of Beneal. As
proved by the inscriptions, the temples of Janardana
1
and
1 TIle lDStuptlon "M In UIO tem}11e in the tlty of
Ga)a. f:!ee the Gaufla-le1.l1Umiilii. 1)1' lll-ll:i
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 61
Gadadhara
1
were built by Visvaditya, son of Stidraka and
grandson of Paritosha, in the 15th regnal year of King
Nayapaladeva who died in 1045 A.D.,2 and the temples of
Vatesa and Prapitamahesvara were built by the piety of
the same Visviiclitya Just in the 5th regnal year of Vigraha-
pala lIP whose aate is certaiuly subsequcnt to that of
Nayapaladeva." All undated inscription of Yaksha-
pala, son of Visvaditya and grandson of Sudraka, written
ill "a kind of Devauagari, which appears to have been
current in the 12th century A.D . records that he "caused
to be made an illlage of thc Sun-god called l\1aull,M,Hya, a
phallic symbol of Siva called SahasmliIJga, an image of
lord of KamaHi, a phallic symuol of Siva called
JJvistollleSYara, another phallic symbol of 8iva called
Phalgmlatha, all image of the Sun-god called VijayMitya,
and another phallic symbol of Biva called the god Kedara
along witll tomples erected to tlerve as abod.es for the res-
pective deities; and (that) he likewise caused the famous
UttaramauaEa (tank) to be excavated and (established) a
hall of charity on the site of the Akshaya-va1a."6 If we
1 Tho illbcriptiuil the tUIll J.llu of NIll'nbi1!lhadevd. built Uil
the courtyard of the tOlllI)Ic of UadMhnl'u. See the MBllwira of t116 A8ialic liociety
of Bengal, Vol. V, p. 78.
t It. D. Bancrji's Biingalur ltiM9, Part I, p. 262.
3 The inscription was disoovered at the foot of the Akshaya-vata at Gayii. Sec
the JJ[ 81110i78 0/ ell6 Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. V, 1>1). 81-82. Vs tcsa and Pra})itii.-
maheHvara arc two different uf SivaIiIiga.
, Sec R. D. Bunel'ji's Biilluu!iir Itil!iis, Part I, )l. 202, fol' the chronology of the
Pii.la kings.
G lA, 1887, Vu!. XVI, A (Juya. i/16criptioll 0/ YakBk<'p4la oilitccl by F. Kielhorn,
p.63.
8 lA, 1887, Vol. XVI, p. 65, ycrse 12 :
Jlall1l/l,cUtll-l-ScIII'19raliilga-KalllalcirdM;ir.gi!ta-Naragatw-DviBtomeivara-Pkalgun4tAa.
Vl.jclyciclityu1Ivc"i!l,llla?]t '"rie. I
62
GA YA AND BUDDHA-GAY 1
alloW' a margin of two or three centuries for the later images
a11(l temples mentioned in the Gay a-miih iihnya , its date.
{.If composition canllot be placed earlier than the 13th or the
14th century A,D,
(3) Tb.- Gaya-lD.a.hatmYfl desoription of the position
of the Brahmins of Uaya js llistol'jcally important as clearly
sbowing that when it waR oomposed" the lIoly Land of
Gaya. lost its pristine glory ,aml that tIle Bra"hminR had
fallen on evil days, in oonsequence of whic], they
beoame absolutely dependent for tlleir liveHhood 011 tbe
ir.come from t1lO pilgrims (ttrtlw pajil'i 1.:a). fact may
well explain how a semi-rollUllJtic propagandist manual,
such as tlds later l{'gen<lary EulogiuID, 1roallle a great
desideratum for heightening the popularity of Gaya as a
place of Iljgh sanctity, particularly as the place ior offering
oblatic'lls for the release of the c1eparted spirits.
Although the causes are yet unknown, certain it is that
when the Chinese pilg!im Fa-Himl visited Gaya ill the
beginning of the 5th century A.D., all within this city was
su.prUliiidam achikararZ J(eclu/"c!.,levcuya elIC! kT!YU!U8yottarctlllullabasyu
khuIlun8 suttrC!lfl tathii chdb/ll!ye 11
Prof. Kielhorn's translatiun of this faulty amI in Ilbwcs quite
mislea.ding. HiB rendering is: "The (prince) eo.ubed tu be built a temple of the
inho.bito.nts uf heaven called l\Iauno.rHtyo.. So.ltasraliilga, Kamala, Ardhailgina, Narii.
yo.J}.a. DvistOllleevo.ra, Pho.lgulliitha and Vijnyiiditya, and uf the god Kedara; he
likewise had the falnous (tnnk) dug amI (cbtablhhed) a hall of charity,
to IlllIt for evcr." It will be at unr'c that his translatiun has mis'ed the forco of
the expressiun sa.prii,iidaclitj,l!,,,U.i1ll literally "together with a. temple
,\hieh is an abode of the gods:' Simtlarly it errll ill COl1btruing tIle word Kalllaldr.
dMngi!laNilriiya!la containing the names of th."{'o dificl"(mt deities: Kamala,
Ardhailgil,la o.nd Narii.YM.m. T,) render the word .1/ra}WUe, whi('h is in the locative,
"to labt for evCl'" is tn commlt all el"ror excusllble neither by tbc I'lIles of grammar
nor by the tradititillal fame of thl' Umlyiug The Yer .. e 14 of Ch. 93 of tho
Vanap,uvJ1. of the :\Iahilbb:iratll Ill,!) claim to cleul' the \\ hole ll(}int nt :
.1ksllC1ye devay(/jcme uks1layal1l yatlu vai 111wlulII.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 83
"desolate and desert,"! and even subsequently when the
great Chinese pilgrim Hwen 'l'hsang visited the same city
in the 7th century A.D., it had "but few inhabitants."
There were at that time "about one thousand families of
Brahmans only" who claimed tlH'ir descent from a :B,ishi,
who were not regarded. by the reigning king "as vassals"
and whom "the people everywhere highly respected".2
Such a deplorable s:ate of things mUbt have continued
down into the loth century A.D., otherwise tIle
recording the erection of some of the earliest and most
important among the existing temples and images and the
excavation of the Uttaramanasa tallk during the reign of
Nayapaladeva, Vigrahapala HI and Yakhsapala in the
11th century A.D. and thereafter would be altogether mean-
ingless. If the evidence of these inscriptiolJs is worth any-
thing, it serves only to prove that the hibtory of the present
city of Gaya with its numerous images and sanctuaries
goes back to the reign of King Nayapaladeva but not earlier
in 3ny way.
Nov keepillg in view all these tInee facts. namely, th('
lost glory of Gaya. the miseries e
f
the Gaya Brahmins and
the re-emergence of Gaya into a far-famerl place of Hindu
pilgrimage, as clearly set fort]l in the Gaya-mahatmya,
the date of its composition cannot hut be posterior to the
reign of the Palas of Bengal.
(4) The Gaya-mahatmya says that tllO Brallluins of
Gaya brought down the curse of Brahma on them when
they being led. by greed, went out of their jurisdiction to
1 Bears Audclhl8t Recordg 0/ the TV este/ll 1V arM. Vol I. p Ixl
8 l3l'al's Buddkiot Record,. Vo) H. l' 113.
GAY!. BUDDHA-fUY.!
ofbciatp as priests at the 'W'ouhip vi tbf' BlHl
i
lha-image
.. 1100 aILa illl:tal1(:'rl at Dharma-
raW'a or :Bodh-Gayii,
If the .. a. <1,) pre ... mu
u
l1JY Dr. RtiJPl ib'alala
Jlitr8. l'I'f'!'e a pl)1lLplJsitilJ1.1 (if th ... 3r,] r.T tnp 4th rentur:
A.D . it is tl) illL3g11LP that tDP of (-raya
would tJe eithFr allnwerl Ul IequlIf',l tr, (Ol1aurt rh ... wllTship
of the Budrlha-iru.ag
p
. Fm: it i., pqual1:; }Jroyerl ll!- the

inscriptions ab Wf'll ai< the itiupralY d(Cn11Lt ... Ii Fa-Hian
and HwelJ ThBang tbnt EQrlh-(;a!'j \'tu'" m t}w he-ight or
it" gloT) a Holy L311(1 of thp Butl.lhi::;t:{. tLHP haying
been tbree powerful 'l(J. JjlqN.Ot(lUlfl S or ntnl.a o;tl-'zie,> to take
carp of Bnrldloi.,t wOl .... hip IHld look aitPT th .. BUrlllhi<;t F.h1'ines
of the locality. TLe '-(>r\"1u,<; of thl' GayJ. Blalmlill'5 would
be needed Ol1]Y at the 1i111,C "\\]len t]ll'rl' W ... 1, Hone amol1g
the Buddhibts thpHlhPlves to guard thpir uWl1 "hrilles, that
is to say, when Burlflhh111 Waf' .. in complete decay. .-\Jld
such a state of ('ouM not he po<;-.ilJle lJefore irruption
of destructive fOIrE''> of hInm &ignali:.ec1 JJ)" Bllkhteftf'S
conquest of Bengal in the IaRt quarter of the 12th century.
Thus all the evirlenc-es. Wl1ether E'pigmphic 01 ntherwise,
poiutto the same C'Ol:c]usion, . tAat the
8S a prop8gandibt mamml of t.tw nayawfil BIalllnim, Cnlmot
he regarded as datilJg antelior to the 13th or 14tl1
A.D.
Trough with regard to tne Ga)-a-mahatmya in the Ya.yu
arJd the AgI.i Pura:r;t.as We are compelled to I'eject the date
proposed l)y Dr. Rajendralala Mitra. it will be worth while
to ron&idf'I whether the suggested date is applical1e to an
r;arli('r Yerbion of the (jaya-mahatmya whiCh ic:; embodied
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
65
in the Mahabharata, and, the traces of which can be found
in certain verses of the and the late works on
Smriti. It will be important at the same time to enquire
whether and how far it can be established that previous
to thl full iconic stage of mal'ifestatio!1 of the divinity
of Gaya there was an earlier stage" hicb. was merely sugges-
tive or semI-iconic.
8. EARLIER VERSTON OF THE GAY!.-l\JAHATMYA
We have been on the look out for an earlier version of the
Eulogium which is expected to present a picture of Gaya
proper when it had not outlived the semi-iconic or suggestive
stage. For a knowledge of tIle COl tent!'. of the earlier version
we ]'ltve to depend mamly upon t,,'o chapters, chapters 84
and 95, of the Vallaparva forming the third book or the
Mahabharata. But before we actually deal witl) the Maha-
bharata account of the Hirdu Holy Land, we may do well
to briefly review the references to Gaya in the
and some of the works 011 Sl1lfiti.
It will be noticed that in a prose passage representiIlg
the oldest stratum of the rh. 85, Pushkara
and Gaya have been specified as the two places for per-
forming funeral obsequies of imperishable results, a1 d Gaya
proper is represented by the Gayasirsha hill, the Akshaya-
(Undying Banyan), the (Vishr.:I.U's foot-
print) and the Phalgutirtha (bathing ghat of the Phalgu
river).
1
Even in the verse-portion Gaya proper has been
1 Vi8hnv-s'imhdii, Ch. 8:> :
Atha P'lUIhkatt81wakshayasTaddha7ll, evam el1a GayfJAirllhe, Aka1layaflllle,
V'Bhnttpade, Plialgutitthe
9
66
GAY.A AND BUDDHA-GAYA.
Teptesented by the Gayas1rsha hill and tile Aksbaya-vata..
1
And neither in the prose passage nor in the Verses is there
any mention. implied or explicit, of images or temples.1!
The U sana-sarphita, ('h. 3, mentions the Yiiriiha hill
(same as the Yiraja hill of the YaYl1 Puriil).u) and
Gaya as places for fupcral obscquies, according preference
to Gaya.
3
The Katyayara-salphita. Ch. 3. quotas certain
expert views recognising the high sanctity of Gays. as one
of the fitting places for offering the cakes of tice
to the departed. souls. <I The 8arpkha-sl.lIphita, Ch. 14,
mentions Gayiikshetra, Prabhasa, Pusl1kara, Prayaga, Nai-
misharaJ;lya, the banks of thc Ganges am
1
the Yallluna),
Vamara-kat:ltaka ur>c1 the banks or the a:r..d the
Gaya river as the principal places for offel-ing oblations.
s
The Atri-SRIp.hita, G the Likhita -saJphita. 7 the Vasishtha-
1 Vi3Imu.,amll!tii, Cho 8.3, vcrsc 66 :
Gayidir3he Vale sriiddlwm
Vi8hnu-sa"l/lhilii. Ch. 8;), VCbC, (j1i-1\7 :
Api jayale 80' IIll/a1..a1!1 1..lIle naroUamall I
GayaAirslle Vare yo 1!all kurycit !amaltita!l il66
U{,u1Ia-su1I1hilii, Ch 3, 132133 :
Gayarn priipyanU81tangena yaeli {,raddlWfI 8alllllcl1aret I
tarita(t pilara!l tena, 8a yati para11lu,'IJI gati,n 11
Varitha.paTfl(J,le ekuit"a Gayii.11 cllailoa I
KlI.tyiiyallu-Ba'l/lhltft, Cho 3, verse 9 :
Priidoollya"l/l piwlacla1lasya keeltid ah'Ur manislti1)al! I
Gayt'itlau pindamalrasgrt c!'lIU1t1curasga d1gamiiniUvadar8aniit "
5 8Uf/lkho'8U'f(tkilii, C:h. 14. verses 1.2 :
ad dadiiti PrabMla6 PvsMcare"pi cha I
Pl'Q,yage Nai1nisMranye 8arVamallUll lam 'IIchyale "
Ga1rqii.Yalllvnayo8 tire lirthe Viitnarakatttake I
N armadaya1[1 Gaga-lire 8'11 loam{mal1 lam chrate 11
o Atri-samhita, verse 56 :
KiinTcsllUti pilara[l Barve narakunlarabllircwal! I
Gayiil/l y{J.9yall yall pulral! Iralii bliuvishyali 11
, Likhifll-8amhitit, 12-Vl;
Gayq"jre Iu gat kilichin namna pinda1/1 tllllirvapel I
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
67
sazp.hita
1
and the Yajiiavalkya-saI!1hita,2 however, recognise
Gaya or Gayakshetra alone as the plaoe for suoh a funeral
funotion, and the same holds good also in the case of the
Ramaya:Q.a, Ayodhyaka:Q.Q.a, Canto 107.
3
It is interesting
to observe that the RamayaJ;1,a and the Usalla-sa1Jlbita
have fWlught to hei(!hten the importance of Gaya as such
a place by the citation of a versified saying of traditional
fame,4 which reads an follows :-
Eshfavya putra gutfavanto
5
I 6
tesha'in vai
7
sam,a,l'etanam api kaschid Gaya1]'b vrajet lis
"A man should desire to have many sons (OD descendants),
with qualities and learIled in the hope that at least
one of them lllay perohance go on pilgrimage to Gaya."
The common point in all these stray referenoes is that
in all of tbem tIle importance of Gaya or Gayaksbetra has
been extolled as a place for perlorluing funeral obsequies
and ofierinJ1 cakes of rice for the release of the departed
narakaBtho divalp. yuti, avargastlw apnuyat 11
.4tm.ano Va parQ.8yapl Gayal.alletrc yatas I
van nal1lna patayet pin/lam, tUllI nayed Brahma-aii8vatam il-
l Vaai8tha-aat/thlta. Ch 22:
Nandanti pitara8 tasya 81wlisldair ivu karahakalJ, I
gad GayftBtllo dadatyallllalll lJ1iaJu8 tena putt illa{1 U
a YajiiaValkya-8a11lMta, Ch. I. VCl'&C 261 :
Yad aadati GayasthaJ cha aarvamanan lam uckyale I
tatha MrakatrayorJa.>yal}1 .11 agliii,au ("ha na 8at/lsayrifl, 11
a Ramayatla, Ayodh)ii.kii.:p(la, Canto 107, vcrses 11-13_
, Ram4yafla, Ayodllyiikii,lV}a, Canto 107, vorse 11 :
Srii,yate dh,imata tii.ta sTutir gitu yaaavina I
U8QlIa-8a7flllita. Ch_ 3, verse 130 :
Gayallti gatha le SUI ve kirtayallti 11
" .,' U.alla-aa'1p.hda. Ch. 3. vcrse 131. reads Bilavalllo gU/!!.anvila and teakan tu.
B Ch_ 85. verso 67, Lll.,lIila-8a'l]1.1Iit4, verso 11, give a. di1ferent
reading, which lather with that in thc Great Epio:
E8hlauyi pulru yadyapeko Gayalp. vrajet I
yajetr, Va;;vd;lnedlUlIUI nil(llll vu Vl"iJllulII 11
68
GAY..! AND BPDDHA-GAYA
souls. In the aloIie, the high sanctity of Gaya
has been accounted for by the great sac'Imce performed by
O8ya
1
who nas been represented in the Gaya-mahatmya
8S "Kir.g Gaya" and in. the 3Iahabhiirats as "a royal sage
(rajJrshi)." These references are compicuous by the al)sence
of the legcllds of Gayasura, Gadae.ura awl DhaIDlasilt1 of
the later fable. AUJtner coml11on feature discen.J.ible in
these references is that Gaya ur (.}ayak'lhetra alluded to
is undoubtedly limited to Brahma-Gaya by the express
mention of such pr{)lllil1cut objects as the Gayasira or Gaya-
sirsha hill. th,e Akshaya-vata, the YishI;lupada and the
l'halgu-tirtha, and hy the omission nf all ol}jl::cts signifying
Bodh-Gaya. It io; important to note that Hadadhara as
th.e main deity of Gaya fir..ds no mention sa",";) in the solitary
verse of the Atri-s8Iflhita which lllmt he ::;Yl3.chronous with
or subsequent tu the full iconic conception of as
mace-bearer. In spite of the fact that the substitution of
' for VishlJ.upada signifies the development
of the iconic stage, we cannot but connect the referencc
in thc Atri-saIphita with those aforesaid for the simple
reason that it has for itrs objective Brahma-Gaya
and Brahma-Gaya alone, which it has represented by
the Phalg'ltirtha, Gadadhara, the iconic f01ID of VishJ.lu,
and the Gayasirsha hill.
2
Lastly, from -a comparative
study of the various refereIlces we Call clearly envisage a
gradual process of centralisation of the place for funeral
1 Riimayuna, Ayodhl-ii.kii.l)cj.a. Canto 107. verse 11 :
yajalniinena GaYe8hvet'a pitrin prati II
Atri-8a17thltii. vc,n.e 57 :
Phalgu.-lirlhe aniitvQ. drishh,ii devu?/I GadiJtlharam I
Gal/M; fBhU'lfl pudca ram!Jil 1IIuchllate Brakmrikatllayii, 11
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY
69
functIon c:tt Gaya from a good number of such other
centres J
rhe ground IS now prepared to examine and evaluate
the text ot the earlier Eulogium as it is presented in the
\'allap.U'va of the l\IalJ,abhalata, Chapters 84 and 95. It is
lleetlless to pomt out here that the aphorisms of PaJ;rini
and the Gphya-:::;iitra of Abvcllayal'u clearly presuppose the
VaisampayaHa recenSlOll of the l\IahaLharata, ,,-hereas the
one tor OLl)' authoIlty IS the Saut! or Paul'iil;liki verslon
w.l:J,lcn nil geH in date between the .l\Iaurya and the Gupta
tImes, t.he lower lunit being fixable by the Koh copper-plate
at the 5th century of the Christian en!.. We are tempted
to reproduce below the teAt both in oligil1ul and in tran::.la-
tion as we \-elltule to thmk that long before the composition
of the plopagandil>t Ha) a-mahatmya m the Purfu;tas. there
already had been III existence a Eulogium at once complete
and far simpler 1Il (ollceptiOll and compo&itioll. It may,
however, be obsen!la from the distribution of the version
III two separate c.naptcl'f.> of the Great Epic, that the earlit:r
ve.r&iOll of thc (Oll&istco of two &ections designed.
to bring out two sonlewhat different a&pects of the same
theme .
ulu('h l,l .. ced In the lIJonlha-.amhtlii, Ch. 14, vel sea 1-2. on a par
1flth Gayikbnctra and otheJ plares of .sa.nct.Jty ncogru.sed as centres for fDlleral fUllC-
tlon has been dlstmgmshed m the UIO'lla-8omhtlil. Ch 3. verse 13() as the fittuJg place
for death:
Gay4yiim a!Bhaya-Ariidrlkam. Prayilga maranddi81w I
?O
GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAYA
SECTION I
a. TEXT
:M:bh. Vanaparva, Ch. 84, Vs. 82-103 :
Tato Gaya1p. samasadya brahmachari samahita1;t I
asvamedham avapnoti kulaiichaiva samuddharet 1182
Tatriikshayavato nama trishu lokeshu visruta1;l1
tatra dattarp. pit:ribbyas tu bhantyakshayam uchyate 1183
Mahanadyam upasppsya tarpap/ pitridevata I
akshayan prapnuyallokan kulaiionaiva samuddharet 1184
Tato BrahmasaraI!l gantva nharmaraJ;l.yopa sobhitam I
Brahmalokam avapnoti prabhatam eva saT,arim 11 85
BrahmaJ).a tatra bara<-: yupasrel?thalJ, samucch:rita1;t I
Yiiparo pradakshi1}.arp. kritva vajapeyaIp. phalal!llabhet 1186
Tato gachcheta rajendra Dhenukarp.lokavisrutam I
ekaratroE>hito rajal. prayacohet Tila-dhenukam !I 87
Sarvapapavibuddhatma SomalokaI!l vrajet dh,ruvam J
tatra cihl}a111 maharl raJan 3rlyapi hi 11a salpsaya1;l 11 88
Kapiiii E>ahavaha "HI i parvato vioharatyuta I
savatsd.yii pa(l8,n:Pl C.yd r1risyante' dyiipi Bharata 11 89
Teshiipaspp&ya raJf'l1rlra parlehllU nppasattama I
Yat kinchid asubhal11 hllImal)1 tat pra1}.asyati Bb arata \190
Tato GridhravataJ?l g-arhc.het sthana:rp. devasya siililla1;t I
snayita bbabmana tatrd bangamya v:rishabha-dhvaJam \\ 91
BrahmaJ;l.ena bhan.,<:h ChIrl)31!l ,,.atalTl dvadasavarshikam I
itareshan tu vaTl}.3.lIaql Haryapaparp pral)asyatl !I 92
Udyantafi cha tato gaf'll(,het parvata:q:l Gitanaditam I
Biivitlyab tu padaf!1 tatra clribyate Bharatarshabha 1\ 93
1'atra Sandhyam upa&ita hrahmal)al.1 sal!lsitavratal). I
tena hyupa&tu hha\ati bundhya dvadasavarshiki \l iJ4
PRE-BUDDHISTIC mSTORY
71
Yonidvaran oha tatraiva visruta:rp. I
tatrabhigamya muohyeta purusho yoni-sankatat 1195
KrishJ;l.a-sukHlvubhau pakshau Gayaya:rp.yo vasen naral}.1
punatya saptamazp. rajan kulam nastyatra sa:rp.sayal}. 1\96
Eshtavya bahavah putra yadyapeko Gayarp. vrajet I
yajeta vasvamedhena nila:rp. va vrisham utsrijet 11 97
Tato Phalgulll vrajet rajalps tirt:h.asevi naradhipa I
asvamedham avapnoti siddhifi cha mahatim vrajet 1198
Tato gaccheta rajelldra Dharmaprastharp. sama:hital}. I
Tatra kiipodakam pitva tatal) snatal) suchis tatha I
pitirin deva:rp.s tu santarpya muktapapo diva1!l vrajet 11100
Matangasyasramas tatra mabarsher IJhavitatmal1ah I
tam pravisyasrama:rp. srimach cl\hramasoka-, 11101
Gavamayanayajiiasya phalam prapl}.oti manaval) I
Dharmarp. tatrabhisamsprisya vajimeCl:ham avapnuyat 11102
Tato gachclleta rajendra B:rahmaflthanam anuttamam I
tatrabhigamya rajendra BrahmaJ,lam purusharshahha I
rajasiiyasvallledhabllya111 phala:ql vindanti manaval}. 1/103
b. rrUANSLATION
82. The devout pilgrim as he reaches Gaya, pure in
conduct and absorbed in thought, earns the merit of horse-
sacrifice and emancipates the line of his forefathers.
83. There at t:h.e foot of the Undying Banyan of th,ree-
world-fame an offering to the departed paternal spirits
means to him a harvest of imperishable kind.
84. /J At the bed of t:h.e Mahanadi he should offer oblations
to the dead ancestors with its waters so as to ensure himself
72
GAY!. AND BUDDHA-GAY!'
the eternal kingdom of heaven and to rescue the line of his
descent as well.
85. Next to repair to the tank Brahmasara beautified
by the outskirting sylvan expanse of Dharmaral;lya in order
to cherish the Brahmaloka as sure as the dawn of day folloW's
the flight of night.
86. The great sacrificial post raised aloft by Brabma
(Brahma-yupa) and standirg by the ~ m e tank the pilgrim
should go round about so that the result of vii.iapeya
(holse-sacrifice) may lJe his.
87-88. Thereafter, 0 lord of king::;! the devout onE'
should walk to and stay a night at the renowned regio]l of
Dhenuka. Thence he should proceed to Tila-dhenuka where,
o lord of kiI1gS! the prominent marks can undoubtedly
be traced even to this day, and in consequence he inevitably
enters the Somaloka with a mind purged of all sins.
89-90. The milch-cow Kapila ranged the very hill 'with
her calf and her hoofmarks alor..g with hH calf's may be
discerned there, 0 kirg ! eyen now. And a touch of these
rocky impressions would, 0 the best of sovereigrs! com-
pletely destroy effeots of any human misdeed.
91-92. Then he must journey to the foot of Gfidhravata
(the banyan tree marking approaoh to the Gfidhra1.:iita hill),
the holy site of the god 8ha. the holder of the trident. Then
going near the figure of the Bull, he shall besmear it with
ashes. In the case of Brahmins the result thereof is the
merit of observing the sacrif.cial rite whioh last.s for twelve
years; and in the case of other castes, it is the end of all sirs.
93-94. The pilgrim then, 0 lord of kings! yisits {!J.e hills
Udyanta and Gitanadita where the site for the observance
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
73
of Savitri can be seen. There the Brabmin, given to reli
w
gious rites, should invoke Sandhya,-a highly meritorious
act whicb bears tbe fruit of twelve years' similar praotice
eLsewhere.
95. Tbere is tbOll the famed Yonidvara (Brahmayoni,
the Passage of the Womb). When a man pas.aing through
it succeeo,s in coming out, he escapes from the danger of
rebirtb.
96. The man who resIdes at Gaya during both the dark
half and bright half of the lunar mOl1th ministers forsooth,
o lord! to the pleasure of the dead fOl'efathers back to the
seventh generation.
97. A person should e s i r ~ to have many sons (or
descelJdalJts) in the hope that at least one of them may
perchance undertake pilgrjmage to Gayi'l, or perfOl'm the
horsa-sacrifice, or set at liberty a bull of blue ccm-
plexion.
98. Then, 0 lord of men, the pilgrim should Wend his
way to the Phalgu river to obtain the result of horse-sacrifice
and to attain fulfilment of his obJective.
99. Thereafter with all solelUllity he should go to
Dharmaprastha (the holy site of Dharma) where, 0 great
king Yudhishthira, virtue ever reigns, and where he should
drink the water of the well and bathe in the same and there-
by get sanctified to ofter oblations to the spirits of the fore-
fathers. Freed from all sin, he then journeys into heaven.
101-102. There (at Dhallllaprastha) stands tp.e hermit-
age of the high-souled great sage MataJiga. On entering
into that.9 hermitage, 0 graceful king 1 men's fatigue al!d
sorrow all come to all end, and they obtain the result of
10
14
F'rolllll. a toiy t(}uh of IJ!Jalma Btrdd.ha-
imap) "there- a.t'CI"UfS to them the eJl.+:1i:r .-t
103. ne pilgrim _UUl at: g'). U ]o:u] r.i: lligs!
to Brall!lnast'hiul 'ho!:- d E!.ii1IL;1 fit
fa.Jne., likll11 tlenby t'ujO) tilt: iJrnj'C of Ri5f1i:fiyii 8L.d

Jl
),lhF. Yanapuva. 01<. 9.5.
Rajar&ht1}.8 Pl1Wakritii r; .. yenru:::tpED...af1:nltf' 1
nago (Jaydiro yttrti pnI}rii. dLail"3 3IalLiiIl(}rlP 9
Tanirfmiilin'i rerny-a T.2di-pulirft-Sobhlta I
(Jivyam c1:.2 J:a-it::'iilf1 rl}.ut;.J;:r
1
l [Ifln ]0
-j;tishiju1'htarp!'ll}i1.1}-yar!L tat"'itthm I
.Agastyo :"r..tl.:i ga-r, \i'i,i l'Yi<h:m l'tati 11
'["va:-a (-ha svayar;l tatrA T
'
llanllllTajal) :-ar at81'ah I
&arva.'1aql r-}.aiu f.dlll1,(llhE"fl"
Tatrs sar-r-ih,ito nityant rIt8}TaOf-ys};t lJi1}aka(lhPk I
tatra te Pi1}fJaYa r;bitmnLi\syai ... eiiIt' 13
T$ishiyajner8 nLf.J.tatfi yatIdhl.ayavato Jllaha]l I
.Aks}..aye d:,yayajBliC yatra Y3i phali'lll I ]4
Tf'tu tatr(I}J8va-alp .... tu phakrul' 1
la'ihmaJ}8s tatJa I'Iflllajt'gIl'l'M tal o(lhanal1 I 1.3
fhatu.nnisyena)ajanta yidhina tac1a I
tatra vidya.-tap"'-'riddha brahm81J.8. Vedaparagal). I
Katham prac}i.alaire PUt:lYa.Ip sadallistl- a mahatmanam 1116
1 Anr th ... r rradinr; i_-Phlllg1l "RIIl,j '''''''Rllruli
pnE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY 7-6'
Tatra vidya-vl'ata-snata1;t kaumara:rp. vratam asthital}. J
Samatho' kathayad rajan amurtarayasa:rp. Gayam 1117
Amiirtarayasa1;t putro Gayo rajarshisattama1;t I
pUl}.yani yasya karmal}.i tani me Sfil}.u Bharata 1118
Yasya yajfio babhiiveha bahvanno halm dakshiQa1;t I
yatrinna-parvata rajan tha I'>ahasra sal} 11 19
Gh:ritakulyas eha Dadhna& eha nadyo bahusat8s tatha I
vyafijananam plavabas eha maharhallam 1120
.Ahanyahani chap) eva111 yachataIp. sampradiyate I
Rnye cha bral'mal}.a rajal
1
bhufijate' nnaIp. BusaIpskritam. 1121
Tatra vai dakshil}.a-kale Brahlllaghosho diva:rp. gata1;t J
naoha prajiiayate kiiichid Brahmasabdella Bl,arata 11 22
PUl}.yena charata rajan bhiiddisal) khal!lllablw:-.. tathD. J
apurl}.a:ql ii:-..id bdm a tad,apyasit mahadbhutam 11 23
Yatla. sma gatha gayanti manushya Bharatarshablla I
8Lllapanail). aul hais t:ript, a debe dese sm-archasal). 11 24
Gayasya yaino ke tvadya priiJ},illo hhoktulp. ipsava1;t I
tatra bhojara-sishtasya palvatal). panchavhp.satil) 11 25
Na tat pfu'\le jallas c"hahl1.11 pa karishyanti chfipare I
Gayo yad akarod, ) ajfie rJ,jan.,Jdr 11 26
Kathan tu dcva havisha Gayena parital pital;ll
punal). sakyantyup.aCl.atum anyair dattani kanicl1it 11 27
Sikata va yatha loke yatha. va divi-tarakal,l I
yatha va varshato dhara asalikheyal). sma lenachit 1128
Tatha gal,layjtuIp. 8ak) a Ga),a-yajfiena dakshil}.a1;t I
eva:rp.vidbal). &ubahavas tas)'a yajna mahipatel).1
babhuvur aaya aarasal}. samipe Kuru-nsIldam, I: 29
GAY.!. .AND BUDDHA-GAY!'
b.
9. Gaya is a land sanctified by the :royal sage Gaya
of superb resplendence wbete stands the hill Gayasira and
Bows as well the sacnd great river Pbalgu.
IQ. This riveT i,,: !ieh in beauty from it::; hanks bedecked
with the vf canes and leaehes. And the
hill is -equally sa("!N and beautiful. leprE'senting a holy
eleT8tion of the eiirth.
H. The 'hathirg toank called B:rahn:.ar.a:ra has acquired
-san(;tit;y hum t-he leligi(.m ritt!:> of the There the
dinne sage .!gasr:.-.. waited urQn Yai'\l;!iyata. and tbere
aI&) liTed the eterr...al Dt&.nn.&raJa or Lord of Justice.
12. The eleTa-.:i('ll wn,irh is the Murce of all the :;;treams
and in th.e vicinity of which )Iahilde,a, the lwlder of
enr dweLs Qc. tne sr,ot ""here the valiant mOTed
a l)(JUt olJi''r.llig tho: (L atumasya rite (the Cl:'l'eIDony lasting
for four Dlontohs
i
.
13-U. Aks'haya,8\J. the 1.allyan tr\::,. tlpri,es
its greatLess frUlli the great Ba.crif.cia1l)er:olmal ces of the
J.tishis. The ofieling of wOT::;hip to d.eities at its iOl,t bears
imperishable fruits. There they (the PiilJ.Qavas) OlJseI'\"ed
thp. holy faRt with perfec-t composure of miLd, und there
thronged also one hundred Brahmins, who revelled in the
wealth of penances.
15. When the rite ,,'as beinC1 ob&erwd in
- 0
accmdance with the ]?rescriptioEs of the sages) the Brah-
mins well-wrsed in the Yeuas and advanced in learning
an,} ... gaw currer..cy tQ the sacred, traditio. of gte&t
m'E"!:.. in prliament assembled. J
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 77
16. There Samatha, accomplished in learJ'lJng and
devoted. to celibacy, narrated, 0 king! the following story
of Gay!'., the son of .Am:urtarayas.
17. Hearken, 0 lordl to what I say of the holy deeds
done by Gaya, the best of royal sages, the son of Amlirta-
rayas.
18. It was here that he performed a sacrifice in course
of which he freely distributed abundant food. and liberality,
. ar..d ill corsequcTIce theI e aIOse hundreds and thousands of
heaps of food.
19. The clarified butter and. curd flowed in hundreds
of streams and the streams of dainty curries counted by
thousands.
20. People streamed in, day in day out, to ask for
alms and Were made fully satiated. The Brahmins among
the guests were served with highly pure dishes.
21. When the fees were being distributed to the Brah-
mins, the shouts of victory uttered by them reached the
sky, and everythiI g else sank oeneath the utterance of the
holy words of the Veda.
22. When those acts of merit were being done, the earth,
the quarters, the oceans and the sky resollTIded with that
sound and there were some 1l11llsual happellings to signaIise
the event.
23. The people at large being sumptuously fed and
entertair.ed, went from countq to country and sang in
praise.
. 24. Who is there of the animal world desirous of enjoy-
ing a reJlast of the residues of food of which there are no
fewer than twenty-five hills
GA.Y.! AND Bt'T}}DHA GAY.x
25. No monsl .n.tncr did fiT will du ..... bat the Toyal &age
Gaya of glory- tlf'tually pt'11Cl'lm( at
of tbis sacrifice.
How if, it pm,sihle inr othefE> to gratii: the godr: ",it],
their (Jiferings jn thp Jrul.llIleI jll 'Wh]('h (';Ryf: vin lrith the
B of ghee ?
27. Gaya'fl gifts in fhe sacyjfce "'..-le countlesf-
as the starf\ in llea,en 8n0 Bards in the eatl! cm r1 tbe drnps
of rain during heavy ,;hoW'erR.
28. 0 scion of thl.:' nu!us p.n ''1l-'Je the (t'It'-
monies of tb.e F-acrifice InPr1f' 11:;;" Ring (;a: I in tht> n('lrity
of the tank (BTahmaf,an. \.
9. CHA.RACTERISATION OF THE EPl( YERSIOX
Read vdth leference to thi:; COllt"':ri, the Great Epic
version of the Euloghun places GaYh as a jJlace of Hindu
pilgdruage intelIDeiliah' 'betweHl Benares and
Benares, the capital of the aLCient kingdom of KUi and
Rajag!ih.a, the capital of the ancient kkgd<llU of lIagadha.
The prominent ratural features of Gaya proper are repre-
sented by the hill Gaya blla and the great rh'er Phalgu.
The Gaya-mahiitmya in the Pura:t;laR clearly distinguishes
lJetvieell the Phalgu dnd thl;l 1Iahanadi or )Iohana riwr.
But as the great Ep!C' haR it, the distinction is wouded
in obscurity. The to}lographical desc-ription in the Epif'
palpably Rhow!' that the whole region of the holy laud ex-
tended !rUlll Dharmara:r;tya. sacred to Dharmaraja or Yama.
dow1/. tQ DhaHnaprastha. r:.acl'ed to Dharma or :Buddha,
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 79
and sacred to lliahm8. It lllay safely
concluded from this that Dharmaprastha and Brahmarthana
of the Epic signify no other tract than of the
the DharmaraJ;lya of the "Epic beiLg a totally
different area. occupyir.g. as it tloes .the Lortllel"Lmost sit(>
of the present town where the tl'iO hills Freta sila and R iima-
sill are sitr;ated. It" ill h:' seen that the Epie account
locates in DharlllaprS&tII3: just as the Y1iyu-Pural}.a does in
Dhatmaralfya. the called Dhalma ahd the
h.ermitage as well. The Epic makes 110 meution
of lIatanga,api. uf whiLh so much is said in t1e Pur al).8s.
whereas it ex:vre&s!y recummends bathing in the waters of
the wells alone (k1'ipodalm l. .As a matter of fad. the Epic
refers to JUst one sacred t,ank, the Brahmasara. in the whole
region of Gaya, m:d locates the l5ame by Dhannaralfya.
The later Gaya-mahiitmya, howe,er. locates Brahmaktll).Qa
at the base of Freta Sila, and cOLsequently We ha,e little
difficulty in identifying the rocky region of Pretasila with
the DharmaraI?-ya of the Epic. The Epic description of
Brahmayiipa lea,es no room for doubt that it was a sort
of a post-like strueture oyerlookiug the BrahmRsara, which
the pilgrim was expected to circumamlmlate. The rttara-
mar.asa aL.d such other tanks, brought to our notice by the
Puri1plS, have no place in the Epic, aud we Beed not be
BUlprised at that knomng peIfectly well from tl\e inscrip-
tions that these Were later excavations, the eXCayatiolls of
the Pala period. It is interesting to note that the Epio
version takes into account 110 other trees than these two :
(1) the iamous Akshayavata, ulldyir..g banyan, and (2) the
so
GAY!. AND BUDDHA-GAY!'
G:ridhravata, banyan marking the hill, sacred
to Lord Siva. We mean that the Epic does not refer at all
to the Bo-tree A8'vattha. Further, the Epic gives the total
of the Gaya hills as twenty-five paiiohavi1'rl,satiM,
and fancifully alludes to numerous streamlets like the
Ghritakulya and the Dadhikulya. As regards the central
region, besides the hill Gayasi!a, the river Phalgu and other
saCTed sights l:oticed above, the Epic draws our attention
to the figure of a bull (wishaMadhvaja) installed near the
phallic symbol of the god Siva on the hill, to
a neW site known as Savitripada, and to another called
Dhenuka where the pilgrim was to pay his worship to Tila-
dhenuka, a ourious basalt rock bearing the hoofmarks of
grazing cows. Acoordingly, the Dhenuka or Tiladhenuka
of the Epic is no other than Goprachara of the later Gaya-
mahatmya and Goshpada of the current tradition. The
Gaya proper, as known to the Epic, if; essentially a
place sacred to Yama-DharmaraJa, Brahma and Siva-siili.
VishJ}.u or Vaishnavism has llO place in it, either as a
name or as an idea' It legitimately follows, therefore,
that not to speak of the legends of Gadiidhara,
Gayasura, Gadasura ar..d other later demoniac develop-
ments in the PuraJ;las, even VjshJ}.upada or footprint
of Vishl;t.u, the earliest installation of VishJ;lu 'Worship, js
simply out of the question. With the singular exception
of Brahmayupa we find no allusion to any structural erec-
tion, nor can We meet with any icomc suggestion save the
phallic symbol of Siva and his sacred bull (vrishabhadhvaja).
In connection with Dharmapra stha, however, the Ep-:c extols
the merit of touching Dharma (Dlwrmam abhisa'l'foSprisya),
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
81
whioh would be m.eaningless if not interpreted as signifying
an image of the Buddha. If this interpretation of Dharma
gains ground, it will be important to mark that the l1pio
Eulogium is post-KusbiiJ;la, i.e., posterior in date to the
iconic representatiGll of the Buddha. Our Epic authority
has nothing whatever to say about t,b,e decay of the place
and the miseries of the Brahmins of Gay1i. or the curse of
Brahma as alleged in the later Eulogium, to have brought
them. about. On the contrary, the episode of the royal sage
Gaya, son of Amurtarayas
1
and of his famous sacrifice
reads in the glowing letters of prosperity. Again, there is
no fantastic attempt at deriving the name of the city of
Gaya from King Gaya and the name of Gayakshetra from
the Demon Gayasura. The spelling of the name of the main
hill is markedly Gayasira, and not Gayiiira. Although the
Gaya of the Epic is a holy land for the Hindu pilgrims to
offer the cakes of rice to the departed ancestors, no great
emphasis is yet laid on the importance of the particular
cerem.ony and of the officia tillg priests neither.
10. GAYA IN THE
The presents a scanty account of a Gaya,
built at Chamatkarapmu in the holy land of Hatakesvara
within the kingdom of Anarta in imitation of the original.
It speaks in high praise of the footprint of
1 Gaya, name of a bon of PlabJ. Rig. Veaa X 63 17, X 69. 16, Ait. Br.
V. 2. 12; (said to know Athalva I 14 4; descendant of Atlland ol.uthor of
RV. Y. 92. 19; a ,aja/slll, T, HI, IV, IX, XIII, Ramallan II: Bon of
AmiirtaraYjB, ltIbh. Ill, VII, XII; of JJIM I 360; of a Manu, Ba,ivarMa
880, Bhiigavata Pmiinn Il; of Ha,idhdnR, Hallt'a 73; of Vitatba, Haliva. 1732;
of Sudyumna, IIaliva 631; ctt'.
11
82
GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAYA
VishJ;,lU, ens11.rilled 011. tll.e weRt side of tIle (lity as well as of a
Vishl;1upad
i
-Ganga, a sacred stream fiowillg to the west of
that imitation Gaya.
1
The river is called VishI;lupadi for the
simple reason that it washed tIle site (If the holy footprint
of Vishnu. In add.ition. it alludE's to n, Gnyasira 01' Gaya-
hill on the east and to a mango trce, descrihing all
of these as places for o:fl;erillg The main interest
of this PuraI)a account licR in the fact tlU\. t it definitely con-
nects the representation of YishI)u'R footprint with the
Vedic astronomical allegory of tripMCl'cikmma of VishI).u.
1I
It may be easily imagined that when Gara came to enjoy
high prominence in the religious thought and. practice of the
Hindu peoples, specially as a place of pilgrimage for offering
oblations to the dead ancestors and the people of far distant
regions like Anarta found it difficult to lwdertake such an
arduous journey and the offering of at Gaya came
to be regarded as a foremost. religious duty of a Hindu,
the kiIlg of the land dcemerl it exped.ient to provide a con-
venient substitute for the holy place within eaRY reach.
11. GAY.! IN THE BOOKS ON RITUAL
A number of Prayogas 01' Books on Gaya ritual were
compiled in comparatively recent times as coptaining ples-
criptions for the guidance of Hindu pilgrims at Gaya.
NarayaI)a Bhatta's and MaI)i-
1 Skanda-Pura'lJ(I, lI'af/Qlu.kkarula, Ch. XIX, verses 25-36.
2 Bkanda-Put(1)O, Nafjota-l.1ia1)da, Ch_ XXIV, verses 7-8 :
Valirvatldllo yada !ena Vi8h?mnil PHlbAa- VisA1).unii I
tadii kramair tlibhir vyapta'l/l- hUllol.ya'l/l- sacllariic1iaram 11
kshelre 8annyos!a{1 p,atllamu{i I
3 San,,1crilllIS., Asiatic E>ociety oC l>engal, 1II. D. 26.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 89
rima's Gayiiyiit"t'ii-prayoga
1
may be taken as typical specimens
of these ritualistic compositions, all of which are based upon
the Gaya-eulogium in the Pur aJ?,a s. These works bear out
nothing but the overwhelming importance of the funeral
rites at Gaya in modern Hindu life. The interest of these
works lies also in the fact that they have so interpreted the
Blolca of the Gaya-miihatmya relating to the pilgrim's func-
tion at Bodh-G-aya that tIlE' worship has been transferred
from tIle Buddha to Vis]ll;lU, the Bo-tree itself being repre-
sented as a living manifebtation o{ the Hinclu triad.
2
12. GAY A IN BUDDHIRT LITERATURE
Gaya as known to the Buddhists is both a populous
place fl.ll(l a f>anctorum (tittha),3 and as such it corres-
ponds to Gayapuri (the city of Gaya) of the Gaya-mahatmya
in the Vayu-Pural).H. that is to say. to the Gaya proper
representing anta?,-Uayii. the innermost zone of Gayakshetra
(the entire regioll of (hlya). 1'hough in a political sense
Gaya formed all lllt<'grn 1 p:ut 0 f the kingdom of .l\fagadha
(Magadha-ra ttha), 4 Jl'om a t'cligious (muy br, albo from a
fiscal) point of view, howen'1'. Gayiilcflhetl'H anel. lUngadha-
kshetra were two distillC't l' egiolls or circles. The GaIlges
constitutetl. t.he l1<ltUJ'll 1 diyjflillg liJle lletweell tIle two king-
1 &'nBT.:ri' MI:J , Sopjpt, of Hl'rgal, Ill. D 27, folio 17.A.
a ElOOh'b Note all BadllGaga, Arclloological 8nrveg of India, Annual Report Jor
1908-9, W. l:ill:i:!.
3 Paramaltlwjolikil. Yol 11, I'. 311l : (iaya I1 gamo J,i titll,am 1'; IJllcllrlloti. Imlllbl1oyom
pt idTla vat/ati. (f. Ud4naOo7IwI6'I(aIY, Siameb6 edition. p. 94. in
his Sarattlltl'-Jl<li,dojni, SiamcH' Eel. Pnrt J, p. 353, tales Oayi to mean just the
Gayiigiiflla '!I
Pmamatthadipani, 'l'leligiilMCo6t7lltnla7Y, 1'. 225: lIIagadharatf/16 Bodhima'I)iJa.
(lUJtln.'b Ed.). Ch. X\ H, p 309: Gaga.
GAY! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
doms of Kasi and Magadha, and Gaya has necessarily been
located, precisely as in the Great Epic, between the holy
city of Benares on the one hand and Magadhakshetra on
the other. The Gorathagiri (Barahnl' group of hillsl) which
is noW' included in the 8a<lar &ubdiyisioll of the Gaya district
formed in the good old day::! of the :Jlahabharata the western
border-line of 1\IagadhakRhetra (the holy region of JUagadha),2
From a similarity of topographical del'.(,l'iptions
chetiya (Rocky-shrill e) of Bmldb.ist litl'lature appears to
have been identical either w!th the Gorathagil'i itse}f3 or
some other hill near al)out. The entire holy region which is
designated GarakRhetra ill the later Gaya-lll1ih1itmya and
in some of the BrahD1.llllical works on is divided
evidently in Buddhist literature il1to tl\e three tracts of
Gaya, Nadi and "C"ruYeHi (L"ruvilva of the Buddhist Sanskrit
texts). Of these, Gaya finds its llame and identity in the
present city of Gaya. while the names of Radi and Druvela
are at present confined. ) ebpectively to two small villages,
namely, Nadi situated in the north on the edge of an old
ohannel of the live)' HOll.4 am\ Urel l'Iituated in the south,
"situated at a distance of about half a mile to the south
1 Scc JBUR8, '01. 1, P.ut lJ, I'. 1(j2, fOI JackbOn'& idcntifitulioD (Jf OOlathagili
or GOl'adhllgilllllcntJOned 111 tIle lliithlgUlIlphJ. lUbClil,tlOn of and in the
Mah:ibhdlata \Hth tllC help DJ hlO
2 1llu1Iiib"iirat(/, I1, 19,30 :
G(Jlu/1ta!lt yill'm {lIM!f" c7'rvlI;ul J.1JayarT1lQm 1
lulUm
.
The point h all-o III ua'b Old B,iih,,,i ltlbcriplic,tJ8, 1'1>' 224 fall.
Pumnlatlila.ioll/.ii, Yol IT, p. ;;b3: Jla(Jadl,all,etle l'iiBu'(IaLa.cltetillu'IJl. The
point i, III llarua'" Olel Blalt'lti pp. 227-228.
OriCll>OIl'b lIulLb Olt tile jJlb/lid uf (/a'lla. p. 9: "Mr. llourdillon, C. S. ghee aB an
.. dultional pluuf that the \lll.,ge Xadi, on the edge of onc of these old channclb, now
IODle ten floln the neolr<>,t )loint of the Son, is D1cntioned in some exceedingly
old and dOtuDlcntb of the }JoHu w,pife BS lIadi-ba.[ab.!.
dw
V
ii
Kadi on
tile Sonc urinL.. "
PRE-BUDDHIKTIO HISTORY
85
of the temple at Boclh GayB.. "2 tIw ancient name and identity
of Urel being represented by Senanigama
1
on the bank of
the river Neranjara or Nairai'ijana. If such were the geo-
graphical distrihution of the three tracts. Nadi cannot but
be the northern
2
lTruvela the sOl,thern and Ciaya the central
in their respective po&itiol1f!, Nadi oordeliIlg an old channel
of the flon; Uruvela the Nilajan
3
and Gaya the Phalgu.
As a matter of fact. the clivi&ioJ) of the Gara region into
three tracts is but an illferellCe fro11l the name& of three
Kassapa hrotherf! Nadi-Kaflbapa and
Gaya-Kassapa. Iamouf, ab leaders of the Jatila asceticfl.
This inference regarding tIle thloe tracts and their geo-
graphical pOf>itiollb is amply bupported 1Iy Buddhaghosha
in his commentary on the Ailguttala-Nlldiya w11ere We read
that UlllVela-Kab&apa eame to he kno,,-n as &ueh from his
turning an ascetic at Uruvela.4. that Nadi-Kafl.,apa derived
his distinctive de&ignation from hi& turniIlg an aflcetic at a
place near the hend of a }\fahaganga or GrE'at river,6 and
that Gaya-Ka&&apa &imilarly owed hi& appella.tion to his
turuing an ascetic Oll tIle GayasirsIlu hi1l.6 Barring the
1 Mojjllll1la-N'1..ii1J{(, VoI 1, 11 lOG' 1 ena ['Illtela Sen[migmll{( U J'l7luya
1) 21
I Hw,n Tllsang Ioc,ltcb the tl,llt of Kadi to thL bOllth of G,l:l' a, and the Bdme
location 18 bllggcbted 111 thL 1'111 a 11ft .l1ahawggCl.
Cf VU/alia 11lClluitagga, p, 1 UIt!f,e/ii!Jam ,,,llalah lI<ljja Jlelaii.iolall" tile
See fOl othCI rcfclencc
q
, JVanolatha-pula7!/, &talllCSC Ed. l'mt I, 1) 324. 1'1'llltlClIU gUlIltfl 101 pabboJ3u'l/l
Unttela-Ka88apo 1101lla 3010
& .Vanolatlla piilanl, bl.llllesl Ed. l',ut 1, p. 324 lIlCllu;galtgiinucliW7I!e pabLCl3110
A'udiKa88apo lIii1llU jato But DhalmapaId. In Ius TlleI0giitlll'i-CoDlmentaIY (hI'
P&al'nl8 of tlte B,et/lIen by Bins I" 19b), tltat Nadi Kassnpa enteled
on a ltelDnt'.Jtfe on the banls of tLc In er Neu!.llJRIB.
G 111I1/,OIal1la 1,ulum, l.:d Part I. p 324 GUllii6i8e pabba3110 Gayii-Ka8Bapo
lliilllCl3ato
86
GA Y.A AND BUDDHA-GA YA
fact that Nadi was at the tjme of Budcllla's enlightenment
an important centre of Jatila activity. one wi1llook in vain
for geographical details in Buddhist literaturp.
Concerning Gaya OUI' fint il1fOl'nlatiOl1 is tb.at it was
a great celltre of the actiyitif's (If the Jatilas with Gaya-
at their he-ad. Thf' Gayasi],l'hn hill formed
then, as now, the rhief JaIldmal'k of f-i-aya propf'l'. and,
as we have in some of t]le Bnr1<1.hil't workc;. lent its
name as well to the ac1.;oining TI1C' scll.Oliasts
have sought to aCcolmt for the of His hm by
the resemblance of itR top to the RJwpe of an elephant's
head.
l
From this it followi! tll.at in thpil' opinion tIle correct
spelling of the namo wouJd lJe or Gayasira
which is a phonetical equi"mlellt of the- "-01'd ga}osll'slw or
gajas1m.
2
The truth of tldR suggeRtiol1 iR pm tly bone out
by the spelling Gayasirr nH't "'ith i}1 the ::Ual\ahMirata
and Yaska's Nirukto. In JitrrntuTe' tIleI'D is
no attempt to (I,('l'iyc the l1amc pf the city of Gaya
from King Gaya that of th(' ('lltiI(, Gura l'egioll
from Gayasura. The ('1I.p]Hl.atjoll ofiel eel loll'> f,jmple as
it is natural. Whether we acc('llt it or not. it if> certain
that the hill presents the appearance of a RittlIlg elephant.
The same also holds good. in the caMe of tlte hould.er on the
top of the Preta sila hill. And curio"us]y enough. the centre
from whicl"\ the Paiichakro si Gaya js llow-a-c1ays measured
..is a figure of an elephant ill H.e prechlch; of the Yh;lwupada
1 Siameee Ed .. Part lIT, p. ?: GoyiiBiEIl7liinaAo ho!t1,,/!.7I1I1a
Il"liao p#tMl'fz&rlllo Tdiil,a.CtI,7nClIta1!1' f:i8Wefe Ed. p. !.'4: G'azti8iae 11 (a,;II'ia-
III1disa8ikharo tattha el,o pobiJato G'ayiisia1,iimolo.
9 As for the change of j into y, ef. lIijo=niya (1<aral.liyl.Metta,Sut\a. :'-uttn
Nipiita.).
PRE-BUDDIDSTIC HISTORY
87
temple. Gaya In'oper had then alTeady been renowned as a
place of pilgrimage where lmthillg in the Gaya tank (Gayar
pokkltara'IJi) and the Gaya river (Gaya-naai) was believed
to have hf'en of sPN1ial mm'it as a means of washing away
sins and impmitiefl. Of all the l'iverR ,,-here people hathed
to get 1 id: of their p,inR flllc1 impurities. the Gaya standR out
in an old PaH ronplrt aR the rhi.ef.1 And whatever be the
merit of BuddhaghoRha 'f( eXIJlanation of the word Pltaggll
occurring in this couplet, there iR a clear hint at the identity
of the Gaya liYer with the Phnlgu.
2
The Pali commentaries
locate the Gara tallk (which Budclhaghosha calls .Mat;tQ.ala-
vapi
3
) llot far from the populous part of Gaya, which
is to say, ill the vicinity of a1ld near the approach to
Gaya proFer.
4
FlOlll this location it is evident that the
Gaya tank of Buddhist literature is no other than the
Brahmasara of 1he l\fahuhharata. There is another
very striking point of ngree111t'nt hetween the two accounts.
1 J.lla,ijMltla.Xikrllj(l, Yol. I, rattltiil'ama.Sufla. Thc S8YCn thers mentioned
therein are Biihukii, .'\.dhil,a1,1,5, Ca) d, S\md,uil,u. iiga and Biihumati.
Of these, the Bahu1.i[ is the same li,"er a& the Biihudii of the llInbiib1lulnta, lIT. 84.07.
The identity of the .<\dlu1m1d,ij and the TI;ihlllllatii
Q
yet to be established. The
Gaya is no other than the l'ha1gu, allhOllgh "ould ta1,c it rat1ler
to signHy the tank called hmdnlil,ii is a Jiver ill Kosala.
The Payiig,\ mUSh be t.11.('n to mean the tOllfiucnrr of the Ganges and the Jumna.
As for the cf. lIIbh, HI, 84. U4: 8afllii8iidya tarpayel
pitridevatafi. The &peda1 sanctity cd by the Oayiitittha may be traced in the
emph laid 011 it in tht' c:>.l,le ion ](;rp l..lilwsi Gnuatp, uanllfi? BuddlulghoshlL in
his PalJaiicl!",.Stlr{a1li. Bd., Palt 1. p. 147. accounts for this emphasis by tlle
ILcknowledged of it to othe". in l,oini of snnctity (YasfIlii clla loke
Gaya 8altlmatlalii).
B lIIajjMlIla-Xikft!ln, l"attlliil,olllaSutla: ,'1ttclillW88<1 te aaila 1'110(/(/'/1,. Cr. TIlera.
giithii, VeISeq 21>7, 245 ; Gayiiyarp Gayii.I'lw(/f/uyu.
a Papaiic1w811ilani. Sinme&e Ed, Palt I, p. 14:i. 'I'he reading in thl' Siamese
edition is Jla'!)Ijala.t'ulJi ('f. S{ualflta jlaW8l?lf, f;iamcsc Ed., Part JII, p. 7. where
the tank is lcfclled to M n pol.-klu/1a!!i,
, Paramatthajolil.ii, ,"01. II, p. 3l11: la"B<I giimasBc/ 811f1I'pe at'id6rc dt'iira8Qtllil'll.
86 GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAYA
fact that Naoj was at the time of Buclcllla's enlightenment
an important centre of Jatila activity. one will look in vain
for geographical details in Buddhist literatur(>.
Concerning Gaya OU1' first inf01'mation is t:bat it was
a great centre of the activities of tJlo Jatilas witl, Gaya-
at their h(>ail. The- Gay::isjrRba IlilI formed
then, as now, the cllief lalldmaJ'k of 1))'01'<'1'. and,
as We have in some of the- Bnc1c1Jlif>t ,yorks. lent its
name as well to the aclioining IOCR lity TI1(> Pall scholiasts
have sought to account for the nomenclature- of His Ilill by
tbe resemblance of itb top to thc R}mpe of an elephant's
head.
1
From tbis it folloW's tbat 1n tbeir opi11ion the correct
spelling of the name W'ould be GayaRi\'f>ha or Gayasira
which is a phonetical equivalent of the word qa}nSi1"slla or
gajasira.
2
The truth of tJllS bUgge-Stj()]l iq pm tly uorne out
by the speJIing Gllyabira DIrt 1'IitJl ill tlHc' 1\TaJ,abbarata
and. Yaska's Nirukta Tn BudclJlj::,t 1 itrl'flhn c thero js
no attempt to oe1'i\"o the 1 ame of the city of Gaya
from King Gaya and nut of tllP elJtlll' Gaya region
from Gayabura. The e1>.plal.utioll ofl:('J cd if., Hf> bi111ple as
it is natural. Whether ""e accept it or not, it ie; certain
that the hill presents the appearance Ol a &itting elephant.
The same also holos goorl in the ca::,e of the hould.er on the
top of the Freta sila hilL And curjously en011g]1. the centre
from wbicl\ the Paiichakro Gaya is 1l0w-a-c1ayo llleflsured
is a figure of an elephant ill the preCi}lctf> 0:1: the Vh;hl,mpada
1 SafaUhappalu8lni, blalneee :Cd. Part lIT, 1'. 7 GayiiBieari'itl ala 7 a Itfllh'?!1U a
I4di8a piIt
1l1
pii&u'Ilo T'diina CO'lI?nentalY F-J8JT1Cee Ed, r !?4: Gatii8ib!'11 (I(I7(/'1ea
8O.dl8a-8ilJialo tattllD do pabbato GayasiEUllti?!1alo.
I As for the change of j into y, cf 111ja-=niya (Kalal1iyii.:Metta.l'-utln,
Nipiita)
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
87
temple. Gnya 111'oper had then already been renowned as a
place of pilgrimage where hnthillg in the Gaya tank (Gaya.
ana the oaya river (Gaya-nadi) was believed
to have heen of HpP(11al merit aR a means of washing away
sins aml imptl1 i.tieR. Of a 11 rivers where people bathed
to get lift of thpir :;'.inR and impmitieR. the stands out
in an old Pall rouplet nR the chi.ef.1 And ,,-hatever he the
merit of explnnation of the word Phaggll
occurring in this couplet, there iR a clear hi.nt at the identity
of the Gaya riyer "'ith the Phnlgu.
2
The Pali commentaries
locate the Gaya tallk (",hieh Bud<1haghosha calls Ma:Q.c;i.ala-
vapi
3
) ]Jot far from, tlw populous part of Gaya, whioh
is to say, in the yicinity of nlln neRr the approach to
Gaya proper.
4
From this location it is evident that the
Gaya tank of Buddhist literature is no other thnn the
Brahmasara of the l\fan.ahharatu. There is another
very striking point of agreement between the t,,o accounts.
1 JlajjMlfla-Xildiyrt, Y"l. r. l"attluip<l1l1(l.SlIlla. se'l"rn riYers mcntionell
therein arc Biihukii, Adhiknl,l,u. Gll) n, l3undaIiI,ii. Barasfati, iiga and BiihuDlati.
Of these, the 13ahukU is the samc li,'cr as thc Bdlmuii of thc lIIahiibhihata, 111.84. 67.
The identity of the .-\dIIllmld,;;' find the Buhul1lotiis to be established. The
Ga.yii. is no othel' than the l'halg\l. although Bmldhnghosha 'IIould talc it mtller
to signify the t(ll1k called lIIm)c)1l1a,:il'i. 'Jllc 8undnril,i\ is a liYcr in KOBala.
The Payaga !Dust be takcn to the confluence of tile Ganges and tile Jumno..
As for the cL l\Tbh, HI. 84. (;4: Barasl'alil}1 Ba'miisadya tarpayet
pifi(itieva!iilh The spcdal sanctity cd b) the Gayiitittha may be traced in tile
emph sis laid all it in the cXl.l'c5fion lliT(t kiill(lsi Gayaf}'! uanlt-ii? Bucldllaghosba in
his Papaii.cTla-8,it!a1,i. hialllcsc Eel., Pm'! L p, 147, acconnts for this emphasis by the
aoknowledged of to in point of sanctity (Yaslllli clla lake
Gaya Ballllnatlarii)_
B Jlajjhillw-lYikiiyu, l"altldipallla.Butla: Rl/ddlll/8-9a ,'C Bac1/i Pl1U(J(JlI. Cf. TTlera.
gatliii, verses 287, 245; Gayiiya'l11 Gayii-PlwUfruyii
PapanclwMidani, Ed., rmt I, p, 140. The reading in the Sinml'llc
edition is llIa'!Iclala.t'iipi. CL S(mUlIO-pakasilli, Siamese Ed" Part JII, 1'.7, wbere
the tank is 1 cfclJ'cd to fimply ns 0 poH'Twlr1 !Ii,
, Paramall"ajatil.ii, Yo1. 11, p, 301: tU8Srt gii11lQ88a samipe al'idfre dtilrasQfllike.
88
GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
We have seen that the Mahabharata alludes to a post or
tower-like erection called Brahmayiipa ()wrlooking the
tank Brahmasara. Happily we get jn the Buddhjst works
an earlier allfl more defillite aCCOUl(t of thif> erection on the
bank of the Gara tank, a]1(l curiously enough, t,11e erection
has been repre&ented only as a Yakf:>ha ahode or Yaksha
templel in the bhape ot a raibed platfOlID standing like a
watch-towel' The commentaries explain
the word ta'J'll-kitn-1Ilaiic7trt as signifying a stoM-edifice
built by rivetting a flat hlock to four high walls forming
a hollow quadrangle.
3
The in&ide of thiR antique
tower was believed to have been the abode of a yakkha
(demon) llamed Siichiloma (the Needle-halled),4 while t.he
outside served M a haunt of another yakkhct known by the
name of Khara (t,he Brick-scaled or Rough-skillned).5 It
may be easily imagined. that when Brahmanib111 got a loot-
hold at Gaya ,it missed no olJportunity of givihg the Gaya
tank the dignified name of Brahmasara and christening
as Brahmayupa the lithic structl1IC with an abOl'iginal
halo a hout it.
The Pali scholiasts suggest a curious explanation of the
name Phaggu (Skt. Phalgu) as applied to the main liver of
1, 2 Ba'l/iyuJta.Sikaya, PUIt I, Yal,-llw&'l/iyutla, 3; Slllla-Nipala, Stickiloma.
But/a: TalT,/.iialllaficlle Siicllilmll(. ral.l.lla blww1iC But d. z: diina, p. 4 : .tljakalii-
pa1.:a.clletiY8 Ajal.aliipal.assa ya1.7.1IUs$({ blwUIrI8
a Barat!happakihini, bmmc-c Ell, PInt J, p, 353: ,!,Uttll,tUl)'1a?1che'ti di!Jlla1/laiicha.
p4de 1flajjhe tdjj1litrJii. allalliyii pateaelvii 1.:alaIl1aiiche. tas'a ida1tl IIl-ati tdu7/t hetllta ti
7l'a!l1ti. Tall'. devaU1trme thapenti chlJtlllmam p08unU1IU1[Io upm i p08finam
kata!/elw.lfI- pi f
al
/
1
kita1l1uncho'ti l'lIchchati. PUIa1l1attllajotilca, Vo1 n, p. 301 : chatutlnafll
2J
1l3a
l
1
iill(l711 lpal i 1Iit/hcllull1o ptibunal1l alOplta Aalo plt8iinomldicllO
_ .'Yiiratthu112Jul.ii81t1i, 6iamesc: Ed., I, p. 3.13 : 1Ia88U sulala-eutilUl}1 1. a tl!i7la
allcTlIlu !/amchclLltul!!. ""ya. PQla1l1attha-Jot,Lu, lJ, p 302: Siic]lllrmt IIii &itJ,ilot/lo
'IJ"UhQ Sce 01
0
0 J3nl'H\ and blnha's Bll/hut No. 177.
Harua and f,mhas Bar]lUt h'oCl!.pIiQI18, Ko, 177
PRE-BUDDHISTIC mSTORY 89
Gaya. The master commentator Buddhaghosha 'Would have
us believe that the word Pllaggu is just a shortening of
PliaggufJ-a-nakkhatta
1
(Phalrftmi-nak871atra), the asterism
called PhagguJ;la or Phaggl1ni which is prominent in
the month bearing its name, we mean t.he month of
PhaJgl1na correspol_dirg to March-April of the English
calendar.
2
The orientation of Buddhpghos:h.a's ex-
planation can be SllT-pliul, Dc.m the rdara a:r..d its
commentary, 1:0 less from the commentary on
the Sutta-Nipata. Accordirg to t.he LTdiira text., there
was to be found every year in tb.e first eight days at
the termination of the al1tlimn sl:d winter seasons a
large concourse of matted-hair ascetics (the Jatilas)
at Gaya during the life-time of the Brc.c.ha.
3
Dharmapala
in his commelltsr), OlJ tho vdfil a, spccj(S the tjme as being
the termination of the wider with the close of the month
of Magha (Fcb.-l\.Jmch) and larging oyer the first eight
days of the followirg month of fhii'guna '",h<'l1 dew does
not disappear at the e.dyent of the fplirg season.' The
information supplied in the Sutta-Kipaia con-mentary
deepens the impression created l)y the "Cdalla text and
commentary about the impol tance of Gaya at this particuJar
season. Instead of dcscl'iuing the large corcotllse as all ex-
clusive assemblage of the matted-hair ascetjcs, the Sutta-
Nipata commentary giYes us to leam that it embraced
1 Papaiiclia-siidani, Siamese Ed., Part I, p. 246: Pllaggiiti Phagg'U!la-nal.Hattnm
em. For justification of 13uddbaghoshn's [xplanaticll, cf. ,eIHS 287,
346 : Gayiiya'lf' Gayii-phagg'Uyo..
I Papaiicha-Sildatli, Siamese Ed., PaIt 1, p. 250: Vllalap],ag{j'Utla-clitaae.
9 Udiinfb p. 6. So also at Uruveli, see Vinaya-lJ[al.iit'agga, I. 15, p. 3l.
Vdiina-Oommentary, p. 96: Remanta88a utuno aUl.aniarabMite 1I10g1la1l108(1E'"
ava8iine clullliiro Pllagg'Utlamii8aBsa iidimhi /tifllajiiiaMlale.
12
90
GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
multitudes of piJgrims hailing from ilifierent directions of
the country and thronging to render the sacred site a positive
nuisance with their spittings ard similar other filthyexcre-
tions.
1
Thus it may be proved that Gaya as a place of pilgrimage
had then already been as widely reIl owned as it is to-day.
Once we admit this, the suggestion of Prof. HaraJlrasad
Sastri that Gaya 'Was even five or six centuries back a Hindu
holy place of relatively fmaU importarce los,s much. if rot
all, of its force.
Of the three distinctive features given by Buddhaghosha
to Gaya, viz., the Gaya tank, the Gays. Tlver and the Gaya-
slrsha hill,! We have so far dealt at some le! gth with the
first two. NoW' concerning the Gayasirsha hill, we have
aJready noticed that it formed the chief landmark of and
lent its name to the adjoining locality of Gays.. We have
also noted that it derived its name from the likeness of its
summit to the shape of an elephant's crOWn, Gayasisa or
Gajasisa. There is no cleaT indication in Buddhist litHa-
ture of the direction in which the hill stood in relation to the
locality. "Not-far-from the locality of Gayit (GayiigiimassQ
avidure)," as suggested in the Buddhist works, is guilty of
vagueneqs. A right reading of the Buddhist texts leads us,
however, to understand that an onlooker from the top of
1 Paramattlia;otikii. n, p. 301 : 'IlQ.'Iliidi8iifo 8a'll'llipatitiillaf!! ;a'llalBa lkela-Ei'l{gl ii?)i.
pi taf/!. titt1.appaaf8a'lf/. 'lle
TherGgiithii-Oommentory records (Soe P8alms of the Brethren by Mrs. Rhya Davids,
p. 181): "At that time the people held a festival every year in the former half of March
(PhagguJPL). and a baptizing at tho bathing stage (tittli4bhi8eka), the festival being
called the Gayii.-Lent {Gallii-Phao(1'U)."
S SiirattkappalilBini. Sia.m.ese Ed., Pa.rt III, p. 7: Gaya'li aka pokkharatli-pi, atthi
fI4/.Iipi, Gayii.8isaniimako lialtllikumbTiaaadiBO pilthipliBii'!lO.

this hill could haye a sight of the peopl(l bathing in the
Gaya river, which is to sny that the hill stood
overlooking the river.
1
Again, the Pali seholia8t8
record that there was to be seen on the top of this hill
a large block of stone affording seats for a thousand
persons.
2
Here it is important to observe that Buddhii\t lit(ll'atUl'l'
is far from representing the as n 8pel'ial pincl.'
for offering pi1JcJa for the release of the dead fOl'l;'fath('l'R
from the spirit life; nor does it accord prnminrl1l'p
to the Gayasirsha hill as a flanctornm for thr same purpose.
All importance, 011 the other hand, attarhE.'s to th\' tnnk
and the river, the waters of Wl1ich \Wl'e belieyrd to have beeu
of immensepurifyingefiicacy. It iH fo1' the solitary pnrpo",c
of performing ablutions in the holy \mterA of the tank and
the river that people at large, he they ascetieH or honse-
holders, thronged there annually from all (llwrterH dming
last four days of Magha and first four dnys of Phalgullll.
With regard to the matted-hair ascetics who permnnrlltl;.
dwelt there, we read, however. that they llsed to pt'l'fol'D1
ceremonial ablutions eVel) in the iCE'-l'Olrl lljghts of alltlll1l11
and winter. A passage in the "'C dana mentiollH t}lr difl'l'J'l'llt
modes in which these ascetics performed the ItblntiollA,
while its commentary observes that there cxiHted amongst
1 Fduna, p. 6: VI Jlfll 11 t! T,I/o / . "" 1""1"
bOl/llll/l'lIa sum/mlll/I,I ,lat11;; ,O'"IUII(/1I/ /till 1/1 11""/111 eh
2 SiitatfllfllIPflkiil/1/f, Ed', , Part fn. /I. 7 hrdfllll./ll/lhJlII
Plttlllpii.,iino yult/HI "'111,7.11//111/"'"\(/",1. "h7", 1)ft"/lII, /1,],,//(/-('011/
mellta!"l/. Ed.. PI'. 91-95: )'aitha Jli(flli-
blukJ. ukiiSO huti.
3 1 '(111".('01/1 1/1 l'1/tCII J/ .... ';CWIPII' Ed .. p. 94. (J.tuy{if;tthllllf,i hi (JI/Jlli
qcillWWI IIvull/ll' phi 1J11l./.111""!li (ltfl/l lIadipi tad ubhallfl1f/o {Ktllfllll"',7/,(I/III
t!ttht!lIil lul.lll11ma"iijflllu IU1IJ11diil JUt/uti.
UAYi\. AND nUDDRA.-UAYX
them a sharp divergence of opinions as to the relative effi-
cacy of these modes. The modes in the text comprise (1)
U1n'lnujjana, the emerging (2) Ui11Llljjawl the plunging,
(3) II1nJnlljjfl-nillllljjrllllt the repeated diving, and (4)
ol!-iiic1wlto the anointing.
l
The commentary adds that those in whose opinion the
1I1a1lllljjaua mode was the most clticllcious would emerge
from water after having just a plunge: those to whom
the uimlljjflU{( mode appealed most would plunge intl)
water never to emerge; those 'who belleved in the efficacy
of the mn1fllljjrt-ui1nlljjana mode would have recourse
to it by repeated plunging: ,yhile others who were
advocates of the osiiichalUl modc would practise it by
sprinkling their heads and bodies with waters either
standing in the river or doing the same on the bank with
the waters carried in a jug.
2
The Udana-commentarv f\lrther that amongst
these ascetics as well as other orders of Brahmins believing
1 ["drillfl, p. 6: .Tuida ;triw 1irm(Jl1til .. rlltti\1l al/turn-
tthlll.-
p
hiTllflpiiffllulllflyr (/a1Irill((j// IlIIlJJIIJllflllti pi riJlJllijullti 1,i II/JIJlII(ijo-
lIim
v
jjUI1L pi f..11J(JJlti o"nr/trlllit Jli. Cl. rlllllll(J JIU/llfl'llllflll, p. 31.
2 Urf{iIl(/-('OIJIIIIPllflll'I/, Ed .. p 95: Tattha 111 1.('(lIi ('T.-IWI-
llLujjull en' C1:a ]lri pusllddhi lwtih eva 1..uha 'Ill cl! thllU/lti.
FIIIIII1!Jjon(//I! 1,lIl1a /II1I1I1Llljiflldal"P !!'((ifhi fi al'illr7/)hul'nto llimlllllii(1II0111 pi
te l,I1HJllti 1/1'1:(1. re /JfJ/I(( tfJ.\/Iiltl tiffhe lIillllllUijlllll'lI 'PL"r/ llUti
ti T.u te tuttlw J11lJ1ltlllijifn, VIIUliIIlIJI1!1Uf!"ii 1IJ{/11(IJl'atitii
vh/rl ttlth 'PI"(( iil"ital,T.-h((I/"III Il1i}JllIIllllfl .1}1f1JP }lIIl1rl/J/lIIIIII 1111111111)1111111-
lIilllllllljjll'llrilli T.-(lIIJIltl. [{"1'1" (/111/(/1/11 unlll.fllII lwfthell(} lJ((hptpr; lIit(//I0
she dla cha ((P(O'" alwt,'hi 1/11,,1(11111 IJflheh'{i til'e flwtvii
tlltllr/ /.-(lIonil. Buddha!!:hobha 111 lw, P(/l1(llir/tu-bu'/1I1I1 Slame<,e Ed Part J,
p. 245, that those who lived ill proxIIllit)" would ]lathe tll1:i
c
e daily,
those farther and ,farther off would do the' twice a E>omc
once, 'OIne e\"t'1"\ n.h'lnatc ua)', anel ,0 Oil to 011(' lit end. who
proved unable to go pert-ollaHy would haw tllf' watf'r broucrht them in
In the Th!'ragiithii, i .. ab !>a)"mg (l',a/'n, of fI'6
111'ethrell, p l!J'i) "At 1110rn, at llllUUuv. at till' I'v(,lltidl' ThrIce in the ua ...
T gat 11Ie at GU)ij DOIIIl 111 the lIater at bprlllg-fea.t." .
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY
93.
in the efficacy of water-ab1utions,1 some could be seen
remaiIlinu in wet cloth, Fome ::ffe'dng waters with the
of their hands. some doin/l homage while ill t.hE "ater alter:"
natelv to the "iun and t,he mOOll, some repeatiIl/l the Savitri
and other Vfdio incantations thousar.ad oi times, some
inyokhi/l Indra, the vanquiehe
1
of V!itl'll, entreatulQ him
tc. come down, and otherI'> pl'fpitIatiI11! 1hE' Mothel Earth.
In doing all th,..so, some of thpm were to be 8('01] gettirg
dOW1t into the liver, 80mo getti1:g up, Rome dowg the
prelimll1ary washjng, somo shiverir.g in cold while in \\ ater.
and ot.hers undf'Igoin!l haJdships al") lYwkiug unusual
geptureR.
2
That thE" chief importance ot Gaya proper lay stiJl h tne
purificatory effect d bathing in its holy waters a conclusion:
WA1C.n is egually well borue out by tIlE' crIticisms offered in
BudJhist literatme in connexic'll with the JaWas. It will
suffice here to quote below just two of these niticisms, one
from the Vatthupama Sutta of t1 e majjhima-Nikaya and the
other from the Udalla,-the criticisms offered with a view
to holding before our eyes the superiority of moral vil'tue and
developinQ. the inwardness of ostentatIOus ceremonies :-
1 The cOlllmentary distinctly suggests that the JatiIns alone find mention in the
text solely owing to their position of IJredomillance, while, as a matter of fact, other
ol'ders of BraIlmins, bOlllO wit11 shaven llead and some Witll theil' tuft
of hair, did observo the 9ame practice a.t this part of the year, The comment reads.
Jalile&"i palla Ja#i/alla1/l- yehkuyyataya 11uttall! ; ]/u"pla.SikTIa'1)dino pi clla braktna'1)ii
udakaauddkikii ta811!i1/l- kale taitlla talkll Tcaront;
I Udana.Oo1lllltentary, Siamese Ed., pp. 9697: Tes'U hi kechi 'UdakaCii.8al/t 11a6anU.
lteclr.i udakaii.ialillt denti, kecki easlI!il/t 'Udake Uta/va ekandima.8uriue anuparit'aUallti
kechi aIUJka.aaka88avara1/l- SiJviUiacUke japan/i, keeki "lnda agaekckkathii." ti adina
Vicltcllojasal1
t
avhiiyanti, keeki ]{allatupatlkallal]! karollti. Evaii. ella karonta X'eelli
otaranti, keel! i uttaranti, kecM anto.udake tkita Bitaeaddhitii. datlta.!)i!lal1l vildelltiti
avail! adikij lIunappakara.kiriya da88enti.
94. GAY!. AND BUDDHAGAYA.
(1) The oriticism in the ot the Vatt!lupama..
Butts. reac1s-
8u.rJQ.haasa 00 saaa Phq,ggu, sudilnassoposatho saaa I
sl(dclhGss(I suckikammassG sada sampajjate vata1!l "
Uh' em si1Jiihi bralullt"(1)ll, sabbablH1tesn karohi khemata'l'{ll
sac/le musa noa bMttaSl sache pii1J>'ll]l l1a ld,?tSClsi 11
Sache lIadiyasi saddalziino amachchhafi 1
kif!' kahasi galltPii, /ldapii/lo 'pi te (]gyii 11
"The Phalgu gains ahV'ays in significance from acts of the
pure. and the religious fa&t. too. }lro-,per<; in terms of the
same.
The holy rites as w(>11 always pro>e of real momellt in the
light of pure deeds.
Bath;) 0 BrahmaI].J. ! ,oucllbafillg secUlity tc all living
Iudulgest thQU llOt in lying ::.peoch. meanest thou
ut't hann. to a lh-il'g creatuu, do'St thou nllt appropriate
what is not thine own. 'lhidest thou ill gelid faith. free from
all 131 m'\lignity. 't is no use yow' going a pilgrimage
to G.1Yii. ,'erily ,l weH is equ.ll tu l.:l<lya ill importJne8 for

(2) And the critkism Ul the UlljUJ t:t"t forth in the
following solemn utwraul:-c of the Bnddh1--
Na wlaktma suelii ',oti baTm:ltTI"l JllllfJ I
yuttAi 6UoocAaii eha dAanUlIO du. 80 Sl/clli. SO cka 7,ralu1k1!lo/l
"Purifi.t3tiOD. oometb. not b, water though the prol)}e bathe
OYer 80 long ;
In \\l.boru troth and rqion abidt' that man IS pUle. he is a
"t
The :..true Inlly hl' s.dely drawn from It llointed
t'lim#, '1l!'aJll,!.t>.d lIy D II 1'1' S-9.
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY
95
but general oriticism of the Brab.m.anioal belief in purifioation
by waters (udqJm-suddhi) that finds expression in the psalm
of the Buddhist nun Pmp;l.a. We quote below the relevant
portion of this criticism :
Ko ntt te ida'f!/- o,bbhiisi o,janantassa ajanako I
urlakabhisechana narnrt papo,kasma pamuchchati 11
So,99a'f!/- nuna gamissant1' so,bbe I
naga cna sU1!"sumiira cho, ye ch' o,nne udakecho,ra 11
Orabbhika sfi,!w,rika, mctchclihika migavadliika I
Mora oka vaijhag!tataka, clia ye ch' anne papakammino 11
UdakabhiseOhana te'pi papa!w,mma pamuc7whare 11
Saohe ima nadiyo te papa'Y{b pubbe!w,ta'Y{b vaheyyu'Y{b I
puniio'fJ'l- p'ima vaheyyun te tena tva'l]t paribahiro 11
"Who has told you, 0 ignorant one! that mere ablution
in water guarantees exteruation from sin born of evil
For than verily, the h'ogs, tortoises, serpents, crocodiles and
other aquatic auimals would all be assured the kingdom
of heaven. Butchers of speep and killers of swine, catchers
of fish and hunters of game, would enjoy, along with thieves
and murderers, immunity from the effects of their evil deeds
by the very sprinkling of water. Well, if such splashing
would wash away sin, it wiH equally sweep away the merit
for which you hie here, 0 Brahman, to bathe, overcome as
you are with the dread of sin."
We have hitherto sought to shew how Gaya rose into
prominence as a place of pilllrimage by reason of the wideJy
ourrent popular helief in the high purificatory efficacy of
bathing in the waters et its river and tank. Now, We may
proce('d to show ill the light of Buddhist literature that there
was another momentous phe1
1
omenon which wellt to heighten
96
GAYA. AND BUDDHA-GAYA
the glory not only of the Gaya proper but also of the entire
of Gaya. Tbe mar\"ellous fact W8l:\ the plalltation
of colonies in all the tbxee tracts of Gay.. Nadi and Drovell
by an old order of ascetiC's. thp. with the
three renowned Ka)3r.opa 'brothelS ar., thejl heads and leaders
(nayaka. oinaya,ka. (lggii. p011?uldtu. pOll
l
oHhii). The Yinaya
Mahiivagga which is nul' vldest callOHical authority on the
subject enlighter.s us as to the Dnm;lir'al siTel'gth of the
follovters of each of the three a!'(,Ieditc-d leadenl. Gay.-
Kassapa comma:r.:c1(jd a followirg of two hUl:dred Jatilas,
Nadi ef three and Lrm-ela of fixe.
1
A right
apprecjation of the point at issue will require a coned and
intelligent study of the Oligin and hif;tfrlical position of thif;
ascetic order.
The Jatilas represented an order of taposGs outwardly
distinguished by their matted hair.l Althol gh they did
not li\-e the family lifE.' of the hermit& 81.0. fOlmed distinct
bands or groups of ascetics like the PaliYl'iijakas al.d the
Recluses under some acknowledged lE.'adE'l'fI. their llwa.es of
life aml religious practices go to Rhow tl)at th'y wele asceticl
with all the pmitanic predilectiou; of the helmits. For
they lived ill hermitages (assamas). made altals, kept fire
ablaze performed sacrifices and cer emOl1j a 1 ablutions in
sacred waters, would have themse]w'R done to death by
diving, worshipped tho SUl) al,d the moon im-oked Inm'a:
the vauquisher of challted the SfivitIi al.d su('h other
hymns of the Veda and tried to appease the .Mother Earth.
1 Vinaya M ahalJagga, p. 24.
1 Yinalla p. 33: kf!8ami88a jatiimiua. Siamese
Ed, p. 95: Ja"la h taplMii, te hi ;a/ii.dkiiritiiya Ja#ilii'U !llIttii.
PRE-BUDDHISTJO HISTORY 97
They counted Balo:a and Brahma amonge.t the. supreme
deities, and were great believers in miracles and supernormal
powers. These leave no shadow of doubt that they were
a class of orthodox Vedic ascetics. The epithet puriitw
attaching to their designation may be taken to signify that
they enjoyed the prebtige of being an ancient order of priestly
asoetios, all of them belonging to tIle fold of the Brahmins.
The key to the understanding of the origin of this peculiar
order of Indian ascetics may be fOUhcl ill th3 story of the
hermit SarabhaIiga in the HanlhlUl1ign-,Tlihlkn (Fa m,b oll,
No. 522).
The Jataka narrates that Sarabhanga, the commander-
in-chief of Kasi, retired from the worldly life to live as a
hermit in an ideal home ill the forest. His hermitage was
bmll in the Kavittha f ( r e ~ t 011 the ballks of the Godavari.
He had for dress not}1ing more than n dyed bark serviIlg as
coverings for his loin aud body and n deer-skin as a skirt
over his shoulder. He had his hair matted in rl coil. He
lived only on the roots and berries gleanpd from the forest
Ha practjsefl the mystical Yoga with a view to developing
the eight Attainments and the five supernormal faculties.
Thus did he glorify the fore&t. with the beauty 01 his asceti-
cism. The wine-spread fame of the hermit mew around
him too mighty a following to permit of a comfortable
accommodation in his llermitage. UnabJe to make room
for the multitudt> or ascetios, he sought relief by askiflg
most of hiA cl1ief pupils to shi{t to other suitable places,
each with a company of the ascetics who gathered round
him, one Of them being ordered to dwell llear the town of
LambacDuc;laka in tne kingdom of Chal}.Q.apradyota, anotber
13
98 GAY! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
to take up his abode on the borders of the river Satodika
in the kingdom of Surashtra, the third to builrl his hermitago
a great lorest 011 the Aiijana mountain, nll<l so on nncl
fJO forth. Ann. it is superfluous to add that the self-same
sage Barabhanga has been mel1tionec1 in the as
a diRtinguishecl cOlltcmporary of llama, the hero of the
Epic and 110 1esR as a vt'nerll hle hernut WllO committed
religious Ruici<le hy entel illg hlto the fire () [ sacrHico uml
ati.ained resUlTerti011 thfl'ehy ill tJHl T(lFoplemleni form of
eternal youth.
The interest of 1 h<> f.tory <'ellt,rNI round the point. i ha t the
developll1.en1. or it new mode of fI hall" of ascetics leading
some Rorb of Il corporate e"1..i&teu<'o nucleI' a (,01111U011 leader,
gui<le or superior iR due m.OTe to acrident or circl111lstanrefl
than 10 ally weU-p1mmed Hchemo or life that may be c1iflCeTl1ed
ill the organization of tIle BuddhiRt holy order. Tn the
light of this it becomes palpal)le that the Jatilas of the
Gaya region owed their origin to SCIlle f>uch process blOU&ht
about by chance and came to form a dh;tillCt order of matted-
hair ascetics retaining- the main <:haracte1'istics of Vedic
l,Ushis.
1
In commenting on the Udanl1 staten16nt
junanti, the scholiast clearly poin.ts out that some of the
of Gaya proper used to raise altars on. the baLk of
the Gaya river and. perform the fire-sacrHice with dcuU,a
grB.SS, iMenae and similar other thirgs. The peIIOIIDal!.Ct
of fire-sacrifice Was resorted to by these ascetics as a disti:rct
and, perhaps, the primary mea.ns of p'lUification. It is easy
to infer from the Buddhist recOIds that in the hcrmjtage
1 With regard to Uruvela.Kassapa, Buddhaghosha. in his lIIunoratna.p1iratli,
Siamese Ed., Palt I, p. 324, 18i.pabboj.ia1{l pabbajil"[1. Una'ela.Ko88opo lliifllG
j41o.
PRE-BUDDHISTlC HISTORY
99
proper the agnihotm formed the plincipal function. We
have already seen that the later Gayarmahatmya singles
out the Bhasmakuta hill as the main site of such an observ-
ance. It may noW be noted that the (lUITent belief does not
hesitate to identify the huge boulder set in the ground on
the southern slope of the Bhapmaktita hill with the central
spot of ever-hlazing fire,-thc hasalt boulder de::.criben as
Tiladhenukrt in the Great Epic and Goprachara in the later
Eulogiulll.
Now turning to tlJe tract or UruveHt, we have first 01 all
to note that the Pull r:,pelling of the name differs to somc
extent rrolll Uruvilva, a {Olm lllet with in the I-Jalitavil:ltarn
and the 1Iahav3stu. Ull<1 tlJis divergence in Bpelling has
oCCa&iOlled different speculations about the real significancG
of the llame. 'rhe earlier "'peculation regarding the spellnig
UruveHt is tha.t of Buddhagho< ha in hit! immortal com-
mentariel:, nud also the onc v/bioh finds expression in the
w-ritings of Dluumupala. According to both these great
Pali scholiast", the name Uruvela sigmfies eitllcl' a great
expanse of saudy ballks or a sandy tract fOlmed by deposits
of sediments due to the overfloodlng o tlJe stream. Both
of them quote in their support a fantastic legend ot ten
bhousand hermits resident therein wbo rendered their
dwelling place a great beap of sand by the gradual accunmla-
ti01J ut of Haml brought illllivjdnal1y n" an atone-
lllent for their :-'lHuillg he,trt. rfhe legend attest!) that long
before the advellL of tlle Bmtdha the tract of the sandy
1 Papanclib..8ildani, S1ILIne&a Kd, II, p. 232, a.nd SiameEt
Bd., p. 112: UIl1vc!f&'h 1nakihelii 1IIul,ii.viillkiiril8ili atlAo, a,fuwa uriUi l1iiliu;. WdlcILa.ti,
vcCa'/1 I/I,U/iyiidu, a/ltl(a '!IIII Uluula'li evum cllT!a. aUko
102
GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
represents the JatiJas of Uruvelii. as doing the same but in
a difierent river, the Neraiijara.
1
III the wide range d
Buddhist literature, as a matter of fact, Uruvela is found
invariablyassooiated with the river Neraiijara or Nairaiijana
(modern Nilajall or LiHijan).2 From this it lUay be ear:,ily
deduoed that the traot of UJ uvela was maiJJly ,yar:,hed by thc
Neraiija:di, anclnot by the Phalgu. rrhe rmaya-.l\Iallavagga
plainly indicates a northward court:>C of the Nel'aiija1a so that
any tIling swept a,,"ay by He cmrent oJ the sbeam might
be dearly visihle to the peoJ.-llc at Nud13 and at Cht) it proper
in ih; onward flow. We lll-t)" gather irolll thiH tlmt thc
and the Htrmllll further north Werc I'>Olllr.JlOW' jw"t the conti-
nuation 01 the Neraiijara. It i., intcrebtilJg to <.h':lel'Yc that.
the Nairanjana hab hc(']) dCf:.e1ibcd ill the J ali1uu-:>t<lltt a11d
the Mahavabtu as a river graced occasIOnally by thc bathhJg
beauties of tIle Nagas.
4
principal locality ill Uruvela of the Butltlha.'s time
was Sena-nigama 01 Sendni-glhnu,; cOlfesponding to the
Senapatigrama or the Buddhist work:;,.6 111 COlll
menting on the name ot thiH locality, Buc1dhaghosha points
1 V may,,-lJIuM.i,vayyu, l' 31: 7'cltu !.lto punu sUllulyencl te Jah!(i Ilcmul.lilas!!
,attt6 u antar atthuliiBu himapiila8a7llaye n(IJja N Cl Ulijal aya In niln!IJjant! P!, ulnmujjanti
pi, mnmujja-nillmjjmn pi kalolltt
'fu quote only a fen : V IItUII!I .l[uhlttuyyu, p. 1, vel!illa, p. 10 : U,utle/a
yal/1 vl/!aratl7lajju Ncl(tlijoliiyu tilc I.,alda BlI ,11 311: YS7Iol'lwihli
...... nad'/n XI(/lliIlJIWUIII. .MuAii,
l
u6tl
l
, \'01. 11, I'. 123
I tlw,yajJ[ulliivauuu, p. 33 : AI/duo!! f./w Nlld[.j(ab>lllJ(J Jatilo (UI
J.eaCl.mi8811l1!1 jatiimi88Q;lfI ... udrtl.c 'wIII!all/lille ... (Iut/!fi) Utlyfl.Kao6ulJO.
& Lali!a.vi8tara, Jl,lltlJ,'b Ed., 1'. 336; JlalttiW.tll, Eel, Vol. 11, 1" !161. A
confusion is apt to arIse flom the dt\elgonle of the two leadtng& and N4go,
tlanili. If the firat leading be adopted, one may very well that the Naira jani
was alao known a, a Niiganadi, In \llulh the delighted ill &polting.
Papaiicna8uaanf, Slamese Ed, P,ut n, p 233, "hOle Buddhwghobha
t"o dlfi'elent londtngs : 8enil/lI-glilllo 'It l,i pullw
Lal.f4v,.tara, l\IiLIJ.'o Ed., P :111. Mal!uwI/a, Vo!. 11, p.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC TIISTORY
103
out that in a remote period of time it served as a military
outpost or cantonment
4
(a sort of modern Barra<'kpore, as
we might say). Buddhist literature placeR on reCOl,a how
before his attaining Buddhahood the ascetic Siddhartha was
chaImingly imprebsed hy thts locality on his first arrival
here. His impre:.sion n exprNl::.ion ]]1 Nw
following meaf>urNl tt"rmc:; :
Mo blllinllblui[jo. cha t'a11((sa'flt]n.
1ued"i rIm 8(wrlati .'!('(aka s,.i,1)(lfittl!.i; w1}1m.dyr;' sama'ntit elm
gocl6amgliulO, (11((111 mt'idfl/l/1 ku7a1mtt(W;(&
pa.dhiimiiycibi." I
"Pleasantly picturesque IS thitl part. of land. Delightful
if.! the sight of the grassy woodland. The river (Nerafijara)
is flowing on in 3. glassy stream., showing the bathing places
with gradual descents of steps::! l!l'esentillg a charming
landscape, and affotdillg gli11lpsef\ into the neighbouring
hamlets easy of acreRfI. This l1lu!'>t neecls be the fitting
place for a scion of a 110ble race strenuously f,lirivi1lg after
the highest attall1ments l" Forthwitll SiddhiiTUn. 1.1'0
eternal glory of the Sakya rac(', maclc up his m.inc1 hI pntt'r
on his epooh-making f>truggle 011 the very &ite.
3
The significance Ol the ahove text has been elucidated
substantially ill the saIlle manner in later Buddhist work/;,
though the points of difference, however slight, are not
without importance. By the phrase "pleasantly pictures-
que" Buddhaghosha understands that the stretch of land
was bedecked with flowers of various kinds, blossoming on
1 Cf. Lalitavilllara, llIitla.'s Ed., p. 311 ; lllaAiiva8lu, Vol. Il, pp 123124'
Papa:iic'ha.siidalli. Smme&e Ed., Pa.rt lI. p. 213: 'l'iipatillkan ti Q'IIupuhbu-
gambh;;re/ll 8untZalelli Wthe"i upela
m

3 Lalilatn3taru, l\htm's Ed., p. 311 : PrahQ,1J.4rlhi lIan tTtau'(J Ifshtheyam,
104:
HAY.! AND BUDDHAHAY.!
land and in water:' :By the "delightful grassy woodland"
he tries to convey the idea of ':a variegated capable
of generating joy like a majestic peacock's tail."l These
two ideas are expressed in the Mahavastn in such a manner
as to m.ake the place appear a., "a seque:;tered valley. where
the umhrages of cOlllmand au bight. the
fields aud fallowl> and the humall habitation& gracerl. witll
the (alm beauty of lake::! and pook "2 "the glaRsy
Buddhaghosha unrler'ltand') in agreement with the
anthem, of the )1ah8.va;,l11 and the Lalitayistara nothirg
but the river or of cool and crystal
water. mudless and pure.
s
howewr,
describe,.; the Nairaiijanii, jus1 afl the l\Iahabharata the
Phalgu, as a river with the banks adorned with trees and
shrubs (clruma-gulmait alalikriUi). Th.e expression "the
neighbourip.g hamlets of easy access" (goc7mro-gama) lS
explained by Buddhaghosha as signifying "the &UlTOullding
localities llot far from that plare (Sen1iIugama). easy
of communication. and where l>ojournil'g mendicants nUght
go ronnel to get all easy flupply of their (laily food."" The
Lalitavistara aud the l\IahavaRtu eleb('ribe the :-:enupati-
1 Siameso Ed . Part If, p. 233: iupllppTlita.lIlillOPlJakUrd.jalaja.
tMlaja-jluppka.'/)ichiUfll/& ma1l0Iomal{l.
I JIaMt"ll,tll, Vol. Il. p. 123: v(ihlvx"lltildlli 11"iBiidiku/,i dlll'';Il/iiyiin,', llniniani
"'lllikt4l1i .,,1golttvyaaandni (1vir1ala) janapadiini mOllo.hia.hrada-"ayyaT.-alli pra.tisamlaya.ne

a Papaiicllosadani. Part H. p. 233: :iolliil ell", ,alldC/ii li SlmdQllliilla/i elm 111011 j.
kk1w.ndhaRadisalf& mtnala"ilasitalasalilo,]! Yerolijaraq! nadil]! addasal/I ..... pari.
BuddhOl'/l. '11 ikaddamollt. Cf. Lalitltl"f9ta,.a, Mitra'R Ed. p. 3ll: Jfalu'ivas/II, Yo1. n,
p. 123. Tho Piili to explain the name Nemiijatii. a'!l signifying a !ltream
of water (neliijala) or onl.' of bluish watf'f (lIilii-jalii).
PapofuJha.siiooni. Siameqe Ed., Palt n. p. 234 : Ta.ssa padesrusa salll<!lIw allidiZre
gamalldgamancualllpannCII/! 8ampaftap(lbliajit{il!am Qlllubhapir.ulagoc1iaragl'tmaii CM.
Cf. Vol. 1I. p. 123. -
HISTORY
105
grama ab a plailL of ('drill (smna1!1 elm Mumi
bkaga'f{t) .
. It is evident .from the above description that Uruvela
at the time of Siddhartha's enligh.tenment -embraced an
expanse of land ill which the :4enanigama '1tood in the centre
of a round of hamlet,> within ed'>Y 1 <.'01 ch Happily the
Therigatha pl'eberYeb 0] Ub the I' '111(' of 011e of theRe ellcircling
hamlets ill the local f"pitlJet Xii'" Ol ),7iih ('"a mall of NaJa
or Naja") a.pplied to "Gpak,l. the .i\.jivika.
1
The T.berigatha
Commentary distinctly says tllat NaJa or N a i'ir was a hamlet
in the Mar vjcinity of tne site of the Bo-tree
asanna-padese).2 Tne CtoiilavaIpbfl. expressly represents a
hamlet adjoining the Bo-hoe as the lhth-pla('e of the great
Pali conIDlentator Burldhaghosba.
1
D<'pendh.g Oh the travels ot Hwen Tbsang ODe can say
that Urnvela of yore cxtel'ded nOlth east 14 or 15 li at
least from tlle "lpot of the B(I tree as far as the Pragbodhi
bill which was reached by him by rTossing t.he river Pha]gu
from a POB t near tlld base of the Gayasirslltl hill." Aq
regards its southern extem,ioll, BuddlJist literature Eol1ablea
us t, determine tbat it wa<; outskirted by all extensive
jungle-tract knowll as ValiJ.m, Vailga or Valilmhara jana-
pada, inhabited by all aboriginal people, a primitive race
of hunters
The jUllp-le-tract was dotted over with small villages,
eacb ullJer its own headman (gama-jellhaka-llldilaka. the
bu of village hunters),1 and it Rwarmed with a very
as 'kerigatlW, the psalms of Sister Chapii
ammaftkaiJipani. Thel igalkii.Oommelltarg. p. 225.
odkitnandasamipamki jaw brtikmanamlimwo I
eal's Buildkise RecQrds of the Western World, lI, p. 114,
lAnd "'"
. "
106
GAYA. AND BUDDHA-GAYA
pernicious breed of Hies.
2
'We can also glean this
tion that these aborigines grew to revere the Ajivika and
such other ascetics and recluses as their religious guides
(amltanta).1I From t1le topographical pOf>ition Ol1e may well
fmrnUf.:.e that the iungle-hact j<. no othel' tha n the modern
dil:ltTict 01 Hazaribagh 011 the Westoln hordel o{ Bel
1
gaI,
and that the savage Inn.nbit,unLR m'O 110 01,11('1' than the {ore-
lathers of tl1e Santnh,. Oraonf> aud l\[undaR of to-day. If
we t.nke up the fluestion how ill(' ljjvilm und like other
I1sce{,ll:s and recluseR rould comma nc1 l't"verence in this part,
o! the land, the answer verily buggests itself that about three
centuries before the advent or the Buddha the Mount
Ballleta-sikhara or Pareshl1ath hil1 in the Hazaribagh district
had become hallowed by the death of Pursvl1., the precUTRor
of :Mahavira, the found el' of Jaiuislll.
The stage in which the entire of if! pl'esented
hi the Buddhi"t recorn8, t'arli('r or late-I', does not suggesi,
the idea of its beillg an abode of tIle al)ol'igilles, but rather
holds before our eyes a clear picture of a land within tlle
pale of Hindu civilisation. III givi:rg tll.e historical Oligin
01 the name of the village Sena-rugama, Buddhaghoslla,
as we have seen, has made a clear hint at the fact that in
earlier times a regular militalY outpost or calltolllllellt had
to be provided thore, and it is most likely that this was
neoessitated for repelling the expected attacks o{ the abori
ginal -htUl.ters who had beeu itR primitive htli.abibnts .
- . . 11.
1 Papaiicka8iidaui, Siamese Ed. Palh H, p. 25:1. ream
2 Papaiickuiidalli. Siamese Ed Pllzt lI. p. 255 : Ttl8mim ,iallapade c1w.'l/da-m
Aonti idilre
s Papaiir1lMiida1li. Sia.mese Ed . p 25';, Upaka.. the .Ajiva.ka. is refe ch",
by It. chief of the villa.gG huutel"J M n. of their Arhl\ts 41'<1 -
PRE-BUDDHTSTIC HISTORY
107
Vlulkaha1'8 was up till tlw time of the Buddha a jungle-
traot, which oould be reaohed from Uruvela only by a
bye-w'ay (ummaggarp, gallet'IJa), wJlile Gaya proper was linked
with Uruvala by an easy and convenient high way (addklina-
magg(') ,1
At the time of enlightenment the most
llrominent man in the village of Seniinigiim8 Was Sen8J:u
2
or
Nand.ika,
3
father of Nuj uta, and Slljiita herself was the married
girl Hnd yOlWg mother whose ofiel'ing of milk-porridge
to briQg about a great turning point ill Kiddhartha's
momentons CareE:'l', A remarkahle hanyall tree standing in
t..h(' Yillagc of B?llUlIigalllll ann not JUl' from the hank of tlJO
Nem i1jaTu wus heIieveiJ. the Ioeal l)eopJe to have oeen
an a hoclc (If cl !,cne"olellt spirit, the presiding deity of the
Yillage. Hujatii is sldcl to have made a pl'ayer to the treo-
'ipirit expressing this s(,]enm vo,,' t,hat if the deity were
pleased to grant her two wislles, one fo), being married into
a family of equal soc;ial status and the other for obtaining
a I:\on for her first horn child, 81,e "'ould honoU1' the deity
with l'eligiolls overy yea)' evell at the cost of a
hum1rec1. t,honsann pjeces of money, On the fulfilmeut of
these "fishes. she proceeded, true to her vow', to make neces-
salT pl'eparations 101' the fiTllt year's offering on the full-
lUoon day of Vaiiikka (April-May). In thifl conne#oll
We tlJ'e given 311 im;ight illtO tIle l\'ol'ldly prosperity of
A,pd- 01 hal' fa the)' . K]ulred tl\6 fOThmc (I r lu-l. VUlg a
bu p; 1'11. , ' , .' , '. _ ,
PapaiiCMBiidam, l:lULmasD Ed., l!llort 11, p. llama .'Pt/a.
as 1iimo 'ti aUho. The JiitaJ.bo Nidii.naku.thii." refcrij -[u Sitjiitu,'s' fattior aB' 0. Sella-
iika. . - ... ".I .--
Ell., I" 3S!, 1'ol,rct!\.llHi-Sujiltu us
Ilull dS gramikaclu/dIU at 11. 33.i, l,rccibcly in the .'tIdliiUci.;!it. Vul>lr:{ 20a.
,108 GAYA AND :BUDDHA-GAY!
thousand milk-cows at her disposal, and the grazing ground
provided for the nattle in the Yashtimadhuvana, evi-
dently a pleasant woodlaI.d in the ontskirt of &>nanjgama.
She could well a'fiotd to serve the milk-porridge prepared
by her own hand in a dish of gold. to bedock her person with
the best of appare).s and Or])anlents. to el1gage a n.umber
of and even to promil:ie pfU'lfa. one of her
attending maids, a l'eward of cost1y jewel1el'ieR for brhlging
!ler some comforting tlews.
1
Uruvela, too, as We have noted. a great centre of
Jatila activity, and obvioul:ily the most illlpOl tant of the three
centres because of the He1110rity an(l high pell:!Olm1ity of
The hermitage of tbe lo('al Jatilas was
situated near al)out the ballk of the N el'afijar a and 1 ot faT
from Senanigama. The fire-room ('oyaglil'a) of tbe Jntilall
was known to be zealously guarded againl.lt illtrl.lsiOll at
J).ight by a .fierce l:inake-king, posseRsed of overpoweling
magical charm, a dreadfully venomOUK serpent. and withiIl
Ill. short distance of their liettlement was t,h(' sojomners'
delightful resort, a grassy wood.lalld or glOve gmced hy the
nocturnal visits of Bakra and Brahma.
3
Thus it is clear that apart from Senanieama and its
imm.ediate neighbourhood which Were aestined to play an
illtportant part in the history of Buddhism, there was ill
existence a distinct and most notahle centre of the
bqth before and after the coming of the Buddha T..br
n.
. .
it Nidutlla:j;at'/la. Fa.ilsliQU's- .ratcka;-Vol. 41. -P; .Miti,,;:am
tip. 33'4.336. 4 - - -. - -'" - - -
B " t' - ...,. p Idlre
(lapurU!u, ...,Ia.mese Ed., art I, pp. 325326. , eka
IVtMIIa.J!aJUilXl{fga. :pp. 2427. -
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
109
o.r;ginal distinctioll of the two centres, one of Buddhlsm and
the other of Brahmanism, has all through been maintained.
In tha Mahabharata, for instance, We have mention of
Dhal'maprastha. the site sacred to Dharma or Buddha-
and Brahmastbana, the site sacred to Brabma.
have already discussed that the Dharmaral.lJa of the Maha
1 ha-rata is HO othel than the bite of the Pretasila hill wit].
the Brahlllasara aud the Bra] ma} upa at its base. But
the (DliaTlllara:Qya) signifi"b at the present day
a totally different locality.- a I'>i\,cred bite which is "n
little ove)' OlH) mile to tlU' e8bt of BodlI-Gdya.' visited
by mObt ot tIle Hinrtu pilgrimI'! nom Ud!'d, for ofiering
pir),ifas to the R1l0estOJ 1'>1 r!'here ib j,CHlcely (tllY room for
doubt ab to tlip fact that hoth Bodb (l-aJ i:i and modem
me ('ompTi"ed and within
the Dhannauufvn of thE la1,er Udya-Eulogium In thf"
Pllla:r;tas.
The three Kal'>sapa leadelb of the Jcltilal:! ot Gaya regior
and Uruvela-Kas8apD in particular attracted the attentio].
01 the Buddha in tbe early days of bis missionary life when
his activities" ele still coufined to tJJe tet of Mafladnan
kingdom io.cIudill
o
'\.n/ta. Tbe BuddbiClt tradition Fays thQ,t
While be seut out his a hIe lieutenants to all other uirectione
tor conquest) he himself undertook the axduous journey
to Gaya and Uruvela in order to perform the most mar
vellous teat of cOllv('rting tlle Kassapa brotbers with their
JlU!'ejollowinR. Thifl very ttag,ition sufficiently
as well be showl1 anon, the fact that on this partinular
112 GAY.! AND BUDDHAGAY.!
with them after converting them to ha faIth, '1, 'Was so much
of a rIddle to the people tbat theY' could scarcely die.tinpuish
who led and who folloW'od between the Buddha and -the
Kassapas. and that to clear up 1h
a
mystery the Buddha
had re-course to all illtell"genr device of a&kh'g Uruvela-
Kassapa the follcwing question the reply to WblCh would
reveal their l'E'lative positioll''l :
Ki'ln ev'l di8'IJo Ul'UI'f7a1'osi pa/di,yi aggifl? 1. isaJ..o
puchc7lMmi Im?l rtfi'm atthm]1. h''1tllM}1 JJah1naf[l
{m'a
"What haf>t thou e.ElPll. 0 dweller of Uruvela, that thou
who art caned the aaunt Olle nlt3t forsaken tlle alld. ask
thee, Kassapa, tbis mattf'l': Ho,v is it thou nast. forsaken
the fire-sacrifice
As for the ancient lines of comlllunicatioll, Sir George
A. Glierson 118e. furlllsred the followirg hVOlmation con-
densinp it ff( m that giVf'l1 in Yo1. VlTT 0\ tIle 'Repol'tfl or the
Al'(>hreologiaal Sm vey ol India: -
"]. The old Gaya-Patna road raIl along He east
bank of tne river Phalgu from Uaya north-
wards, passing close to I"lampur and THara
though Hilsa. From Tilal'a. however. a Toad
must onoe haVl' gone direot to Pab a, as the
Ch'nese pilgrim Hiuen TSiang tra ven by It
from that CIty. Tt must have been a difficult
on .. , involviJ1g a, crossing of the ancient Sone.
and most of the traffic probably went alo:lg the
easier road by Hilfla and Fatua, which must
have been a somewhat important port.
a Ylllaya.jfalu'itJagga, p 30
PRE-BUDDHISTIO mSTORY na
2. Tbe Banaras-Rajgir road <teems to have crossed
tbe old Sone at Sol1ebhadr, the M(\rhar at
Gbenjan, and the Phalgu and the Patna-Gaya
road at JaTU.
3. The Ara (ATTah)-Rajgu' road seems to have crossed
the old Sone at Bhagawangallj, the Phalgu at
Tilara and passed through or close to Islampm.
4. The Patna Rajg:ir road probably crosaed the old
Sone somewhere near Fat'hpur Kalan. It then
crossed the Pbalgu and Fatua branch of the
Gaya-Patna road at Hilsa and passed through
Nalanda and Silao.
5. Tbe Gaya-Banaras road seems to have struck tbe
Banaras-Rajf!ir road at Sone-Bhadr on the
old Sone and passing through Konch, crossed
the Morl1ar at. Pali to aVQid two hranc:bes of
the river, whk 11 it would have to meet if it bad
crossE-d either above or below.
6. The Rajgir-Tamluk road. cOl1Uecting; the Bay of
Bengal with tIle Nortll-West, probably entered
the Gaya district via the Sin@"arpaRSand RajauIi.
7. The Banaras-Tamluk road probably went throuah
Palamau and Raflchl.'l
Now it will repay tracing the lines of cOIDll"'unicatlOn
stage by s t ~ e with sidelights from Hie earliest of Buddhist
and othn sources ( I information. So far as the Palicanonical
texts go, they contain only a J!"en6ral description of the
Buddha and other persons journeying (1) from Rajagaha-
Nalanda to Senanigiima in Uruvela,2 (2) horn Rajap-al a
1 Notes on the Di811ict of Gaya, pp. IS16. MajjlnmaSil.iiya, Vol. I, p. 1661
15
110
GAY'! AND BUDDHA-GAY!
aolievement wm.lld, as the Buddha the-lI h,Jieved., depend
the triumph OI lllS llliflslon, And why
Now that the three Kassapa brothers came of a highly
respectable Brahmill family of Magadha and that they
had mastered the l)efore then' taking to the ascetir.
1ie m'e facts well attested hy the cOlllmentary on the Thera
gatha and that on the Tespectively,
As regards their sulJSequellt ("31'eeT, the
It vivicl alJd authentic aCCOlll1t impressing on om
mind tJ,e high esteem in which they wer(." lleld hy all the
people of tIlell Ulldel' the HUl'.C1 linty of
King BimhisaJ 11, WheJl ut the :-.ettiJlg i1' (1'1" the 1 aim" HH tho
Mahavagga relatefl. the great would ('oll1lneuc('
evel)' year. the people of AJi.ga }lJ d )illgt.d.ha UHt'a to fi{Jck
to the pluec to W'ihless the gralHl, l'el'f(lrmance,
ulmndant quantity of food, hald and soft, 110 douht, as an
ample provision of both fOT the saCl'ifieil1g
and others asseml)Ied, not to RpeHk of their OW1I And
when Ht the approach of the wet ReaRQll the Buddha of
supel'iol' miraCll]ouR powers. Wa/'l stayirg at Uruyeli:i, the
Kassapa leadel' of the pla{'e wished ill hif'l heal t that the
great .reoluse teacheJ' were gOI,e elsewhere 1ebt hIS bigl1
prestige might be Ht H di.scount. rrhe exco&itatioll of
heart is significantly Het tOl'th thus ill the Villuya
text;
"PreHently my saGrifiGe 11:> .tl'pl'ouchl1lg, and an
the pepple of Aliga aDO lVIagadha will ()ome and bring with
them abundant both llal'O and !:IOU. It the
SamsI}.a shoulcl peTform a wOl\cl('1: h(10)'(' that nssembl)'
and DOllOlU' W'ou]iJ.juerNISf' tu tlll' great fjamaI;la, and
PRE-BVDDHTRTIC HISTORY 111
my and honour "ould diminish! 0 that, the great
SamaJ;la might not come here to-morrow 1"1
The whole Druvela ceremony W'as conspicuous at the
inception by tbe absence of the Jatilas 01 Garu and Nadi
:.lS "e11 as their leaders. The legitimate iJlfcl'(,nce wouk1
seem to l)e tIlat bimilc1l' fUllctions "er(' l'limuHaneously
held al1'\O ill th(ls(" t\,1) h Mi';' ioo, W llirl1 equul1y at-t,racted
pilgrimH il'l'lll all (lll<llt!'lM. f,tI .111(1 11('a1. If We ndma, that
t,hose P("olllC' :th:o hall ]).Ilii(ipnied. tlw C'xpl.l1lnHOll would
be tkd tIH' "gll'dt fire-'\'\C'rifiep" \\ as n Yel Y f>peehI ceremony
that, WaH obseryed in t1l1'ns ill the three sister tracw,
ThE." Bnddhif,t, c1ecount. Hr, noticNl n hove. eredits the
general hJha lJitantR of tIle ::\lagadhan linguom with an
il bundallt sur 'ly of food-.'3tufis so as to suffice for the migbty
<'ongregatioll at the time of the Ra(,l'ifjre
2
. The Brall-
maniral account in the ::\[ah1ihharata and the lator Eulogium
at.trihutE' the entae fUlletiO)l f.Ather io the king under whose
benign rulp the hnrl Wd.b ftowinu with milk and honey. ThuR
here. too, we find in sllhr:.talll'e H (ollollOl'utioll oi the exag ..
gerated Brahmin d('(lOunt in He <,ober and ea]'lie] account
of the Bufldhistl:l.
TlU'ning again to the topic of the three Kassapa b)'ot,hers,
particularly to that of Uruvela.-KaRsapa, we &hould {ul'theT
add that AO h;gh their prestige with the people
dhan (twelve myriaits (If souls) thai, when the
Buddha repaired to R ajagriba, the Magadhall rapliaI. along
1 T'.naya Maliauagga, p. 27 : EtartiM. Mw 111.6 maJUiyu.i/iQ pacllc1l1lpatlJ.ito. l.el alrl.
l:app[l (ilia 111ga.Jfagadllii palMa1lJ k'hadaniyrlli/ bllojmdyo'" ii.diiya 0/.71111 /lllt'srrnl;
.. a UiMa,
,akkiiram abMva.JrlTd88a'llti, mama 7ubTta. qaH!iro AIm nUl/(/ ",rtl,;;qrllfllJtlli
IIIJIitO:nltY(J nIIgacbr,lIMYY;; 'ti.
114
GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY!'
to Kassapa's bermitage III Unl'vel!P (3) from Rajapaha to
DakkhiJ;laoiri,a (4) from Nalanda-Rajagaha to PasaJ;laka-
obetiya.
3
(5) from. Uruvela to Gara proper,' (6) from Rajagaha
to Gayaproper 6 (7) from Uruvela-Gaya to Bel1ares-Isipatana
(Sarnath) 6 (8) rem Benale ... to Rajagaha? :llld (9) from
Ukkala (Orissa) to Uruvela-Gaya.
8
TIle texts are, however,
dead silent over the quostion of actual routes. their direc-
tions, distances and 1 placef-. Rimilarly the Eighth
Rock Edict of Asoka is mute on the point of cetails regarding
the route by which I1e proceeded from Pataliputra, his
capital, to Sambodhi or the site of the Great Bo-tree. One
definite informatIOn that may he elicited from the Ariya-
pariyesana.Sutta in the l\fajihima-Nikaya is that there was
alreac-y in -vhe timrl of the Bud.dha a high road (addluina-
magga) that connected Uruvela with Gaya proper Rnd
extended westwards as far as Beuares and its vicinity.
Another such information to be gleaned from the Vinaya
Mahavagga (p. 4) IS that tI1js high road, spacious enough
for caravan traffic, stretched dowl1wa:rd& as far us the distant
land of Ukkala (modeIll Orissa). The ancient great trade-
route with its North-Western (Uttarapatha) and South-
Western (Dakkhil].apatha) branches, of which we have a
detailed description even in the Pali canonical texts, nay
be left out of consideration' 3S it has no bearing on the
present subject.
1 Vinaya Mahihagga, pp 343;; S Vinaya Gh'Ullavagga, pp 199.200.
2 Vinaya Mahiioogga, pp 79.80. 8 Vinaya p. 8.
I RuJ.taNtpiita. Book V, VatlMigiitha. ' Vinaya ]IaTto.vagga. p. 189.
4 Vtnaya lJlahaLaqqa. p.34 8 l'tllaya JCalla'llaqqa, p. 4
The latest dISCUSSion on this trade-route will be found in our Ola Bta11f1ti Inscrip.
tions, Notes. pp 21<;220.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 115'
In acoordance with Buddhaghosha's information, the
extension of the high road from the Bo-tr('e to the Gaya-
sirsha hill covered a distance of three (6 C'r 7 miles)
and the extension of the same from Uruvela to Benares was
eighteen yojanas (150 miles or so), w]lile Fa-Hian in his
itinerary gives the distance of the route along the course of
the Ganges from Patalipuha (Patna) to Benfires as twenty-
two yojanas
1
corresponding roughly to ODe hundred and
eighty miles. The Jataka Nidana-katha definit('ly informs
us that the Buddha proceeded lre,m Unwela to Benares by
the high road of eighteen !fojall({s. and tllat lIe was able to
complete his l)eregJin.1tion in three months (from the iull
moon of Vaisakha to that of .A";hn<Jb). but. fltrictly speakin!,
in about a m011th. if We deduct the period of haltages.
2
The Pali commentaries aTe, however. bcarcely clear on the
point of halting places between Gaya. and Ben ares, nor on
that of the exact course of the peregrination, for a know-
ledge of which one has to depend flolely on tIle Lalitavistara
and the l\Iahayastu. particularly on the latter. The rough-
shod description in the would have us believe
that the Buddha walked ITom Uruvllva to Gay.a, from
Gaya to Rohitavastu (modem Rhotasgarh), from thence to
Url1vilva-kalpa, from thf place to Sarathi-
'Dura, and trom SaratbiPtU'a to the city of Benares across
the Ganges.
3
Hflwever much we may credIt t}lis statement
with accuraoy, it errs at least in locating Uruvilva-kappa
1 Beal's Bllddhnt RBU)rd8 of the Weslern World, Vo!. I, p lxvii
I Fausboll's Jillaka, Vol I, p .1: the period of haltages in<.ludes seveJI. weeb
spent by the Buddh.t on the a<.tus.lspot of and near about the Botree.
3 1tIltra.''J Ed., p 428
116 GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
to the 'West of Rhotasgarh in vieW' of the proved {act that
the Pali canonioal texts distinctlY place it in the oountry
of the Mallas.
1
The Mahavastu is happily fuller and more
methodical in its treatment of the subject. It traces the
course of the Buddha's jOllTlleV from U:mvilva to Gay a,
from thenc to Aparagaya (Western Gaya), ITem tIu" place
to Vasal.. from Vasala to a locality called Ch undad vola,
from thence to LohitavaRtuka (Rhotasgarh), next to Gandba-
pura, from Gandbapura to and from tl enoe
ultimately to the city of BenareH crossil g the Gang':ls by a
terr.v-boat.
2
The Mahavastn seems to mentIon Sarathlpura
as an extensive tract with Its headquarters of the same llame.
-the whole region emnracing within itR filca botb Loblta-
vastu
3
and Galldl apura. It lR very strange. indeed t') see
that the rivers PUI1Pful. and Sonc aro completely passed
over in silence. The 1\Iah abb arata, however, distinctly
mentions the Ganges and the SOlle aR the two rivers that
had to be crossed iu travelling eastward to .Leach Kusa-
chiraohchhada in the region of Magadha and tbe Goratbaglri
from the summit of which 011e bave a view of Giri-
vraja, the then oapital ot Magadha.'
We.la ve seen that both at the time of the rise of Budabism
aIld in earlier times as well there was on the bank of the
Gaya tank a rude stone-structure in i hE" shape of a or
watoh-tower. the inside and outside of wbioh were knowD
1 Pout IV. p. 103; AII,gl./Jtura-N,kiiya, Pa.lt IV, p. 438.
Ifalw,1laau" Vol. Ill, p. 324.
I Uf .Jlalr.dvaBtu, Vu!. Ill, p. 324, : SUlutllipure LoTlilavaatuka1]l gaclwhkaU.
, llIa"abMJata, S",bh.i.pa.1V<I., Ch 20, verso 29-30;
-l.titya (/a/l,gulII Clla tl ayas le pI ullnM.&klluS laclii I
jaglll,/'I ,1Iii.gkalll 1,./tetla"" 11
(JOW/J&alll Y" w, ii;ii.tly" d,vl/l>/tI Jlciywlhellf' PUTUIn I
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
117
respectively as the haunts of two dmons called Suchil(lma,
the needle-haired, and Khara, the brick-scaled or rough-
skinned, and that thjs continued to pass as a Yaksha-shrine
till Brahmanism got a foothold on the soil 01 Gaya proper,
and with it the Yaksha shrh e became a Brahmanical temple
under the diguified name of Brabmayupa. The Sutta-
Nipata conlmentary furnishes the information of a totally
different edifice representing it as tbe abode of the Yaksha
Suchiloma, which stood close by lithic watch-tower. It
give5 us tr understand tha.t this abode was broad-based on a
pavement, well-protected, enclosed by a railing, intersected
with doors and gate-towers, baving in its upper part a cluster
of tinkling bells al1d looki.ng like a towered box. This
daes not however, find support in tbe canonical texts them-
It IS conceivable, no doubt, that a shrine of this
type came into eXlstence later on and at least when the
commentary was written in the 5th or the 6th centurv A.D.
Tl e Pali oanon refers to :Muchalillda, a serpent-king
whose aboc1.e was in a pool in Uruvela. The Jataka-
commentary and sucb other latel Buddhist workR refer to
other Nagarajas and Yakshas whose abodes Were in Uruvela
and other places the Gaya legion, to Kaliya Nagaraja,
for instanoe, whose abode was in t1e midst of the river,
Neraiijara, to Sudarsana Nagaraja of Apara-Gaya, to Yaksha
Ch unda of ChlUldadvola, to Kama:Q.Q.ahlka Nagaraja of
Lohita vastuka.
13. GAY A. FROM BUDDHIST POINT OF VIEW
The rise of the Buddha marks a new epoch in the history
of the Holy Land of Gaya; but for it many interesting details
118 GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY!'
of its grolring Ii:e would have been lost. And to the Buddhist
if LumbIDi is the birth-place of Siddhartha. the Deer-park
at Isipatana (Sirnath), that of Buddhism and Kusinara.
of his art and architecture. Gaya may well claim the proud
position of being the birth-plare of Buddha. hi" Enlightened
lIasteT. 1 Kapilava:stu, the dominion of tIle Sa:l:;-aR. pro-
vided a beautiful spot for the hirth 1) and a
oongerual field for his &ports and iedts, l\Iagadha. the kingdom
of Bimbisara, certainly provided a calm retreat for the rise
of the Buddha and a remarkal)le area for the Drr;t demonstra-
tion of his attainments and greatness. So one need not he
surprised to find that in all the early record& of the Buddhists
the Buddha has been represented as a most remarkable
product and a most succe&sful reformer of the )Iagadhan
kingdorn.
1
But to contemplate the Land of l{aya from the
Buddhif,t point of ,-iew is primarily to ascertain in the light
of facts how it served as a solitude and rettea t for deep
meditations so supremely necessary for the gredt attainment.
But the question is-with which portion of the Gaya
region the historian has to establish the vital cOlluection of
Bu.ddhism. 1Ne can boldly mail.ltaiu that in spite of certain
historical associatioll8 of the Buddha and Buddhism with the
Gaya propeT, the sacred spots of Buddhi$m "ere really
all concentrated in the tract of Uruvelii. So faT as the city
of Gaya or Gaya proper is concerned, the Pali records contain
any notice ot it even in describing the first journey
of Siddhartha, the ascetic, from Rajagaha to 'Uruvela
'
1 JlfliJhimaSikiiga. Part I. p. 168; Vinaya Makavagga, p. 5 :
Pallllamm JfagadkBau pubbe dkallilliO aJuddko samalekl ckill/ilo I
apapur 'etam amalaaslJ dviiratp 8unanlll ilhal4l1lal[& vi1llalenan ubuddka11l 11
Pa.rt I, p lbtj, Jiitaka Vo. I, pp. bb.\)7.
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY
119
and the first of tlle Budd hl to the same nnrt n.'om
Benal'es for the cOl\vt'!'sion of the Jatiln$,' Tho Oll,-n
, ,
proper is rightly mentione(l in this cOllu('ct;ioll in the
vistara
2
alld the Mauiiv<lstu,s That tho route to UTl.lYdft
either ft'om Rilj<tgahd, tIle capitnl of l\Tngndhn, 01' from
Benares lay through t.b.E' city of c.m 11(' g'utllf'l'l'd
from the Piili description of the jOlll'l\f'Y of i,110 13uddhu from
Uruvela to Siirniitl1 l'ia Gaya and Bennr('s hy n high rond
then in existence
4
and cf that of Devl.\{lntta, Kfil'iputtn amI
l.\loggallana from Rajagahu. to the G-ayii.sit'fll1U 11 ill ,11 Th
Lalitavistara and the :;\IulliivllI'Itu make llO /iN'rot of 1,Ite
fact that in order to reach Uruvilvii. rl'om Rajngrihu. 1,110
ascetic Siddhartha had to walk down from thu UnyaHit'",lltl
hill which he used as a halting placo wllill' nt tho Unya (lity'.
All the records agree, however, ill :,!tat,inJt Lhai, it WIH' UpOll
this hill that the Buddha deliv('lod the falllOllH Firo-HC'I'1ll011
(Aditta-pariyaya-sutta) addres:'!illg tllC JatoiluH of the Guyu
region newly converted to hi:'! faith.
s
AR the PitJi
attest, this very hill gained jmportanc'c in 1,hc I'ul'ly hifltOl'y
of Buddhi&m as a place Devn.datta Uvecl witll 1)tH flvo
hundred immediately after hlLVitlg hrokon uwuy
1 Vinaya Ma7dttagya, p' 24; Fo.usbull JaJaka, Vol. I, p. 92'
I LaZltavietara (lIlitra.'B Ed ), p 311. Bodki8aUw lIuUh4liMpTBI47p Oa7JllVfJ"" 1Jlhalga
Gayaloilsha-partate.
r .Yaha,'a,ta Vo1. lIT, Jl :124'
'Jlajjhlma-};1kljafi, P",rt I, I' 1 iO Vinaya Mo1l4IHJg(Ja, " 8: bMlgrJlllafllU1fl
antara rlla fla1Jiim an/om rltrJ lIOflk.,n dil!lflftlJ. Of lIo
the ateount in th(; V,lIaya JlaM.agqa, f> 34. of thll Jou:rnllY of the Budrlh. ltom
Uruveli to Rajagaha lIia Oay. city'
7 Vinayo Ohul14ragga. pp 1911-200
.. 7 (Mitn.'B Ed.) : jahg7llt1J'Mrwm.
Voulya lfahiil'agya, p. 84; 'Fo.usbf,U'y J4I4., VD1. I, p. 82.
GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY!'
from and eausing sehiSDl in the united Bnrldhirl OrdE'l'.l
and M less as a plaee of JDaryeUOU9 feat by
8iriputta and lIoggaBana. the NO cllief .fueipli>'; nf the
Buddha. in winning (,":f>f onp ar..rl a 11 of 1"bOl;!' mi<1,!roided
men and I"'ompellir q tbc:: .JTlrla,> I::ff,Tint (oi
Buddni'ml, to onDer a sf.!tioll"-
An of la');- 'lr ;ourn 01 tLe Burl.r1l1;J ;It Gala
, .
mar also be haced iL tbe Pall tf:::xn anrll.:(,mmefltr.riel>.
It the Buddha's f;:at which lay in th", tamillg of the
delf!fJTI Sur:huoma. Q.wf.lll!;l" 'If tho: l1!lti'lUf:: tnW":l Trl1!i-
kita-mniir:/'{l on the 1)"111: {)f thi;' Ga: .. ii tank. <;im.>ted at the
trJ the So r1ate of 5udl
meut. if at "1.11. "an tJe rlf;te:rminef1. nor ('an <..tory
bP Sl';'rirJusly taken &.3 more than a myt1.
The&e aTe all the ininrmati011 that may le gathf-led rrrsm
tne Budrltir:.t recorch. Bnr! tnere it> ll
o
t1ing to any
futthf>r f,t the Burldha vI 01 Budr111i ... m "ith tl e
city of Gaya (Gayii-giiwll. Tme that Ki,)'l Asrku in his
RE. 'lII allurles tn his pilgrimage to the site of tte Ba-tree
(Ba-rpbodhi) undertaken in tbe loth or llth year of his reign,
but does not in this connection mention eyen the name of
GayB. proper. It is conceivable that he illldertook eyen
a second to :&dh-Gaya in He 21st or 2211d
1 Yinaya OhvJlavrJglja, p. 199.
I Yinaya OhuUal:awa, pp' 199.2(11) Th .. of Fa Hian ami nwcn Thsang
clCluly attest that a new sect r:.i Buddhi!<lIl founded byDevadatta couM not bl:' cnlshed
clown but maintained it<! idpntity right up to the time of their Fa Ili.m, for
iTlbtance, that he founn. at a body of of Denldatta .till existing
fB"al'o RI/If'lldo! RwmJs, Vol. I, p. xlviii). To the same effect nwen Thsang alludes
to .'la pgl,iwpnas which he came acroPa at KaD;lRsu.-aD;la. (\\ est Bengal), the
of '\\ hith did not UIlC "thickened milk following the <1irectioJlll of Dc'\""ad.lth."
, ll;;eJ."iwm(18"IVI in the Batpyvlla-Nikiiya and the as well l1li
their (Qmmentarica.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 121
regnal year, but that, too, must have been to tIle same
sacred t;ite.
Our case is tbat GayB. proper :cever ceased to be the
Holy Land of th' Hindus ani! the stronghold of BrahmaU15m.
The meTe baIting 011 the Gayasirsha In11. OT the preaching
of the Fire-sermon on the same mount, or the taming 01 the
demon Sucbiloma 11. bis tower on the Gaya tank, or even tl-e
conversion of t}1e JaWas of the place did not suffice to
convert the cIty of Gaya irlto a Bnddnist sanctoTum. Any
hypothesis to the contrary is SUTe to be contradicted by the
Pali canonical evidence which clearly shows tbat the Gaya-
sirsha hill, like tbe region, was open to all
without distinction of caste or creed, for we Sde tbat even
Devadatta, the mortal ellemy of Buddhism, could use it
with impunity 11"! a place ot sojourn. Apart hOUl the twofold
iuformation tl1at the to"\"U of Gava was situated to the west
at a distance of fouT yoirlllas (40 miles in round numbers)
from the Ve\luvana monastery in th suburb of Rajagrilia
und that it "desolate and deselt" at tbe time of his
visit, the Chinese pllgcim Fa-Hian found nothing morc
worthy of record about it, {aT less noticing any Buddhist
sanctuary wl1abver WIthin tIle limit'3 of this town.
The pomt of contentiollls amply borne out by the itinerary
of Hwen Thsang who yisited the place in the middle of the
7th century AD .. which is to say, more than two and a half
centuries after Fa-Hian. Like Fa-Hi an, HW'en Thsang found
the city in a decadent conditiou, and yet no foothold could
be gained by the Buddhists th&e. For the great Chinese
pilgrim expressly says that the city 01 Gaya which was
1 Doal's B1ttldMal Reurrils, Vol. I, p. Ixi.
122 GAY!. AND BUDDHA-GAY!'
"naturally strong (situated amid crag;.; 01' precipice.<;)" was
predr.m.inated, even wllen it hdd "lJUt fe-w invabitants," by
no fewer than "1000 families ot Briibnlans" who could boast
uf tbeir aescent from an ancient He further adds
that they were ne t lCgal<led l)y tLe reigning king of the
place as hi'3 "vaasaIIl:' and that "the people everywhere
highly respec(ted) them."'! It i& of JlO les:. impOltance to
note that the Gaya tank of Pali literature, tlIe Blahmasara
of the 1\Iahiibharata, or the BrahmakuI,I.Q.a of the later
Gaya-miihatmya continued to maintain its high sallctity
as a bathinv; place of the Hindu folks. The Chinese pilgrim
leaves the follcwing notice of it :
"To the north of the town 30 li or <'0 there is a pure
fountain of wa.ter. The tradition handed down in India is
that it is called 'holy water' : all who l)athe or drink thereof
are cleansed from whatever defilement of sin they have."'z
What is marc, )launt (i.p .. tbe Gay it sll&ha hill),
too, c( ntinued to enjoy. ",,,ith its somhre valle:'. streams,
and steep and danger()u") the ancient fame of a
Hindu sanctorUl11. The pi1/lTim records: "In India the
name commonl)' given to this is th,e divine (bphitual) moun-
tain. Fr('lm cIa days it has l)een the custom for the ruling
Rovereign, when he comes to the throne, with a view to
oonciliate his auLjecb.l at a di'ltance and to cause his renown
to exceed previous g.enerationF', to ascend (t1is mountain)
fl,nd dee lare his succession with acoompanyjng ceremonies. 'l3
HW'en Tb sang did not depart much from the ea1'lier
1 Beal's BuddMgt RPCOICU, Vol. lI, p. 113.
B Bea.l's Buddhi. Records, Val. lI, p. 113.
I Beal's Burlrlhi&t Rnol'rls, Vol. lI, p. 113.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
123
literary tradition when he says that in old days the Buddha
had delivered the Ratnamegha and such otl:er Sutras on
Mount Gaya. Our difficulty begins when he would have
us helieve that on the top of this very hill he saw "a. stupa
about 100 feet high, which was built by ASoka-raja," a.nd
which exhibited curious prcc1igies ahd emitted from it an
ineffable We must take tllis part or his account
with a grain of salt. For, in the first place, there is no
authentic evidence to prove tbat King Ascka built any
Buddhist sanctuary ill or near about Gaya. SecondlYI were
there any sllch mound in roal existence and on such an
elevation, it is not likely that tllis could escape the notice of
so vigilant a pilgrim as Fa-Hian. Thi:rdly, not the slightest
vestige of such a structure noW' remai11fl to coufixm his
statement. We may make only this concession that he
witnessed some kind of a IIimlu shrine 011 the top of the
hill which he must have mistaken for a Buddhist one. It
will be noted that the word stUp(& has in several instances
been rather loosely usecl by the Chinese traveller to denote
a shrine (ohaitya). That hc f.:.aw things sometimes through
the Buddhist spectacles may be discerned from his naming
the river past the Gayu. city Hot as Phalgu but distinotively
as Nairaiijalla,2 while, as w'e have seen, even in the earliest
of Buddhist rt,corns the liver Neranjara or Nairanjana.
has heel! kept distinct from the rivcr flowing by the Gaya.
proper.
This does not prevent us, however, from admitting the
possi bility of the erection of Buddhist sanctuaries in a.fter ages
1 Bea.l's lRecorcU, Vo!. 11, p. 113.
2 Bea.1'b B1.Iddllial BecolcU, Y01 H, p. 112.
12' GAY.! .AND B"CDDHA-GA.YA
on sites lying to the south or south-east of lIt. Gaya marking
the southern boundary of the city, the sites which may
be easily included in the .ilOlthern extelJsion of Dru\'ela.
Even granting that Hwell Th.;allg 10und in exibtel1ce a
BtUpa or some l:luch connllelUolativE: r.hrine 011 1It. Gaya,
our contention still holds go()d thdt jt could not ha Ye been
built by King ASo]ro.liOl could the city of Gaya haye l)ecome
a foothold of Buddhif<.lJl l)y lel:l&Oll of budi all isolated &anc-
tuary, which, if at all. j& llothing 1JUt an accident. Had
he CI)ll1C across any siJJt9Mi.diuI(l ullywhele in the Gaya
proper, whether on the high ele,-atiol, of the hill or Oll the
low leyel of the we lllight, IlfJ d4Julk haye ea::.ily
recognised it as a Buddhist holy land.
Even ad regards the bandy trdct (If Lruwla.: the prlichinc
or ancient lJruvilva of the Lalitavibtala; tbe P011ioD kuo\"l:n
as 8ena-lligama, Senalli-gama or Sel1apatigrall1a alld its
immediate neighbourhood are recognized. ill all early Buddhist
records up tQ the time of Fa Biull as the bar:red IDea in-
associated with the great en'ut of BuddhallOod
and the histQry of Buddhism. Our point is that Uruyela
deriy( d its high sanctity in the eye of the Buddhjst from
its eonne(J1ion with the mo&t ardent and arduous endeay(UIS
of I:;iddhartha; the ascetic, and bis glorious accomplishment
in his Buddhahood. Tbe primary connedioll of
is with the and that of its l.D1lllediate neighbour-
hood with the accolllplisbment. The aCCQ1.lllts in the Pali
Buddhibt literature alJd such Sanskrit Buddhist works as
the Lalitavifltara alid the l\Iaha.yastu yaguely state tbat
sinc(I IllS firbt uniyal at UruYcla, Siddhartha, the seeker
()f the highc':lt gOOc1, "peut hali-a-doz{'u of fnntless Veal:6 in
PRE-BUDDIDSTIC HISTORY 125
incredibly austere penanoes somewhere jn the outskirts of
Sena-nigama, being attended by five Brahmin ascetics
associates who deserted him disgusted but only to become
his first and devoted disciples a little later on. It was here
again that the princely ascetic partook of the palatable plate
of porridge so sweetly served by Sujata m.der a lordly
banyan believed to have been the abode of the presiding
deity of the locality. It is easy to gather fr.om these accounts
that Suj ata's residence was on the other side of the river
Ncranjara wruch he must have crossed in order to reach
the actual spot of the holy peepul tree destined to be eternally
associated with the event of the Great Enlightenment. There
is a olear indioation that he gently got down into the river
by the fiigoht of r-teps of a bathing ghat and crossed it at a
point where it was fordable it) the dry season and that in so
doing he had to ca'refully avoid the danger of a great whirlpool
ill tbe mid-stream. which Was the dread of the people as an
infernal dwelling of a dragon king Kala or Kalika. It is
clear from this that, as noW', the Neraiijara was never dried
up even during the hot summer, ior it is said to have been
forded 011 the full-moon of Vaisaklta (April-May). Even
it luay be satisfactorily proved that the hill-stream has not
changed its comse during so many centuries, the spot of the
Bo-tree as located ill Buddhist literature with reference
to this streaUl continuing practically to be the same to this
day. The accoullts, both in Fali and Sanf.llrrjt. speak of a
good space existing between the bank of the Ncraiijara
and the Eo-tree linked by a sllaciolls causeway.1 The Pali
1 Fo.u"boll's Jiitaka, Vol. I, p. 70. JJodh,i,aUo ?!uditiralllkL diuii.viMra7/1
katL'il. 8ij,ya1!haBalnaye ...... rn.aqg6l1u Bod1r.illJ,kkkabhimuliho payii81
LaZitavi8tma (?htro.,s Ed.), p. 240: Yavaeh ella nacllla Nail'allja?!a ylivaeA eka Bad", ..
'1IUtlt/tit elas/nin ulmue'
126 GAYA. AND BUDDHA-GAYA.
aooountl however. clearly point.') out that the way of the
Bodhisattva lay thTGugh a \Yell-grown sliT forest bordering
the river.! An important point of difference bet"een the
aooount in the Pali Jatakct Sidana-katila and that in the
Lalitavjstara is that the former l'epl'ewnt":. the entire site
of the Bo-tree simply as a sOllll)re ,,"QorUau(l where this
sacred stood in the centre lordi
1
1g it oyer the sylvan
kingdom,s while the latter 1" partj('ular al/nut the lllentioD
(if so many <l.mall yotiyc shrines, mftWcerlll..ii.s and mtna-
VY01nflkas bcattered oYer the woodland expal1c,e.
O"er and above the actual bpot of the Bo-tree which
enjoys the fame of being the navel of the earth. the main
centre of interest for the Budddist world, mm,t of the later
Buddhist works in Pali and Sam,krit recognibe and extol
as many as eight other bpots near about the holy tree. the
spots reminiscent of the early days of the Buddha's enlighten-
ment. These works distinctly mention that the Buddha
spent a period of seven weeks immediately following his great
accomplishment. In accordanl'e with the Jataka Kidana-
katha the first week he spent under the f.hade of the very
tree, at the Bodkima1J.Q,a itself. The second week was
spent at a spot within a few paces north-west of the tree
where he remained steadfastly looking at his seat under the
tree (Animisa). He then spent the third week at a small
space on the north just between the tree and the Animiso,
walking east and west, the space which became the site of the
Jewel-walk shrine (Ratana-c7za1ikama cketiya). The fourth
week he spent 011 a ground a few yards north-west of the
1 Faw.boll'H Jutala, Vol. I, p 7U.
1 LaZlvAulYlara Ed ). p 341.
PRE-BUDDHTSTIC HISTORY 127
Ba-tree developing tho higher phases of hiR dootrine, whore
he found a small solitary chamber known as Jewol-houso
(Ratana-ghara) , and the fifth at the Neat-herd's ballynn
lying at some distance from the
compound of the holy treE:", pondering over the now doctrinE'
just evolved by him. He noW' went to spend the next week
at the dwelling of 3fuchalinda uncleI' a tree overlooking the
pool to both of which the Naga Icing lent his namE:". The
seventh or last week he fOllncl himself, at the foot of a lordly
tree called Rajayatana cnioying rest and bliss. It was here
that two caravan merchants, Tapas&u and Bhal1ika, who
were journeying north from Ukkala (Orissa), happened to
wait upon the Enlightened One, and duly paid their homage.
From thence he went hack to the Neat-herd's ballyan where
he finally made up hiq mind to promulgate the new truths
to the '\Vol'ld and decided at the same time to go to the far-
famed Deer-park near Benares for the purPOf>O. On hiK
way to the Gay1i. proper he chanced to come across an
Ajivaka, Upaka by llIune, whom he tlied to convinoe of hiFl
high attainment. AmI bebidcs thi"l mooting-place, the
Nidana-katha lays btress on the hermitage of Uruvo]a-
Kassapa and its neighhourhood where on his retuI'n from
Benares he sojourned for a while and did convert the three
Kassapa brotht'rs and all tl1eir Jatila followers of the Oayii
region to his own faith.
1
The Yinaya l\Iabii.vagga has to say nothing about the
three week.c:; following the firr:.t Spl'J'lt UDder the Bo-tree, and
presents an account of just lOur weeks, namely, the weeks
connected with the Bo-tree, the Neat-herd's banyan, the
1 FauBboll's Jata7ea, Vol' I. pp. 82 IoU.
128 GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
Mnohalinda tree, and the tree called Rajayatana. Not-
withstanding the gap, the chain of 6'\ents is practically the
same.
1
The omission of three weeks jn the Y"mays }.Iahavagga
may 1>e just due to) an incompletenec;g or the text that has
come down to us. The tradition of seven weeks is <'OrIO-
borated, however. 1):, the Lalita vistara. although the f'etting
of 6'Vents is somewhat different. On complete agreement
with the PaIi accounts, the LaIitanstara fixef::, the meeting
of the Buddha with 'Cpaka, the Ajivika, at a place lJetween
the Bo-tree on one side and the hill on the other.
A wide discrepancy as to exact place nf meeting of
the Buddha and "Cpaka is to l)e noticed in the account
gi'Ven in the l\Iaha,'V3-;tu which agrees. newrtheless. with
the LalitaTIstara in creating fmtherassociations of Buddhism
with the halting places of the Buddha on hiR way from
Gaya to Benares, the associations which aTe more or less
of a mythical Character, we mean with such 1)lac6& as Apala-
Gaya, CllundadvoliL Lohitavlif::,tu. Gan(lbaplll'a and Sarathl-
pura.1!
RegaTding the as'lociations of the Buddha or of Buddhism
with the Gaya region, these are all that can be gleaned from
the Buddhist literary works, and still We feel quite seCUl'e
when we maintain that the city of Gaya did llE.Y'T cease to
be the Hindu holy land yielding: place to Buddhistic prt'-
dominance.
It has already been pc>inted out that the Chinese pil!1Tim
Fa Hian found no Buddhist monastery (sang7tarlima) or
1 Vi1laya Ma1iQvagga, pp. 1.9.
2 lrfahiiva.!lu, Vol. nI, p. 329.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 129
sanctua.ry to note while be waE staying ill the city
of Gaya. The three lUOllastCIies whirl) he found the!' ill
existence were standing all within tho region of Uruvela and
close hy the Bo-tree. All the Budd"bist sanctuaricft, com-
prising as thlY diel the votive stnictnrC'':l and images of the
Buddba, were seen by him on. the sites and spots in Uruvela
which became traditionally aflbociJ.tecl witb the ondeavoUTs
::md wanderings Siddhiiltlw. the event of Bm1clhahocd,
the seven periods follo\'\ iug, and tIle triumphant convelsion
ot tote Jatilas. It wiII he noticed tl)at Fa Hi:111 is in perfect
witI1 Budc1hagnosha when ]l() creoits. net speci-
fically the great Imildal' hut l"ltncr illdcfillltely "men
in aiter age::. (pacchiIl1ajanatn)"' ,yjth all 5uc.h elections.
Aa rega1!l<, Ht' rpir,otles 01 thE' f'cven prl iods and the
COnVCrE,lOn 'J1 the' J,'\tilas, thel'c is l1arelly any l1ot;{'wolthy
point of {lifforeJlCc uetlVC:'CJl tue itincrary ot Fa Hian and
tbe carliC:"r or Inter Duc1dhst litera!," accoulltf" the Chinese
traveller does not depart frOIll 1.11C litC'mlY tmdition in
looating the place of I:lix 1 ('31' PCl)'l11(,CIl of the Bodhisattvn
neal' a bout tl E' Elite ()f thr Bp-tl ee. not V(,-l'y tnl' IlOm it at any
rate. "alkin!! south S0nJe 20 h from the city of Gaya he
arrived flt this pbce 3hd [ound it "well wooded."1 But
h(. certainly deviates nom the litenny trHditioll, hitht'Ito
know 11 to ns, when hEl rC:'C0Tds that immediately after pllr-
talring of 11he PO]] idgc of t,he villuj:tf' hy Sujata)
and befOTt' l'cpDiring to 1Ihe Bo-tlee, the BOllhlslJ.ttvu walked
up to a hill, about half n. !Jojana (four fi.v mile) t.o the
north-east ()I the sacreil tree, and fOUlJ.d there a cave er
1 Heal's Buddhist .Records, Val. I, p lxi,
17
130
GAYA. AND BUDDHA-GAYA
"stone-cell' \\'hic.l1 presented itself at D.'If-1.t sigllt to he the
fitting pls\.'e his pl0foUld meci.itntioll, out which, or:
second thougbts, he telillql1ished as unsuitable fOI tbe pur-
pose, leavi
1
1g just a mysteriou'3 beb
1
11cV
This hill, oHcrihe(l as (Po-lc-l..-i-pu-ti or Pre-
enlip:btenmelJt). anel ('five are located lw Hwen Thsang
at a place. wbicD lay a(,fOSS tl'e great rivH of GfI,ra alid
opposite city find at a rlitltance of 14- 01' 15 7; (f01.r or Dye
miles) nrrth-east from the Be-tree. a dCflrript.ioll tallying
with fhat cf Fa lEan. Thf hill with itFt ('aye aCQuired a
special religion/'( sallctity as a pluc'e 01 Budrlhi&t pilgrimage,
wbere "every yeo.1'. on tbe (iay (Jf br2uking up the reason
of Wass (TT a1'slia or BUllcllist I,cllt) laYl11n ram
different countries" used to thl'ong together "for the pmpo"e
of making religioup cfi('l'ings to the faithful. "3
Hwen Thsung. too. lorates the spot of the Boc1hisattva's
fruitless penahces fm SIX YC2TR "u<Jt far flOm" the Bo-tree,
HH' itinerary goes only to Pl'f'YC tl'ut with the progress of
time legends IT,ultipliecl jUf>t io fUl'11ibh excuses for the
furtber cropping up of deyotiOllal erectiollR: all within the
tract of Uruvela, mostly within the pale of Scnfini-gama
and its neigl:' l)omhood, and specially on tbe sacred site of the
proud Peepul, the Iar-fnmecl Bo.3 The really new infClma-
tiOll in Hwen Tlv\ilJ1g'fl tJflyols is tllat th(' wooded and sanely
1 nl'nl'a Buddhv..t Re,'ords. VII!. T, pp. lxi-lxiii.
2 Beal's BuddlList Rmmh, ,"01. IT, p. II-!. Rt'g .. rding the hill and cave we
hnvl' the follo\\ing noto in flay(/, il/ricf p. 233: "On the ('astern sido
01 the Nil;tjan, or Phalgu river Buclh ({ayii, is n. narrow range of hills ..... some
times called the ane! Gnnj.'is Hills, but middle 11ortion of it
is localIy known Dhongr.l Hill . " About half" a)' down the (slope on the north
west), quite hid<1cn f!'OlD np)on by n wall of rock, a eal'e at the b.loe of a precipitous
rliff." 3 Btl(TrIlIi,t Ruorcl8, Yo!. n, pp. 114-130.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY lsi
strip of land betwcen two rivers) Nailaiijana (Ni-Zen-
8han-na) and Mohana (Mo-I/O), now forming the site of the
village Balaaur (Vankapura or Vakrapura), to be a
saCled place of Buddhism in course of time.
1
The hill, then
lmown by the WllllO of Knkkutapadagiri Ol" Gmupi:idagiri
and other such ::;acred places of the Buc1dhistfol noticed by
the great CIJinese pilp.rnn beyond and to the cast of the
river l\Iohana llccc1not ccncern us here as tllcse lie outside
the boundary of the 1101y legion 01 Gaya and hence outside
the scope of our enquiry.
Tluts it i::; evidcnt even Irom the testimony of Hwen
Thsang that by the time of his visit Buddhist sanctuaries
had enormou::,ly gro\\n ill number over the tract of Uruvela.
All the spots ill that tract which were assooiated with the
Buddhahood of Sidclhal'tha gIld the early aotivitIes of the
Buddha, including the hermitage of the Jatilas, became the
befitting places for voti vc erections, installations and
ofieTiug::; of the Buddhi::;h;. such a Buddha-legend as
that of the Jat:1lm (FausbOll. No. 455) were
availed of ill giving a Buddhist stamp 011 the legend of
the time-honoured t'tl1.k But all the same
the expau::;ioll of .Buddhi::;t predorn.iuance was limited aa
yet to the region of UruveHi.. The city of Gaya or Gaya
proper remained unafiected throughout and retained its
distincti ve Hind u charac"tcr.
1 Bea.l's Buddhist Reoords, VoI. Il, pp 138-139.
I Bea.l's Buddhist Records, VoI. I1, p. 13q.
132 GAYA. AND BllDDHA-GAYA.
14. GAYA. FROM HINDU POINT OF VIEW
Applying a historical PJ.'occss of reduction we are able
to peep into that remote period of time when the holy region
of Gaya was inhabited by the aboriginel:> and the religion
of the place consisted in demollolatry,-ill the worship of
Nagas, the tutelary deities of l'iverin<', and of Yakshas,
the tutelary deitie& of rocky 1'egiolls. These aborigines,
comprised probably two clistillct groups of primitive settlers,
one offering worship to the Kagal:> und the other to the
Yakshas. From the alternate setting of the abodes or
old-fashioned temple& ot the two duf-.':>cs of llcmi-gocl& ill the
l\Iahavastu
1
at halting places at tILe BUlldha OIl his way.from
Gaya to BClla1'es. it may bc surmised that the land at Uaya
was once dotted Oye1' with alternate bcttlemcuts of their
respective votarieb. It seems certain that the primitive
settlers of the land of Gaya were partly rcp1'csellted by an
ancient tribe of hunters (mi!Jallldda1.:(ts) who were the veri-
table ancestors of thc Buntals, Or&,o11s anu 1\lunu&.s of the
Hazaribagh district. It is easily conceivable that the
Hindu colonisers of G ayakbhetra occupied the land by
wresting it from the hands of thel:le prilllitiYe settlers who
were driven off to the hills around, south, east and west.
There is a clear hint, as we noted, ill Buddhaghosha's com-
ment on the name of Benu-nigama or Senani-gama that a
regular military outpost or cantonment had to be maintained
in the southern tract of Uruvela to repel the attacks of such
a race of savages. It is evident from the Suchiloma Sutta,
1 J1a1!ii,va,!/I, Yut 111, PI}. 32.! foll : Sutlal"oallO Ila/ll(t Xaqaraja.
GlnmwAdLoliiyfi.". ChullUo nama Yctblw Loh,ta.'I,t!l/.e l(amatlclall,l.o niiJII(/ ],cigalajii.
Galldlv'l)!'I G K'/I!ct/w m'III<1i Y uksllo
PRE-BUDDHISTIC 133
contained in two of such ancient and authoritative PaH
texts as the Sal11yutta Nikiiya and the Sutta-nipata, that
as eatly as the time of the Buddha there couId be seen on
the bank of the Gaya talli{ an antique abode or temple
of Yaksha Sflchilom3. which wal::l a rnrle structure of stone
standing high like a tll1!L 01' bamboo watch-towel' of the
village cultiYatOTs. The inside of this towel' was known
as the abode of I:lftchilollla, the ncedle-hatred dcmon, and
the outside that of another demon called Khara or Rough-
skinned, As evidenced by a repn'sl'l1tation of the first-
named demon und the idcntifyjllg inscribedlahel on a pillar
of the Barhut stone-railillg,1 the legend of Bflcbilol11a
was as old as the secolllt tcntlU'f RC., jf not earlier.
Indeed the alltiq ue a hode or Yakl::lha Sfwhiloma is the solitary
structure in stone ill the dty of Uayil which fmds mention
ill the earliel::lt of Pi1li record::;. As H point or departure from
the original story, the comlllcntary on the Sutta-nipata,
written not earlier than the 5th century of the Christian era,
has attempted to show that the actual abode of the demon
was an edifice quite different from the towel'. FUl'ther, the
commentary description of the Yaksha abode brings befOl'e
our vision something rel::lembliug in outline 3& 'well as details
a Hindu temple of worship. The only reasonable inference
to be drawn from this is that this new edifice was the cons-
truction of a later period when Hindu piety sought to express
itself permanently in the form of architecture.
We have seen that by the time of the rise of the Buddha
the region of G aya had not only come within the pale of
Aryandom and formed an integral pru:t of the Magadhap
1 CUllninglLum'tI 8liipa u/ Bltarll'l.II, PI. XXII. 2.
134 GAY!. AND BUDDHA-GAYA.
kingdom but had also acquired distinction as a place of
Hindu pilgrimage, and no less as a place sanctified by the
residence and religious rites ofthe matted-hair who
represented an old orc1er of Vedic ascetics.
The tank and the river of Gaya were the lJathing places
where during the last four days of lllaylw (Feb.-March) and
the first four days of Plul'ch-April) multitudes of
men drew together from all (lil'edions and performcd ablu-
tions in the holy wutCl'l5 In their deep-rooted belief that the
fJirthas above named \\'e]:<' capalJle of washing away their sins
and blessing them with lllCl'it. The rin'r NcranjariL too,
with its silv('l'-white flight.s of steps rulled into that proud
position of religious smwtity as tt bathing place of pilgrims.
All predellt within the holy area, ascetics or householders,
vied with one another ill the of pmifying themselves
with the sacred waters. Tho Jatilar:. or pricstly ascetics of
the place, it may be rco<l.l1oc1, were sanctimoniolls as to the
observance of particular lllodes of ablution, attached special
importance to each of the fuul' specified modes of 'emerging,'
'plunging,' 'repcl:l.tcc1 diving' and . sprinkling .. aUll went even
to the length of burying themseh cs in the watcry gmve by
plunging. rfhe viviuness with which the Piili accountl:l
present the pjctUI'C of the whole spectacular scene of bathing
before our eyes only goes to prove its reality. Though
separated by so many centuries, we arc cnabled to visualise
the amazing spectacle of the busy bathers, some descenuing
down the steps, some ascending, some doing preliminary
washing, some plunging, some emerging, some diving, some
sprinkling, some shivering in roW. some warming themselves
with the fire of the altars all the bank, while yonder to see
PRR-BUDDHIRTIC HISTORY 135
others chanting hymns from the Yedas, muttering mantms,
invoking Indra, or offering worship to the sun and the moon.
True that bathing was a popular ceremony at the locality.
But Buddhist literature would make the Brahmins as a
claRs responsiblr for the wi,lC' preval('nce of belief in its high
efficacy (lIdrtkrt-Sllddhikti Ana this belief gained
so much gl'ounrl in 11H' ('ollnt1'Y thnt thoi'>(, nmong the Hindu
pcople w110 W(,l'(, lll1ahl(' to go p(,l'Ronnl1y would JIM'e water
ff'tehed for thrlH in jugs by ot1H'l'R.
Probahly Kl'lLVal)U (.rlll}T-Aug,l1st), fil'Rt month of the
then <'Ul'rC'ut new year. was t1w Rrason for 01(' Great firp-
sacrificc (lIlrtl/(lymi1irt) of th(' .Jatilas. This was a most
solemn occasion fo"!? all tlH' "peopl(' of Alig,a und l\fagadha
making n huge "population of 12 niYllias 01' 120 Iacs to con-
gregatr at tlw place and conil'ihul(' theh' s11are of ooel ancl
dJ'ink. From thiR it may h(' rasily imaginNl how vast was
t]w <'011COU1'Se of ])('oP1(', how grand aml imposillg was thC'
ceremony and FHllnptuolls tll(' feai'>t nccompa.nyingt, and in
what high ('steem thr JatilaR aneI their 1ead(,1'R were h(lld by
thC' masses of peoplr.
There can hc no gail1F\l1,ying that ceremonial bathing in
the holy waters and oblations to 8ac)'ificial fire (ag,qi-lIOUa)
constituted the daily or routinE' life of the matted-hair
ascetics, that both thei'>e rite's werE' resortea to as effective
means of purifiratioll, or that. as 811('h, the' motive behind
both was essentia.lly hygicnic. Each of these two rites had
its own Rpeclal day during the year, the one of bathing in
the month of Pltiilguna (March-April) and the other of fire-
1 To make an Idea of the function of Ma1lii,ya1i1ia, sec DigkaNiTta1Jl'. Vol. I
Jlp. 135 foIl. ; Al1glltlaraNilaya. Vol IT. Jl 207.
136 G.I\ YA AND BUDDHA -GA Y A..
sacrifice in Sravatta (July-Aug.). One cannot fail to notice
a distinction between the two great occasions.
The vernal ceremony of bathing was popular in origin,
whereas the rainy-srason function of grcat fire-sacrifice was
ushered into existence by the [lishis who were the cultured
representatives of Indian knowledge and wisdom. On the
former occasion the pilgrims from all qnarters crowded the
place and went back aftrr having a touch of the holy water
and rendered the holy bite a. pORWve nuisanre without
evincing, however, any community of feeling for the
commonness of a cause, as if one had nothing to do with
the other, And on the latter ocrasion the centre of
attraction was a highly distinguishrd hOfly of sarrificing
priests amI ascetics ann the whole interest lay round the
sacred fire lit by them. All these tend to S]lOW that the
whole current of religions life' in tlH' Gayu region oscillated
between the vnlgul" and the' ('lert, now flowing to this,
now to that. on onc orcfl!'>ion thr rultured moving with
the masses and on the other the maRses obeying the beacon
call of the men of light and leading, and thus maintaining
the balance of life in tension.
Th('re were three nifferent settlements of the Jatilas at
Gays. proper, Nadi amI UTUv('la, each undrr its own leader.
TIle three leaders aTr representeel as tlu('C' brothers, the scions
of an old and distinguished Brahmin family of Magadha.
As Hwen Thsang locat('s th('m. the three centres of Gaya ..
Nadi and Uruvela were situated from north to south, one
below the other. It equally appears from the Vinaya des-
cription that all of them bordered the river Nerafijara and
its lower course known as the Gaya river or Pha]gu. The
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 137
Vinaya text, too, places Nadi midway between Uruvela
and Gaya, and would even point ant how a thing floating
down in the Neraiijara could be visible first from the tract
of Nadi and then from the city of Gaya. It is Buddhaghosha
alone who labours to lo('ate Nadi somewhere near a 'bend
of the Great Ganges. And as a. matter of fact, just as the
village of Ur('l pres('rYes the memory ot Uruwla. the town
of Gaya that of tllC Gayu tract, so thr village of Nadi on an
old bed of the Sane may be said to remind onc of the ancient
tract of NadL Bucldhaghosha's location of the tract of
Nacli may, howC'ver, be harmonized with Hwen Thsang's,
if his expl'ef,csion malul-Gal/[jii-mJikeslI he takC'n to denote
a doab betwrrn two M\1('h lilfp,C' f,h'eam'l u'{ the Ncranjara
and thr Mahiin;uli or Mohiinii.
At tlw tinw or thr rise of Rncldllif,m. Pl'('('ibcly as at the
prrsent day. thr nayJRira or hill (moclernBrahma-
yoni.) stood af, thC' pl'ominrnt Iunclmurk of tl1(' town of Gaya,
The spelling of its l1!1.mr UR mrt with in thl' )fahiibhfirata is
Gayasim, and tIll' sanw spelling i<; <.,uggestecl ;tlRO in Aurl).a-
n1ibha'& intrrprctution 01 the Veclic al1pgmy of Vis]n;m's
tripadm'ihama, al'. fincl'l ('xpl'eR<.,ion in thr wOlcl
Consonant with this earlier spelling. some of the Pali scholiasts
has hinted at Gayiisisa having been the sa 111<' word as Gajasisa,
"the Elephant's hC'ao," ano the hill having been called
Gajas'fsa or Gayasisa
1
hom its resemblancr with the crown
01 an elephant. 'rlH' same srholiast has mad(' mention of a
('olossal block of stone on thiE> hill which was spacious enough
to provide seats for no fewer than one thousand persons.
1 For Gaja=Gaya, cf. Monior WiUiams' Sanskrit Dictionary, 8ub IlOl:e Gn.ya, Gal/a-
si1]17111= Ga.iasimlla.
18
138
GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAYA.
The clear implication of this suggestion is that it is the bill
which lent its name to the holy land.
The southernmost division of Uruvela was then as now
a land of sand,-a region watered by the crystal flow of the
Nerafijara and noted fOl' its wirle reach of sunny beaches.
The river never drierl up, eyen rluring the cold season of the
year. The whole lamlscape is described by the Buddha as
the most charmingly picturesqu{ with the neighbouring
hamlets of easy access ana the marhle-white bathing ghats
leading down to the babbling brook by the' grailual flights
of steps. Besides, onc cannot but be F>huck by thE' existence
of a high roarl conneding Urnn,li'i with Haya ana Gaya
WIth Benares on the 01)(' hand and Utkala (Orissa) on the
other, thereby serving as a link between the nortll and the
south of the Indian continent. The town of Gaya could
be reached either fJ'om Benares by this high road or from
Rajagaha, the then capital of the Magadhan kingdom, by
a short route that crossf'd the Phalgn near about the Barabar
hills, the Gorathagiri of the l\Iahabharata. And it must be
noted that Rajagaha itself was but the starting point of a
great trade-route, the Southern high road
which extended as far north-west as Taxila and as far
south-west as Paithan on the Godavari. And the Maha-
vastu, as we noted, mentions such localities as Apara-Gaya
(Wesern Gaya) , Vasala, Chundadvola, Lohitavastuka
(Rotasgarh), Gandhapura and Sarathipura as halting places
on the high road leading from Uru viI vD. and Ga ya to Benares
ana Sarnath.
Prince Siddhartha's attainment of Buddhahood in
Ul'uvcla marks an epoch in the history of the Gaya region.
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY 139
His earlier wanderings and subsequent ponderings served
to create memorable historical associations affording good
excuses for the cropping up of various Buddhist shrines of
considerable architectural and sculptural value. The
conversion of the Jatilas to the new faith was, no doubt,
a decisive tdumph fo), Buddhism, though its immediate
effect on the religious life of the Gaya region cannot be
determined with any amount of certainty. All that may
be gathered from subsequent history is that the Gaya
proper or city of Gayi1remuined as before a stronghold of
Brahmanical HillduibDl, while Buddhism gained pre-
dominance' over the tract of Uruvcla.
The inter-regnulU between j a t a ~ a t r l l and Billdusara
is a dark gap in the hi::;tory of the holy land. The light
begins to dawn again with the benign reign of PJ.iyadarsi
Asoka in the third quarter of the 3rd century B.C. The
Eighth Rock Edict of the Great 1VIaurya emperor of Magadha
lifts up the veil just to give a misty view of the Gaya region
appearing pre-eminently as a place of 8ct1nbodlti or Bo-tree,
the living symbol of Buddha's Enlightenment. This ediet
evidently bears record of the Buddhist rmperor's first
pilgrimage to the place in his tenth or eleventh regnal year,
it being claimed as the earliest instance of the emperor's
persistent preference of pious tours (dlla1'1nayiitra) to indul-
gence in pleasure trips (vihal'ayiitrii) of age-long royal custom.
Though even the name of Gaya dpes not find mention in it,
the edict indirectly tlrrows some light 011 its internal life.
The Buddhist emperor must have journeyed to the site of
the Bo-tree from Pataliputra, his capital, partly by the
high road that led to Rajagriha and thence by another
140
GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAYA
road that connected Rajagriha with the city of Gaya. It
is evident from. the )Iahabharata description of the journey
of the PaJ).Qavas from the Kuru country to Girivraja or old
Rajagriha that this route passed by Gorathagiri. which was
no other than the Prayuragiri of medieyul inbC'l'iptions and
the moclern Barabar group of hilll'\.l The 31ahabhiirata.
it will be noticed, place::; Uorathagiri in 3Iagadhak::,hetra.
the holy region of The Sutta-llipata account of
the journey of the pupil::; of the BI'<tlllllill teacher Bavari
from 31agadhapura. iclentificu in the eOl11melltUl'Y with
Rajagaha. the capital oI jlag<ldha. to the holy I'oek
chetiya testifies to the exi:-.telll.:e of tlli::, ruute. while the rock
itsel1 is located ill the region of Magaulw C:\Iagaclha-khctte).
From a cloflc silllihu'ity of thc t\\ 0 del:lcl'iptiOlHl nOlle can
doubt that the holy rode oI thc J>iili text WHS cither the
samc as GOl'llthagil'i 01' bOlllC slwb hill u::, thc Kauadolllear
about. All these lllay \\ ell lead us to 11e]ic\'c that Asoka,
the great Buddlll.,t Cl1l1!erOJ', could rcudl the it)' of Gaya
and finally Bodh-UayJ., hi::, deslred deRtmahon, by this very
road. The edict clearly shows that while he journeyed
from his capital to the sacred bite, he had to pass through
localities where it was possible for him to meet the Brahmins
and recluses worthy of gifts, to come across eiderly people
deserving pecuniary help, and to see the general run of
people, both rural and urban, not excluding worthy men
with whom to discuss the higher principles of piety and
morality.2
1 Seo UId B,iIlllllb iJncliplioll8, pp. 226 foIl.
o R.E. VHl : dhu,/wl.lIyiilii EtaYGlp. hoti: Biim}IQ,!IIJ.8ama!iUIIGIp. aasal,l6
ellQ, !lane clu tfla"'-""ul! dmq,ne cha hi,,mll(palividllano clla janapadasu cha jiinasa
(lIJ'>lI1U'/1 dllw/w,jJw IjJU,)I/W, v/la.
PRE-BUDDIIISTIC HISTORY 141
It does not appear from this edict that thc region of
Gaya through which he had passed had yct any spot of any
importance to a Buddhist pilgTim save the sacrcd site of the
Great Bo. The impression which it creates and which
lingers is that the Gaya proper representing the northern
portion of the holy region wab the abode und of actiyity
of thc Bralullallieul a antl other l'cdubC'S (bamlla ,,!-a-
samaJ,tana,m), wc mean, 01 tL0 leligieu,}., other than the
BudtUlists who are denoteu in inbC'liptions (e.g.,
P.E. YII) by the term 8w!lg/w!lta (Ha1!lghastlta). The
truth of thib ob::,cl'yatioll is not 1nl' to ::,eck. In the first
place, it i& clearly borne out by a, controverbY ill the Katha-
vatthu, a Piili ca.llonical cOlllPilation of the Abokan period.
that Buddhiblll a<;; a IllOYClllent ,,'ab yet confincd within
the territorial limit::, of the :i.\Iiddle GOlUltl'Y. EYCll with
regard to the Middle Gountry "hich elllbmced the whole of
the kingdom of M.Lg<1.tlkL it ib nut d.limed thu1., Buduhil:lm
had btruck root in all pdrts, the ir<1uk alhnibbion being "that
it was to be {OUlld where it could be found anu not to be
found where it coulcl not be tounel. "1 8econtlly, the gcnera.lly
accepted BudJhist traJitioll datl'!:l the plOpagation of
Buddhism outside tIll' :U:c((:1e Country hom alter the eigh-
teenth regnal year of the Great Maurya emperor when the
Buddhist religious missions were despatched to diffel'ent
directions. Thirdly. ill his Thirtcelltll Hock Edict the
Buddhist emperor definitely ::,tates tlJ at when this edict
was promulgated (say, in his 13th or 14th regnal year) there
was no place, ball'ing the ::,olitary Yona province (in the
1 Kal1liivalthu, 1. 3: lfIajjllim8su janallucle8u altM. brahmacllariyiivii80 yalllla allhi
taUha aUili, yaU/ul tattna n'aUM. Pacllc1lalltilll88U janapaclesu n'althi brallma
chariyalJiiw yatt/I!/. lI'altlii (jatl fiulkkkulIUI{1 bliiU.:kullillal{1 ulJihukiJ,nalfl apiiaiUinUI{J.
142 GAYA. AND BUDDHA-Gt\.YA
north-west), where the various sects of the Brahmanical
ascetics and other recluses were not to be found and where
the masses of people had not adhered to one or the other of
these sects.! FourthI:' al'> the emperor'<; caye-dedications
clearly bear out. the Bdrahar grour of llllb sentinelling the
approach to the vi naya Wo':; unqne'>tionably a strong-
hold of the Ajiviku a&C'etiC'c; of that tiulI-'. and the Eoub&equent
cave-dedications in the hill'> attributed to his
successor, King l'imila11y 1Jring home to us the
continuance of the wle I'>way of the AjhTika<:> at Barabal'
ac; well as the ncighbow'illg of Kf,3arjuni eyen after
Asoka's sceptre harl (ITopp('(l flown. An(l la'>tly, the hill
which is alluded to ill &omo 01 the Pali canonical texts aE>
pasary,aka-chetiya or Rock-,>hTine, Ullf1 may be identified
with the Kauadol hill in the lleighlJourbood of the Barabar.
if not precif>ely with it. had enjoyed: a., the commentator
points out, theancicnt fame of having borne a sanctuary
(devatt"luinn) on a huge ro('k.
l
There is nothing further to ] ecoul legarding thc region
of Gaya during the eycntfnl lcign of A&oka or that of his
successors, Even coming down to the RUliga period which
saw the consummation of art and architecture ill Barhut
inner railing, its quaclrants, returns, gateways and carvings,
wc can scarcely glean a fact having any direct bearing upon
the region of our que:.t. It if> very strange indeed that even
the Manu-Sa:rp..hita which in itE> pTesent redaction may be
1 R E Xln: Natll& coo Bhe janapade yam nath, ime nikayii iinamm (YolleBlw).
OOl1l1wlane chi;' IlIalll{me clla natki cM kuvii pi janapadaBlli galii nathi mall'tlBhiinam
pkatalaslu piulw,zl.bln na niillla paslwde
, ParltlllatllUl Jut" a. Vo! U. 11 ,j84: l'u,rlllctka-chellyalt ti malIC/la PUIU1W>'(/ !lparl
2JlIubt. rlt.w/lltrlllUm uht",
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 143
fairly regarded as a compilation of the Smiga period main-
tains an eloquent flilence over the importanre of Gaya as
the place for funeral obsequies. As a matter of fact, in the
whole range of Brahmanicalliterature dating up to the 8unga
age all the information that may be gathered relates to Gaya
as a V edic
1
to Vislu:mpada. unci Uayasira as two
btations of the bun in 111'3 daily course/ and to the word
Gaya-sadltalla Gnll({spltiillc-Ga.IJ(spnay'lM, Hignifying the
promotion of domestic wealth.
3
It may be shown that each
of the three items of information has a peculiar suggestion
for later development in the Hindu legends of (hya. First,
the ij,ishi Gaya came to figure ill the Epic and versions
of the Gaya-eulogium a':! a rujarshi or royal &agc lending his
name to the rlty of Gaya. Ke('ondly, the earli<.>r astronomical
notions of Vis]u.mpada and HayaHim clropperl down into
names for the principal shrine ann hill of GayJ. town. And
the earlier signification oC the word Gaya a!:l domestic wealth
or prosperity serv(ld as a stimulus to th<.> later conception
of Gaya as a land of happy IhPnty. where once flowed the
streams of Ohrituknlyu, Dadhikulya and 1Iladhukulya.
Now pasbing over the reign of the SUli.gabhl'itya Ka1!vas
which has nothing as yet to &ay regarding the Gaya region,
wc have to take note of two kings, Kausikiputra Indragni-
mitra and Brahmamitra, whose names 100111 large in some
of the short inscriptions on the old Stone-railing at Bodh-
Gaya recording it to be a lllemoraLle erection of female
1 RV X 63 17, M. 16; Alt. HI V 2 12; AV. I 14.4; lW. V. 02. 10.
B Here the reference is to AUl'I;Ianiibha's mtoxplCtatjon of the Vedio allegory of
Vishnu's three &trides.
3 RV. IX 104.2; RV. I. 91. 12 and 19; VII. 54. 2; AV. XIX. 15.3; PiJ)ini VI.
1. 66 and comments in the Viirttika. and Pataiijo.Ii's Mahii.bhishyo..
144
GAY.! fiT)) BUDDHA GAYA
piety. As their surnamf.'S inrlieatp. both of t)U:'Sf> monarchs
must haye belongerl to a )Iitra oyna<;ty. which probably
rose into POWPT in Magaflha after the rlisruption of the
KaJ;tT'a honsf'. But ('nu at; TC'!!<lrr1t- the reign of these two
kings. the flewloJ.-lmellt of Jrt Rn(l arr-hitecture that took
place conC'prnpd exr-lno:,iye1y thf' Elitp of BOf1h-Gaya. and as
8uch does !lot bear any- nry great impul'tancf' to the history
of Gaya from a Hinrtu point of yjC"w.
So far as iusf'l'iptions go. wo lLlll!- 'Summarily dispose
of tllC Knshii:t;ta age a'i heing of littl" help for our immediate
purPOf<C, ther<' bc-ing nothing of re('or(l with the
doubtful exc<'ption of tl1<' <,vent d 1, -tnllation of a ('olossal
stOlH'-statu(' of tbC' Bu(Mhn (hl'; '; the of 011P King
Turamala anfI in 8w111'Clt 64 (iil -:- or f',('('vnd ('entmy A.D.).
may, hOWI'Yfll'. bp fO('us[o,('(l 011 the of this agc
by an ear1ipr wr ... iol1 of Gaya-pulogium in the 1\Iaha-
bharata. which. a" pl'o"l'1'(1 I,y ypry old prrli canonical
couplets, harl bCI'll 'S1- l,"lg itt;(']f tllllJU,!.!,h (,(,l1turies. The
Epic EulogiulU th{' <,:-,tah]iRhed fanw of Gara
as a plaf'e of Hindu pilgrimagp, and (,'lp<'ciully thr place
for securing releaf,(' of thp r1eparted f',pirit:.. It at 011C<' holds
before our eyes a pieture of Gnya as a Holy Land deriving
it"! high fwl nOllP thp lCF.R it1> hom the
sacrificial rites m 1 h"llPYolPllt aiftR of tJw royal saoe Gara,
C'
son of Thr whole comprised the
twenty-fiye bill-top'l, th(' Uridlnakflta. lTd!anta.Oitnnadita
and the rest. with the Uayasira lording it O\'er them aU, the
lal'ge strr-a 111 of Phalgu fed by countless cataracts, the
Gh!itakulya, Dadhikulya and the rest. and lined wIth a
luxuriant growth of sylYiHl grow"!, AkRha:ra-yata. the un-
PRE-B"CDDHlSTI(I HlHTORY
145
dying banyan of immortal fame. HridhraYata, the bI'other
banyan markillg the sacred approael1 to the Orid1ll'akftta
hill, Tiladhenuka at the holy site of Dhenuka bearing the
curious hoofmarks of the heavenly cow Kapila with her
calf's, Dharmara\lya. tIll' charming forest tract. sacred to
Dharmal'aja 01' Yama. with the sacnd. tank Bralllnasara
in its midst ana the towering Brahmayilpa besi(le, Dharma-
prastha. the Raered sitt, in the bouth graced by the presence
of the Buddha-image and. the hermitage of l\Iatailga, as
well as Brahmasthana. the site sacren. to Brahma. The
Epic legend is well Cl Wltlp of the exisl('lW{" of Yonidvara
(Brahmayoni) on tIll' Cl'O\\'\l of the hill a natural
passage lmdel')Wath a boulder f'ltallding n symbol for
salvation from tlw womb of misery. cq ually of the pre-
sence of a Rivaliliga 011 the Hridhrakiita wit]1 a stone figurc
of Nandi. the hull attendant of LOLd Ri,u. It also pmises
the rites fm' the wOl'ship of Havitri and by the
Bl'ahmins peJ'fOL'ming tlH' Vedic rites, .But r:,tmngelyenoug]),
it has nothinl!, as yet to place on L'ccord l'egal'ding Vislu}.u,
his footprint or ie-onic fOl'm Gadadhara 01' l\Iace-bcan'l'.
Tt knows nothing of any myth eonCel'nillg Uada-
sura and Dhannasila. The baered Fttaramanmia.
DakshiJ}.amiinasa and tiLt n'l'lt do not find mention in it.
The val'louf'I imagef'l of th(' HUll-god. and Rakti and thf'
temples t'nshrining them arc yt't far heyond its reach. The
fi aya propel', as (lepided ill the Epic. Pl'CSP11tfl predominantly
a scene of natmc-wol'ship, wllile the solitary phallic Rymbol
of Lord Siva marks just the commencement of the semi-
iconic stage in the process of visualisation of the image of
the Divinity of the place.
19
146 GAYA AND Bl"1JDH..\.-GATA
The omission of 01' YishlfU'S iootprillt from
the Epic list of prominent object'5 and '3ites is f.:.ignificant.
But this onllssion may be simply a r'a'3l? of dlibf'rate
sion duf' to sectarian prejwli(> at thf' 1.ar-k of a ::::ai,3 manual.
This belief gain"> in btH'ngth a" we norif' a ;;:imilal' raE.e of
omission of dll symbols of Sai'dF-In hCllli t}lt' li-st of such
obje-ct'5 aurI ill a wOlk. "1.r' Yi"hI;llH.,31puitii,
for imtance, in w11irh Yi;,lll.JuJ..!a
f
la ..,tanr1.., {Jilt ij" ,. ll10st
,li8tinctiv object and "ite with 'tJ1P hill,
the Lndying Banyan a11rl th .. 1i...-.1'. Jj w.: take,
howE::yer. a11 tlw earl:" IDr'f1ifl''''-dl Swriti L:,ir-r'.:'l1fE'''' to ('iaya
or (.;'ayiikshetra ill tlH> hnnp. th.: },ro<;,' J>ci ...... ag.
p
in t]l'"
salflhita if> the bolital'Y ill..,taw:::e w1
e
,1'" ,n- ]la...-,' lllf'JltiOll of
and a in thp Atli-.... ulphita uuntlH:-r'Such
instance where the pilgrim is urge(l to hay'.:' a "if',," "d eyen
an iconic form of it-- the (1i...-iw 1I1a( e-1Jecilt'1' (rl! (.'ili(di
del..'aJlt Gwiiiiflta 1"0 It I ). TIl1I"> it ma:" b.- ... afely 111aiutained
that thiCl pre,ailing h:ll
f
l
P
llf': of
is to represent Gaya l)y ih lldtmalldnfllllarb. the hm. the
riYer anr1 the tree. an(l that trll' YibllliU-:-amI1ita il.!!rees so
. . -
far with the Great E}Jic that in l.oth th.- :'Itagl' of manifesta-
tion of the deity of Uaya. whether in the form of \ ishlfu's
footprint or in that of a phal1ie symhol of 8iya. ib E:emi-iconie
or merely suggestiw. Thi:-- llOH'! equally true in the
case of the Anotlwr important point of agree-
ment is in commomles'S of a.pecification of liaya as the place
for funeral obsequies intending rell'a.,p of the departf-'d souls.
The real historical interest of the study of these literary
references arises from the fact that these enable 11:-- to as-
l'ertain that Gaya had not attained the highest pORition
PRE-DVDDHlSTIC HISTOTIY 147
In a clay as a sanctOl'Ul1l for the fulfilment of the above
specific object. These go to show how from having been
first just one of the several places of importance Gaya ad-
vanced by the gradual 5teps of preference (pradhiinya) into
its unrivalled <;leat of pre-clllinellc(>. Xone nee-d be surprised,
therefore. that eyen in the Pushkara,
situated on the- Kal'awafi. if, aUm'L'll to C'lljoy pl'L'dominance
ovc']' the region of Uavi1, There not a Ringle list. ho\\,('wl'.
in which (iaya has not H (listinct plar-e. EWll taking into
account the ancipnt PilIi canonieai list of such tirthas. we
could show that Gayii. had nttaine<l 1>1'<'-(,111in(,l1cC' among
tIl<' notable pla('ps ol Hilldu pilgrimage t\f, Hr, the c1aYH
of tlH' Buddha.
'Vhen tlw Uhi rH'be pilgl'im Fa lEan \ ibiied eastern India
in tll<' nrbt quarter' of thp 5th ('{'ntury A.D .. he found the
city of (lC'solate and <1l'r,erbd. though the canses that
brought ahout Fluch u deplorahl{' &iate of things are yet
unlmown. Even wlwll. two-an<l-a-half (;puturies later,
Hwen Th5ang pas'led through thiFl ('ity. it had hut few
inhabitants. it'3 population lULYing ('onsisted of a thousand
families of Brahmins only. It contillued, of course, as
there-to-fo1'<', to be a, Hindu Hol.Y Land. nOled for tlw HaC'recl
water of its famous tank to the extreme north and the
special sanctity of its roC'ky hill to the south-west. Its
Brahmin inhahitant::;. too. Htood in high este{'lll of the people
everywhere f01: their acclaimed descent fro111 a venerated
sage of yore, and were not ff'gal'ded as vassals by the reigning
king. Both the Chinese pilgrims have in their travels re-
corded nothing else of importance concerning the region of
Gayn. viewed from a Hindu point of view but that the portion
148 GAYA. AND BUDDHA-GAYA
lying to the Routh of the Gaya propel' had come wholly
tmder the sway of Buddhism. It is interesting to observe
that thp hermitage of }Iatallga of the Hindu Epic fame
aC(Flired it new trac1ition at thp hanc1s of the Buddhists as
th(' sacred haunt ot the wise elepIuwt (miilaliga) of the
l\Hitiposaka-Jataka. and the same Jataka leg.PlH\ was foisted
UpOll the tank comllle;nol'atillg the llame of
the !:IeU-same sage :.\latallga. In other words. the two tracts
of Gaya and Uruwla became distinct Hb two separate saceI'd
al'eas, tIle f01'mel' I'f'Pl'csPllting tIll' aomillion of the Akshaya-
mla 01' Unclyjng ba))yan of Hindu faml' and the latte]' that
of tJw Bo-tree AIiL'afflw of Burldhist faulP. tlw fo1'1nr)' l'emain-
ing in a decadent tonditio]1 Hnd the bttp), shining forth in
the rising glol'J oJ it:-. m-t ancl al'chitect1ll'l'.
The yisit of Fa Hiall was synchronlls with the palmy
(lays of the earliel' Gupta emperors who exel'l'iRed their
fnll suzerainty over the region of Gaya. nay. OYe]' the whole
of the kingdom of :.\Iagadha. It so. it would bp going far
from the historical truth to imagine that the desolationofthc
city of Gaya was due to any political causes. It far safer,
wc think, to account for the deserted ('ondition of the Gaya
town by certain cataclysmic natural phenomenon causing
havoc to the place. such as the oyerflooding of the hill streams
that fed the Phalgl1 and the silting np of the gTeat river of
Haya with its attpudant eyil effects. Is it not strange that
nowhere in the rep,ion of Gaya has up till now been dis-
('overed any Hindu shrine or image which might be relegated
to the early Hupta reign?
Ruddhaghosha who flourished during the earlier paIt
of the UUl'tu p('riod and IllUY be regarded almost as a yOlmgel'
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 149
contemporary of Fa Hian was aware of the existence of the
temples of Vasudeva and Siva-:Mahesvara (Vasudeva-ayatana,
Issara-ayafana) in his time, t althongl1 he dOCR not specifically
mention where. precisely i]l what part of bldia. these were
situated. Even in hif.. ('ommentary on the Hu('hiloma-Sutta.
he doE'S not -refel' to tiU' tpmple of Kikhiloma as an edificE'
distinct from the autirJue towel. TrtJ!l-kita-IIIanoha des-
cribed in tlll' text as the l'Nll ahode 01 tllP Yaksha. As a
point of depal'tmt> h'om both the original Kutta and Buddha-
ghosha'E. commentary, tlw Ruttanipata-Commentary which
is somewhat later than tlw writings of Budrlhagbosha dis-
tinguishes the tlmple of the Yaksha from the antique tower
and descl'ihe& it a& an edificE' oyerlooking the Gaya tank,-
as H mansion broad-basecl on a pawment. well-protected,
enclosed by a railing. pl'ovidecl with doors and gate-towers,
adorned in tItp upper part with a network of tinkling bells
and showing a IJnadrangular spirc.
2
If the tradition of
such H towering mansion on the bank of tJw Gaya tank be
at all crediblc. it<, c]"Pctioll must be placed after the life-time
of Buddhaghosha and unCloubtedly within the earlier part
of the Gupta perior1. Men ill Il,itef timf's had erected COIn-
memoratiyc Buddhist f>hrinel'. and f'1et up the figures of
Buddha fOl' worship at Bodh-Gaya, some of which were
witnessed by Ji'a Hian.
3
Even three Buddhist monasteries
were found ill existence' a.t this place by this Chinese pilgrim
1 Visudd1lim6(J(Ja, p. 482 .
Paramat!1w.jotik,j, I, p 301: lam ni,siiya (Sfic7r.&lollla) Yakkha.7sa
bhavanam, bJlIlvananl Hya lbid, p. 222' AlrtVal:a88a jlaM vimiiMI]t
pa1..Yirapal i/"khilta"". 8IW'1]twlKta.dflitra-alfiila-fO'PI'raq& #pIIri
kUiIIsuj;ilaWiftllllal/l liIanjiiocl-ltadisalll tiyojanal]t ubbedhena.
J Bc",l\ Buddhl",l RecOIcl-s, y,,!. I ,p lxiii.
at thoP tiDlf' lJi hi"'.. ,-v.it ThP!f' ,u.:funoPllt J ... .awns t.o
belic:rretW at !II"asi" am.cmol'ab!e
"A Kin!1 lI-egha'\ al'11cl ut (if',11)"f] lurlll!.; t])1> IPj!![l of
'=' -
Samufb..aszu:pta wkq;e J:pIgn 1 -"Id ... i ... 1 nrth- 1 pinlP the
ri"it r.A F.:l-Hi",IJ..
J
Thl> -liJ.!lI'rI fI! r .. nl1
Thy I!'. it that thp 1 ()f +,.. I - 1111l-t (.f n IJ1QUb
Hindn 1-'1.,(f"Jr)J1 ('1 1JJ ... t .. L-:l.1-1
r
1J ... - "1 If"" r-1 1. _D of thp
e .. U]lf-o 1 (.Upt<'l '-"')"lpr (J!" i
'fh"Jot- i ... 1JI'") d(lJllt "r"}1
fli tb. 11110 .. - (d Rn..:!"'1);:; 1
lltnjl)ut. d Tl) 'dllJl Th. 1
(<"JIJYf l-IJbtf' Vii J,j. 1- 1)<". d. ........ t.-t. I
-
1 1
J
]
1 t
1 .1,1
l'
]J'
f , 1-
_I
lr ..
T
Tl]T')I, =
lJI'
,1 011 d
I
, .... d
h ... r}f I1l<llY b, U<lll'Jlf ..,.1 rJ 'L'. -I r'- tl. Id h
. ,..
toPUHrlll... bllllg .. id lJIH .... +WlI I I LP 1 1 .12'
Jt /fught hp ( Jutl'lJ.dr.} rho" t} 1. 1- (j'" 1. I"r '1 ,I.-al
f'pigrdplll( Jrr nr
f
1 - t1(-' ArJh, ' -t 1 11- t,. H of
J .. ditYd"PJld b. Wl r1 If!111'''- fetet of
f)j r.\ ,(Dd1Jd tr 11 P: (' y,..,] 11 III t -'-1')1' HI l Km;!
dl,Jn2 nl! tJ. n l' TU])! lif 11 (ltllft
Ql Hindu lflrJnaf.tJ
r
<1 t)/'jrjl" 111 '" lll/'jt J PI .... {llHdtj allll I-'U a, il-
tklll fJi do i.dr,2E' taJJh l)) )J1." '.'If, I}n' r"1 Km}dfl ... ' 'i ". ,w'
awarp that Aditya-pua i ... 011(' of thp "fU-klll"l;VU (':U).T cl km!!:"
of lfa2adha. Blit a." hl& ilhCrl}JilOlh ,INuh' J1fO\{' he
floUlio:.hed durilJ::r tlJ( latt
p
1 petrt of thp (';U] Ita VP'llod Ill" date
})(mg por,tc'Iior to th(l ]f igll ot Kma: Hal<.11a of KcllMUl and
ab latf ar, th( tlpHI 01 fourth fJuaIter uf 7th rentmy
A.D.' E,en granted all tlip<,(' tlH' tart H.ll1am ... that Aphsad
1- SH !I (Jayfi-mJ.8kagrhl-Reral.rNi qralll/J
I Fl"l't /l Gr;rpll" In.vTIp'Wtl.lJ.r" '01 In., l'P 2).1 foIl
, I> r qrpu.'1 bwrtplwnv.m. \'u\ nr, pp 20120!>
Ilpet'lI '(J! Ill. Ill! ZOlllICI
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 151
or Jafarpnr is a villagE', which is situated in the Nawada
subdivision of thc district of and not strictly within
the bounds of thE' Gaya region.
Near the very site of this Yisln:m templC' was discovered
a beautifully carvel1 fignre Ol a Boar representing apparently
the famons Boa1' incarnation of Yishl).ll Naray.\l).a.
1
This
figure is l'eganlr,l ai> 0)1<' of thr lingering hundiworks
of art of tlH' Uupta prl'iod. Wr possefls inderrl a definite
epigraphir ('yil1encC' in tllC' Eran Rtone Boar inscription of
TOramal)a to pLOW that the reign of the Hfil)U king TOramal)a
became notccl fo)' the' hni1<ling at AiTikilla or Eran in the
Ct'ntral Province's of a stolle'-trmple C'nshrining 'a colossal
red-sandstone statue of a Boar. about (,}(,Y(,l1 feet high,
representing the' Yifllllpl in hifl inCal'llatiol1 as such:! If
t 11(' Boar statue of t1le' <layii district hr. as it seems likely,
of the sa111r c1atl' as the our at Emn. it cannot be attributed
to an age eal'liel' than the fom:th quarter of tllC' 5th century
A.D. H('re. too. we have to note tl1Ui th(' find-spot of tll('
statu(' iH th(' Yillagr of 01111 not thr G-aya region
propel'.
A <, prow,l by hif, lnsrription,l the l\Iaukhari chiC'ftain,
named Anantavarman. illfltalled a beautiful image of the god
Krishna in one of the Bal'ubar hill-caves, the Lomasa Rishi
. . .
Cave. which was originally a cave-dedication of King Asoka
for the accommodation of the Ajivika ascetics. There are
reasons to believe that the l\Iankhari chieftain added a
1 Fleet's COIPIIS, Yol Ill., P 201
2 Fleet's Corpus 1718criptiolltl!ll, Vol. Ill" p. 160: BTlagavato Vartilur-miirUu.jagat-
paraya'l}llsya
Bar;ibar Hill-cave inscription of Ana.ntllvarxna.n. See Fleet's C'orpul Inscript_
/;07111111, Vol. Ill. pp. 221223.
132
GAYA. AND
fa<tade with the figure of as an ornament to the
caye which was left unfinished by the great l\Iaurya emperor.
It is equally proyed by two other illocriptiOllS of the same
l\Iaukhari chieftai1l
2
tha.t he installed 'an image representing
Siva, ill the fOl'Ill of Bhlitapati or the lord of beings. and his
wife Piirvati under tllf' nau1(' of Dey]. the Image 'probably
ot the kind, caUrd Ardhvanari&val'cl. rombinillg Biva and
Parvati in one body.'! and another Image of tlw goddesb
Parvati undeI' the name of Katyaya,lli together with the
grant of a village to the bame godde&s. nnder the name of
Bhavani/ separately in two of the Nagarjulli hill-caves
which were originally the cay!.'-dedicatioll'! of King Dabaratha
to the sect of the Ajivikac;. The Ba l .Jar and Nagal'juni
hills are situated about fifte!.'}) to eightcE'n milE'S to the north
by east of the Gaya town. overlooking the Phalgu. Bnt we
have seen that the :i.\Iahabharata locatel'> these hills rather ill
the holy region of :i.\Iagadha. The intereot ot the votive
records of Anantayarmall. ll('vetthelebi'!. if> that by the time
when these recOl'df', were lllbcribed. the Bariibar and Nagar-
juni ca,Yes were deoel'tea by the AJidkas. then' former tenants.
It is histOl'ioally nnporta.llt al'!o to not(' that the :Jfaukhari
chieftain tJ'ied to acquiJ'e an immortal tame by setting up a
figure of Vislll;1.U in hi':> inca1'llatiOll ab Kris1Wa sidE' by side
wit}l those of Siva-Parvati and Kiityayani in tllf' llf'ighbonr-
hood of the town of ltaya whieh doef> llOt &eem to have
entertained the worshIp ot III th(' fol'lu of KrishJ.la, of
tSiya in combination with 111& consort, and of Sakti under the
1 Niigiirjuni HIllca.ve lllBctilltion o[ Ananto.vo.rman. See Fleet's Corpus 11!Scrip"
tiol1l17nVol. Iil., pp. 223226.
9 Nigirjuni HilI.co.ve inscription of See Fleet's Corplls In8crip
tionutn, Vol. ill., pp 226228.
PRE-BUDDHIRTIC HISTORY 153
name of Katyayani and Bhavanl. Tll<' 1'(,C01'OS of Ananta-
varman are undated, although judged by their characters,
these cannot be treated as earlier than the 8th century A.D.
The Meharauli pORthumous iron pillar inscription of
Chandra r('coros thc -pions act of a -powerful king named
Chandra consisting in the setting up of a lofty standard of
the divinc Vishl,lu on tl1e Vishl,lu-pada hill.l The inscription
is undated. It gives ns no information as to the lineage of
King Chandra. The lofty standard is no other than the iron
pillar bearing the inscription. The column stands at present
on a part of the Delhi ridge and in a posiliion, "which hardly
answers to the d<.'scl'iption of its b('ing on a giri or hill."
And whether it is in its original position or was transferred
from another locality, the importance of its record lies in the
that it at onc(' prcsuppOFICS thc cxi,gt('n('c of a Vislll:mpada-
giri or hill bearing the footprint of ViR]1l:m.
2
Some of the epigraphic records, especially those inscribed
during the reign of Rkandagupta,3 incontestably prove that
the worship of th(' diviu(' Vish1).u. eYCIl ulld('l' his iconic form
as the c1iscuR-anc1-mn.ce-benrcr (chaha-rladfi-dhara), becaml:'
prevalent in certain pn.rtR of Northrrtl and Western India
as early as the 4th or 5th century A.D. But none of these
attests the prevalence of the worship of Vishl,lu under such an
iconic form in any part of the region of Gaya. It will be
noticed that the Vanapal'va of the Mahabharata, too, alludes
to certain sites sacred to Visll1:m, worshipped under his
1 Flcot'q Oorpns Inqcriptionllm, Vu! Ill, p. 141.
a OUt attention i, dr,ll\ n by lILI <.'halandas (,hattcrjl'l' of the University of
Lucknow to the existence of two hills, ono at Gaya aJid tbe 0 her near
Hnrdwnr .
Of. Juno.ga.dh Rock inscription of Skandagupta and Gangadhar stone insoril'tioll
of
20
154 GAYA AND llUDDHA-(tAYA.
iconic forms as Nal'ayftl)a and .Janiirdana. But h<>re again
these sites are locah'd in places outsicle Gaya.) Indeed the
legend of Gayasura in the Vayu-PuraI).a clearly brings out
this fart that thC' prNlomil1all'e of at Haya came to
be recognisefl only at 11 lat' F.tagC'. With fl "dew to coping
with vigorous efforts of the demon Gayaf:>ura the first deity
whom th(' gods thought it fit to approach was Brahma, the
next deity was Siva. and the third or la"\t deity was YisllI.lU.
From this one may hC' le(l to f:>Ulmi..,c that before Yishr.lU
camp into tlw field, Rivu if:. the Hindu (lpity who had held
sway oyer the no]r land of (1ayfL. It may he maintained
indeerl. without much fear of contradiction. that during the
reign of the Imperial Guptas and imlll<:'diately after Gaya
proved to be a scene of a keen contest between Brahmanism
nnd Saivism resulting Ultimately in the general admission
of the superior cla. m of Bxft to reign OY('1' the place as . ts
supreme lord. In other WOl'll" herame aggresl'live
at this oYer the enhre legion of Gayu. f,C'eking every-
where to push Brahm3. into thC' barkgroullrl and bring Riva-
Mahesvara i.nto promincncC'.
With tIns ('onte&t at it::, height Wt' haye to close our
survey of the reign of th(' Impclial Guptas. Sasanka of
Bengal and Harsha of Kanauj. and proceed to peep through
the reign of some of tlw latPI Gupta<! and f(udatory l\Iaukharjs,
and watch how it became notC'rl for th(' foundation of a
stronghold of "hshI).u-worship at and the installation
of the figures of Parvati or Katyayani, a iorm of 8akti, in
the Nfigiirjnn"i hill-('aves in the neighbourhood of the region
of Gay.
1 Jlrrhftb/i{(Ia/a, Y,m.lparvn, ('h. VC1S(,Q 122.124.
lU:::;TUHY
155
From the later Huptas tllltl the {('uda,tory Maukharis wc
have to pass on to notice what happened in tIt(=' region of
Gaya during the pretty long and glorious 1'I.'ign of the Pulas
of Bengal who I.'xercised their sujeruinty also over the ancient
kingdom of Magallha. It i14 (luring tlw Pala period that the
final stage of the dt'vl'ioplllent of art ana architecturc, both
Hindu and Buddhist. was Tpctehed. far .1:-\ Hinduism i8
concerned. onc of thc (,learly l"t'cordR the fact
of installation of tt figuTl' of 8iva-Brahma. (lIlalHideva-Ohatm'-
muklta) during tlU' reign of IGng D1utl'lllapaht hy one Kesava
in the prerindb ot the Bodh-Oay;t ttlIlJple u1 thc Budcllliflts
fOl' the benefit ot thc crullit0 Raiyjtl' Brahmin Rcholars who
resided at Dodh-Gayu.
l
.. 1nd a:, wC' ha n' RCCl1, therC' ate
a tew other authentic epigraphic lW'onll'> to I.'stahlish that
the construction of mObt of the Hindu RanctuaricR, the
installation ot Illost of tll<' Hindu images and the excavation
of most of the later Hindu baClwl tauks, UttaramallaRa,
Dakshil).amanasa and the 1'1.'Rt, WC1'e accolllplished durillg the
reign of Nayapaladevu., Vigmhttpu.la amI Yukl'lJIHpa.ll1, whh:h
is to say, in the 11th ana 12th ecntllll(,s oi the Ohribtian era..
The installatioll ot a peculiar repl't>bl'lItation in RtOflf' of
Siva and .Brahma ill the JOl'm of d. phalli(' bymbol with four
faces (1I1ahadl.va-Chatu1'1nukha) at Boclh-Gaya during the
reign of Dharmapala and. that of a sjmilar representation
of the two dcities (PJ'upltama/trbI1ara) ill the form of a
phallic bymbol with a human face in the hcart of thc Gaya
town go to prove that somc hort of a compromise between
Brahmanism and 8aivism was arrived at under the benign
rule of the Palas of Benga1 remarkable for their eclectio
i56 GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAYA
spirit in the matter of religion. The aggressiveness of the
Saiva ascetics yieided its place to the humane spirit of
VishI}U in h
1
8 forJ?-1 as Janardana and the milder spirit of the
same deity in his form al:i NaraYaJ.).a, represented as the
10l'd of Kamala. The Run-goa, too, appeared on the scene
of worship in a silent but conquering mood as J\IauI).aditya
and Vijayaditya. The preponderance was still enjoyed by
the phallic representations d Siva under the name of
Sahasralinga, l)vistomesvat ;-t, l'halgullJ.tha and Kedara.
rrhe process of iC'1nic development cOlltinued, the temples
after templcs were add:.ld for the enshrjnement of new
images. And it may be easily imagined that the early
history of the Hindu Holy Land came to be closed with
the auvent of VishI).u in an awe-inspiring, form. as Gadadhara
or mace-hearer and the erection of the I:llLrines for the worship
of the different formE> of Bakti. Onc of the inscriptions of
King Asokavalla of Sapildalaksha (Sivalik) hints at the
decadence of Buduhism at Bodh-Gaya for want of
royal patronage after termination of the reign of the
Sena kings of Bengal. The iconoclastic fury of
Islam must have a terrible effect on the shrines of the Gaya
region, and particularly on Buddhism with the result that
a time came when, there being no Buddhists to look after
their own t:lhrines and worship at Bodh-Uaya, the Brahmins
of Gaya had to do their work even by going out of their
jurisdiction. The sin of greed brought down curse 011 these
Brahmins. Gaya ceaseu to be alalld of plenty and prosperity,
and its inevitable consequence was that its Brahmins became
dependent for their livelihood entirely on an income from the
pilgrim8. 'l'luu; to sa.ve their soulK a prupa.ganuil:lt llu111ual,
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 157
the later legendary form of the Eulogium of Gaya, became
a desideratum. This Eulogium in the PuraJ}.as embodies
the very latest phase of development of the iconic life of
Brahma-Gaya under the Rtrong and unquestioned sway of
VishJ}.u, the mace-bearer.
15. BODH-GAYA FHO)1 BUDDHIST POINT
OF VIEW
In dealing with the ancient tract of Uruvela as a whole
we had had an opportunity of inviting thc reader's attention
to a number of spots w11ieh acquired special sallctity ill the
estimatioll of the Bud<lhi&ts from theIr assoc]3,tion with
the movements and achievements of the Buddha, both
before and after the great Enlightenment. Here our endea-
vour will be to make all intensive study of the historical
development of that remarkable spot in the neighbourhood
of Senani-gama which was destined to be viewed and vene-
rated by the Buddhists as the pre-eminent place of pilgrimage,
reigned over by the lordly Bo. We might recall that this
spot was nestled ill a calm l'ctreat within a few paces from
the bank of the N eraiijara of crybtal 1l0w and glistcning
beach and with a luxuriant frontage of a Siil-gl'Ove. The
selectioll of this very spot in preference to thc Pragbodhi
hill and its fearful surroundings was no mere accident; it
was a deliberate choice for the place had a special appeal
to his imagination and. proved peculiarly congenial to his
temperament.
Obviously the city of Gaya through which he had passed
had no attraction for him. That crowded urban areas like
158 GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAyA
the cities of Rajagriha, Benales. Vaisali. K<tpilavastu ancl
Kausambi had no fa5cination for hill!. is too clearly borne
out by the history of Buddhism. 111 all these instances
wc find that the 5ite;:, ::.ckdcc1 for p1nnting the centres of the
new religion have alwclYb hcen pI ,U,Ullt wooc1Iallcl& and
picturesque pleabd.unces "ith open 1'1Ospects and delightful
surroundings as offered by the fctlll llb Deer-palk at Rishi-
pattana in the vicinity of the Bamboo-grove of
King BimbisBJ.'a and the Mango-I=;LoVC of Jivaka in the
vicinity of Rajagriha, the magnifif woodland i\Iahavana
near Veisali, the bombl(, Banyun grove adjoinIng Kapilavastu
and the Bhesakalavana within the pur\'icw of Kausambi.
All these premibes may leacl us to think that neither
the crowded citics n01: the denE.e forcr,ts and like other fearful
places appealed really to his imagination or suited his tem-
perament. Fa Hiall and Hwen Thsallg have left. almost in
equal terms, an i1lteresting of cilcumstances
that impelled the Buddha to avoid the dangerous crags and
fearful fore5ts of the Plagbodlll Jull (Po-lo-h-po-tl), situated
some four or five mile5 1l00th-ear,t hom Bodh-<laya, and
to select the spot noted abovc. \Ye feel tcmpted to quote
below the description of Hwen ThSctllg as being the more
effecti ve one:
"To the east OT the pla.('c where Gaya-Kasyapa sacrificed
to fire, crossing a great river, wc come to a mountain called
Pragbodhi (Po-lo-!. i-po-tl) Tathaga.ta. aft 81. diligently
seeking for six years and not yct obta.ining 5uprClllC wisdom,
atter this he gave up hi!:! penance and accepted the rice-milk
(of Suja.ta). As he went to the north-east he baw this
mountain that it wab beduded anli dalk wheteupon he
PRR-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY 159
desired to seck enlightenment thereon. Ascending the
north-east slope and coming to the top. the earth shook
and the mountain quaked, whilst the mountain deva in
terror spake thus to Boclhisattva :
"Thisl1lountain is not the fortuna.te spot for attaining
supreme wisdom. If he)'p you stop am1 engage in the samadhi
of Diamond. the earth will quake mul gape ana the mountain
be overthrown upon yon.' Then Bo(lhisattva descended,
and half way clown tlw f::.outh-west slope he halted. There
backed by the Cl'ag and faping a torrent, ~ a great stone-
chamber, Herp he sat down cross-legged. Again the earth
quaked and the mountain shook. Then a Deva of the Pure
Abode (Suddhav(lsa) cried out in space, 'This is not the place
for a Tathagata to perfect supreme wisdom. From this
south-west, 14 or 15 1i, not far from the place of penance,
there is a Pippala (Pi-1JO-lo) tree under which is a Diamond-
throne. All the past Buddhas seated on this throne have
obtained true enlightenment, and so will those yet to come.
Pray, then, proceed to that spot.' Then Bodhisattya
rising up, the Dragon dwelling in tIll' cave said, 'This cave
is pure and excel1ent. Here you may ac(;ol1ll'lish the holy
(aim). Would that of your exceeding love you would not
leave me.' Then Bodhisattva having discovered that this
was not the place for accomplishing his aim, to appease the
Dragon he left him his shadow and departed. The Devas
going before, led the way, and accompanied him to the
Bodhi-tr('e."l
As for the uncongeniality of donse forests and like other
fearful tracts to his temperament, we have a much earlier
1 Bl'nl'" BI/dd111ot ReCOil" VIII 1I, )l)l 114115. Uf lblll, Vol I,:pp !xl,!xii.
160
GA YA AND BUDDHA -HAYA
and more authentic aC'count in tl}(' Bhaya-bherava-Sutta
of the l\Iajjhima-Nikaya. In connection with the suggestion
that in the opinion of the Brahmin JanuRso1;li (Janasruti)
tI1P forest regiom an({ arid trade, are highly (lifficult of
habitation. the mucl1-nredpd of self is hard of
ac{'omplishment, and rquaUy diffif'ult it i.:; to fincl comfort
in such loneliness. the forest, aq it 'lPpm-" di'3tracts the mind
failing to attain due compoc,ure. tlw Buddha is represented
as emphatically endorsing it ill terms no;; follows '-
Et'am etmp, Pl'(tnl ('Im]!
, Even so 'ti&, 0 Brahma1;la. c,o 'ti&." In the &amc strain
he goes on to Ply that this yery tl1011Q,ht occmrec1 to him
prior to his attainmrnt of perfect wi&dom, when he had not
M yet seen the great ligM ann wac, &till pur:ming his career
as Bodhisattva.
1
FUlther on, hf' out his reminiscences
how he had &pcnt therf' hi'! day." and night.:; in dreadful
suspense.
"While I ({welt thprf' (Rometimci'j) a bC'ac,t would be heard
approaching, or a bird ,vouM drop down a dried twig. or the
wind would ruffle the lrfl,wf>. Tlmt wouM &et me athinking:
"There, forsooth, comes the very dreaded horror (bhaya-
bherava). Thrn, 0 Brahmal)a. thiR thought occurred to
mr: A seeker of truth that I am, should I be caring for the
fear (thatisfalse). Now will I meet the awfulfoeac:;it comes
from any position I may be in."2
In another 8utta, viz., the l\Iahasihanada. he endeavours
to show that he could willingly face all these apprehended
1 Ma))1nma. N,W'lf/. p. 27 JJIrI//1wlJI pi lko Briihmana pubbe va samba/lllii allab11/
samlruddhassa 'bodkl'at/(u.' clla ,a/a e/ad allO,i
2 JJlaJ)hrma NI/a?",. PI' 2021
PRE-BUDDHISTI(' HrWI'ORY
161
troubles only so long al:l hp mailltll iW'(l to liv(' 11 P to t hI'
fruitless penances of thl' extremf> aF,('(ti('c, Rlwh H'l tIll ,i\.l<\
and Ajivikas.
1
To quote him ill hi'l OW11 worc1f1
"I used to live then, 0 KiiJiputta, !'ntering int.o cl hflrlnl
woodland, That wab iJl(lPpd t])(' Illo"t drf'adful part III
the dreaded woodland. W1HJ('W'1 lint h( ... ac, yet from
passions. dareb e'lltf'[' ':>lwl] (1, tl'd! t hOlllp
i
l. l tl(JJl overtakeb
him all the mort' cclu<,in!!, tl\f' h.lil ni lli" bo(ly to -.tandcrect.
Throughout t]w a ntll111n ilml "i ntct mrmt h<, und even
eluring the elewy fin,t foul' dayb 01 tlw month following thE:'
winter-season I nR('(l to "'pelHl the Highi un(le'1 the open
sky and the day in tlU' heart 01 tIll' "\\00(1. ",hilt dUling the
last month 01 summer I fol]mn:rl It ),f'\ el'<'I'(1 (Olll "I'. giving
utterance to th( following stanza ot unprec(rle'nh(l fl1me:
80 tattoo 80 (hO bhll]!S(I(lol( NII/(' I
}{ar;[Jo. na ch' 0.f/qUJ/ iibiliO, l'MIJlii-p(l.'wfo 111I/)/1
"Bescorc]wc1, betrozl'u. alolll' ill femful wood.
Nud(', 110 fire b(,F.id('. all afire within.
Up aml tlw 1/11
/
111. lwnt upon hhlll'"i !2.'HH1."
It is clearly bugge;,tl'd 11) tlH'
that a denRc and fe'alfnl fo!(,o..;t !!,PIH'Htlly '.luitf- tllo<,1' 01 11,1I'k
mcntality,2-the 8aivas and tll(' Aih ikab "ha fin(l it (11 fli( ult
to cope with their OWll nature which is turbule'ut ann re-
bemous, while to those who like the Buddha arC' of serenc
mind by their natural diF.position tl1C locality which appeals
is a calm retreat with open pro5pects and delightful :;urronnd-
ings, neithcr in the heart of a cTowdcd city 110r at the Kame
1 MajjMma.Nikaya pp 7779, Cf. LomaM'Y(I8a.JiiJaka (Fausboll, No l
a Majjkima-Kikaya, p. 23: a'llila'ilgo a'llikuloao a'llitamolw, taama aro'iliie tlana.
paUMni pmllimi senil&anilnj patise'llati
21
162 GAY.! AND BT:DDTL-\.-GATA
time far from it. We have noti(,l:'<l how deeply impressed
was the Buddha at the lovely ::.ight 01 the village of Senani-
gama on his first arrival there aml how most felicitiously
he described his :first imprcclRiol1S :
'Plea::.antly pictUlf&que is thi'> part of land. Delightful
is the sight of the graRsr woodland The riYer (Neraiijara)
is flowing on in a gla:::.sy streJ.m showing the bathing places
with gradual descents of &tcp.., In e..,( lltillg a charming land-
scape, and affording glimp::.e::. mto the IlPighbotuing hamlets
easy of access. This mU5t nc('(l'> 1)(> tlw fitting place for a
scion of a noble 1 arc '>tleJluolls1y I-i I i \ ing aftcT tllC' highest
attainment. "
The calm retreat in Uruy{'lii. finc111y selected and resorted
to by the Buddha for his la&t effort':. towards the realisation
of supreme wi::.dom, is popularly known now-a-c1ays by the
name of Bodh-Gay(7. 1'h(' other tPlm Bllddlut-Gayii which
occurs for the fir::.t tim(' in the' apocI)Tphal inscription of
Amaradeva
1
has g;}inr<l (LU 11'1W', in 111o(lr1'11 litrmture,
particularly <lue to its acloptioll cl'> htlp tor thr classic of
Dr. Rajendralala, l\litJ a. TJH' ach of tlw rarC' name
Buddha-Gaya ovrr the popular is that it enables us to co-
veniently distingui&h the M'ra with tJw pIcclominance of
Buddha-worship from the propC'l which Abul Fazl,
the court-hi&tOli<1n of Akhal'. ealh, Brahma-Gayii. meaning
thereby a place ot Hindu worflhip sacred to Brahma.
2
But
the popular name Bodh-Gaya. r,ignifying. as it doe&, a sacred
area predominated by the Bo-tn'e ib 1110re in accord with the
earlier traditional name Mahiibodhi. As attested by Cunning
ham, the lofty temple at Bodh-Gaya continued to be known
1 ASUlt" Yo1 I, P 84
2 AI/m A1.buII, Ilr. J.l 23.
I'HE-BUVDHIH1'IC IIlSTOHY 163
by the name Mahiibodhi even as late as the year 1877.
1
Cunningham has succeeded also in showing that the Bodh-
GayB. temple was known to Hwen Thsang as Mahabodlti
(Mo-lw-pu-ti) Vihiim and the monastery by the name of
1IlaMibodlti 8clliqltiiJ'(ima.
l
nay, that the bHllle name 1Ilalui-
bodhi was used hy all the Chinese pilgl'im:; who visited the
place in the 7th C<'lltur.v .\,.1>.' The name of Jl;Jaliauodlti
also occurb in HtI' ini5criptiou 01 Kcb<l.va rccordinp, the installa-
tion of a CltaulIlltlth Jlaltiidel' dlning the reign of King
Dharmapala. t The bame name is to be found also in the
votive inscriptions or King who l'eigned in the
13th century A.D.; Even coming to still later times we find
that this name WitS current when .Jillaclitsa cau"led his votive
record to be inscribed on onc of thc pillar& of the old Stone-
ra.iling.
6
Wc need not be astonished at this. Fm the
Eighth Hock Edict of King Asoka bears ('lear evidence to
establish that the holy site was known as far back as the
3rd century B.C. by the name of Sambodhi, 7 a term correspond-
ing to lllah{tuodhi of the later inscriptions. Whether the
term be SaJnuodhi or Mahiibodhi, we cannot but admit that
it primarily denotes the Great Bo-tree and secondarily tho
place of Buddha's Enlightenment, the far-famed spot where
the Bo-tre.1 larch it over. We mean that Sambodhi or
1 Cunnl11gh.lln'ij Malliiboclll/, p. 2
: BuddluatRecnrdl, Vol H, p 133.
J lA. X. BI',\I'& ,uhdc un P,lgl!1I/,8/roll/, Oll/ltu to [nail!
I PdhSlIlI
6 JOUl/lul, Bumbay.l'/Il/if V()I XVI, P 3J9
P.J.!oI>llU. Bt.. III
Cf the expte!SiOll ftlJli.ga S(UpbodTlilll, nikral"i Sctl/tbodlunI, "proceeded towards
Samboc1ht" ThIS nlmll.t on n WIth .Ja.tak,\ CXpl'cBsion naMyitviilla 8all/,.
bodlii,ll. thc telluSamb(}(llu ot .1Ia1Utbo,UI-/W/,ntl" See the Killillg"-
bodll1-Jtita'a (.l!'olu,b"n, No 479)
164:
Jla}lfwoohi ]'3 th<- -.ame 'knn ars Bo({ll; of tb
o
Ba:rhut Jahek
1
of Buddhi.,t litpratUIP al ... ,1 Jlaljii'bodhi-1ru
of the Gay;i-mahatmya.
Th'b It i., ,1+>&1 t]'4t Br .. l1-t';'",,; ""'llti 111: thp "'pot
of tnf- Bo-:II>". 7iru.c;, b,) --3, t1:.. .. - "1, B ha ... 1
P
llT 1t ...
Dam*" to the sarrr'ti "j-r,_. T1.' 1]"1":" _'_ I' hat ... }nrrUy
.Ail 01 PIY}J"l'l The :-.1.-'- BJ idhi::t
makf'!tmamfe"t.ho'\'tc.Y-Ltl r\+-'t-llt 13,--- '-1,::llu- ryrtlr(f
in all rcl ... e". thr- difi. II'l1t Bll .;t..:1' h 1 _'1_' ,,:::J.-::''''ll- B,
CQll"tqwntly. l)!flj""'-l"11 ... te.ll,L" - _ - -.!J. ... .,,... ... )i; ... 1i
ha ... fll!ri, ell iT'" (U"T.l ' t-iy" "'1'_t1F'" !.._ >- , ...,,, ... ,, la'Tlj II 'With
thf- B'l,ld.ha ':: -ignal 1 r .u.:. ... Y'll1 ... !Jt _ -11" .. -- _ ' of B-l,l Th'1-
ho(,r'i t!.tt-' tl'lill BHriit -, tl7lt(' .. -ll..Ul : 11: B'. 11 ba-
80:; rlem .. nn; .i tl':: - unitl "\ L.. ..1 LI Bud,lhJ. .. TtdlUS
Enlig1teU1nellt. FrUlJl t11-' 1: - L 1'" -" '\ it'..... tht'
hi.,tory- of Bocl.b-l+ay:1 :tnn.l Ut:' Bw:u1 ... - }lC11l1t (If '\ 1.:'" js
to yi ... uali;;.: the gIClriG.("l FII t'-- '.+: 'l,bld,l eX'" :1"1"11
and c: :1 L"""1-. al .) ....... 1"Jl:.1L' . oi thl" "'llu
t
(If
the Ba""l""
SO" tLe "l!ut 01 t1. BfI"'l"", lli It ... l.ktII .. " ...... t lCl.l1.!.' ha"l
bet:'il kuUWll by t1e \\ ... ll-kno'\ll 11an.lt- oi Bllrill or
JIahiibodla-Jlla!lija. a tt:'rID. signifyllig a tt'rral't' surrounding
the foot of the Bo-t::'t:t:'. The Kalingahorlhi-Jataka (Faul:looll.
:So.4:79) ru:rui..,he::. us WIth cl.n artisti\..' ut'::.cription of the
Bodhi-l.I1aJ!Q.a and Its sunoundings prior to adwnt of
011 tmb spot. A.;:, this Jataka give ... us to
understand. the Wa.SjUbt a.t that time a ::,mall
10f bu"h hbel- a-
Bkg'mJl'.J I &J/t. Bltagamto Brwllli SiUo.
Siilamll"tlW B.odh"

sih-er-,dlite ridgr nroulld the 130-trct' "it h .l
of ei2.ht and without n bhHh' of
'-' "'- '-....:
upon it. Tllis was, thell, ('lwirdt'd hy the Cl'C't'}WIl'l wi!h
their serpentine (,0111'$(,8 surround('d n grassy w{)()(f-
land wjth thl.. inclining all hJ\\ Hll' B()-h,'('
that stood un the Ll..ntlal "'PI)! 1
The _hndtlta ,It tIll' ('l'lltl"t' "1nl tI :-;il\"\.'1'-\\ Int('
tell'tlce of l'<lnd "t It'll {1'Llt, Tll\' h'l'l"w(' " ha, (' p,l'onnd. l)(,l'\,f(
of grass and apprOadlCtl. on aU 8ilki'- by t 1w ('udrdiu!l, (,\'(,l'P('!'1'\
with thcil' l:l(,l'pentillc L'ourxel'l, Tilt' A;t'af(/w, with tIll'
standing ill tilt' nf "ith t-Ihl}lillg
towards the l:l'lltrai lll'ight Hnd lllal k('d out h,\ a [ong \,jK(n
opening ont low:mlx tIll' (\\:,,1 tilt HVl'lllll' of .",,(
trees as far ab the widl' l'Xp.lll",\' of tlH' gl i:-.t Pili JIg h\'lWh 01' t
Neraiijal'u of l'J'y:-.tal Ho", lOJIIll'I', ill thl' illlllll'lUutl'
neighhoUl'hootL bLood thl' .Neat-hL'r(I'M BaHyull, tIll' JUijiiytt-
tan a of royal fame and t he M u('llHlilltln i l'l'l' g,'owing un t.Jll'
bank of the .Jlucltaliwta take, all 1'I'dolt'ut wil It lirillg UI-IHO-
ciations of IllOV<'ll1('lIt:,; awl jU) (Illl-> 1'(llIdl" illgH oJ H.l' En-
lightened Ont', '1'1.(' 1'i\ ('1' I,vely nt mid day with dmwiug
steps of the mid hflll N dllllH.,(']H, 'J'h(' flitc gay
with carols of ami ot hl'I' Hw,'('I,-h'llging htrds.
The tree-tops swaym1 to allfL 11'0 hy {.tU' wj11tl. 1'hc whole
atmosphere aronsing !1 RellS!' of prCI':ICIWl' of tho divinities
and benevolent HplJ'ihol,
tluch is the Hpot of t hl' Ho-Lt(, with jts lHlt.lll'ul Sll1'toUlllt-
ingl:l whicll the Buci,lhil:!tl'l 01 lutp,' agcK have with
1 Tadii Iwu Win& lKJ8U/rg,.n.U96U ma/lam pr 1i1,lf.lqr llama n'ullki. fflfrtlu,.
palla-w'!I'!Ill-!a!"ut. v'PP,dJ'f./.fl4 1!fJ/, 8ll/l/(1I/14 li'IJll-lalt/ VIlIIIIP1I{l/(Ig& &tlti.mtJ1JtltJIII pt./((u-
kldliQa'f' /..alw Bodlllfllaf,u/ClbMltl/)UtfA I,(J lllfh1l1f1811
166
GAY!. A}.J) BtJDDRA ll-AYA
a malk of hoary antiquity cief,('rihing It cl'> sabba-lmddhiillU1]l
jaya-pallatika, the scat of c:;ignal victOl'" of all the Buddhas.
the locality bearing the Diamond-tlnollc ,>eated on which
';11 tIle past Buddha,> havp obtaint'll tnlf' enlil!btenment,
ancl <:0 will tho..,e yet to <.O1ll! :--.udti., 'wlped the remalkable
spot wllieh they ha\(' "\ It'\\ I'll alHl (>ll",rrtdinl'd a., tllP navel
of th(' px:teu",i\ e ealth (jl(({/J((I (I/(; 70.
i/.ala-bhwfI bldillli11btiga). -t1ll 'I'l"\ (l'l1he of the cultured
UlllVel":.e. unmoved. Ulhhdkl']1 Dud 'IJJC unqul'Il'(l im all
time'> :-:ueh iIJ undoulJte(l1) tlw t!.l clt ho1<1 of the plate on
affection'> of the YotdlH'-.. (j +}'l' Anel cl" to! thc
Attallllllent it .,elf, t h('y Jl.' \ I' "\ ;t." I'd ,1'" <0,0 an aChlC\ e-
ment that e\CIY '>tep tu\\aHl ... n dl1ll (\.)\ ,>uh ... equent move
therehom have been t1 ih the glO\\lng terml;, of 1na1<;.e,
rejoiced over, as though, by the" hole of natme and the
whole world of god':> allcl angel<,
It is on such a lovely ... pot of thc Bo-bee that the p1incely
ascetic f.:iddhJrth,l "dt elO\\ 11 at tu,t Clo<,.,-legged \\lth hil;,
face tUllwd towaHh thl' f'd<,h'lll qUMtCI determined to do
01' die, ,\ith a fhm 1('<'01\ (' llOt tu mow homIns &eat untIl he
attained hi"i goal e" en If hl'- body \\ Ithelcd .1\\ ay and his
skin, bones and flesh unclerwent dis"iolutioll, even if the sky
rent al;,uncler or the eM th left her fixed station
phaleljya. pa{lutl;i,!i cltaleljlja). Thus thi"i spot became pri-
marily noted for the enthronement of a biumphant human
will, and no less for the dIsplay of the undaunted moral
courage to break awd.Y \\lth tlw past ba.ditioll and the grand
achievement ot enlightenment of the human mind Now
we are to follow step bv step. the course of historical deye-
lopment ot thil;, thyiee-ble:-,<,('d I;,pot trom the tUlle ot tlw
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 167
advent of the Buddha down to the eve of the lVIuhammadan
conquest of Eastern Inrlia noting all the points of interest
and importance.
To proceeil with this onerous task we may observe at
the very outset that the Bmldha left thr spot of the Bo-trer
after the attainment of Budclhahoocl and the tract of UruveIa
aftrr the ('o'llver"lion of thr .TlltilaR never to revisit these
places thereaftf'l'. This is not. how('vrl', to say that he
adnally did or ('ouId forget tlw happy Ieminiscences of the
spots in UruvC'la l'ecloient with historical aRsociations of his
great achievenwnt. moYetnf'nte amI pOllclerings. As a matter
of fact. the BncIc1hisi (,fllloni('u.l texts f..pcak of various occa-
siolls when he rrioiced to recount the eXpCl'i(,llces of the
early days of his l'flleer. While lw lay on death-bed
at Kusinara he specifically UW],tiouecl the Rpot of the Bo-tree
l'('coInmellcling it in thc> tollo\\iug t('rmF. as onC' of t]1(' fonr
1l1C'morahlr plac('s worth I-tl'ring by a man of faith for ins-
piration :
I dlw Tatldlljrtto aIl1Iifa/'(//!1 S(III1I1J(i-sruniJodliil!1
abhisttllllmddho'ti,
7.lIlrtjJlltfass(t dass(t}liyctJ!! sa?We,iuJliym11 thiinm]1.
"By reason of th(' iact, Ananda, 'Here did the Tathagata
intuite thr Ullfllll'passecl intuition of tru(' enlightenment,'
the place ot th(' Tathagata'R enlightenmcnt is worth sccing
by a man of faith fOT inspiration."
And yrt, C'Hough, thry(' is no authentic rerord
to prove that ('itlwl' in hifl life-time or during the two cen-
turies following on his demise anyone among his immediate
followers and lay-admirers visited the spot viewing it as a
place of l'rgular pilgrimag('. The present anecdote of the
168
GAY!. llJ) BUDDHA-GAYX
Kslltigabodhl-Jataka, c.(mt8ins, no dc:mM, an interesting
a.ec..ount of the of a in tbe o("ompound of the
Jetavana mona,stery 01' providing thi: lay <1-en:-t<t'e,s with a,
place of wor-.ship and rtaat in t1v: wry E;r:-tiffit' of tbl:' Buddha.
But, as may 'be S('(:'n from th<": HalTatioJ} i':'EA..'H, tbe .importance
was attaened directly to the BQ-tr(:,: .\?vu.;.ideI'ed as a \h;ng
symbol of the )IastcI:'" p:re5':no::e and only to the
spot. graced by it. think it r .. f:,:-,::ssary 'to quote helow
the relevant part of tht epi'5ode- to ena hL- tlv: !'i:'aCh:l' to form
his own opinion about the actual fact:
\then th.: Tadlligata had set ifJrth 0]1 pilgrimage, for
tht! purpo8e of gathering in those ::ip0 -for (:(ll)xersiol1, the
of Sayutthi pTOc:e(:clecl to .Jetavana, their hands full
of garlands and b:agmut ,neaths, aILd finding: no otuel'
(!lt1.'itUl 0'1' 10<:a1 symhol) to' show their l'eYereuC'e, laid them by
the gateway of tb" p(rfumed chamber and went off. This
caused great rejoi,:ing:;" But got to hear of
it; ancI on the return of :he Iathtig<lta ,-isited Elder All3nda
and said to him, ''This monastery, Sir, is left unpro"ided while
the Tathagata goes on pilgrimage, iind there is DO place for
the people to do rewrence by offering fragrant WTeat hs and
garlands. 'Vill'you he so kind, Sir. as to teU the Tathagata
of truE matter, and learn fro III him'whether or no it is possible
to' find a place for thi;:; purpose,' The other, nothing loth,
did so, asking, 'How many shrines are there?' Three,
Ananda ; "Vhich are they r -Shrines of II relic of the body,
a. yelic of use or wear, a relic of lllemol-ial.' 'Cau a shrin.e
be made, Sir, during your life 'No, Ananda, not. a body-
shrine; that kind is made when a Buddha enters Sirviil}.a.
a shrine of memorial (such as a Buddha-image, Buddha-
PRE-BUDDHIRTIC HISTORY
169
patirna) is improper because the cOllnection depends on the
imagination only But the
great Ba-tree used by tlH' Buddhas is fit for a shrine, be they
alive or be they dead.' 'Sir, while you are away on pilgrim-
age the great monastery of Jetavana is (nippaccaya, without
a visible symbol), and thp 1wople JJaw no plac{' where they
can show their re\"e1'ence. I phlllt a seed of the great
Bo-tree before the gatewa:
T
of .1daYalhl: 'Byall means so
do, Ananda, and that shall he at:; it were an abiding place for
me. The Elc1cr said this to AnathapiI).c;lika, and "Visakha, and
the king. Then at tlH' gateway of Jetu.vana he cleared out
a pit for the Bo to stand in. and said to the chief Elder
Moggallana, '1 want to plulIt a Bo-tree in front of Jetavana.
Will you get me a fruit of the Bo-trec. The Elder, well
willing. passed through the air to the platform under the
Bo-tree. He placed in his l'obe a fruit that was dropping
from its stalk but had lldt reached the ground, bI'ought it
back, and delivered. it to
The anecdote proceeds fmther to lU1Ll'ute the details of
ceremonial planting of the Bo-seed Hllrl miral'ulous glOwth
of a full-grown Bo-trcC' an(t formal worship of the same,
all combining to gin.> ri::;(' to a new .Bc.dhimal].c;la at the
gateway of the Jetayunu monastery. Though the idea of its
actual spot remained bound up with the Bo-tree,
primarily the tree itseH was yegarded as the living symbol
of the Master's presenc(', and as such, the real object of
Buddhist worship. But it does not appear from the narra-
tion that either the EWe!' A.nanda or the lar-devotee Anatha-
desiring to instal tl1e living symbol of the Master's
holy prPRence went on pilgrimage to Bodh-Gaya .. The
22
]72 GAY.x AJ\T}) B"c"DDHA-GA YA.
of Buddha K01).agalllana which he had cauoed to he enlarged
six years back. The eyidencc of these two "inscriptions
seems to wonderfully tally with the Divyavadnna account
of hill pilgrimage to an tlw then knowlI .,ncrecl places of the
BuddhistH, Th( twololcL objp(t of the l'oy"tl pilgrimage,
as clearly statc(l in the DiyyawdJl.u. to pay worship
at the spots a'3sol'latcfl with tlw lifl' of the Buddha and to
mark each of thcm with a \-isible :=,ign a::; a mark of favour
to future vi&itors. The pla('e'l Yl1!ited hy the king in course
of thiK tour includecl LUlllhilli. Bo<.lh-l4aya, Sarnath and
Kusinara. among otlll'r:.:. Lumhini being tl1C first placc of
pilgrimage. The edifyill!.', legencl ('). prebsly mentions that
at each of place..; the piou:-, kjng Het up a comnlC'lllOI'a-
tivc shrine and made an appropriate gift of money.1
If it can be established thu:- that King Asoka went
again on pilgrimagc to Borlh-Gaya. heroicles the gift of
money, he may be expected to haye bet up a comme-
morative shrine stu1uliJlg as a permanent work of art and
architecture. And taking clur from what he actually did
at LumbinI and Niga.li wc ('1111 suggt'st that at Bodh-
Gaya, too, he erected a monolith along, with some other piece
of ar6stic constructio]). both of which are unfortunately
miss;ng leay:ng llf> :n a world of conjecturc, Lookng out
for further light on point \\'e ('omc a('ross two important
bas-rcliefs on the Barhut stoJlc-railillg. onc repl'esentilig the
famous scene of enlightcnment of Budtlba 8akyamun
i
. III
l)oth of these, prominently figures an Asokan monolith dis-
tinguished by its round shaft and elephant capital, and in
both, the monolith stantls in fron1 of the Bo-tree and just to
1 lh'ylhuduI!U, 1'1'. 3t>U fvll.
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY 173
the north-cast at a short distance from it. None can reason-
ably doubt that here we have a faithful representation o{ an
Asokan monolith at Bodh-Gaya or oth<:>rwi',e the stone-pillar
would have shown an octagonal shaft and. an ornamental
braeket as an 3rlrlitiollal fratl1Tc. Thns ii' any historical
inference can be (lrawn from t h(' Barhut bas-
relief of the 2nd centnry RC .. it will he that at Boclh-Gaya,
too. the B udclhist Clll})(,TOl' l'l'ect('d a 1'<'lllcuka hIe monolith
surmounted by tl1<' figul'<.> of 11 elephanLl
As for the othel' picc(> of artistic cOllbtl'lletioll. Hwen
Thsang creditf> Asoka with tIll' ('reetiol1 of cL small i,ihara
or temple jn front of tll<' Bo-trc'c, which wa-; reconstructed
aftE'rwards on a ldrger :;eale. This tr<ltiitioll must not,
however. be entertained without due caution. 'Ve cannot
expect from Asoka any 1110re than a. work in stone symbolising
tl1C Diamond-throne of tlw Burlclha and serving an altar
before the Bo. Al1l1 none need be surprised if the polished
sandstone slab
z
appearing 011 one of the tlllee vaJ"1'asanas
inside the present temple is the whole 01' part of the extra
piece of work with which the l\laurya king honoured the
holy spot of the Bo-tree.
The Divyavadana further states that after his first visit
to the Bo-tree King Asoka became so much attached to it
that it roused the jealousy of his then chief but wicked
queen '::.'ishyarakshita who had a &pell cast upon the tree to
destroy it.-a calamity whicb could not havp been averted
without some d.ifficulty. 'The Great Chronicle of Ceylon
which substantially corroborates the truth of the above
legend places the date of occunence of this unhappy incident
I. : (;Ulllllllgh,l111'b titii.pu uJ Bltwlwl, PI Jl.JI.JI.. 3.
170 GAYA .tND BUDDH \. U.\ Y.\
errand which the chief Elder :JIogg.tllancl \\Jr,
to fulfil was jw.t to fetch a "eed of tlH.' Bo-hcf' .. In point of
fact, so far as recorded eYIdenc c gOC'3 the "orf! of the
Buddha recommending the Bor11mnanda J" onc ot the iour
main placef' worth \ l';;ltIn!:!. 1n- a l,lY (11, ot('c tnll of iaitll.
had remained just a PIOU'" "hh till tIll' t1nonr 01 l\I,q;!;adha
was occupied by KIllg ot 11ll11lnlt.11 tamp \rr IU('clll
that the ta""k of gl\ 1l1!,! Pld(tlt ,11 <l1ltl q...!,lllh( clut fflt'rt to the
Buddha's word and actucllh- Id-I"'m!!. TIoI111-( Tcl: J. mto a du;,-
tinct place of regulal Burlcllll ... t 'H" If aB: l{'it
to be accompli::,herlln tlle !!.l(dt( ... t kilt '\11 Lwlt111l ... t 'l1l}WlOr
of India.
Hie; Hiftf'd 1IalC'::,h- anll (hat i' thl Km!:!. ,,11pn h(> had
been con&enate(l tt'l1 :i ah "put out tl) .... aml,/ dln the "'I ut
of the gIeat Bo-tIee tlw plau' of B1Hlr111d ... (nh!.!]Jtll ment
Thb fact ha':> bcen 1c(01l11'<1 ill tIll' LJ!.!.11tll noel t a ... the
earliest amI mo:-t notaUi lll"'t,ml P 01 1'1011'" tom'" (dJlfllll/ft-
!Iiitrii) meant to b ... ulJ"tltnt( (1 tin tLI tltol1!.!.lttl.., ... " pl"l"'Ule-
trip<s (lddil(l-yiiiHi.) llt 11\ tIll' 1111111('l km!.!." It
mIght be "hown mdf'C'll ... .ty ttn m..,tJIH f' fill thL l'\ HIC'l1ce
of the VI bhangcl , tIlt' -..cwllIl huok ot tlu
that the tellll 81wdJrldlll ".1-.. ('!llph""Nl to I1wan just
the totahty of budllljJtJ.J..11il.rt-dlmumlii Ol lategolll'" of the
s,stem of knowlerlQ\, ll'd(llll!.! to\\,u(l .... (,llliohtenml'llt It
-
might also hp shown on tlw (' ldL'll( l' of oth<'l that the
term wa'3 emplov-ed '11 (elt,llll to meclll Ilothmg
more or le:;" than the enhghtenml'llt Itt,,dL 'Ye do llot
certainlv- deny that in the Yrihat KYclV<llllbhii Purana whICh
..... .. .
is a comparatively modern 1\epalese Buddhist legl>udary
work of great authoTlty A';okas phr.1"(, ",,<'ut out to '"'elID-
1) Hl-BUDDlll:-'1'lU HIl::I1'ORY
17i
bodhi" {(t!ii,lf(t 8a1!IUodlti1!1, nikrami 8a1flbodhi1ft) has been
interpreted ilUl'lyillg that the great Buddhist emperor
jntcllded to pl'oeeed Buddhahood or condition of
enlightenment by h.llowing the Bodhisattva or ::Ylahayana
path, Headi1lg, however', between the lines we ran easily
ascertain that jJl thl' UV(,OlUlt of the Buddhist
precisely ill tIll' BllCtdhibt edid. the intCllrlcrl meaning of
the i'5 to he realised mther in the COllt:l'ete. The idea
of "a phy'liual of pilgrimage to the actual place
or BlLddha'l> ('lllightl'11l1H'lIt, the KpOt of the Bo-tree. or to a
shritll'. i':\ueh U'l the gJ'm1t Hvayamhhu temple at Nepal,
comlllemorati V(' of Buddha's great attainment is there.
Further. as we have fWllght to show. the gathfi in the Kall1iga-
bodhi-.J atuku ib eondllbi \'0 aK to thl' tcrm 8ambodlti meaning
directly tllt' great Bo-tn'e awl i1J(lircetly its holy spot, the
Bollhimul)l).u.
Ho far Hi':! tll(' nl'l->t pion::; tOllr of King Asoka is concerned,
Ralllhoclhi 0)' Bodlt-Uaya i:.; the only plael' hitherto known
to have hel'lJ vi:.;it(rl by him. A]J(l trom hi::; statement in
the ){uek it doel'! not nplll'al' that he set up any
work of art at Hudh-n.I)':L to ('OIllIll<'1ll0rat(' hil'! visit thereto.
The Rummilllll'i and :Niga.1t Hugar Pillar inscriptions go,
however, to Hhow that he undertook a second pious tour
when he hud hl'1'1l (,OJl/:It'<'l'Hte<i twenty years. At Lumbini,
Imowll to Jlim UH t he hi L'th*pll:\c'(' of tht' Buddha Sakyamuni,
he set HI) a Htolw-pillaL' Hnd Romp ot het' work jn stone (silii-
'vigdrja) , n PPUI'I'Jltly to mark out the huly spot and comme-
morate vi&it thereto. At Nigiili Bagar, too, he set up
anothel' fltoJlc-pillal' to eommemorate his visit to a stupa'
1 I /ll/fIt 811f11///IIIMl/l./'l/1UIlfI, 1"IIHl', J, t'h, L
f
172
GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAYA
of Buddha K01!agamana which he had cau':oed to be enlarged
six years back. The e"idcncc of thebc b;\o 'inscriptions
seems to wonderfully tally with the Divyavacl'ina account
of hi':> pilgrimage to all tIlf' then knowll place':. of the
Buddhi&ts. The twofolfl objed ot tit!' lOyJJ pilgrimage,
as clearly stated in tIt(' Di, <'clalJCl. war., to pay wor::.hip
at the spot& a':.'3oeiate<l with tlw li Fp CIf the Buddha and to
mark each of them with it vi&ible SiP.ll 11-; U lllark ot favour
to future visitors. Tlw vl:;ited hy the king in cour::.e
of thi'l tour included Luml)ini, BIJdh-( lJ.,Yd. Barnath and
Kuslnara among ot 111'1"'>. Lumhiul being the fil '3t place of
pilg,rimage. The cdityill!!, legcl1cl mentions that
at each of tlll> king .,et up a rOllllllcmora-
tive shline and made an appropriate gift ot money.1
If it can he eRtaLlislled thn'l that I{illg --\suka went
again on pilgrimage to Bodh-G-aya. hec;,ide& the gift of
money, he mar be cxpeC'tetl to ha, e bet up Cl comme-
morative shrine &td1uling d::. Cl permanent "ork of art and
architecture. And taking due from what he a.ctually did
at Lumbiui anc1 NagUl. we ('un that at Bodh-
Gaya, too, he erected a monolith along with bOlllC other piece
of artistic construction. hoth 01 which arc uufortunately
leay;ng 11& :]) t1 wOIM ot conjecture. Lookllg out
for further light on t hi:; point we ('omc a('ro&s two important
bas-reliefs on the Bal'hut ,>hhw-railillg. 011C represelltilig the
famou8 scene of enhghtcnUll'llt ot Budd.ha 8akyalllun
1
In
both of these, prominently figures an Asokan monolith dis-
tinguished by its round. shaft and elephant capital, and in
hlJth, the munolith stamli:; in front of the Bo-tree and just to
1 lJn!luoudtl.ltu, 1'1' JhU full
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY 173
the north-east at a short distance from it. None ran reason-
ably duubt that here we have a faithful representation of an
Asokan monolith at Bodh-Gaya or otlH'l'wifle the stone-pillar
would have shown an octagonal shaft and an ornamental
hracket as all additional f('atnrc. Thus ii any historical
inference can be drawn fro111 i hr llarhut bas-
relief of th(' centnry RC .. it will he that at Bodh-Gaya,
too. the Bnclclhiot PlllPC'l'Ol' ('lerhd a l'cmarkable monolith
slll'll1onnted by tlw figure of a <;tamIiu9, clephant.t
As for the othel' piec!' of artiotic ronl:ltl'llction. Hwen
Thsang credits ARoka with the rrection of a :"mall L'illara
or temple in front of tlw Bo-tree, whicl] Wcl'> recollRtructed
aftprwards OIl a tU'gel' seale. This triLlIitioll must not,
however. be entertained without clue caution. 'Vc cannot
expect from Asoka any more than a, work in stone symbolising
the Diamond-throne of the Buddha and as an altar
beforc the Bo. Anll none need be surprised if the polished
sandstone slab
2
appearing on oue of the three vaj1'iisanas
inside the pre5ent temple is the whole 01' part of the extra
piece of work with which' the l\laurya killg honoured the
holy spot of the Bo-tree.
The Divyavadana iurther states that after hiE> first vibit
to the Bo-tree King Asoka became so much attached to it
that it roused the jealousy of his then chief but wicked
queen who had a spell east upon the tree to
destroy it,-a calamity which could not have been averted
without some difficulty. The Great Chl'Oniele of Ceylon
which substantially corroborates the truth of the above
legend places the date of OCCUlTence of this lUlhappy incident
" VUllllll1gh.Llll'b SUi))" uj BItUl/IttI, PI 1I.1I.1I.. 3.
i74
GAY.! BODDHA-U.AYA
rlefinitely in thc or thirty-thirc1 :war of Asoka's
reIgn.
An earlier hut inc'ifll'lIt is it-d in the
chronicles of Ceyloll and I'omllll'lltary on
the Yina ya-Pit aka , the "(-l'dJIII Illial by
King of a hl'ulH'h of tJIf' }3o-tnj ifif' plcmt:ll!.! un the
soil of c.!pylon. The of all 1-11 \'f'\' IJY till' routem-
porary rulf'r of ('pylon to t1](' :Jla urya '1J11Jl'1'<J1'. tIt .. tuttillg
of a branch of the Bo-trlll' with rOllt" tIll' l'etmn of the
cnyoy with the graft. the !!.l'cat 1 'jui,ill!.!'" of tlt!' kiw; and
people of (,eyloll at thf' al1'i\'al 01 tltl- aw(-iul:lpiriH!.!. ohject
01' worship a11(l th' (:('remonia1 pIa ltilJ!.!. lIt the "amp in the
heart of the islaml an- the illl}JOl'tUJli Iletdil" llillTated
with the joy of the poefb lWtnt. .\.., "'U1J"C'fjlll'llt hibtory
hears out, even apart from till'
of Bllrl(lllism ou tlJ1- s(Jil o[ CCylOll. tLI' tl.tll"pluntatio]l of thc
Ba-tree Hcrvf:!(1 to pr(j\'ill
l
- a .tllll of
friendship and ('ultural l'f'IdtilJll"h 11 1Jt'tweell Inclia and
CCylOll: nay, it well to eatitl" the Burlclrlists of
Ceylon to the Ull(lucbtiolll-d right of dl'\'oting all tlwir ellcrgiel:l
and lJcnefactiollb to the gn-at eUU"t- ()f lH'lJtf'dioll HmI glori-
fication of the shrine of )Iahabodhi. here ill India as well as
in their own islanc1.
One may proceed thu'3 to show how the eutire historical
p]'ocess with the impetus gi\Ten to it by King Asoka weut
towards bringing the lordly Bo into high prominence as
symbol of Buddhahood and special object of ,vorship,
heightening the glory of Bodh-G-aya a<:; the Buddhist Holy
Lanrl amI f'lllbellishing the sacred site with llumberIes'l
votive offerings. all sen-ing as so many 8pontullL'Ou,,; and
PRE-BUDDHIS1'IC HISTORY
175
tangible expressions of the Buddhist faith. It is interesting
to watch how within a century and a half from the reign of
Asoka the craftsmen or employed to execute Buddhist
carvings on the Barhut stone-railing during the reign of
the SUllgaq of l\1ag<1dha hrlpe(l forward this process.
We might observe that in delineating in stone various
scenes from the lift' of the Buddha on the basis, more Of less,
of the CUlTent Buddhist legcnrl& supplied to them, the Barhut
craft-lmen ::.kilfully employerl their tools to produce the best
possible work of art, In depicting the scene of Buddha's
enlightenmrnt they eventually got hoM of their familiar
amI favouritp snbjeet, namely, the tree Ast'attha which
they madl' to stancl majestically at t lw centre ill the sym-
metry of iti'> height awl the heauty of its foliage with a
monolithir stal1darcl on its left side. The tree is surrounded
by an omate stone-railing, a.nd sta.nds garlanded with
hanging m'eaths, rrowl1c(l with umbrellas, graced by the
Triratnrt symhoIR, approarhl'(l by the flying angels, watched
by thl' t.l'er-spiritK and Clonfl'Ontpd hy [t pillared hall of
WOfRhip with tIll' ('11 bical &cat of tlt<' Buddha serving as an
altar for ofil'l'ings. The hall or worship is so devised as to
make it appear alHo as a. gate-chamber of the circular railing
making a.n imposing entrance to the hall itself.
In another 1'emarkable carving tlw Barhut artists have
sought to produce a design of the ,Jewel-walk-shrine com-
memoratinp, the on which the Buddha is known to
have spent the second or third week after his Buddhahood
by walking to and fro, from west to east. The shrine appears
here as a long and open pillared shed with a gabled roof
and several small pinnacles. Inside one can see a raised
176
GAY A. AND BUDDHA-GA YA
platform with two rows of lotus-flowers, each of the flowers
symbolising a footstep of the gr('at -;\laster. The platform
shows on its front side the palms or human hands indicating
its sanctity as an object of worship,]
There were probably other clesigllq as well of the shrines
commemorating other spots on which tlH' Buddha spent
the remaining five weeks. All of th(,Dl arc now irrevocably
lost. The two designs which survive suffice to indicate
that these (considered apal't from the Asokan monolith)
are far from being faithful reproductions of any pre-existent
shrines of the above description. These were intended
rather to serve as patterns for future erections than to
represent actual facts. and as such. th(,lt historical connexion
lies with developments which rather followed tha1l. preceded.
We may now pass 011 to take note of the "otive erections
at Bodh-Gaya which were based Oll the imaginary Barhut
designs and accomplished during tllP reign of one of these
two neo-AIitra kings: IlldrJ,gnimitra and
Brahmamitra, hoth of whom appear to haye been the im-
mediate predecessoTs of Brihaspatimitra. (Bahasatimita)
alluded to in the Ha.thigumpha in'::lcription as a contem-
porary king of Magadha subdued by King Kharavela of
KaliIiga. The erections of which we have actuall'omnants
comprise: (1) a sculptured Bmldhist railing of sandstone
of quadrangular shape (not circular as depicted at Barhut),
serving as an enclosure for the Bo-tree ; (2) a small pillared
open stone-chambel' built to the east and just in front of the
original Bo-tree with a cubical Throne of the Buddha serving
1 i'Jtlipa of Bltallmf, PI. xxxi. 4.
PRE-BUDDIIISTIC HIRTORY
177
a'3 an altar, thr wholr ,>tone-edifice' c;tandino a.s the first
Cl
temple at Bon.h-Gay;i amI (3) a ptllared open shed with
a flat or ga.bIen. root contailllng a high platform ot brick
wIth 10tuc;-reprec;entattOl1.c; ot Budclha"c, footsteps, the whole
structure sta,ndlll!). <1'> the tul.'1itlOna.l .T ewpl-walk shrine
(Rrttana-chankmna-cllr>(q"IJ(() A.., 'lome of the oIel votive
labele; clearly mdlcate thr Lady and ,Iatron Kurangl
erectNI al':lo coe;tlv retreat"! of royal fame providing evi-
dently for two mona<,br abodl'" onc for herself and other
female c1eyoteee;, anrl the othedol' the ac('ommon.atioll of the
Buddhist lllonk.,,-the a boc1('c; perpctuatmg the memory
of her lmc;bancl Kin
r
, an(l appropriately
l..';!,lf'.'r.tl\ .L( 0 1
called b!lck'iql1JlIth Hi?ii-Pl'i
All the<;e r,tlUctnre'3, fill,\''> wc. can l1.'3certam in the
lIght ot the llllQ,ermQ, 011 1';1h111.1 II1scriptlOnc; on different
parts of the ancient WPH' memora.ble erections
of the T..Iach- an 1 "\Iahon Kurangl wife of King
Indragnunitra 81111111 ,l 11'11131(' ntteu
r
letnt of the queen
1ll0thCl jn hel retlT(, l 11 k .md wife ot King
Brahm'1mltra a,nr! prob 1 bl y (letllghter-ln-la.w ot Kurangi
And fl,S ';Hch th<''>' '>ta.1ltl a.., perm.1llcnt ,"\,nll T<>maTkable
(''{preSSlOn& of Buchlhi..,t f(,l1nlP rleyotlOnal pIety" These
werr accompitsh('rl mamly on clona.tlOns ot Kura.Iigl Fa
Hian etnd BnQIIhaQ.ho<,ha. wtltinl-l, theu' a('COtlllts in the 5th
c('ntury D", c;pea.k 01 C'ommemoratlYe e;hrineE> erected
by '"men in atter .1!2,<'S" (pac7wlzllllni'i 7((/w,ta) on all the sacred
spote; with Bml<lha\ lite 8eemg that the sand-
'3tone ra,ilmg, the pllla10d shrllle and the pl'omenan.e arE'
all erectIOlls of the same age, it may not be unreasonable
to think that the lady KuraIigi did not stop short
:2:l
178 GAY! AND BL1DDHAGAYA
.
at three constructions but construe-tell other shrines as
well.
Four centuries later Fa Hian visited the famous site
of Bodh-Gaya. Re had not only witnessed the Ba and the
memorial shrines erected on the earlier known flacred spots
by' men In after ages but figureR of tlw Buddha as well,
installed in those shrine.s for worship. He found, more
over, three satighiidimas in existence rlos(> by the spot of the
Bo-tree, in all of which Buddhist monks "ere accommodated.
These monks scrupulously ol)served th(> rules of the Yinaya.
with respect to deeorum,-the rules which the holy- COll-
gregation observed 't(n "B-lu-ldha's life-tim(>. Th(l
local lay supporters 3, and as such, thvtth an ncc('ssaries, so
that there was no lae;.ts ,yhi('J,) C'1l1.i1g.
1
The Buddha-images allurlecl t.o hy "Fa Hian must have
l)een added during the reign of the KnshuI)a. kinf.,tS and
subsequently, and all befOl'(' reigll of Chandragnpta n.
Of the three monasteries seen him. 011(> a.t lrust must
haye been a notahlr rrret-ion of "a former king of Sil11hala
(Ceylon)."
Here we must note that Fa Hinll not gi-\"(:, pl'eeis('
location of the three monasteries. while Hwen Thsang
speaks of just oue large mona'lt!?ry, the lfahaborlhi AaIighii-
rima which he locates outside the north-crate of the wall
o -
round the t.emple compound. The Saligharama,
as noticed by Hwen Thsal1g had six ha.lls. with towers of
observation (temple towers) of three storeys. It. was then
surrounded by a wall of defence thirty or forty feet high,
and tenanted by upwards of 1000 Buddhist priests who
1 neal's Buddhi.<i Yo1. r. 1'- Ixiii.
PHE-BUDDHIHTIU lIISTOny 179
studied the }Iahayana vehicle in spite of the fact that they
belonged to the orthodox sect of the Sthaviras. Hwen
Thsang agrees with the earlier pilgrim when he says that the
inmates of this monastery carefully observed the Dharma.
V ina!J(t, and that their conduct Plll'C aml eorrect. But
certainly he rlilIprs from b\t IEall in accoruing the whole
credit to a former king of Cerlon for the erection of this
magllificen t cdifiC'c.
1
"'rhe position ot the Ureat }Ionasteryto the north of the
Great Temple corrcsponds(according to CUllllillgham) exact
ly with the cxtemli ye mOllllll known as Amar Hinh's fort.
r:rhe laity wdlls of the mOllastery, from 30 to 40 feet in height,
would naturally have led to its occupation a fort after the
decline of -!3nddhism, in the 11th celltUl'Y ......... Buchanan
meutions that the mouud called JUijstluln or the Palace,
iL llame confincd to the gmup of buildings at the north-west
eorner oC the mona5tery end05llre. Other buildings at the
llol'th -east corner are also ealled Rail i NtB 01' the Rani's
Palaec,"l
Here perhaps lies the elm' to a right explanation for
the di5crepaney between Jj'u I"Iian and Hwen Thsang as
to the number of monasteries. It is easy to imagine that
the name of ::\Iahabodhi Halighariima was applied by Hwen
Thsang to designate indiscriminately the whole of the
monastic abode which wag occupied by the Theras from
Ceylon, the oruer of monks, alllL which com-
prised three separatc groups of building;:;, L'iz., (1) the central
edifice erected by the king of Ccylon, (2) the group of build-
ings at its north-west comeI' known as Riijstltan, the Royal
1 13C<l.l'b Buddlll.! d" \' 01 11,1) 133 CUllllllIgh,\111"S UullCibodM, 1).4.3.
180
Palace, and (3) the group of building'> at north-e<t::lt corner
Down as Riinit'as. tllC Quecn'::;
The distinctness ot the edifice com,trudecl hy the king
of Cerlon for tIle ae('OIllUlO(iatlOll ot the
from Ceylon i:; proved tItp clc<u t1',)( f ... ot it-,
enclo<;ure. for the twu ot buildings,
these were bituatcd out ... idl' thi.., I'!wln.,llll <In,l <Lt thl' north-
west and COlller" ut tlw Lc-dun llloua"terj" proper.
And as regard/:) tbt' nall1l'l-- R(ij,l/tiill awl R'ill il'li::> by which
the two group:; of \\,.] p known late .1-, the time
of .Buchanan Hamilton. CUlllllllghCllll thmk", that perhaps
the':le mar ICft.'I to the period of AlUlll' i'illh ';-, lllk "'1 But
we are inclinell to think that tor tit, ol'l!lin 01 the'::e names
one hab to gu hack to tlu' ill..,criptiu}l', of the X Qhle Lady
and )Iatroll dwi her tew,lle lttl'wlant Sirima
alluuillg to the mona,::tic <l ho( le::> J i!/cUit] IJJ/ i tdi::>,! lfij,ip6.sadii.
the Royal Palace" erectecl tl) perpetuate the lll':mory of
King IndragnimitJ'd. one of the!ll ..,cl,iug a., a retreat for
the monks awl the other a., a retre,tt tor the queen herself
in her retired life. TIll' twu et 1)otl1'8 were eomprehended
and distinguished ill the ::.ame term R'ij(iptlsiidii precisely
as the two group:; of buildillgb ill the common term Rajstllii1!.
It may hc held almobt :1-' f'ollclu"iw fmIll the history
compo:;cd by the ChillP'>t.' writer Wallg-Hiuen-t'se about
the middle of the 7th century A.D. that Hwcn Th<;allg's
former king ot Ceylou' Well:> no le.,b d thun King
.Meghavarma (or more accurately lIeghaval'.J}.a). and that
Hamudragu]!ta was the contemporary powerful king
(mrthiisi"idijfl) of India tu whom the king of l'eylon
1 C\IlUllllgh,Ull - .I1<11<"l;udl" ]J
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 181
sent envoys w'ith valuable presents for obtaining his permis-
sion to erect a monastery for the residence of Ceylonese
pilgrims at Bodh-Gaya.
1
According to Hwen Thsang, the
king of Ceylon sent just one pilgrim, a brother of his who
took to monastic life, to visit the sacred places of Buddhislj1
in India, and it is on hls report that the king undertook to
erect the monastery.l On the other hand Wang-Hiuen-t'se
expressly says that King .l\Ieghavarma sent two monks on
pilgrimage, named ..l\Iahanama and U pa-(?U pasenaV
both of whom are mentioned in the inscription of
Mahanama n dated SllrytNtt :2(H) (=587 A.D., interpreted
in terms of the Gupta era). J
The story of Mahanama I and. "G pasena as Ceylonese
pilgrims sent to India by King Meghavarma or Megha-
VUl'l,la would seem to have grown out of references to them
in the inscription of Mahanama 11. It is difficult as con-
vlcingly ShO'''ll by Dr. V. A. 8mith, to establish the identlty
of Mahanama I of this inscripition with Mahanama, the
author of the Mahav<1111sa. Among the votive labels of the
Bodh-Gaya stone-railing, there is one which records a rail-
bar to be a gift from of Tamraparl).i or
Ccylon: /Jodhirakllit(lsa dana1]1. This
as well as two other rail-bars donated by Amogha and a
patiharaka could not have been added long after the COll-
l-trnction of the Atone-railing by Kurangi, :;irima and Na-
gadevl. Bodhirakshita is indeed the earliest known Ceylo-
1 The uedlt of bl'lIlgmg tile pasonge In the \l rltlllgs or "\Vang-Hluen-
t'se to hght 1& due to Prof Syh'an Le-vi. See lA, VDl. XXXI, p. 194.
2 Beal's Buddhist Recolf/s, Vol. IT, pp. 133-134.
3 lA, Vol. XXXI. p. 194.
i- Fleet's ('01'PU\ In\1111ItroIl1lm, Vol. nr, pp. 277-27B.
IB2 GAYA BVDDIL.\-GAYA
DM: p:ilgrim to Bodh-Gaya. But judged hT the
and Janguage (Jf his Yuti-re record. hI::' r:aL t'T DO be
I-egarded 8:i a c.-IJntemporary of King
varl)it. If King varI) 8 had eaUy Fe:;].! :WT pL.grim or
pilgrim:; from Ce-;dlJn duriug the reigr:. m ;;.
they filU!'5t he othel t1.<1::} Bt:),:h:rnk.lo:hi:a.
\\Thether all :::e"":l b:; I Hian at
Bodh-Gaya exist DO"; or not aud 1101',- 11.<:: TlO; o! tDeIT! aztualk
"
sunh-e alld ho',,"" man:- dr) not a1 e :,.tili <-. ILR (,f coniec-
ture. But there if: Ohe image -\yhich r.ca',' ;,'2' re-legated
to the later Ku"haI}8 01 early GUllta age. i;; in the
opinion of Cuuninghall! . 'the fig1.:re r:-f Buddha
which hao :ret been tound at :"Iahf11y.'oLi' It 1 ear::: on its
pede::ltal all inscripti(JIl or ioul' lines which i:o ',\"fitten rather
in the KUI>hfu;ta style, - The 3anskri: or text if; Dot
free trom .. m::h Prakrit fOflllt- a'5 11 tiiB:ZrlYI .. A I tlf{[-
dh'IJ"IJlEl/j'uniJqetiqf:. and Tl:e'ill1af!e wa ... instal-
. .
led in So l!o'of 64 j = H2 _\. D, or A ,DJ alld during the
reign of }Ialiaraja Tl'ikarfala, The work cd ll$tal-
lation wa., done Cl BuJflhit-.I monk with the aid
of a Buddhist lay woman named _-\rthadhm'ma-
sahayitri. The image was set up in a shrine erected
hya courtier of the king (fllllatyrtdhurariMire). The
scription ha'3 for its concluding words such familiar
Buddhist expressions as 11llf!1lii Kllsola-mldeWl 11liitiipi-
tr
i
1)ii (J{1) piijfiye blHl mtll and so fortb.
W"'hen Fa Hian passed through the city of Gays it was
desolate and deserted. At Bodh-Gaya, too, the great temple
1 Cunningham'. lluh(ibodlli .. p ;J3,
2 Jl"IalI'ofhL PI. XXX,
PRR- Bl1DDH1STIO HJRTORY 183
had not t 11('11 comE' into existence. and the sacred area with
thr shrineR pres('nted hut a RimplE' and derent show.
Two an(l a half centnricR later eame in Hwen ThsA.ng
to sncceecl in drawing up a mighty pictnr(' of the holy site
and its irnmediat(' A.11f1 distant slTrronndings, which js n.t
onc(' fnIl of rl<:,taiis rxc('llmg in tll<' wr:1.1th of variety verging
almost on rlmnsineRs (h1<' to overcrowding. The p;cture
kft by him lR. for all purposes. the same as that
which we Cflll imagjnr to ourselveR with thE' aid of all that
we may still s<:'e on th(' sacred site and all around. He has
rlescribed th(' sacl'<:'d arra of thr Bo-tre(' in no better terms
than the following :-
"It is sll1l'olmd<:'rl hv [l brick-wall of ron<;,irlcrablc heigllt.
Rteep ancl strollg. It is long hom ru&t to west. and short
from north to south. Tt iR about 500 (H500) paces around.
Rare trees WIth their rellOW1H'd flowerR connect their shade
and cast tll('il' shadow..;. t11r drlicatr sII('( herb (? K1Jsa grass)
I1ml different shrllbN carpet the soil. The prindpal gate'
opr11s to Citst. oppositr thr Nairaiijana river. Thr
southern gate adjoins a great flowrl'Y bank. The weste1'l1
side is blorkE'(l up an<l <lifficlllt of ar('ess. The northern
gate opens into thc' gr<:'at saJiglu(1'(11l1((. Within the sur-
rounding wall the sacred traces tOllch onc another in all
directiol1fl. H<:'re therp are stfipas, in another place vil](iras
(temples). The kings, prince'! and great personages through-
out all Jamhudvipa (In(lia) who have accepted the bequeathed
m; handed clown to them havp erected these
monuments."l
Hwen Thsang saw not only the lugh wall of stone, the
1 B"n,l'" BlIlld7li8t Records, Yo!. Tt, p 115.
IM:
GAY A A1\D BI'DDH -\.-f-U TA
old .... toDf'-rai.tiu2'. f>lJ.f'ird ng tll/' BO-tT." l. dW} tht .Jpwpl-wa1k
&lniDP to thf' 1I0l th of tli(' Boz 1mt tL' :n It rl'lIlpl, dt Bodh-
Gsv-a "" W"..1. of whirl1 hf.> hd" If>tt d -,1\. I , .. <:rliption
Awonr! oth('I notihlr Olllf.>r't'" noti,.. ... l 1,- tllP _'Tt'dt I 'hinpsp
filgJjm. dj(' {Jf t"" )i..J1dY:iU,J j 1-1 ' -\'- .'11 ,kl-e,Yara
Bc..dhi<.ath-a and 1ftlib p\ it BI H lhi -R'"r 11 It..1 1U thE'
llkc C'hdInlw]" to tl p I 1 it of TL..- 11 .t"'lne
f!d.tI of thp Borlh-( rd\"d tPJIl]Jll' (lp-er '''r'' 1J 1 !1l',lttiol1 I
At tIle time oi HwelL TL.<;:tl1l" 1 t tl1' 1IaLdhorlhl
;;':'an::rhdldUld f'l1trltalnPfl mall\" ll11.1el
1
,- 111'--(- , i leyloD
TI) tL( .... outh ot t1 .. BfJ-tl\-" 1" 7/ ul -r d. qI .. 1 trace"
",'re <'0 nUID"rou'- tha'" tlll'Y ron! t 11< t 1 ... "1 11 llanwd
Eyf'I' :p-ar "llPlL tu" Innk Iq "}WlI "\"."I'Y le;;t ot
tbfS Idiu<: thf' oi Bwl'lhJ-J1l '1 LU Iit'l' tl' ilu I'yery
qll3It
P
1 III th(Ju")awl- awl ,111.1 .11lIlH.! ",.-11 clay",
Slld IJg:l.t ... tLpy '1 flow. 1... l'Ull1l (I 111
r
;'n"'l:' and
mu...rr ..,,, rh", "dl1(11'le,l tILl' ugh tlit' Bwl!lllht
Ho}\" 1 .. an(1 an't 1)< HI th( 11 \\ul <;lup ,lHd pl. ...... utl',l theh
At r}1}-, ... ra"'OH or th. ,eal th .... yi::-lte,1 ,tl<;f) thp
Pra!ll)o(lhi-lj111 fOI tIlt pUlJ.lO .... ' rlf llldklUi!. leh..!lOll-> offlrmgs
to the faIthful aml ,lppdlt.-,l ait""l '5tnppiu!! th. r, tor one
nij!M f> It appeal.,., ITOll H"en Thc:,angO", account ac:, if the
two tra(t .... of Nani allfl Cruvela lame uncit'r the '-01(' c:,wav
of Bu(1c1hI<;,m
Tht-' famouc; Bodh-GaYd ilN:riptIon ot )fahiindl113 waR
pngraYNl on a 'ltone-tablt't m 8anllY(/ 261}. which. inter-
1 B<al .. BlldrlhO,/lttLr;-rri, 'JI II l.lh
BedI'. B"ddh,,1 R,wrr/. ,,,I If P 121
U, a1 .. BmU} , ,f R.rorrl, , .. 1 II llJl 11 S 119
I Deal - B MA!>I Rrc.ord., '01 n, p 119
lk ,1 BrL,hll".' Rer:Olri,. ,.1 TI pp 13,) 136
Un! VII {tllll f Rf'tAml., \ I 11 l' 11;
PRE-BUDDHIf,TIC HISTORY
185
p1eted in terms of the Gupta era,t corresponds to A.D.
58889. Its 'characters belong to the northern class of
alphabets.' Its language is SanskrIt; and, except for the
opening symbol representing Om, and for the date at the
end,' jt is 'in verse throughout,.' The stone-tablet appears
to have been 'originally set in a socket about three inches
deep, and morticed at the sides into a building.' Maha-
nama, the author of the inscription, has heen introduced
in it as Mahanama 11, a far-famed (senior) disciple (ishya)
of Upasena II ; 'an inllabitant of Amradvipa ; a very ocean
of a mighty family; born in tllC island of Lalika, delightmg
in the welfare of others.' Upasena II flourished in succession
to Mahanama I, who in his turn came after the saintly
Upasena I. The last-named Sthavira succeeded Rahula
in seniorship, while Rahula himself was just a disciple of
the Sramal).a Bhava. And Bhava saw the light of the day
in long line of succession of disciples and disciples' disciples,
born in hundreds, all upholding the tradition of the SaIp.-
yuktagama or Sal)lyukta-bhl:i.I).aka school and tracing their
descent back to :Mahii-KiiRyapa, worthy of praise.
2
The
record is composed in high praise of an act of merit done
by Mahanama II in a beauti.ful temple of the Buddha
with an open pavilion on all sides at the exalted Bodhi-
maI).Q.a or the site of the Bo-tree.
3
1 Wc are entirely at onc" itlt V. A Hmith (lA, Yol. XXXI, p. 197) in repudiating
the Saka or the Kainchuri era and ill m.tintaining that the date 269 eannot be reason-
ably interpreted in an era other than tho Gl1pt.l .
Fleet sa<Uy the real Import of the ('xprc6bion SarpY'IIktiigamino in
translating it: "endowed WIth a connected tradition of Sce Barh:u,t in8.
cription8 (Barua and Sinha's edition), note on Bhanaka for reasons why the disciples
of Mahli-KasYlll'a lire called Ba'J'flyukliigamino.
3 Fleet's CO/PU8 inscriptiollulII, Yol. Ill, p, 276: 8arvvato ma'Qt}apBna kiinla!& prilBiida
e8710 J.ill i/o.
24
186
GAYl AND EllDDHA-GAYl
Along with this we may take into our consideration
another inscription which records the pre5entation of a
statue of the Buddha by a Sthavira named Mahanama.
Its characters are 'of precisely the same type '\yith those
of the preceding inscription of )Iah:1nama. It& language
is Sanskrit and written in prose. l\Iahunlima of this ins-
cription, precisely like that of the preceding, one. is described
as an inhabitant of Amrafh-ipa (in tlH' i<,land of Lallka) :
Om Deya-dhai'mmoyal!' Sal.. lja-bl/ll.sllO?1
A.mradvipavasi-8thavi I a-J.l1allanc{ J}/((S'ljfl.
"Om I This h the appropriate leligiou& gift of the
Elder l\Iahanama, n Buddhist monk an inhabitant of
Amradvipa. "1
Although opinions differ 011 the of identity
of the l\Iahanama of A.mradvipa who dedicated the shrine
or temple with the Sthayira l\Jahanuma ot AmraclYipa who
dedicated the image, thel'e is a general agreement among
the scholars as to the two dO(,Ull1ellts being nearly contem-
poraneous.
2
Dr. Vincent A. Rmith, in whose opinion the
two documents arc 'records not of onc donor but of two
donors,' inclines to belie-ve that 'the dedication of the
image is earlier than that of the temple.' To us the
nama of one record is the same person as the Mahanama
of the other. The use of precisely the same local epithet
A.mmdvipavasi raises presumption in favour rather of
identity than of difference. The l\Iahanama of the first
document, although not expressly styled Stitavira, he is
1 Corpus Vol Ill, p. 279.
2 lA, Vol. XXXI, p 197
HISTORY 187
ipBo faoto a Buddhist stlutvira and omission is rather due to
metri oausa. Instances are not rare where in the same set
of inscriptions the same person has been represented differ-
ently. In the Bodh-Gaya stone-railing inscriptions, for
example, ICuraligi is described in some of them as Aya
an(1 in some as b}tdagimitrasa paifivati J(U1'aJ}1.gi.
1
'Ve may endeavour thus to show that in somewhat less
than two centuries after Fa Hian's visit the Elder Maha-
nama II of Ceylon crectetl a beautiful temple for the ins-
tallation of a BUllUha-image on the exalted site of the Bo-
tree, the temple which is different from the great temple
at Bodh-GayiL. Wc have the dcdication of two other
Buddha-image::; at Bouh-Gayii by three other Buddhist
monks of Ccy1011, Dhtmnadilsa, Dharlllagupta and
sena, who appear to have COllle on pilgrimage to the holy
site togethcr with Sthavim :;\Iahuniima II of Amradvipa.
011C image jointly cledicatcu by Dharmagupta and
both of whom are described as Tishyarrvra-
tirtlta vas ika, "resident::! of Ti&hyammtirtha" :
Om SiJ,kya-bhilcs/bCtws-l'ishya1nm-
ika-D hUJ'mmay upta-Da1!b8hlraS8Ib(t!Jol'.
"Om' rrhis if:, the al)propriate rc1igious gift of the
two Sakya bhikshus, Dharmagupta and
residents of Tish yamra. tirtha." 2
Tishyamratirtha is evidently a place in the island of
Lailka, and Dall1shtrasena, too, is just a Singhalese name.
We are aware that the provenance of the
bearing the inscription of Dharmadasa is yet unknown.
1 Pas8im, Book Ill.
2 Fleet's OOrpU8 In8criptio1!um. Vul. Ill. pp. 28182.
188
Y A. AND BUDDHA -G.A Y.l
But there can be little doubt that like.
Dhanna.da.sa is a Binghalese B1!Idd.hiBt name. Further,
the same wording of the inscriptiQU and tbe :Same dlluacter:s
cannot but. OJi,l,:: to jmagi[l!; that B9'A-(rtiyli is the
pla.e.e whet<=; the iIlliig'= W8,b imtaU,::d b,T Dha.J'!r..fla<da,sa :
Om Deyrul/J.fummJ!jW{t. Saky.ribhd::Jflwf Dhar'm,ail&;\l,sya.
"Om' b tho: 'gi...ft. of she
Sakya bhikshu Dharmada,s.a."l
The dedication of these t'WJ must h,aye taken
plae.e along with the er!;(-tion 0: two Otfl7::: ;-,nrilles or t.emples:
which, too, like tha.t f:I"ect.r::d -D:' ;:;t1.a.jra jia1alliima: were
different from the great teillIJlo: a! Bod.1-Gaya.
Hwen Th.":lallg (redit5 a Brahmin yotar?-- 01 Si,a-lIahes-
l"ara with the costly erection of BoJa-G-aya tt'Dlple
and his younger broiheI' with the exe:ayatioll or thf: tank
with 'a flowery bauk' on the south side of the great shrine,
we mean, the tank liEJ',\' mo\\-n by the llt:tme of B!tddlwkJ16r
or BuddltlJ,-pfJkhlJ.J'-" The B'.lddla-irnagi: dlshrmed in the
main hall of worship iSjyr-aised as th handiw(.rk of a skilled
Brahmin artist employed by rhf: builde.:r of the great temple.
3
It is said that the pious Brahmiu obeyed just a holy com-
munication from his deity Siva-lIahesyar-a., the Lord of the
Himalayan mQuntain, in erecting this t-emple to the Buddha. 4.
The. object of the undertaking was primarily but the
ment of a worldly dt!sire, namely, his appointment to the
post of minister to a reigning kin&. His wish was duly
J Fleet's CiNPIUJ IMCI'iptiollw"" '-ut ill. p_ l!8O.
% &al's Budt/Ai4t Reamh, Vol. lI, p_ 119. Cnnningham's JlfJ1ii.6olAi, p. 39.
3 Seal's RwJl'fu, \"01. lI, p. 120. .
I Bears Bud-lIr.ilIt "01. n. p. UIl.
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY
189
fulfilled, although the account is dead silent oyer the name
of the king.
1
While Hwen Thsang praises this temple as a
most laudable erection of devotional piety of the Saivite
Brahmin minister, he i!) reticent as to the acts of destruction
necessitated by the work of construction of the great shrine.
In a somewhat different COlllcction he mentions a few
instances of del:ltl'Uction, sHch as the clemolition of certain
religious stl'Uctures nllf:>called 'convents' and the cutting
down of the Bo-tree, all of which arc alleged to have been
perpetrated as unholy acts of desecration by the wicked
King Sasanka of Bengal through envy, I-incc he happened
to be a believer in heresy, a staunch ,'>uppol;ter of the religion
of "In late time::,," SJ,Yb the Ohinese
pilgrim, "8a.salika-raja (tlhe-shang-kia), being a believer
in heresy, slandered the religion ot Buddha, and through
envy destroyed the (?) COllvent!) and cut down the Bodhi-
tree, digging it up to the very springs of the earth; but yet
he did not get to the bottom of the roots. Then he burnt
it with fire and sprinkled it with the juice of the l:Iugar-cane,
desiring to de5troy it entirely, and not haye a trace of it
behind."3
In the same connection he ha5 ('Atollcd Piirl}.avarma
(Pu-la-na1a-mo), the king of 1Uagadha, as 'the last of the
race of Asoka-raja' who, deeply grieved at the destruction
of the Bo-tree, tried successfully, some months after the
tragic and sudden death of Sasalika, to bring the Ba-tree
back to life, enabling it to grow anew from the roots that
1 Beal's BuddMbt Recoldb, Vol 1I, p. 119.
2 lle.tl'b Budd1li8t Records, Vol 11, pp 118, 121.
a Beal's BltddlHBt RecOIds, Vol. lI, p. 118.
190 AND BlJDDHA.-GtYA
had yet remained after them with the milk of a
thousand cows. .And when it grew to the of wme ten
feet, fearing lest it shoull be again cut down. ""h ... surrounded
it with a ""all of ')tone 5)me 24: fept hiQ'h:" At th ... time of
his TIsit the Chine')l, fouwl It "'n il, le 1 ",lth a wall
about 20 teet hil1h ItUt-l'u:!r}l uf tL., '.IJv'W.l'-pi11dl" uder-
o _ '='.
mining the height, hO dO,11t
11
Hwen Thsang "ants us to cl" If th+;! -:fIec't temple
had been huilt long the If of '3 all 1 the
sole pUlpo:.e of Sasanka Illltis u.tn.iu-:: tf' B Hlh-iT,:-a was
to estdbli"h the '-uprt:llial.,- ot t:. ;.>11 UL the
heart of the Burldhi .. t Ho:- Lali,l In- J.utU ....... h d ...... t!u,inl1
"0
certain religiou.b "tIllLtme-. (utrJll!.! llu.\l1 JlL,l Uplfluting
the Bo-tree and lJIeakil1g l1Mlll illlu:=" nf the Btlfldha
inside t1 ... temple. But ill the barn ... , 1 'It.dIll he mr, 'lll.l5 us
tlw.t the eX'lui:-ite of tht! Dud.llla 1 ill ... llf'alt with
[,0 liW h .n\e tha: Le \'t ... ::. ,uwIHll'll <tt la't tu aktlllvli his
iconor1i:::tic projllt 011e1 lll ... t the lel1Ll elllellt uf that
iruag<! Ly a of 'iy .. -3Idh,":, .. nu The KilL:: .... officer
who f:ut!u:,tl:: 1 "ith t1r ... unhuly \wlk uf hUllllhatioll
of the btatue of the Buddha ::.h.lltully 1 t'l .. '1 Ye the
impending calamity by calling in tLe <litl uf cl Buddhist
cleyotl'e who raist:ll J. wall '}\:T'o-.s the LhamlJel' to throw the
BUfldhariruage intu a Ll.:l1'k hackgroUlltl and thew a figure
of .. a un this wa.ll which W.1.., rernowJ im-
mediately aftt:r the death uf :;asanka.
J
The simple-minded Chinelm pilgl-im hab thu.s created
a curious position for SaSiiIika with regard to the Bodh-
1 Bt:al il BudJh .. , Bwml ... \ ul n, 1"- llb
! .Be..l" B .. dJlu;f RleJTll., \" .. 1 n. 1l1l 121-2.!
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 191
Gaya sanctuarif's of the Buddhists. The erection of the
Bodh-Gaya temple by a 8aivite Brahmin minister is praised
as a great act of piety without paying any heed to the de-
molition, dismantling, destruction and removal of certain
structures and shrines which it involved. While the eredit
of the costly erection is given to tll<' Brahmin minister,
the sin of desecration is laid cntirely at the door of King
8asailka. Rimilarly in the second instance the king is
calumniated for huming the unholy order and his non-Buddhist
minister lS tllanked for divining a clever device to hoodwink
his royal master. There must bc something wrong some
where. Three points arc certain: (1) that the Bodh-Gaya
temple appears to have been built at a date whieh is almost
synchronus with the reign of 8asailka ; (2) that King Sasalika
did by no means contemplate to destroy this temple; and
(3) that he did not cause any trouble to the inmates of the
Mahabodhi Sal'lghariima. The historical truth behind Hwen
Thsang's garbled account would scem to lie other way about.
Anyhow, it is the pious builder of the great temple who
must be held responsible for all the acts of desecration
alleged to have been C01IDllittecl by the wicked Sasanka.
In point of fact, the most plausible way of making all the
statements of the credulous Chinese traveller historically
sound and truly intelligible is to presume that the powerful
Bai va SaMiilka is the benevolent king of Bengal under
whose auspices and under the personal supervision of whose
Brahmin minister::! the great shrine at Bodh-Gaya was built,
the Buddha-pokhar excavated, and the exquisite Buddha-
jmage carved and consecrated. .And what leads us to ~ y
so 1
192
GAYA. AND BUDDHA-GAYA.
When the temple proper was built on a much larger
soale, it had to be built precisely on a :;ite in front of the
then living Bo-tree. Before making any headway, as the nry
first step towarcls the building of the prec;ent temple, the
site had to be (leared of the tllOrns ancl ""ceds and btumps,
even not sparing the f>tump and roots and branches of the
original Bo-tree i.f it waR standing upon it. Although
a plan was mar1e to acconnnoclatr the set up by
KUl'aligi leaving it where it was, the roof and upper halves
of tIle pil1ats of the ear1icr hmall temple had to be demo-
lished. The salld:;tol1e ra,jJing of Kurangi har1 to be dismant-
led and removed. Tlw erection of the great temple also
necessitated thr removal ot the rooi and southern row of
pillals of the ,lewel-walk-&hline. The monolith of Asoka,
too, ha(l to be remand from it", original place. If onc
is to locate the actual f>pot of the original Bo-tree, it must
be clone by looking for lt ul1Cler the basement of the present
temple and jn&t behind tIle ancient wj1ii.sana.
1
The where-
aboutf'> of monolith are yet unknown. But the
aneient cajui.-anll a]1<1 lower part ot the Ol'iginal &maU temple
erected by ]{Ulailgi still exist.
2
As actually witnessed
by CUlmingbam during repairs of the present temple in
A. D. 1818, the plinth oi the rarlier sandstone railing and the
southern row of fixerl pillar-hases 01 the Jewel-walk-shrine
lie &till buried and hidden under the basement of the great
shrine.
s
As for the original Bo-tree, it is impossible to believe
1 ('unllmghnm'b Jl!uJu;vocllu, l' 6.' posItion of the Bodhl.tree must havo boen
at n, lluDlcdl ttd)' bllnn,l thL \ ,\JTd&,Ula thlOne (Sce PI III
J Cunmnghum\ 111a7lubucllll, 1'1. \'1 Bool. V, FIg No
a ('ulllllngh lIll\ J/ullribodlll, pp j i 8co ,th" PilI
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
193
..
that it managed to keep itself alive for twelve eentnries that
elapsed between the EnHglltenment of Buddha and tIle reign
of Sasailka, especially in view of the fact that the A .... vattha
is not a long-lived tree. Tlrere may be some truth in the
Buddhist legends stating that Tishyarakshita, the wicked
second chief-queen of King tried to destroy the
original Bo-tree. If it be true that King Asoka ('nabled
the holy Bo to grow again, how can onc reasonably believe
that the same 01<1 tree was in exif>tence and vigour of life
as late as the 7th century A.D.? The only concession we
can make to Buclclihst legends is that effort':! were made
from time to time to m'tilltaill the living identity of the
sacrell tree by making it grow either from its stump, or
from its branch. or from its seer1.I
It is not difficult to imagine that the Bo-trcp
died long before the reign of although the witherecl
tree was still ob5tinately on the spot. In clearing
the site for the building purpose the withered tree had to
be cut down at the very lewl of the ground, and its stump,
too, had to be dug up and burnt to certain oepth, and even
the juiee of sugar-cane 11[\,(1 to be pOllred in to help the praces':!
of decomposition.
We may proceed in thi8 manner to show that the alleged
acts of desecration were but the unavoidable exigencies of
the laudable work of construction of the great temple.
If King 8asalika be held responsible for these acts of
destruction, he must at the same time be credited for
1 Cunmnghnm's ltlal1abodhi. p 31: "As the PlPllllB d. qUl(,l,. growing and ehOlt.
lived tree. thelc must have been a long But-cession of fresh trees raised from seed,
from the bme of do\\n to the plesent day" The same observation applies
equally" ell to thc Ak8hayavata of the Gaya city
25
194 GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
the construction of the important shrine. The great
Chinese pHgrim recorded the facts as these were related
to him. In this respect we do not doubt the veracity
of his statements regarding the destruction of certain reli-
gious structures, the cutting down of the Bo and the throwing
of the vajriisana with the image installed on it into the
background. But sacrilege was never the motive behind
all these alleged acts of de:..ecration. For looHng to the
other side of the matter we find that a good deal of pain was
taken to spare the earlier con&tructions as far as possible.
The ancient vajrasana was with llifficulty left where it stood
before. As for the jewel-walk-shrine, the platform of
brick bearing the lotus representations of Buddha's foot-
prints was narrowly spared together with the northern row
of ornamented stone-pillals.
'Vith Hwen Thsang we may readily credit King PiirI).a-
varma of Magadha for helping the growth of a llew shoot
of the Ba-tree behind the great temple and enclosing the
same with a high wall of stone. It is easily conceivable that
in improvising the later railing, the remnants of which have
survived to the pre&ent day, King PfU'l).aval'ma utilised all
the available materials of the earlier sandstone railing dis-
mantled at the time or construction of the present temple.
The earlier railing being, however, insufficient for the extended
plinth, substantial additions of granite stuff had to be
made. The western half of the south side and almost the
whole of the west side were filled with granite mouldings
utilising the two corner-pillars of the earlier railing as if to
make the later railing appear as a larger replica of the earlier
one. One may also obwrvc that the new railing was arlapted
PREBUDDHISTIC HISTORY 195
to the altered situation, being provided with gateways on
all its four sides. But these boasted acts of piety on the
part of the acclaimed Buddhist king Piirl).avarma were
but a natural sequel to the erection of the great temple. To
extol the great temple as a monumental erection of piety the
sober historians must be prepared to readily excuse certain
unavoidable acts of destruction. And strangely enough,
the more we ponder over Hwen Thsallg's story of SasaJika
and Piirl}.avarma. in relation to the Buddhist sanctuaries at
Bodh-Gaya, the stronger grows our conviction that the
decried Saiva Sasanka of Bengal is the benevolent king
lmder whose patronage the Bodh-Gaya temple was built
and the Blddha-polcltar excavated with a flowery bank.
'During the 7th ccntury, as we learn from the Chinese
records, there was frequent intercourse between India and
China, beginning with the long sojourn of Hwen Thsang,
from A.D. 629 to 642,'1 and the Buddhist shrines at Bodh-
Gaya. were visited by a good many Chinese pilgrims. About
the middle of the 7th century A.D., Wang-Hiuen-t'se com-
posed his history of China referring to the interesting incident
of despatch of the two Buddhist monks Mahanama and
Upa(sena) with valuable presents by King Meghavarma
(MeghavarI}.a) of Ceylon as envoys to King Samudragupta
of Northern India for the latter's permission to build a
suitable retreat at Bodh-Gaya for the accommodation
of the Ceylonese Buddhist pilgrims. It is apparently the
famous Bodh-Gaya inscription of Mahanama II which is
accountable for the mention of Mahanama and Upasena,
1 Malliiborll.i, p. 68.
i96 GAYA. AND BUDDHA-Gt\.yA.
none of whom was or could have been a contemporary
either of Samudragupta or of
In the 7th or 8th century A.D. some pious donor, as
stated in a Sanskrit inscription cnllraycd on the coping of
the old Stone-railing, adorned the great temple at Bodh-
Gaya 'with a new coating of plaster and paint at the cost
of 250 diniiras.' In the temple itself he provided a lamp
of ghee for the Lord Buddha 'by the gift of a hundred cows.'
'By another hundred cows, in addition to the cost of small
perpetually recurring repairs to the temple,' he made pro-
vision for 'another lamp of ghee to be burnt daily before the
image inside the temple.' 'By another hundred cows'
provision was made 'for haying a lamp of ghee before the
brass image of the Lord Buddha (rait!jc-Bllddha-pratimii).'
'A large water reservoir (mahantam iidhal'am)' was dug up
'for the use of the noble congregation of monks.' And
tc} the east of it a new field was laid out.
1
We have another Sanskrit inscription engraved on the
coping of the same old Stone-railing. This is a simple
votive record in verse and its main historical importance
lies in the fact that it immortalises the name of the
tinguished Ceylonese pilgrim Prakhyataklrtti, the virtuous
Buddhist recluse of royal descent who visited the Buddl;tist
Holy Land in the 7th or 8th century A.D., for the worship
of the Holy Triad believing it to be the right royal way
to the attainment of Budllhahood.
2
1'he votive inscription of Udayasri, written in two lines
011 the pedestal of a Buddha-image. 'now kept inside the
1 /:lee Book lII, UttU/"(/Pii8I!ulllILekllu, Nil. 1
J Buuk 111, Utlrtra.P{cslllil!/tLeld!li, Xo 2.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTOHY 197
sculpture shed to the north of the (great) temple,' yields
one more interesting record of Singhalese pilgrimage to the
Buddhist Holy Land. The text of this inscription, precisely
like the first two lines of the inscription of Prakhyatakirtti,
is composed in an An'Ush!ubh metre, and \vrittcll undoubtedly
in characters of one and the same age.
l
Another point of
similarity between the two texts is that hoth are undated.
None need be surprjsed if tlle pious monk Prakhyatakirtti
was accompanied by UdayaHl'l who was evidently a Buddhist
upasaka or layman. The l'ecord shows that the Budd.ha-
image, honoured as thc Lord himself (flhagaviin-esha), was
caused to be carved and installed by Udayasrl, 'the Singhalese
Udayasri.'2 It may be easily inferred Lrom a kneeling
male figure holding the garland and a figure of a female
with boy, both carved on the pedestal of the image, that
Udayasri came on pilgrimage to Bodh-Gayu. together with
his wife and son.
The whole of the Gayu. region, north and south, was not
so richly endowed at any other period of the early history
of India than the Pala. So far as Bodh-Gaya is concerned,
"the great mass of the sculptures." says Cunningham,
"belongs to the period of the Pala kings, who reigned from
A.D. 813." "In the sculptures of this period ................ there
are numberless figUl'es of the Buddha Sakyamuni sitting
1 In the oplIliou of Dr. B1och, lIOWCY(,l", the IIlbcriphvll of UdayaBri is written
in charnctcl"lo of a bout the 9ih or 10th ccntul'y AD, whilc thc charactcl"B of the inB'
cpition of Pl"1Ikhyiital.iItti agrec "ith thobc of n record of thc 6th or 7th century.
See Notes on Bodl,.Gayu. ill ArcluJ!ological SU1'"IJ61/ of India. Repolt for 19089, pp. l.i6.
157.
2 Klirito Suif}llllllell.Odalliritya.
1 MaliiibodM. p. 5.3.
198 GAYA. AND BUDDHA GAYA.
under the Bodhi-tree ............ , ... The figures of Padmapii1}i
(Bodhisattva) are also numerous.
The dated specimens of these sculptures enable us to
set them in a chronological order. ThpF' i'3 one in",,('ription
recordjng the dedication of a f>tatue of the Buddha
during the reign of Sri Gopala-deyu.
1
There i .. another
inscription which records the installation of a
Chaturmukha (8iva-Blahlfla) hI the Bodh-Gaya. temple by
a stone-cutter named Ujjvala in the 26th year of the rf'ign
of King Dharmapala, the bon and bUCCeRf-Or of Gopiila.-de,-a.
2
Onc of the remaining inscrjptions happens to be a record of
the time of King Narayal).apala-deva .who wai'> the fourth
in descent from Gopala.'3 Mahipiila-deva, a king of the
same Pala dynasty, is eulogized in an inscription. dated in
the 10th year of his reign' as Para1lla-Bha!!araka, Parama-
Saugata, Sriman Mahipiiln-deva, "the supreme sovereign,
the pre-eminent Buddhist, the fortunate Mahipiila-deya.'4
There is yet another inscription on a long blab. which is a
short record of the reign of King Wimapala-deya whom the
Tibetan historian Tiiranath mentiollb as the grandfather
of the last Pala king, namecl
It is probably during the reign of the Palas of Bengal
that the Buddhist king 81i Piirl).abhadra of Sindh erected
a gandhaku/i (temple) at Bodh-Gaya installilJg three Buddha-
images therein
6
and another gaudltaku/i was erected, 'like
1 .llaMi.bodki, p 03: PI XXVIII
Hee article 17,
3 .Il flhubodlli, 1) 64
I Uunningham\ llakttbodki, p 63.
8 Jlahabodlli, p 6;;
I The in-cul'twl1 uf Piin,ablllLdr.1 "lulh engraved on tbe base of a Buddha.
Btatuo lA, Vul. IX,]J 143: CUllnillgham'b Jiul!abodM, pp. 64.6;;.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 199
unto a flight of steps into heaven,' by King Tunga of the
family in the 15th year of his reign.'
The second great epoch of Chinese pilgrimage to Bodh-
Gaya commenced 'in the IIth century, during the most
flourishing period of Buddhist sovereignty, under King
Mahipala and his successors.
1
Evidently these later pil-
grims came in four 01' five batches, some during the reign
of the great Han dynasty and others during the reign of the
great Sung dynasty. They performed certain specific acts
of merit and to that effect set up inscriptions, some of which
exist only in fragments and some are lost for ever. These
inscriptions are engraved on stone-slabs, of which the two
sides are carved. One of these slabs has a sculptured top
bearing a figure of the Buddha in the middle with a figure
of the goddess Vajra-Varahi on each side. The figure of
this goddess is seen also on another slab.
3
The inscription of the Chinese pilgrim ChiI shows that
he was a priest of the great Han dynasty. He came twice
to the kingdom of Magadha to gaze upon the Diamond-
throne and other vestiges of Buddhism, each time in company
with otlU'rs. In his second pilgrimage he was accompanied
by Hwei-tsei, Chi-I and Kwang-fung.
4
The longest and most fascinating of the Chinese ins-
criptions at Bodh-Gaya is a votive record and hymn of
praise set up by the priest Yun Shu from the Western river
2 C:unningham's 11lallfibodki, p. 66. The inscdption of Tunga. is a.ptly
characterised liS 'n long rambling f.wrugo of the praises of the kng and his
predecessols.'
1 Cunningham's lIIaMbodM, p. 6S.
2 Cunningbam's lIIalliibodM, p. 69; PI. XXX, Fig. 1.
3 Cunnillgbam's J,JaMbodM, p. 74.
4 Cunningham's lIIa1liibodM, p 7;:;.
200
GAYA. AND BUDDHA-GAYA
(Yellow river) of China. Yun Shu caused a stone-stupa
to be built in honour of the Ten thousand Buddhas some 30
paces to the north of the Bodhima1)<la. In his first visit
to Bodh-Gaya he berame as'lociated with Chiang Hsia-pias,
another prie'3t who had come there earlier and on
three occasions spent the sea'lon of fast. His inscription is
dated in the J en-hflu year of Divine favour of the great
Sung Empire (A.D. 1021).1
The postscript to tlH' abovc inscription clearly proves
that Yun R11u was accompanied to Inuia by the two priests
I-ching a11U I-lin from tlH' 1ll0nac:;tery of ERtablished Doctrine
in the High Rtl'eet of the Eafltern Cap; tal, and became
associated with them in h:f, sccond .. ;st to Bodh-Gaya.
9
I-ch'ng and I-1'n set up It separate inscription. dated in the
6th Yf'al' of the reign of the Great Sung dynasty (A.D. 1029).
It records that thc<"c two Chinese priests presented a goJd-
('mbroi(h'Tcd holy rohc to be. l'prcad over the Diamond-
tlllone of the Buddha, and erected a stone .'Stupa as well.
8
The Chinese priP"!t Vu-pin from the monastery of the
commencement of Holincf,s in tllC' Eastern Oapital set up
his record on the san1l' date as that bome by the inscription
of I-ching and I-lin. Vu-pin's recorded acts of merit are
precisely like those of other two priests from the Eastem
Capital. 4
Lastly, the inscription of the Buddhist priest Hui-wen,
dated in the 2nd year of 1IIing Tao (A.D. 1033), distinctly
records that by commands of their Imperial Majesties, the
1 Cunnl11ghllm\ Jiu1lUbodki, p. 71.
2 Cunnmgh,\ln\ 111 altiiborZlIi, p. 71.
11 Cunmngh<tm\ .. 11altiiborZki, pp. 71.72.
Jlalliibodki, p. 72.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC IIISTOKY
201
Emperor and Empress of t]lC Great Rung dynasty he pro-
ceeded to the ki.ngdom of Magadha to erect on behalf of
His departed Imperial Majesty T'ai Tsung a stul)a (Pagoda)
beside the BodhimaI}.Q.a, the Diamond-throne.
1
The history of Bodh-Gaya aftrT the Palas is one of
oE its glOliou"! life. The Indian archfPologists
have hithel,to brought to light three in&criptions of the
reign of King Asokavalla of Sapadalaksha (Riwalik). one of
which is dated in terms of a year of the Buddha-era (Buddha-
varsh'3), and the remaining two in those of two years of tho
expired reign of King Lak&11mUI}.u<,elul, of Bengal (Srimal
ari
1
a-dijye).2 Thr inscription dated in
the year 1813 of the BlHldha-era contains a clear statement
to the effect that at thr time when it was written the religion
of the Buddha fPll into decay (ull/'((8111(' J/IlIUlt liasune).3
It remain!'! yet to he decided as to whether the lecorded
dates, 51 and 74, of the other two inscriptions should be
interpreted in terms of thf' era 0/ L,lkshmaI}.asena which
commenced from the year of hi::l coronation or in those of
an era of the ::lame king which may be taken to have com-
menced from the expiry or tCllllillation of hi1', reign.
We arc aware that there exists a wide divergence of
opinion among the scholars regarding the precise date of
commencement of the era of Lakshma1}asena. Dismissing
as highly improbable all the theories advanced in favour
of commencement of this era from a date prior to the
reign of Lakshma1}a:::.ena, one can say that the issue
1 Cunninghnm's Ma1tabodhi, p. 70.
8 lA, Vo!. X, p. 343.
B Journal, Bombay Blanch oJ the Royal A8iatic Society, Vo!. XVI.
26
202 GAYA Al\lJ) BUDDHA-GAY':\'
has so far been as to whether the said era was started by
King Lakshmal}-asena himself from tlle year of his coro-
nation or it was arbitrarily started by the Hindus from
A.D. 1200 representing the fixen datC' of establishment of
the Muhammadan rule in India, as if to !jiw currency to a
new Hindu era running parallel with the }Iuhammadan.
1
Dr. Kielhorn
2
and the late Pro. R. D Banerjee. in whose
opinion the era ccmmenced from the year of coronation of
King Lakshmal}-asena. arc diF.pofied to accC'pt A.D. 1118-19
-as the date of its be
6
inning. Both of tllem mailltain that
the dates of th(> two Bodh-Gaya inf>Cliptions of the reign of
King Asokavalla are stated in terms of the era of Lak&hmal)a-
sena which commencerl in A.D. 11] 8-19.
If we render the rccorderl dates of the thrC'e inscriptions
under notice in tC'rl11S of the era of Lak&hma1).asena which
commenced in A.D. 1119. tlw year of hif- coronation. wC'
shall have to assign onc to A.D. 1170 {1119 +51}.
the probable ycar of Lahlnnal)af,Cna's dC'ath, another to
A.D. 1188, and the thirrl to A.D. 1193 {1119+74}. An the
three dates thus d(>Tlvcd mak(' thc inscriptions appear as
records prior to tl1e invasion of Magadha by Bukht) C'l KHlji.
The difficulty in accepting such a rendC'ling as tl.is is two-
fold: (I) that it does not fully C'xplaill the significanCe> of the
expres'5ion aiita-rajy(', 'in (the yNtr of) the> e>xpired reign':
and (2) that it cloes not satiRfactorily cxplain why in r11(,
of these three inscriptions tl1<'re> should O('Clll' th(' Rtfltel1lC'nt
about the sudden decay of the lcligion of t 11<' Buddha "\Y ('
r(>quire a r(>ll(lering which removes this twofold d j fficulty
1 R D BanNJ('c, Btillqii/;;, JI,lI;;!, Pal t I, ]lP
Ep'fJ'(/p/l1(/ TIIlI" 1/, Vul ,TT,l'l' (l 10, 2730 lA, y .. 1 XIX, l' 1
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HIB1'ORY 203
and assigns the three inscriptions to dates posterior to
Bukhtyer's invasion of Magadha and ruthless destruction
of the Hindu and Buddhist sanctuaries all over the ancient
kingdom. The Mahabodhi Sangharama was tenanted up
till the reign of the PaJas by the Oeylonese monks. As a
matter of fact, the sanctuaries at Bodh-Gaya remained till
that time under the direct supervision of these monks. So
long as they remained in charge of th3 shrines at
no pilgrim, whether from China or from Sindh, appears to
have desClibed himself openly in the votive record left by
him as a follower of the Mahayana system (Mahayana-yayi).
But in all the three records of the reign of King Asokavalla,
the donors and their royal patrons have been mentioned
as the Mahayanists by faith. From the second inscription,
dated in the year 1813 of the it is evident that
the building work was supervised not by a Ceylonese monk
but by Dharmarakshita, a renowneu Buddhist teacher of
the country of Kallla (1 Kumayun). 'Ve cannot but think
that the decay of the religion of the Buddha was chiefly due
to a tenible effect of the iconoclastic fury of the Islamic
forces under Bukhtyer that expressed itself in a pronounced
form all over Magadha. As for it sounded
death-knell to its otherwise growing shrines and sanotuaries.
The temples were broken down, the images suffered
tion, the sanghti1'ama was razed to the ground, and the
Singhalese monks who permanently resided at the place
must have fled away ill panic, if their lives were spared
at all.
The natural meaning of the expression Lakshma'Y)asenasya
atita-rajye 74 is that the inscriptioll containing this
204
GAYA ill) Bl'DDHA-G-A YA
expression was written in thC' year 74: counted from the date
of expiry or termination of the rule of LakshmaJ}.asena,
we mea.n, from circa A.D. 1170. Adding 51, 69 and 74 to
1170. we can fix up the date..; of the thrcl? inscriptions res-
pectively ar, A.D. 1221. A.U. 1239, aurl_.\.D. 124:4.
In the fin,t insrri]!tion. dab .. a ill tlu' yecll 51 of the expired
reign of King LaksltDldl).d.':I!'llU. i:-; repre-
sentefl a<; 'an adhcl ent of the ('X('i,Vent )luhayalla ::.dlOOl.
a grC'at ul){isal.a. IJioll'" at heart: )Jon:11 thercto by the
Kashmir Pandit. tIll' JlOllOIllt:(l Chattopadhj. by tlIp king's
!)alldit MU'lhala. the worthy SalikalU(knL Dud the w,-,rthy
Trailokyabrahma, the huilt (I monastery
for Bhatu ])amo(lara. Bhatu l)ailllH. 8i;u Haghayu and
lIahipukha. and fUJ'llj.,JlI'rl jt with an image of Budrlha.
He engagerl tlw cook }Ialllaka. amI tlw good keeper and
di'lpos('l' Harichanrhd to prevarp thE' daily wtion:-; with pots.
inc'cllfle ancl lal11}J& a..; a offering to the Buclclha-
image.!
The second imcl'iptinn. dated ill the Buc1dhist year 1813.
is a lengthy royal rompo:,;ed 'in a great
hurry' hy Indranandi. a writer of high fanw. a11(1 beautifully
incised on a stone-tablpt by the engraY(ll' Rarna. It is written
in praise of King P1ll'u"lhottamasil!1ha of Kama (? Kumayun)
and King Asokayalla of :-;apadalaksha. both of whom com-
bined in giving a frei:lh impf'tub to the lif(' of the Buddhist
Holy Land whj(h fen into dCfay. King Pmushottamasilllha,
who was a fcudatory chief under King ABokayalla, is intro-
duced as the son of King Kamadevasi111ha and grandson
of King Jayatuilgasirpha of Kama, a prosperous country
1 }JOJlliJrl!l BWIII 11 of liar, J("y,d .hwtlL ::;OLtety, \'01 X\'I, 1" 3.39.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
205
which i& said to haw been &ituated "towards the eastern
part.' Here Asokavalla is praised as an 'Indra-like Chhillda
king,' which may be taken to establish that he belonged to
the powerful Chhinda family exercising sOYereignty also over
the country of Rindh. The in&cription records the cons-
truction of a galld7wT.:llti of Buudha at Bouh-Uaya, 'graceful
and like a hall of emancipation and blil'f>.' 10r the spiritual
benefit of l\IaI).ikyasi111ha. the ucccaf-cu t;Oll of Hatnasri, the
daughter of King PUl"UShottanHt. The whole work of COll-
struction of thib beautiful temple was superyiscll by Dharma-
, rakshita. a saintly Buddhist teacher.1
The third inscription, dateu 8al]1 74: o thc' expircll reign
of and fou11<1 by )k HJthoI"1le near the
great temple, is nothing but a re(o]"(l of a mcritorious gift
of Sri Sahal)a&ana. ROll of Mahataka l\hi&ibrahma. The
donor Sahal)a&ana is cle&cribecl as OR follower of the excellent
l\Iahayana schooL a great worshipper, a lamp of the assem-
blies of Kshattris: He i& mentioned al&o as 'a treasurer
and dependent of Prince Dasarat11a.' the younger brother
of King AsokayaIla. The illteret;t of thib particular record
lies also in the faet that in it KilJg A&okayulla is extolled
as kings of the Hapaualaksha mountains.
2
We have yet to take note of another Sanslrrit inscription
written in characters showing that it was a lVIahayamst
record of the same age as those of the reign of King Asoka-
valla.
3
This inscription is engrayed 'on the base of a life-size
image ot Buddha. standing, attendeu by Avalokitesvara
1 lA, "01 X, pp. 341 foll. ; Cunningham's Malliibodhi, pp. 7980.
9 lA, \',,1 X, 1) 346
J In llIo(,h', opinion the ate 'of about the 10th century A.D:
GAY..! UD BUDDH..:\.-GAYA
and :statue which 1'5 -!WW 111 tlbtoe sta.itt.a.se
1cailing up ro the platf(JIm of the rerupl-e, on the
:side.' :Even apart from the figun.o:s of the two Ma,hayana
deities A,alokiteg,'ara 3mi )fa.itn>ya, w{, bB,ye the dear
of the text itself tu proyc tbat its author, the
senior monk Viryendra, was B,il adh,..rent or the l1ahayana
S}"3tem of faith. Furlher, the in150riptioll prm-es
that the donor of the gift "a,s a pilgrim. from tie great
DWD.a,&'i-e:rr of Somapura. and an .in.1.&,hit.ant of
a traet which formed a, part of Bone-ient BengaL The first
thre.e lines of the text read:
Bri-8iim..a1a!ikab, pmmm-JJa-
My([na-yayinalz 8rimaf-Somapara-iJJ.aMi
nl"yendmrsY(I.p)
"(Gift) of the senior monk Yrryendra, a knower of the
Vinaya and an inmat.e of the great illona.stRry of Somapm'"3._
an inhabitant of Samatata country and a follower of the
excellent )Ia.bayaDR system. "1
It is, then, during the benign rule of the e{lXlier Pathan
kings in India tha.t some new stmdures were huilt at Bodh-
Gaya under the auspices of King Asokayalla for the first
time after the ruthless destruction of the sanctuaries by
Bukhtyer Khilji. It is indeed during the palmy days of the
Pat11an rulers of India that the decadent life of the art and
architecture of Bodh-Gaya flickered once more befol'e its

final extinction in the 16th centlITY_ The larcrer and earlier
<:)
Burmese inscription clearly proves that in the heginning
of the 14th century the ruinous condition of the Bodh-Gaya
1 See for the text and translation BllJch's Xotu On JJodlI-(Jagfi in .J.rcl1<l:(Jiu[jical
Sun;eg of IndiG, HellO!"t for 1908-9, p. 1;;8,
PRE-BUDDHIt:;TIC HISTORY 207
temple attracted the attention of the then reigning power-
ful king of Upper Burma, who in all seriousness took steps
to have it restored and repaired.
This Burmese inscription incised on 'a black stone.
which is fixed in one of the "aIls of the re-
sidence,' and there exist many as three translations of
its text, one publi::.hed hy Rutnapiila,l another by Col. Bur-
and the third by Mr Hla Oung.' The king of Upper
Burma is honoured in thi::. IJl'eciors document as Theinpyu-
Tlulkiutflla-JIiltgyi or the lord of 100,000 Pyus,' a fact
which attests that up till that time the Pyus of Upper
Burma bad not belOllle extinl t as a raLE,'. The same fact goes
also to connect the pious lord ot the \\ hite elephant with
the ancient dynasty that reignell in the city of Pagan.l
-.. ---
The ins<:ription leLOrds that the pious king deputed
at first hiR royal precelJtor to repair
the great temple, proyiding him WIth money to do
the nork who was accompanied
pupil Kathaba Thera (Kassapa Thera). proyed unsuc-
ees::.ful in his attempt to the Thereafter
His .Majesty entru"lted the task to the younger prince Pyu-
Thakin and the miuister Ratha, both of whom came across
to India to repair the sacred edifice (in company, as it
seems, with Thera 'Wardathi or Yaradassi). The work was
commenced on Friday the 10th day of the waxing moon of
the PYflt/W month in the 667 (of the Burmese era,
1 .lA8n, Yol. HI, p 214. 2" A511ltIC Vol. XX, p. 16-1.
3 CUllnmgham'l. JIClha1JOdlll, p. 16.
4 1 ma, be noted In lli', conneXlOn that Kmg HtJio Minlo of Pagan
1& knmlll the hlbtorlral bUl,der of the )[ahiiboJln Pagoda in the city of
Pagan Oll the model ot the great temple at
GAYX AXD BUDDH...-\-GAY.l
Sflkkariija , and cumpleted on "'unrlay the Sth of the
waxing moon of the TflZIJIIII[fWJ!l n[o:1th In the year 01
the era. The work \\ duly con"'-'l:rated with
splendid p(jmp and illJPFJjJri<l.te u!""el (If mrinu..; kinds
including the ofterillg or [t,0d to tht ! If'I allr 1 de.,titute
:who were a., if the;- were Hi,- .., O'iDl 11nl/Iren.
l
The old llO\\" IlL!.'" a Te\Y
pillar:-; Lertalll l'Jtu,:-me ill Illilldle
row with the maJe alld Lemale U!t'., '1uite Buru.e5e ill
their aurl i11J}Jedrallle ... anli u:-Itain repre-;enta
tion8 of the dft.pf/' ot BuIH.e ... e nlc.tld ... III the UIJ},el row
It b likely that in la.l'n-iHf; uut the repair" of the great
temv1e the deputie" ot the king 01 r pper Burma thought
it net:t:',-:-:.ary abo to revalr the dilIllagerl llurb ot the :-\tone-
Tl1iling. The ba-,alt throne of the BudJha illsirle the great
temple apllear-; t!qual1y tu La\e heen an arltlitioll mane lw
the Burme .. e deputie:-..
"A bricl;: "itlJ h .. hort Bmme.,e ill"'cription
'
waR found
bUIlt illto the pin! ,ade aloug \\ ith eral,.ther 1 rid,-:;; bear-
ing (ill BengAli (haruLter-,;. the nan.e., (Jt the twO) HID.son".'
-Gopapala and Dharmasi:rpha.- It \\ould !5eem that these
inHCI ibed bricks aI':: relics of the la::;t Burmese repair of the
great temple made under the aut-..pice::; of Ming-don-min, the
king of Ava, or 50me other of King Thihaw.
The year 667 of the Burme:-:.e era wrreRpond" with A.D.
1305, and the year 668 with A.D. 1306. I 'Ye cannot but
differ from Cunningham when he arbitrarily proposes to
1 Cunmngham' .. Jln1,iil>f)rl/li, 1'. 'i6.
2 )[nlliil}(;dll1, PI XXIX. 3.
:1 G'llnntnJ!:ham '., ][''',i;1w,1(,,; p 76.
PRR-BUDDHISTIC HIRTORV
209
correct thefl(, two oa tE'S i 11 t 1lE' inAf'l"i ption to 441 and 448
respectiycly. making the former to tall)r with A.n. 1079
and the lattPl' with A.D. 1086.
1
It will he simply rloiup:
violence to the hIstorical truth to adopt such a wrong proce-
dure as this, et-pecially having regard to the fact that the
document i'l intendNl to hp precise ewn in the minute
details of chronology. Lleted. howenr. that Cunllingham
was Ipa to thi:-l cour:::.(' ill order to harmonise the date of this
Burmese ill'Scriptioll witl) that of an inscription of Sri-
DharmarajaglHu. which hp wrongly took to be a somewhat
earlier BurmcE-p 1'ccorl1,2
The secolld in'o.rr;ptioll I' a mudl :::.horter record, which
if> engraved '\)11 a laLgt' cOPl,er-Kilt lLmbrella. and found by
1\11'. BegIar nn(kl' rhf' I:Lnal,'<'(, g-:"o1Ll1rl lewl to the west
of the templ
p
. Th:> 1l1nbrt'lla ar-taally bpars two short
jllscriptionf>. i!l MOll 01' T2,!::ting (not ill Burmese, as
hitherto supposed), and the other in Indian (proro-Bengali),
characters. The TaIaing inscription consists of one short
line and injured by a lJreak in the middle. The Indian
inscription of t"wo lines. of which the upper one is
much injured 011 the right hand: The legible portion
of the Indian inscription may be taken to yield the following
text:
397 S,.i-Dharrnartija,quru-mahiivala-diinagani ........ ,
Rarnio
With -regard to this shorter inscription, Cunningham
appears to have committed a twofold mistake: (I) in inter-
1 Cunnin!!ham's JlaMbodhi. p 77 .
Cunningham's MaMbodM. p. 75.
3 ('unninghRm's 21lahiibodhi, p 75--suggeata luch reading as Sri-rioo 8a1uJdena ...
27
210 GAY.A AND BUDDHA-GAyit
preting the recorded date Sa1]l 397 in terms of the Burmese
era, and (2) in assuming Sri-Dharmarajaguru of this record
to be the same personage as Sri-Dhammarajaguna of the
larger Burmese inscription. The commonness of the official
designation does not necesflflrily proye the identity of the
persons who bear it. Hf'"t 81i.-Dl,mnmardj'aglllla or Sri-
Dharmarajuquru is but an official designation. As for the
date of the inscription. it i':! difficult to interpret the word
Sarp, or Sal?H'at in the of 8ald,adi.ia. which latter is a
convention of Burma to denote tho Burmese era. We
maintain that the donor of thl' copper-gilt umbrella is
altogether a different person. as well as that the recorded
date Barp.. 397 is either a c10Tlcal mistake for 1397 or
a statement in term...; of a year uf the expired reign of King
III either ca:;e. thp ('opper-gilt umbrella
inscription is later than the larger Burmese record.
and belongs to AD. ] :UO 1397 being= Yikrama Sa1]1
1397) or to A.D. 1567 (1170 + 397). which is to say that the
second Sri-Dharmarajaguru visited Bodh-Gayii sometime
after the repair of the great temple by the king of Upper
Burma. The Mon or Talaing record appearing on the
copper-gilt umbrella is in itself a cogent proof to establish
that the second Rri-Dharmarajaguru was a Mon or Talaing
by race and belonged probably to Lower Burma.
The last cycle of Buddhist pilgrimage to Bodh-Gaya
from different parts of India commenced in the beginning
of the 14th century, while India was still under the suzerainty
of the Pathan rulers. We have a large number of inscriptions
on stone-slabs, two of which are dated in 1359. a third
in Sa11t 1365, a fourth in 1385 and a fifth in Sam 1388.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 211
Though the rest do not bear dates, their gelleral contents
and convention leave no room for doubt as to their being
records of the same age. In each of the two inscriptions,
dated Sa?!'/, 1359, the pilgrim offers his adoration to Maha-
bodhi for the benefit of his parents, and the two records are
worded in almost the same terms. In th(' third inscription
dated 1365, the pilgriw similarly l'ecords his devotion
at Mahabodhi. On the stone-slab bearing the inscription,
dated Sa1[b 1385, ther(' appear 'five figures (three male and
two female), all kneeling in the Burmese fashion and holding
out offerings of flowert> to I:Itftpa:' the most prominent man
being labelled KaJa(8a)1.a Tiutkul'a Sri. .. ...... , "'l;hakura
so and so, a man of Kal'asa," anrl his wife. kneeling behind
him being named ,Jajor{1 (De}l'{i). One of the
remaining labels has for .first word Karasaka,1 a feminine
form of the local epithet. The other ::,lab bearing the date
of Sa?!'/, 1388 presents 'four figures, three male and one
female, all kneeling and offering flowers.
With the last-named two slabt> may be associated a
third which bears two figures, man and wife, the former
labelled Raoht{1 and the ll'1tter 8i1igara Dabu, , and a]so a
fourth bearing . three figures, a man. a woman, and an
animal (very like a dog),' the man being labelled Sundara-
varma, the woman Nagaladevi and the animal Bhutamana.
1
The local epithet l{araSuka, 'a man of Karasa,' or Kara
saka, 'a womaJ of Karasa,' which occurs in some of the
labels is historically important as showing beyond doubt
1 SUlwg 01 Indict. Vol. I. PI. VI. The local epithets Xara.a1..Q
and KalQ8akii are bl'Ollght to light here for the fil'Bt time. Cunrl.ingham's
Jialliibodhi, pp 8283.
212 GAYA. AND BUDDHA-GAYA.
that these latter-day pilg
r
im., hailed from Karasa,
probably a locality in Punja,b or -.(!nrlh. The influx of
the '1;hakuras or as pilg:thilf) to the region of
Gaya from the Punjab lOr Siwlh d tlLI> Y(:,1: period of time
is proyed by the 01 :=:'1 i-Kula ehandra ,
son of t-)jrrharaja alHl !!.lant!<:t-ll 01 1)5J,IJ'i'ij,1. found at the
city of Gaya find rL<thd in tlll '\ lkl'aIl1U :-'al:1Yat 1431 (=A.D.
1374). The form of 11<: HIe lC<J df. Ill' Bhagawanlal Indraji
to conjeetUle that 'he In,,}" ha\( b,:ell.t hakkura of borne
place in the Punia h or ;--;uwh. '1'111 (learly
proves tbti 'Iha,kklHa KlIhh 1"wlra tlle fallen
templ; 01 the Lord. th W(;1 -;hip[,)2 J)"k;,hil,laditya' llear the
Vishl).uparla tE;mple at I A D. dnd durmg the
reign ui "Fproz 'l'ughlak. III style the HUll-temple
'iesem1les the temlllcl> 01 )lahaoodhi CtlL.J TJradeyi.' and in
point of bet i'li wm; reh1l11t in it., pleE-t'n1 tOllll with n!aterials
b)'ought over :!iOlll 1 Lt;"'J dt Hl'dh-G-<:l:-a. the materials
indudillt tilt, !)( tII( bCCOlld inscription
of the l'ligh or KilJg .Asoka';&lla.
1
Along with tht tdJu,\ e-mentlOlletl records of Buddhist
pilgrims fro111 the SOL th- Western regions of India we may,
perhaps, consider the insniption of Pa:t;:uJita Jinadasa,
engraved oy I)Uf!Jgattn Oil n pl11a1' of the old Stone-railing.
Pal).Wta JmauubUo llailed 1'1'0111 a country, called Parvata.
2
In all probabllity the Par vat a of this votive record is no
other than the country of Po-fa-to (Parvata) which was
reached by Hwen Thsang after walking a distance of 700 li
or so north-east from :NlUlasthana or Multan. Two other
1 lA, ,"vi. X, p. 341.
Huok 111, UUwul'u,MI,tu,Lek/Iii" Nu. a.
PRE-BUDDHIHTIC 213
pillars of the same old Htone-railing still bear stylo-sketches
of the figures of Buddha and the goddess Taxa, which
cannot but be the fancy carvings of some of the pilgrims
from the country of Parvata, and presumably of Sarpgatta
who engraved the ] ceord of Jinadasa. Abul Fazl, the
historian of Akhar'g court, wrote his Aini-Akbari in the 40th
Ybar of the reign ol hi,..; IlllpCTiall11abter. His information is
that BuddhiE>lll IV .lb nowhere to be found in India but in
Kctl'lhmere, where. tou. it was difficult to meet a learned
representatiyc or this religion. Tibet, Tenasserim (Lower
Burma) and (? Auacttn) are mentioned as three
distant corners 0I rhL earth where Buddhibl11 held ground as
a living faith oJ the p00p1e. We are in the
dark as to the hOtU'll' 01 bllch ,\11 information as this. It is
quite possible thflt 130Llh-llc
1
ya. wal:> visitcu during Akbar's'
rule by somo Buu(llul!it pilglimb from those tbxee places.
Sl'l-Dharma-rajaguru. the dOllor of the copper-gilt umbrella
at Bodh-Gaya, may have becn 011C of those pilgrims, should
our interprctatioll of the recorded dah' SCl?!1 397 in terms
of a year of the expIred leigll of Lakshmal.lascna be SOlUld.
With the votl\ e cOllstructiun& und of Buddhist
pilgrims fr01l1 Burma, Upper and Lower, and the North-
Western regions of India the flickering life of the art and
architecture of Bodh-Gaya extinguished for ever, and
the holy passed out of the hands of the Buddhists.
Bodh-Gaya as a dreamlancl of the Buddhists sank into
oblivion till it::, <;t1,USC was vigorously espoused in the
last cpntury by the Mahabodhi Society of Ceylon with
the Allagarika Dharmapala as its General Secretary, leader
and lieutmH\nt.
214
GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
In closing this hurried ourvey we may draw the reader's
attention to the periodicity of pilgrimages and the time-
spirit, which must not be lost sight of in accounting for the
uniformity of styles and convention'!! noticed in the different
sets of records. 'Ve might. for instance. observp that in the
"first wave of Chinese pilgdmagc DU those who visited Bodh-
GayB. (Fa Hian, Hwen ThsanlS, and the rest) recorded what
they saw in their travell> jm,t( lhl ot setting up any votive
inscriptions and hymn.., of Pl,lj,>!, .in the manner of the later
pilgrims representing th. ,,,aye (Yun RIm. Chiang
Hsia-Pias, I-chill. J-lm <utcl the leot). Himilarly we may
observe that the c::arli('r hatch of Ccylonese pilgrims (Maha-
nama and others) left iUbGriptlOll'> written in one kind of
style and those formmg the se('on(l batch (Prakhyatakirtti
and Udayasri) set up inscription!:> written in a different
style. We must haw noticed that all the inscriptions
which roay be lelegatl'd to the reign 01 King A&okavalla are
so many :i\IahayalUot lecorch written in a uniform style.
And the same remark applies equally well to the votive
recOl'ds of the . from the Punjab 01' Sindh. It
is sure to pain one to think that the archiveo of Bodh-Gaya
should appear conspicuous by the absence of any records
of vi&its or meritoriou& deedl:> of the pilgrims from Siam
and Tibet, Korea and Japan.
16. BODH-GAYA FROM HINDU POINT OF V JEW
To survey the history of Bodh-Gaya trom the Hindu point
of view is to witness how from the very beginning it presented
a scene of struggle lu,tween Baivi:-.m and Buddhism. f40
tar as Saivism 1& concerned this btl ugglc was rathel ior the
PRF.-BUDnHIRTIC HISTORY 215
assertion of right to f'Xistenc(' than for the pstablishment
of supremacy. The verdict of the historian is bound to b ~
this that throughout this age-long struggle the Saiva has
generally been on the defensive and only occasionally on the
aggressive. In other wordb. the purpose of the present
article is to show what apolol.{y Saivism actually had and
stilI has fOl' being where it i':!.
Buddhaghosha has ntilised a legend invented by the
Buddhists to account for the growth of Uruvela into a sandy
tract. In spite of tlw fantastic character of the legend, it
may be cited here to show that even in Buddhist belief long
before the adyent of the Buddha the legion was once hallowed
by the religious rites and au:o;tel'e penancps of a class of
Vedic hermits. legion in 11111nher.l who may be rightly des-
cribed as prerut':>ors of our much-acquainted matted-hair
Jatilas. The btage in which these old-world hermits are
made to appear pointi'> to a time when they had not as yet
developed a SPllse ot eorporate life under a commonly ac-
knowledged leadf'l", everyone doiIlg Ilis work in hie own way
without waitin
h
f01 the dictation of anybody else.
2
The
legend seeki'> to keep these hermits distinct from the Jatilas
by representing them as a body of re11.gie'U3.. far more ancient.
observing the palticular solemn ceremony, the K1ittikii-vrata,
connected with the asterism Krittikii,3 (the Pleiades of western
astronomy) constituting the first constellation of the Lunar
Zodiac,-a holy rite so exuberantly extolled in the Brah-
1 Papaiidla 8lidalll, blalllese .Ed , Pa,rt Il, p 2l2. Atite LIra alluppaJlIlB BllddJle
dMa8aw8a.lcu7apattii tiipasa.pabbajjam pabbajjlh-a la8m21/! padeae lIika,.anfii
2 PClpant1,a.9iidam, Siamese Ed., Part Il. p. 233: taBBa a7iiio cl&odako 7liimQ
'II'atthl
3 PClllQ1illUHlida1l1, J a m e ~ e Ed, Palt Il, p 232 j Kattika"atta1/! aka7]lBU
216 GAY.!
mal)as, espeoially in the 1 Thp legend distinctly
says that the tradition of f,uch an observance b)T these
ancient hermits furni ... hed -!:he PIOU<; po<;terity wit]1 a good
excuse for COIDl1l(,ll1oratiu2, it bv demarcating the site,
fendng it rOlUlc1 al!c11"i'>111!! ;ntl) J place of o;peclal <.al1ctity.2
Leaving aside thp..,1 JllCl(,Lt ruche hermIt;;; who had 110
rn"al to encoulltel 1Y0 mD, (,OllW (lr\\ 11 to t1lE' histOlical period
and witnegg how ju<;t 1" 'Ill 1 r th 'J; of Buddhi<;ll1 awl at the
time ot Buddha' "llhllltC' f.'l' .... III clistinQ,Ul,:>hecl body
of the Jatila& tllP .... r t '11e 8aiva ascetIcs. were
holding lmqueshr'l)LfI '<'"fP'- 0\ t:' tILl' region of Uruvela.
3
unmindful of wIl It WJ' ,10ll'Ill
l
1 lw the appearance ot a
new star on the ;lO.li/ 11 "111{"1' tll and home wa& the
hermitage (118Sallltl) UYf'r1110killQ i hI' glassy flow ot the
Nera.Iljara. which 1.n It ... dowInnrd COUTj:;e al:,;o the
village of Renani-Q,amtl and the sOlllbre site of the Bo-tree.
Performing 8'> thl" (hc1 tl,e "cllufiri illltec:; rlally ablutions
and other dm:e tLt',- \\ l'l' theil time in perfect
pea.ce and contentllwnt 'i'lthout brooking any eau<,e of fear.
The princely ascetic ""H1dh.iItha \\"3'< completely at hbert",
to moyE' about and act ab he and sel'k a religious
career as well he might Ewn hi::, !.!,reat attamment did not
e"'{cite theIr or jealousy, and his movements and
1 &"tapathll-BII'ihU!(lIIf! (I'> BEl Ht" nut' 'et up thE' hH) fil(h. UndE'l the K,dt.!'ii,.
for KnU,Iiis. a.Ie doubtle" Aqll'" a..tellQm '10 that If he -et .. up IllS fbe. undel
A97Ii', asterlsm he ml1 a bout a enl' (,QllOndelWl' beh' pen hiS fir' and the astelbm
l[oreovel, the other IUnftl asterlSnlS o..on'llbt of ont>o h, o. thrcp Ol fOUl qo that the
Krlttrms are the most numerous (of astt>usms) Hence he obtalWl an \bun
dance"
Papaiirh"-8iidalu. Siamese Ed Part IT. p 233: Pat:c1iimii janalii rkellll'ltthiillam
akijsi
8 Ilnaga lIahiivaqga. I. IX.
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY 217
ponderings immediately following it did evoke any feeling
of suspicion neither. If we can rely upon the authenticity
of Buddhist records, both canonical and post-canonical.
we cannot but admit that even when the Buddha wended
his way back to this tract with the sole ohject of subduing
the Jatilas of the place and entered into their hermitage.
they unsuspectingly accorded hospitality to him, treating
him as their distinguished guest. When on his first arrival
at their hermitage he enquired if they had any objection to
allowing him to stay for a night in their fire-room, which was
undoubtedly the sallctum sonctonrm in their c1welling place,
it was frankly pointed ont that they had no objection what-
ever, and that if they had anr scruple in the matter, it was
due only because of their fear that his life might be in dallger
from the fury of a Serpent-king who jealously guarded the
hearth. They were all very glad that he took up his abode
in a pleasant woodland near by and found there a suitable
place of sojourn. During all the time of his stay at Uruvelii
they paid respectful attention to him. The only instance
of exception to be noted is that at the approach of the day
of 'great sacrifice' (Jlahaya9ilia). the annual function cele-
brated as the most joyous occasion hy all the inhabitants
of Anga and Magadha. they wished in their heart of hearts
if he would think well not to make his appearance at their
residence on that particular day, fearing lest his superior
personal dignity and charm might Oyel power the credulous
multitudes who would assemble. and serve only to increase
his gain and fame and decrease those thitherto enj oyed by
them. But even wit}] respect to this the Buddhist account
carefully points out that that, too. was nothillg but a passing
28
218 GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAYA
thought. For although to allay their fear the wise Buddha
had retired of his own accord to a place far off, they
felt sorry that he was not to be found in the locality when
they wanted to aref't hhn al'\o nn that day with their usual
hospitality.
The reformibt zeal wluch aduatNl the moye 011 the part
of the Enlightenefl 011e of great hypnotic powers naturally
carried with it thel 01 " of COn()llE'f-
t
and the &pirit of aggres-
sion. ThU'l we npl'd hot be t,o"toll
1
<.hec1 to see that the
Buddhist chronicler hab aptly c1cbcribed the (oversion of
the Jatilao" by the Ch"pat Bu
r
ldrld. at.. Ja,tda-damarw or Infliction
of defeat on the matted-hair a'ScetlC& of the Gaya region
by the employment uf all the ::.trategm", consistent with his
position. The mattel d1(1 not stop here. The account
glibly to l1anate that the powerful victor made
an open exhIbition of the<,e com ert-captives III the great
metropolis ot 1Iagac1ha to tJIC ,er) people who had ::'0 long
paid their unstintp!l humage to
The muse of hi",t01Y j", stral1gely mute oyer the long roll
of events affecting the llltere::,ts of the J atilas as J atilas
within the bounds of l'"rm ela during the succesRion of
centuries. The life of this region as portrayed in the in-
fOImative itinerant", of Fa-Hian breathes altogether a
Buddhistic atmosphere. although the Chiilavarpsa would
have us believe that Buddhaghosha, who was destined to
figure as the greate::.t among the PaIi commentators. hailed
from a Brahmin faIDlly of Bodh-Ga:ya and had excelled in
Vedic lore with all the auxiliary sciences and arts and drunk
1 V.nayn MuniiWlqga, I. 22,
PRE-BUDDHiS'l'IC HISTORY 219.
deep at the fountain of Pataiijali's system/-the acquisition
which he succeeded in bringing to bear upon his interpreta-
tion and defence of Buddhism. If this story be true, the
gifted Brahmin youth saw the light of the day in the same
neighbourhood of the Ba-tree where after the great event
of Buddhahood the sage of the Sakyas happened to meet
and converse with an erudite Brahmin valmting of his
knowledge of Vedanta. the Brahma-IOl'e. The Buddha
is said to have been pressed with the inquiry as to the qualities
that go to make a real Brahmin (brama?)a-kam'lJji dhamma).2
It will not be far from legibmate. ,ye thillk, to infer that the
even tenor of Brahmanism remained unbroken in Uruvela,
and that the light of Vedic lore was kept ~ r burning and it
did not extinguish even under the glamour of the new-born
faith which dazzled the place and the people. Brahmanism
never ceased to be a living force.
Brahma, according to Buddhist tradition, is the supreme
Brahmanical deity who prevailed upon the Buddha to
proclaim thc new faith to the world for the good of mankind.
It is again the Vedic or earljer Brahmmrical deities Sakra
and Brahma who at every important step looked after the
comforts of the Enlightened One preaching his new gospel.
With the tide of time the tradition changes its complexion,
Sakra retires into the background and Brabma is in a mood
to retire, yielding place to Lord Siva under the iconic form
of Mahesvara on whom devolves the benign work -of acting
1 Bodhimct'l)rJCUJam ipamli jiiw Briilunatla-tniinaoo I
Vijjiisillpakalavedi tisu Vedeau lJiiragU 11
parivaUeti salllpu!l!lapadal/t ratti'll Pataf.jaZi.mataTflII
J Villaya ,,11a1lfIl'ugga, I, 2.
220
GAY.! LW BUDDR.-\.-HAYA
as the guardian angel to Dharmesa-Dharmesvara. the
Buddha transformed.
1
The protracted law-suit fought between the present
Sai"\'a :Jlahanth of Boclb-Gaya and the Anagarika Dharmapala
of the :Jlahabodhi Society if:l popularly known as a case
between the Hindus and the Buddhibts for the ownership
ofthe Bodh-Gaya temple ancljt.s Foacl'Cd area. The )Iahanth's
claim to ownership. which the court of law haR in SOllle sense
upheld, if:l said to ha, e heen based on "some Sll1lads. or grants,
given to his predecef:l':>ols in the 16tll Of l'ith centUly A.D.
by one of the )Iughal empcruII'. either Akbar. JahalJgll' or
Shah Jahan:' Withou+ l'nteIing mto the merits of
the ca<.;e which has bedl .1 can':>:! ot lJ.lULh chagrin oi feelings
to the world Iliay mailltdin that the Buddhist
leader would ha\'e pressed a WIOl!g if he had instituted
a title-suit at the ill'3tance tor the of the
shrine, the apple of contf'ntioll. It rh f(Jcto pObses"ion be the
main incidence of law of reallJroperty, it could not be
denied tha.t the :Jlahallth was in actual possessioll of the
shrint:: at lea8t in the :-.ense that it "\" .. situated within his
undisputed jurisdictioll and al:! bu<:h he could not but appear
as a hereditary custodian of the towering temple with the
sanctuaries around from a date when there were no Buddhists
in the locality or anywhere el&e in India proper to take care
of it. The first decision of the court of law has indeed
allowed the 8,ai"a Mahanth to enjoy the fetish of legal owner-
ship over the site of the greatest known Buddhist shrine in
J Maheb"ala-dc\dl.utra of the Lalila-t'i8tara is honoured in two of the Barhut
Jitaka the deRignation .4rakagllta dlllYlpllta (.d.rllaclgupta detYlpll/ra).-Balu.r.
oIlld SiDha's Barhll! 1IlSC"l'riaI18.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 22i
India, and has even recognised his claim to act as its sebayat
or beneficiary, investing him with the right of regular worship
within its holy precincts. But it has not at the same time
debarred the Buddhists from the right of entering into the
sacred area and conducting worship in their own approved
ways.
In point of fact, this deciRion. interestillg in itself, coupled
with the proyisiol1s of the Goyernment of India Act for the
the preserYation of ancient monument& of India, has seloved
just to push the question of ownership into the background
and bring the question of control to the forefront. Neither
the Baiya Mahanth, the acclaimed owner of the holy site and
sebayat of the temple, nor the Buddhi::.ts of the world who
are tormented with chagrin of feelings that the ownership
does not formally belong to them, pos::.ess any longer the
right of making structural additions and alterations within
the shrine itself or its compound. removing anything of
antiquity from the sacred area, or preyenting each other
from performing rites and paying worship in the
approved ways of each. One of the responsible officers
deputed by the Public Works Department to act in behalf
of the Department of Archreology remains placed in charge
of the great temple and all other ancient monuments to be
found within its wide surroundings. Just as at the lower end
of the sacred area a passer-by has to turn aside to mark the
imposing sight of the high wall surrounding the impregnable
citadel of the Baiva 3Iahanth serving as a Brahmanical
monastery, so walking higher up his eyes are sure to be
pleased to get a sense of relief at the sight of the open doors
of the welcoming Buddhist rcst-house built ill recent times
222 . GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY.!
under the auspices of the Mahabodhi Society, whlle close
by on his right stands, half hidden from view, the quarter
of the Public '"forks Department officer who is really vested
with the power of control. The rest-house prominently
stands overlooking the towering temple and the entire site
remains open, day and night, to all pilgrims, official visitors
and sight-seers. 'Vhile certain employees of the Saiva
Mahanth lie in wait to catch hold of some of the credulous
Hindu pilgrims, decoy them into son:e dark recesses tempting
them with the rare sight of the figure of the five Pal).Q.ava
brothers and other unimportant Hindu divinities. and
sluggishly proceed to delurle them into the belief that the
shrine is a Hindu onc, the trained guides appearing pro-
minent with the badge and 1i very of the Department of
Archroology take the inquisitive visitorE> and sight-seers round
the temple drawing their attention to all lingering antiquities
of importance and filling their hCaJ.'ts with overwhelming
awe at the sight of the undying acts of Buddhist devotional
piety. Though the question of ownership has thus been
thrown into the background and the power of control virtually
rests with certain departments of the Government, strangely
enough, the apple of contention continues as before to trouble
the two worlds, Hindu and Buddhist. And sad it is to find
that the leaders of these two communities have hitherto
failed to set the remaining qestion of approved modes of
rites and worship at rest by forming a committee of experts
from both the sections of people to determine the modes
that would bc prejudicial to none!
The case of the ::\Iahanth of Bodh-Gaya, even as it stands
to-day, gives rise to these two important issues, each calling
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY 223
for a definite opiniQn from the impartial historian: (1)
Whether or not, the Mahanth as the acknowledged head of a
sect of the Baivas or worshippers of Mahesvara, who have
permanently settled down in Bodh-Gaya, can claim to act
as a hereditary cUf>todian of the Bodh-Gaya temple and its
sacred area; and (2) whether or not, the Mahanth as a
recognised head of the Hindu community can legitimately
claim the right of wor&hip of the Buddha-image, the Ba-tree
as well as the Hindu divinities in the sacred area of Mahabodhi
in hiR own approved ways.
As for the first i&sue, we have already noted that a time
came when in the Buddhist legend itself, the Saiva Brah-
manical deity l\Iahesvara was entrusted with the benign
work of acting as the guardian angel to thp Buddha. The
testimony of Hwen Thsang clearly proves that as early as
the 7th century A.D. the Buddhif>ts themf>elve& freely recog-
nised the very temple in dispute as a magnificent erection
of the devotional piety of a Baivite Brahmin who undertook
the costly work under ingpiration from no other deity than
Mahesvara, the Lord of Mt. Kailasa The belief then
current among the Buddhists of Bodh-Gaya indeed was that
when Mahesvara, the supreme deity of the 8aivas, generously
inspired his Brahmin votary to erect the great shrine to the
Buddha, he inspired also the younger brother of this Brah-
min to excavate the tank, the Buddha-pokhar, on the south
side of the temple. If we can rely upon the testimony of the
great Chinese pilgrim, the life-like image of the Buddha which
he found enshrined in the main sanctuary of the temple at
the time of his visit was the wonderful handiwor.k of a skilled
Brahmin artist employed by the builder of the temple. If
224
GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
the two Brahmin brothers had afterwards become yotaries
of the Buddha, for that. too. the creclit is due at the first
instance to Siva-J\Iahesvara. the Brahmanical deity un-
grudgingly rendering distinct to the Buddha.
1
To
quote Hwen Thsanp: in hi:,; own words :2
"On the site of the pre&ent rilia,m A&oka-raja at first
built a small dha/Cl (shrine). .Aftenvards there was a
Brahman who recon5tructed it on a large scale. At first
this Brahman was not a believpr m the law of Burldha, and
sacrificed to Haying heard that this heavenly
spirit (god) dwelt in thE' Snowy Mountains. he forthwith
went there 'with younger brother to seek by prayer (his
wishes). The Deva &ajrl. those who pray should aim to
acquire some extensive religioub melit. If you who pray
have not this ground (of merit). then neither can I grant
what you pray for.'
The Brahman sain, 'What meritorious work can I set
about to enable me to obtain my rleRire?'
The god said, 'If you wish to plant a superior root (growth)
of merit, then seek a <,uperior field (in which to acquire it).
The Bodhi-tree is the place for attaining the fruit of a Buddha.
You should straightway return there and by the Bodhi-tree
erect a large vihara uncl excavate a large tank. and devote
1 So long as the fad th.tt the San'to Blahrnin elected the temple to the
Buddha for the fulfilment of It uOlld
1
y desue, namely, the of the PObt of mmister
to a lcigning Dlonarch, the que&hon to uhethel he commenced the plOUS "\\olk as a
Jay worshlpper of Siva or ab a lal 1l0l'bhlppel of the Buddha lS unmatelial A Hmdu
openly to be a devotee of Slva or of Blahmi or of YishJ)u may proceed to
make a religlOU& offenng eyen ln h01\OUl of a lIIuhammadan samt or Fakir in all sin
cerity of heatt for the fulfilment of It desire, say, for haYing the birth of a malo
cluld In the famlly, \Hthout ceasing thereby to be a Hmdu.
Beal's Buddhist RU01if., "01 II, r. 119.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 225
all kinds of religious offerings (to the service). You will
then surely obtain your wishes.' "
"The Bra.hmans having received the divine communica-
tion, conceived a believing heart, and they both returned
to the place. The elcler brother built the l'ihCirct, the younger
excavated the tank, and then ther prepared large religious
offerings, and "ith diligence their heart's desire.
The result ollo,vecl at once. The Brahman became the
great minister of the king. He deyotru his emoluments
to the work of charity. Having built the rihiira he invited
the most skilful artist':! to make II figure (likeness) of Tathagata
when he first reached the condition of Buddha. Years and
months passecl without TCSUlt: no onc unf>wercd the appeal.
At length there was J, Brahman who came Hnd addressed the
congregation tlm;:,: I will thoroughly execute the excellent
figure of Tathugata."
King of Bcngal. the hatcc1l'ival of the Pushpa-
bhftti royal family mul blackmailed in the eourt-histOlY of
Kanauj as the base as':las5inutOl of King Hiijyavardhana, the
elder brothel' and predeces;jor of Hanha. iF; made to appear in
the pages of the Ri-yu-ki ot Rwen Th5ang. the Chinese pilgrim
and Buddhif,t as a formidable enemy of Buddhism.
The cuttinD down of the sacred Bo-tree is mentioned in bold
o
letters as the "cry fiT5t heinous act of vandalism on the
part of "'icked 8asanka. which he intended to consummate
by the c1cstruction of the main Buddha-image of the great
Buddhist shrine at Bodh-Gaya. How far the blackening
of the character of Sasanka by Hwen Thsang was due to the
prejudice which the Maukhari court naturally tried to
ct;'eate in the mind of the inquisitive but credulous Buduhist
29
226 GAY.! AND BUDDHA-G_I\ Yit
pilgrim and foreign traveller, entertained as its mOflt dis-
tinguished guest, is still a problem for the sober historian
to solye. Suspicion begins to grow and gain in strength on
this point as we find that after the flword had failed to
sllfficiently retaliate the wTongFl done to the l\Iaukhari family
by the artful rival from Bengal, the pen of the court-poet
BaJ}a was employed to feeel fot un('ient grudge. The
spirit which enacted this court-rC'c01 cl would only find its
fulfilment in duping an eminent agent with unique
attention, honour and courtesy to a( t n::. a Ycry powerful
agent, though unconsciously. for broadcasting the stigma
it sought to 8ttach to the hatE'd namE'. It may appear from
the procedure followed br the Maukhari court that it did
not let off this agent to du it'> work before it had succeeded in
creatillg these two deluf-i"\e impres:-.iom: (1) that IGllg
Harsha was a fervent Buddhist although l'till paying the
customary homage to the and (2) that, on the
other hand, wicked of 1.he far east proyc-d himself
only to be a fanc.t.tical <1e::lecrator of Budl1hism in the holiest
of its shrines while madly acting as an ayowed champion
of the cause of
\Ve have already cast our doubt owr Hwen Thflang's
account relating to the attempt of Basulika to destroy the
Bo-tree by cutting it duwn. Now with regard to the rc-
maining portion of his account that relates to the 8aiva
king's project of replacement of the Buddha-image hy a
figure of 1\Iahe&vara in the main sanctuary of the great temple
at Bodh-Gaya, we may reasonably maintain that the palpable
illherent in it, alone suffices to indicate
that it is not exactly the gospel tl uth. It will be worth
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 227
while to reproduce here the words of the Chinese pilgrim to
establish our contention.
"Sasanka-raja having cut down the Bodhi-tree wished' to
destroy this image (the figure of Tathagata enshrined in the
great templc) : but having seen its loving features, hiR mind
had no rest or determination, and he returned with his retinue
homewardr:,. On hi'> way he 5aid to one of his officers 'We
, ,
must remove th!lt btatue of Tathagata and place there a
figure of
The officer, havi11g received the order, was taken by fear,
and, sighing, s3i(1, 'If I de&troy the figure of Tathagata, then
during succe%ive Kalpus I shall reap misfortune. If I
disobey the king. he will put me to a cruel death and destroy
my family: in eitlH.'r car:,e, whether I obey or disobey, such
will be the ('on'5equences : what, then, shall I do r
On this he called to his presence a man with a believing
heart (i.e .. a belie, Cl' in Buddha) to help him, and sent him to
build up acro:::."! the chamber and before the figure of Buddha
a wall of brick. The man, from a feeling of shame at the
darkness, plarcd a burning lamp (with the concealed figure) ;
then on the interposing wall he drew a figure of 1\1ahesvara-
deva. The work being finished, he reported the matter.
The king hearing it, was seized with fear: his body produced
sores and his flesh rotted off, and after a short while he died.
Then the officer quickly ordered the intervening wall to be
pulled down again, when, although several days bad elapsed,
the lamp still found to be burning."1
From this account it does not certainly appear that
Basalika, the decried royal promoter of the Saiva cause, was
228 GAY1\. AND BUDDHA-GAYA
either a religious fanatic or a vandal. but rather as one on
whose mind the very sight of the lowly figure of the Buddha,
the lasting work of fame of a Blahll1in artist enshrined as
the greate&t object 01 vE'ncl'!:ltion in the temple erected by a
Saiya .I:hahmin. produred tlll' dt'l'pr'>t iJ1l]?res&iol1 It seems
that nothing would be mOle <1i...,Llllt 1 r ul11 his intention than
the desh uction of such J11 :m e-ill'lp!lill& image. The account
itself clearly show:" That hi:; mind ".1.., 1'0 tenderly di:;posed
then that even a PJS.,in3 thuughi "-'J this kind would be
strong enough to fill it WIth fedl L1llJ trepidation of heart.
It would be &imply <t ltllblel1(ljng of taci to take the account
to mean that the king oi ]jf'l1ga.l lL1rlfcbccl with his hoops
and transports to Dodh-U lyJ. rl1th 1.11 I:>olp object of con-
verting the .BlLcl<lhlst slnj]J(' iJlto '. a OIle. T1JP impl e:;siol1
which it create& ratIlel I'> tlMt "when he h,Hl halted. at Bodh-
Gaya on hi& way bad:: to hi.,; capital afH.'r having callied out
a call1paigll in the kiugllolll 01 Jlag.tdltJ, ur fal ther "west, he
eventually visjted thL '<-U lltJy hUllt ramou& &hrille. A seal-
matlix of lUUlld on llho1.af-gmll
1
may be taken to
establish thJt he Wcl" lJlal cbmg l,y the highway of which
we have a. familiar de'>cli})t1oll ill the l\luhuvaE:tu and the
Lalita-vistara.
Even if we take Hwen Th':>lIl1& at his own word the kinO"s
'c
cOlUlllal!d to 111& office.L was 1101, to del::ltl'OY the Buddha-jmage
but just to "remove that statue and place there a figure of
:&Iahc8vara." How hib officer could consh ue the :;:mple
and ullambiguou& words of the king to mean destruction is
something beyond.. our conjecture. The account proceeds
1 ill801pllollUII!, Vul Ill, p. 284 The lll'CllIltlon reau. f"I.mullCt
siiman/a.
PRE-B1JDDHISTIC HISTORY 229
further to narrate that the impending calamity averted
by the officel by an ingenuous plan of seeking the aid of a
pious Budclhist devotee to keep the Bucldha-imstge concealed
by a brick-wall PH'ctecl the chamber with a figure
of "JIahcsyma lIT,1\'m ltpon it, TruE> ingenuou<, plan would,
howcvc1, proYp to be 11. W.1:r poor device if the Saiva king
Wl'lC, u':. allegul llu1t llJ.JOll the work of defltIuction, What-
ever might ha\, 1,(;1
1
tl1(' illll-'Olt of the king'!', command, it
tranr;puh that It "a" anyl hing but the destruction of the
BllLlllha-i'llage. TILt:' tJ ... k \\a<; anyhow left to be executed
by a piou" BUL1(lh1<;t dl'\ vtl e. and "hen It was executed,
the figme of Wit" a ...... igned a place nowhere else
but on the (oYeli11g wall u<; If to make it play the humble
r6le of a gU<11(1
11
111 <1Uht:'1 of the BuddhiE>t sanctuary.
,Ye canllot Ipa1-011al,ly illtelprl't the whole affair aE>
tremenclou.,l) gratiiY:l1g to the 8ah-a 5pillt for aggTandi-
5cment.
If a., it M:!Illl .... :::,'1\1<:111 l;ccame rcm the 5th
or the 6th LClltmy A.D. 01 eYen horn a <;t1l1 earlier date.
under thf' .,hong HlIJlJOl t "t a l)OWClfill king of northern
India a., it ItlU ... t lw C'fIllfultfl tJ)at it had tried to
make it::, <;upremacy felt not only at B<H.1h-Gaya but oyer
the entire rCfl'iOll of ({avu. Yiew-ed in it.;; true historical
Cl
perspec.ti.1 c this wOlk of vIi the I art (,f ).Iahe&Y8Ia
wa., to gam an aE>c.endancy on.! his lival.., and Ela}-ma.
and 50 fal a'> the Buddh:f-t ..,luine 01 Bodh-Gaya is
he !',ought to ::,tpl,J mto the place of thee eadit-! guardian
deitie::" and neyer to u5urp the emi;nence of the Buddha.
Prvc('N1ing further down to the emlier peliod of the reign
uf the PJI,' kingf> of Bengal. f-ay, towards the cloE>c of the
230 GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
9th, or the beghming of the 10th century A.D." which was
about to see the full blossoming of the budding architectural
and sculptural features of the life of the Gaya region as a
whole, we hal1ri1y clHlnce Ul)on an important epigraphic
record of onc ::'011 of r.ij\ ala. tllC stone-cutter,
clearly showing ht'\\" the Cl u(lite Raivitc Brahmin scholars
and their sncceSSOlR 'Yere livillg at Bodh-Gaya side by side
with the BuddhistF: of the l)lace without any feelinp. of e11mity
or discord, The recolll goc!S 1'>0 fa) 3S to indicate that a
devout Hindu wat'> flC'cly allowed to !Set up a stone-figure
of Biva-Bl'ahmJ within the temple
of BlLddha-DhaTllle(,l, fO) tIle benefit of the 8aivite Brahmin
scholars 01' the .\!S Dl'. Bloch infOllll!S Uf" the stone
containing this in nine lineR. is now exhibited
in the Indian :JIllt:>eulll, Ca,lclLtta, and it shows three figures,
F:fuya. tiiYa amI Yi&ln,l11, ".111 of yelY crude fabric," Surya
to thc proper right, Si, a in the centre and Yislu).u to the
proper left." The inScliptioll itf,elf a l'pace just
be!'dde the figme of Yif,lll).l1, The Cllf-lnined ohject of WOlRhip
it:> a SiYJlil1ga of the type- whieh is "exceedingly common ill
North-Eastern India" and is "still called Chalt}ll1{J..7t ..I.11ahiid'l.'
,1.8 in the inf-Cliptioll,"-a rhallic oymbol of with
four face&. which llldY be looked upon as an adaptation of
'the well-kllO"l1 il1lJ,ges of Brahma. by the Sai,-ail." The
enshrinement of iludt a peculiar type of 8ivaliIiga at Bodh-
Unya eyic1elltly le:;,ultccl from the same process of !Synthesio
or cOlllpromi!Sc between Saivism and BrahmaniFll1 which
fOlUul in the. figure of Prapittimahebyura, a
Rivuli11ga the fnee of Brilhma. inRtalled at Gnyti
propel' (turing the PaIn peliod. Thc 11'
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
231
dated in the 26th year of the reign of Dhalmapiila reads
as below:-
a. Textl
L1-0m ( ) D1wrme.-liyatane ramye
Ujjvalasyo, biliibMdal; 11 Ke-
L2-{,al1-likhyella putre'{la }}/al!cideva&-
c1!at'llrmuT.kal1 IlllresMha-
L3-me--Mahiihodhi-nivlisi/lli'1)l. JI
8nlilaldi-
L4-(niil/l) pl'Ctjrtyas-tu .reycr!e
pratishtlliipUfll; 11 PuahJ.-ari-
L5-V-yatyagiidM, cTIa putit V i81mupaai-aami't 11
T,itu,ye-
L6-na sal!astena d,(t"!1Illinrtm Hr.iillita satiilf1, U
L7-81UJllvil}1.batltal/le varalle D1ulrIllapiile 1/1allibTiuji 1/
LS-Bluidra-va (ba)hula-paiicl1'lmyu1/l 8111107 Bl!ruMI.-
L9-ra!yliluzlli 11 01Jl ( JI ).
b. Translation
[Commenced with Olikara, the Vedic praqava]
(A figure of) has heen installed in
the pleasant abode (temple) of (Buddha), the Lord of
Righteousness,3 by Kesava, bon of Ujjva]a, the stone-cutter,
for the benefit of the descendants of sni1la/.as (the erudite
Saivite Brahmin scholarI') l'esirling at l\lahiibodhi (Boc:1h-
Gaya). A tank, of exceeding depth and holy like the river
Ganges
4
has been excavated for these good people at the cost
1 Based 011 Ul')l'h's Noie9 011 Rod1,(htyu. in ArclIrJJolnf/i,uZ SUI1
P
Y of India, Annual
Report for WOg-!), p. 150.
2 A llnYu 'Hth four hOlOg 11 ph,lllic device, rrlllP;mting!l figures of Siv!l and
the four-{ona DJ ahm;i
3 D1IQfllleill ')r is !I dcqignl!.tion of the Bmlrlha illloge wOl"lhippcd at
BodhGaya.
c Bloch missed altogether the sense of the word Visll1J,upadi 88 Vied in tbis
inscription \\hcn he take8 it to mean tho footprint of Vish1J.u. The word Vi,lI11UPculf
lfi Sanskrit nothing but the river
272
GAYA. AND BUDDHA-GAYA
of three thousand draohmas. (Written) in the 26th year
of the reign of Dharm:1pala, the enjoyer of the earth, on the
5th day or the dark fortnight of Bhadrapada, on a
Saturday.
[Concluded with Olikara]
We have already tried to show tntl.t after the Palas and
during the reign of the later Sena kings of Bengal Buddhism
fell into decay ill the region of Gaya <:Lud (ven at Bodh-Gaya,
due apparently to the lunk of active &upport. and that the
early b.istory of from thr Buddhibt point of
view came to be closed wilh lertain votive erections and
pious .vorks clone under the aUf,picc5 and during the reign of
king Asokavalla oJ in the 13th century A.D.
In consequence of tlJG clclugC' cflu'3ecl by the onrush oE Islamic
forces and :1 '3WeCril1!!, (1l';:;11 action of the sanctuaries in the
Holy Land, the Batl(lhil'lrs P"J'11l'llH:ntly lost their foothold
at Bodh-Gaya as at aD utllei' important centTcs of their
influence in India propel'. The' later Gayii-muhatmya,
composed in the 13th or the 14th centmy A.D., reYeals a
changed state of thillgs when the Brahmins of Gaya brought
misery on their life by going out of theil' jurisdiction to
officiate aR at the wo/',"lhip of the Buddha-Dharmesvara
at Bodh-Gaya.
Thus we may clibpose of the' first issue with the observa-
tion that from the earliest times till now the Saivite Brahmins
have neither lost nor waived their coveted right of ttt ting
as hereditary custodians of the Buddhist shrine at Bodll-
Gaya.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 233
And as for the second issue cOllcernillg the right of the
Hindus to worship the Buddha-image Dbarmesvara. the
Ba-tree Asmtflta in the Bodh-Gaya temple and its sacred
area, we have lloticen that as far back as the KushaI}.a age
it is enjoillen in the Epie version of the earlier Eulogium that
every pious Hinclu viHitillg Oaya should it El. point to
go also to Dharmaprastha 01' Bodh-Gaya and bave a sacred
touch of the Buddha-image of the place. The later Eulogium
in the Pnral).as el1joiml in the l:I(1,1ne manner that every Hindu
pilgrim to the Gaya region desiring to release the departed
spirits of his ancestors must visit also Bonh.Gaya to pay
his respectful homage to the Bucldha-image Dharmesvara
as well as the Bo-tree and prescribes a set formula
of prayer to be addressed to the Bo whirb happens to be no
other tree than an Indion Fig:
Xamlb tc Hralunii.\,ishl}.lI.ShiitmanE' I
Bodhidrllmiiya l,mttril)iim pitriJ;liil11 tiil".")iiya cha 11
Ye a&mnt kulc biinclhavii dUl'gatil]l gatiU.l I
tv(ul (-hel c.;Ynl'p:nthn ,viintn IJ
ii allUal]l Yriksh"riit I
tyacl mahJpiipiid yhllU),to' hnl11 bhnVRI'I)RYiit 11
"1 bewl my head low ill oheisance to thee. 0 Asvattha,
the lord of trees. standing as a living form of the Holy Triad
of our pantheon with thy high fame as the
renowned Bo, for the release of the dead forefathers, the
makers of the line of descent.
Those in my c1iTPrt line and those connected with the
mother's line. tlH:' kith and kill who have gone into the state
of woe. may they, from tby holy sjght and touch, pass jnto
an eternal state of heavenly life.
'I'he triple debts have 1 paid, 0 king of trees, by coming
30
234 GAY A. B1JDDHA.-GAYA
on pilgrimage to Gaya. By tl1y henign grace am I rescued
from the awful o('ean of (;'xistC'nce and liberatE'd from deadly
sins."
Thus this PC't FOI mnla of lJl'a:yPr or hymn of praise sets
forth the Ninrln pmf0'iC' in piIQ1imal!ing to Bodh-Gaya,
ann. paying hom8p.e to tll!' Buddha-image Dhalmesvara
and the Bo-tree A s/"tfthrt whie h is 110 other than the securing
of release of the clE'ad fOl'ef<1tlw] , from the state of woe, the
payment of triph' debt.." and tbe hllcration from all dreadful
sins. The same i<" no doubt the inner motive which guides
the pious action of (,v{'ll tht Budcihilit pilgrimf> horn some
part of India of om time IV' mu"t humbly differ from
Dr. Bloch
1
WhE'll iw <'l.U,gP'>l S 0]1 t 1w of the above
hymn that the Hm,h,<, do )wt l'fl)' hnmage to th(' Fig tree
which &tand& a;-, the li \ l1lg .... ) ml clot Buddhinll but to a
second Pipal tree which qtanch; to the north of the Bodh-
Gaya temple and i" let) and fiuc'!" than the Ba. The
wording of the' im olPtion llardly k.1\ e& any room for doubt
that the PipaI f01 mmg tlJe' object oj veneration is none other
than the Ba-tree 6Umttlw.
Considered in the light of these hIstorical evidences. on
the second issue, too, WE' have to pronounce our judgment
in favour at the )Iahc.lnrll of Bodh-Gaya and freely recognise
his right of worship at the Buddhi&t shrine in accordance
with the traditional Hjl1du mode.
But the questIOn yet remain!:> : Have the Buddhists them-
selves ever disputed the Hindu right of worship at their
shrines? So. far as our information goes, the Buddhists
have never and nowheTP prf'ventea thE' Hindus flom either
1 Sole. 011 Boclll O((1jii III .rll(lIOo%qlca/ 8!ClLey Rl,oll, I9U8 U9, l' }'.jJ
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
235
visiting or cOlldllCtillg worship at their slrrines. As a matter
of fact, they have no against the Hindu devotees coming
to a Buddhist shrine for worship. Their shrines remain
open to all for worship, without any distinction of caste and
creed. The inscription of KesDva engraved during the reign
of Dharmapala, d('arly pro\'cs that the Bnddhists were
liberal and tolerant 1'110ugh (,Yell to allow u Hindu to instal
a figme of his deitiC'&. Ri \ a and BluhmiL in their temple at
Bodh-Gay it for the benefit of the
resident Baiyite the last known
powerful Buddhi.,t king 01 India who made &tructural addi-
tions in thl' &acred area of the Bodh-Gaya temple, did not
hesitate to Pllgagc an el'lHlitp Brahmin &choluJ' and poet to
compose the text of the yoti 11'('(Jf(1 ulld loyal panegyric
in commemoration of his l.iOl1R <l('('(p rl'hollgh avowedly
a Buddhil:lt king who toi)p(l like 'D. Lee on the pollen of the
lotus-feet oj Jillclldra' (J illendla-chai'cqulrariHda-makaranda-
m,arlhnkam),2 Asokavalla IPhuilt in his domillion a fallen
temple of 8iva and cun&idered it to Le all act worthy of great
men yuklCII}1 salriJl('i1}1 tlH'lCby upholding
the ancient tradition of the Buddhist king of Magadha
and the Jaina king Khalawh of Kalinga. ptll'ticulal'ly that
of the latter represented as 'a repairer of all temples of the
gods Read the votive
record anu eulogy of Asokavalla composed for him by the
erudite Bra.hmin &cholru' anll poet ill a great hurry (prasasti't]'!-
dl'lltataram (tk({rot) nucl yon will be at once convinced of the
1 lA, Yo! X, An ,It Uayii., p. 314.
2 lA, Vul. X, p. 346.
3 lA. Yul. X, pp 34,')346.
'. OlcZ Bliillmi 11l8uilJlio1!b ill the Udayagiri alld Klia'IJqagiri OaveB, I. 16.
236
GAYA. AND BUDDHA-GAYA.
folly of the unwise step on the part of the Buddhist king to
allow the B1'ahmin composer a i'Tee hand in the matter.
The inevitable result has been that he has produced a Buddhist
recOld wl'itten entirely in hir, OW11 style and unlike all other
known records of the in tone and effect:
Om llamQ BI/c/r/lui1j(/, IWIIl I) clhrllllliiy(/ "1I11ll/lIe lIflll/fliL
Nfl7IyltaYfI g,mT,;iYfI laltg;lflll'!la bl!atU1I1blldhrl!
"Obeisance to Bu(1rlha-the pun! obe&iance to Dhallna-
the bliss! obeif:ance to the l-4.,.,ngha-the lion! fOl the (rosbing
of the world-ocean."
Ruch wouM ]lcycr hayp been thc precibe wCJ.ding of the
invocation, if tlic documcl1t had becJl hr a person
imbuecl with tJ aditi0l1. And what ib \VOlSC. in
going to d(,f>c) ihe the daily WOl &hi}_ of the Buddha in the
temple at Bouh-Uaya in the light of that of some of the
Brahmanical dcitips in a Hinuu temple. 11(' ha& unknowingly
buggested reficdiolL 01} the (:hmadcl of the whole of Buddhitm
of hi& age:
l'iiJii[/ 1;iiI1Inllllllfl'lJn l'fllillUI/I/(/f/II/(llIbMrlYllIS-
/llb(lllrlhYlllIt ,acla Rfllllbhii blllllllbh(l-
1Jl,iiwubllll aMl/lo ('/irl/bllll (11) lyac/bl/II/IWl
.:\ I tilja 11 tlbllll rtlUl1l1l111a1I!}tlll(! gatal/qgl/li-
111/ al/g(/iI IlIIli yuslIlat 6unh
bUSlllle MC/gfll attlQ, laf!.U1fl Ubl.1Ia,
"Hin<:e jn the religion of Bhagavat, worship is hele offelcd
to the most wOl&hipfu1. always three times a day, by means
of instl'umental llll.sic in the highest key, together with
Rambha-like Bhavillis and Uhetis dancing 10und wonderfully
with mirth in singing aud so on, in a way to the
unions of Analiga (Kama)-(wOlship) increased by hospitable
entertailllllP uts. "1
A, Vul X, PI' 342-344.
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTOllY
237
How a thoughtless poetical description like this, taken
uncritically, may mislead its reader will be e, ident from the
following comment of a scholal like Dr. Bhagawanlal
Indraji ;-
"Bhavinib all' the dancmg and sil1gi11g girls attached to
temples. Chetis ale maid-sC'l' alllb Lelonging to temples who
perform cel taill menial ice& as well a& join with the
Bhavini& in &inging. ;-(u('11 W0111en al'(' f>bll employ<-d in the
Brahmanical temple!'. of and Eastcll1 India. They
are of very loose motab : their employment in Buddhist
temples of the 12th centmy ifl an indication of its
corruption. "[
If the wor&hip 01 OH' Bucldhn.--image and thE' Bo-tree be
left ent-irely in the 1wll(]:-. ot tlu Hmdus ]t is bkely to be
utilised to the en<l of ti111<' 1'01 the &OldicllntbHleF.b of releasing
the dIsembodied bphit:-. i I om H f>tatp 01 woe 01' obtaining an
easy passpOlt to heayenly worlds. It ('an never be expected
to cast off the fear of the gho&ts and cOllsciously rise up to the
sublimity of Buddhibt feeling of pure joy of merit and delight
in making a free offering of that joy to the parents, to begin
with, to the teadlCr& and preceptorb, nay for the of
all sentient beillgs.
2
.A Hindu pilgrim C'Hllllever be expected,
we dare say, to cheri&h the as the very centre
of the cultured universe. or to be actuated by that earnest
longing tor the huly sight. 01' to be prepared to undertake a
long and perilouR jomney through 'dUbt alld desert,' 01 to
1 lA, Y01 X ]I fn
1'110 llas {olUld Cl>.ple&&lOn ID tile Buddllll,t ntl\ e 10COlds in &uch [1,
,\& :
l' Itcl cetl Cl l11tnYU/II tucl bTuwctlLiu.luil yopMhyaya-lIIiiliill1l/ i-:p1lruanga,1/1a1l1 kritoii
6al.,,/ccsut/w leHel allutlwujIICtIICl1Jkaltiiplaya ill,
238 GAYA. AND BUDDHA-GAYA.
be so devoutly inspired by the llOly sight as to give a felici-
tous expression to his feelings in the manner of Chinese
pilgrims.
Whatever be the prf'sent If'gfil position of the Saiva
Mahanth or the YeHlict in hie:, ray our so long as
thp namp ::.\J ahabodhi 0)' BOtlh-Oaya designates the sacred
site. it is humanly il1l})o%hJ( to tiP}]), that the great shrine
belongs to th(' Bnrll1J)1-,t:- Fl pt)) ,1 pmeJy human point
of view. the' :\lallUllth flj)l)( .111' d lhese two charges:
(1) that by betting U1J a IHlg-ll'td (J ]. g .. l he has
unnece!) ... c 1w( h n Cl tp <'lId Mpontaneous CA pI ession
of Budrlhist } eligiolle:, tC'dil l \.! [I}I({ ]linty "hieh is &0 <'bRcntial
for th .. re'.>uf-citatirlll ol thL In ... t D.-rn), of the place: and (2)
that hy hi!'! callow:, flPHthy tOi\ aHh, t]lt' <.,Ill ille he ha& deviated
from the ancient traditiol) 01 W'!ll'} nl-,lty und by enfol'eillg
the Hindu mod!' of weJl'bhil' and "\"\ollllding the.' leligious
susf'eptibilitieb of mi.ll,on::. 01 }lcoph' he has d.ehbPlately
acted contrmy io tIll' l1U
1
lle IIlJ'1(;pk ot Hindu tOl(,lutic'll.
Hc is not only un:-3ympathet!( hnt antipathetic. H hi!)
ownership be a nomillal 011e. he bhoukl frankly speak it out,
anu if a real one. he bhould by to ju.,tify it by effecting a
palpable improvement of things in and. out. Not to speak
it out is to be guilty of h}1)Qel'l&y. and not to justify it is
to be gui.lty of culpablc negligencc of duty amounting to
irreligion. The onUb of proof lips upon him and him alone.
At an events, thc Hindu vcrdict in the btOIY of the cun,c of
Brahma, as w(' find it in the Uaya.-muhrrtmya, is t11at the
Brahmins of Uaya had not done the right thing to go out
of their j uriscli.etion and conduct the worship of the Buddha
at Bodh-Ua.ya. lured by lucre.
PRE-BUDDHISTJO RH TORY 239
17. GAY! PLACE FOR FUNERAL OBSEQUIES
'Vc have so lar been concerned to create an impression
as if at tllE' time of the advent of the Buddha the high sanctity
of Uaya cou<,i<,t(>(l in it'! lwinlJ, pro-eminently a place for
ceremonial ll<lthing and fil'e-&acrifi cc. In connexion with
the periodical hathing in the holy waterl'! of the Gaya tank
and river we cl idnowhe>l'o di<,('u<,& if e"\ en at that early period
of its existe>nC'C' thp whole of thl' Gaya. region was equally
a pbce fOT tlip l1('1'o1'manco of funeral rites and rituals.
We havp, on tItp otlwr hand. hCPll di.c;poocrI to maintain
that Gaya. noted Oliginally for ceremonial bathing and
fire-sacrifice eYf'ntnally came to acqlllH' tJH' high fame of
being the maIn place fOl the perfOlmanct' 0/ tuneral ob:-:equies.
the propitiation of the I"a}/( s and the ofiellng of the cakes
of rice to tIlt' clcpl1l tc(l as a 111('a11S of securing
for them relca&e tlom the pItIable cOlliiItlon of spirit-life
and th(' <:'tt-I nal hb&<; ot heaW'uly hit' The purpose of
the present J.1'tIcle' 18 to examine ho,,- 1(11' the above im-
pression ancl findIng are correct find ]uotifiable.
We ha VC' to h ankk confet-& 11e1'(' that the aforesaid
impression and findmg are ha sed on the bulk of early Buddhif>t
criticisms exposing the futility of ceremonial bathjng in the
holy waters of Gays and E>etting forth the superior efficacy
of moral practices as a means of purifying oneself, such
criticisms a<; we meet with in the Vatthupama-Sutta of the
Majjhima-Nikaya and th(' Jatjla-Sntta of the Udana,
"The Bahuka, the Adhikakka,
The Gaya, the Fhmdarika,
The flowing stream Bahumati,
24.0 GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAYA
Can ney-er wash Ollf"S bIar1rnpsQ white.
Thongh. one <lhoulfl wac,h for aye.
Of what ay-ail Rllunllrikii' prowl flnw.
Pa't'ii!!3',,: flood. thf' WBy,. .... of :Eiihuka.
Thp man ()f pnlllity ,!TIrl pyjI clpPr1.....
RPlilB;11o; und ... dnc:prl of lli .. -0
1
1 ann guilt.
"C"pon th. pm I' rOJhtant Jfay.
TIt,. pmf' kPPJJ ('11(111"<'0; c13'" :
Th,. pmI' lJ\'" Hti 011 IJl1l'P ('on t/" st .
Their ewry ofipring 1::1 ble!'-t.
Hp] e Brahmin. 1,fltllP whple bathing cleamine givep,.
Anil lllakf' thf'P rpfugp <:I11lP 01 all that live
q

If ('1pan thy tongu( f] on, h"i1J!!
If living thou i1o..,t not halm
Tak ... t nothing that j<:. llot tlliw' OW11
Faithful of IlP81 t a" frpp of h:111(l
,Vhat <'l!rJnl(1"<.t rhrIH {11l Pt far (ia"\-i'i. I
(A wpl1 to t1Jf'( j, R fi-a,a I) "1
Thi:-- !iU(iP)Jt awl mor-.t drc11air Pah f'ouplet l1l
1
ght ind('pd
be ritpd to plOYI' that OayJ. in tlll' lifptime of the
BUfldha, wa'> f'fJUutN] among the ,>pVPll traditiolIally Im
portant Hindu ttdlm'?-tlIP place::; of pilglimage and cere
monial .\nrl in point of fact. the Buddha's em
pha::;i., on nay. wOlllfl be if we do not agree
with "BuflUhaglJO<:.]ld J1L thinking that the obyious real'-on
for laying the cmpha,>ib 1\ th3t 11l popular e::;timation
Gaya f'njoyprl plf'elllj]Wllf'P OYP1 all the' thpn knmm Hindu
tirthruJ (Galja loke samrnattara). But bathing (sniiua) is
primarily a hygeniC' term and a purificatory rite proceedi]lg
1 DI'(OIl/Sell of Gotama llle B1Iildllfl, Vul I, l' -1-1
PRE-BUDDHISTJC HISTORY
142
from{ tlH' belief mens sal/a in corpore sano: Saliram iidyOlJp,
dhanna-siidhanOlJ!l. Bathing is indeed the practice,
whether interpreted in its natural or figurative sense, which
hl'lngs sigl1ificance to a Hindu til'tha as a tirtha or sanctor'Um.
But this iR inst one of the aspf'cts of a Hindu place of pil-
Tn ('onnexion with the Gaya-tiItha we have
got still to ascertain what were the special occasions for
the Hindu PJJgrim<' to flock to it from different quarters
for the pClfol'manre of ceremonial ablution!) in the holy
waters of its tank and river in the Buddha's life-time.
The highly auspicious time fOl the annual ceremonial
bathing at Ga.ya is specified in the following terms in the
Vinaya .
SifasH he,nallf1'UtSll I attislI
(mtw-attlwl. iisu himaplita-samaye.
which may be literally rendered:
. 'In the winter amI autumn nights on the inter-ashf,akii
days during the time of snow-fall (the dewy period)."
TlH' Uddna might have been taken to present identically
the same reading but for the single variant antar-a//hake
2
(Loc. <.iug. of the nruter stem which is,
however, interpreted by Dharmapala in the !)ame sense as
(Loc. pI. of the feminine stem antar-a/thakii)
by the master commentator Buddhaghosha.
This is preci!)ely spceified in the Mahasihaniida-Sutta
of the l\Ia;jhima-Nikaya, along with thE.' closing month
(Aslzadlw, July-Aug.) of the hot season, as the time when
the dreaded woodland becomes most dreadful. And here
1 r mo ya .11 ti/ilivagga, p. 31
[,c7illa, p 6
31
242
GAY! AND BUDDHAnAYA.
the reading tallies entirely with tha.t in tIle Udana in
instead of alltar-auhaJ.{U
,. ..
Leaving aside all other words, Buddhaghosha expl ains
antar-atthaka as c;ignifying the f'1gM nights between lIe
two months of lJIfiqlta and Pluilqww (March-
April), the totaJ heing madr up with the last four nights
of Magna and the first foUl' llights of PhfilgulIo.
2
Taking tht' two worch ({Ilim-a!tlial.-o and liimaplita-
samaya together. Dharmapa.lr. C'xplaill<' thelll as meaning
the dewy -period of till1t' rompl ising f'ight day::.. the last four
days of the mOllth of ]](([lli( of tllC cold f>eaf>on and the first
four days of tbp month of PhlilqunCl 3
We sa.y that both BndclhagllOSh'l and Dharmapala have
sadly missed the trC'Jmical f,C'11<'(, of the word attl101 ... ti (Bkt.
asntakti) and the Teal impOl t of the PliH f>tatcment ac; a
whole. The a!tliah(i or asli!al.a If> a. familiar tec1mica,] term
of Brahmanical Hindui<'ll1. which primarily denDtes a speci81
kind of festival on the eightI] dar of the dark hal of a lunar
month between thr full-lllOOll day of A (Dec.-
Jan.) and that of thE' month of Phtilguna (March-April).'
and secondarily the days of such dark fortnjgMs.
Such auspjcious days are ordinarily tluec,5 and are four in
1 Majjhlma }.Tll.iiya, \'01 I,11 79
Papal!Cha'8iidalli, Eel, P(lIt H, P 03' A.nlar atthaka,'1! Maglla.mo,8atJ8a
avasiin6 c1lalasso PllfJl}!llllla 1I1iiQabSa rTwtas8o'tl evam ubl!mnam antal e aftharattim
Cf Samanta pUsiidllii
3 Udana ('ommeniarJ, &I,lmcse Ed, p 93. A ntalallllake hl1l1apiita.aamalle'ti
llemantassa vtuno abbTlantmabll1ife Jluqha mii8assa ata_CiIIS (hat/alo Phcz!l!lUlla.masas8a
adl1nlu rllaI
1
iilo'/I al/llU dlvatJa.panmane lwnapatalla1..ale
4 Jliillaw (lIlTlyn.Hutra, II 2812: Tlsro'shtakiih utdhvam Agraooyanyuh pliiJ"
Pkiilqunllcu lam !SI U1IU11t ashtamyal}.
6 jUwluyrwa G/lhyaSutlQ, IT 41 and Its ('ommentary See 01l11l1
a
SU/laB
(S BE), P,llt T, p 102, fn
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTOHY
.
24:3
the maximum even when the has to reckon the
intercalary month (adhika-masa). The ashtaka festival
is solely concerned with funeral rites-the
yaiiia, or pubba-peta-bali (to use the Buddha's phraseo-
logy), the ceremonial offming of oblations to the departed
forefathers. the performance of funeral obsequies.
1
The
term implies indeed the idea of a lOund of eight days, the
ashtaka fUllC'tions commencing during the first eight days
and conl::>ulUmuting on the eighth day of the dark
fortnight.
It will be E>eell at 011ce that the Pi:ili sta.tement of the
auspicious time for ceremonial bathing is quite on a par
with the following aphorism in the Asvalayana Grihya-
Sutra (H. 4.1) concel'lling the ash/aka ceremollies :
Hemantct-iiruyob
ash!ctJJ1isllll ashtakii11.
"On the eighth days of the four dark fortnights of (the
two seasons of) winter and sdim-ashtakas (are celebrated). "2
Interpreted in the light of thiE> Runskrit parallel, the
PilIi statement lllay be appositely rcndered :
"In the (icy-cold) night<J of (the two seasons of) winter
and autumn on the eighth days of the dUl'k fortnights within
the dewy period of time."
A confused echo of the technical sense of the significant
term antar-aHhaka lingers, no doubt, in the explanations
offered by Buddhaghosha amI Dharmapala, both of whom
have attached special impOl tanc'e to a period of time between
the two months of Magha and Phalguna, the former repre:
1 A';wlliyuna 0, iTtyu-Siitlll, If 43: pitribTtyo dadyat.
OPl!!JII-SiitIU4 (1::1 13 E ), P,ut I
244 GAYA. AND YA
senting the laf:>t month of the cold sea'3on and the latter the
fu'3t month of the vernal. The thiId or last asll!al..ii was
generally celebrated in the !l9.1k frJltnight of 1l1agl,a. and
occasionally ill of following month of Phal9tma.l
ThU5 it ib (;1:tsy trJ llll< how the termination of the
IlLonth 01 Jloy],u thr:. 1,t.;i:;jllJUllg 01 the month ot Phalgttna,
complctiltg < roUI ... '. o u;1.t ,lcty". came to be popularly
reckoned u., the UJ . .ilJb aCL l::.iOJl TO! the hathing-er;tival
at Ga) d, called (. o,lJii-Pl11l!)9t! ,U({ua-PJ.iiJy1/). thio festival
coincidmg with the laDt ash!aIJt.
TL,_ Pfiii &tf',tbmt!nL t Jilt'=> pJ.et;;d. i;:; hir;torically
important as p.ronng Ley0Jld a.ouhi tl).lt eYen III the life-
time of the Buddha the 8illlUdl b[L ... III the holy waters
of the UayJ. tank dnd 11Y('1' was LUIUJel:ted with the bpecial
funeral ccremollicl>, calicO. ashtalJ1;:" tLc labt round oi which
compri;:;ed sometimeb the eight dayb beb\ cen the two months
of .1..11iighu and Plt'd,}"liU. III other WO! (b. Uaya wab, cyen
at that early peric.{! ot il" ,,_\.!t.t, ill.. _ u holy region 101' the
pelformance of funelGtl obi:>eq llH.'b allll the offering of
Bathing wab indeed jm,t an abPcct of the rituals then ob-
served. Alld thof:>e who are well-ac!J.uainted with the
details of Hindu funeral rites will agree in saying that the
ceremony of bathing went hanJ ill hand with that of tarpa'J)u
or the propitIation of the maneh by the repitition of pres-
cribed formula;:; and the formal utterance of bef:>t wiohes.
According to the ill the lHajjhima-
Nikaya, the Smabvati one 01 thr SeYl'll baered riYerb in
which the pcoplr bathed to wash away their sim. while
according to the' Tirthayatl'a-parva of the lUahabhurata.
1 &0 Oldenbclg'a notc 111 tho (J,tltga-Silt,ub (1:!.J3.E ).l'.ut 1.1' 102.
PREBUDDHISTIC HISTORY 245
the same river represented a tirtha visited by the pilgrims
to propitiate the manes.
1
18. GAY.! AS :MEETING PLACE OF HINDUISM AND
BUDDHISl\I
In building up this narrative of Gaya and Buddha-GayB.
wc have followed a twofold course of history. First, follow-
ing a backward comse or historical procef>S of reduction, we
have tried to huye glimpses into the earlier and still ero:1ier
stages of the lac of the Gayu, region. By this course we
ren.ched back thqi early btagc in which the locality with its
primitive inhalJitunts appeared in its native simplicity.
Secondly, following a forwanl comse or historical process of
development, we have ellllcavourCll to pre&ent the successive
pictures of the gl'owjng life of the same locality, viewed
in two different pel'f>pectives, Hindu and Buddhist. By
this course wc could indicate the steps by which the locality
attained a fuller and fuller life.
We saw that throughout the hi&tol'icall)Criod of its exist-
ence Gayu,-kt>hetra I:ltood as 311 integwl part of the ancient
kingdom o }Iagndha, represcnting, u:; .it did. a holy region
distinct from onc bearing the name of Magadha. The
~ m e Gayakshetra stand::; even now with its maximum
traditional five /"os cn:cuit of pilgrimage, forming, as it
does, the aumil1istrativl' headquarters of a district bearing
its name and representing its wide&t possible geographical
expansion within the province of Behru: and Orissa. The
main physical features of the ]ocality are precisely those
246 GAYA AND BUDDHA-(T \'YA
mhtefl at III the BUfld111 ':l' htPlaJ: Tprf!HI" Hoted 1ll the
Eplr-eulogium and rlp<:clll.Jt ill the 1at'l
The holy H.glOll e"\.tench eh 11 now -ilr,ng tlLt .. left 01 westem
bank of th .... Pl1d.lgu and t1 ]Ill 'CIltIllg d ch ... tant
view of the Rama-(Tu
T
J11 :lC. Jt1n ..,Id, ot thp Phalgu.
The Phalgu the lll1 T cl 1o" ot tl1o-' t"\,O hIll .... tH aInb
the. fI - ("11;;'J Hl J Llldpn) find the
lIah1i:mrli (\Iuhdl
I
1) ,'n.l <..t I r\l1J, tl 1ullIhech of (atal-
ac.h wIth then ton Fntl, I :t 01\" (hUll th .... lum" "OlfiF ot
thp catara(.ts bear sbll 11:111W-. the g7/J dol lilt/a Ladl! l..alya
anrl...llac71ull.rdyii ,,1Hh aI cl <'1h .... USI .... tnr ot thL fUImel
PIO-,PPllt) of (Ta,J d" l rl ll(ln 11f,h lu11ti thdt flu" I II Vi Ith
mIlk and hom) Thr, PL \ IldlllC Galla ma' be conmcted
wIth the YecllL \\ olLl '1'( Ul mLclllll _ dUllll ..,tIr "ealth the
term 01 fjfJ.!Jfl-::,pllli/l(l slgl11h mg the }Jlomot1on
of domec..tl( "c<llth
Tht- uty of Gel\ I C (ld":1 plOpU h "tIll .... al1d,\lthec1
bl'h\ PCll the Phal;u c 111 < 11 "L t of lull.., contcl.ll1mg
some twpnty-fh e lull tup.., "ltlt thL (Ta\ et ':>na Ol (Ten d "'nu
(Blaltmar-OlJ.l) 111 thl ,-,outh \\c .... t dnd the Pleta..,lU and the
Ramaslla III the llOlth-ca"t the tIlL
pIOmmel1t natural lal1dmrul\. m the ':>outheln of
thp t01'ill al1d th. Jll Ih llOlthelll l'"\.tJemlt) Ip.
een the t\\'0 Oll( ha" c;tJ 11 to rna,]\.c 1l0tf' of '!uch "malleI
pea.k<;, and urIges a':> the Bha on "Inch the ':>aolfillal
rue onc.e kept dblaze, the Gllclluakuta 01 YultUles
Peak the Udvanta tlIP GitanadIta lesounded With the
mUSIC of the echo the Plabhac;a, the l\!undapll<,1ltha
(YI<;,hnuparld.) aml the 11<l'lmlal\.d
The hIlb ot CIa} a up till nm\ lCple'!cntlllc- thL
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
24'1
oldest known rocks and abounding ill the piled up granite
blocks, some of them bearing on their tops and ridges EIDaU
temples dedicated to the worship of yarious Hindu deities
and built during the reign of the later Pala kings
of Bengal. The left hank of the Phalgu. too. is lined with
s119h the most important of which iK one consecrated
to the worbhip of thp footprint of Yislllyn. tlH' mace-bearer.
The huge l)lork of :;,tOl1r wl1]('h afionled Reats for no fewer
than one thou'3<1nd pel'bOl1l; ana prel;'3ed lawn the top of the
Gayasira hill has yani-:hrcl l'yidrl1tly to furnish materials
for the numerous alt an, , footprintF. and images. But the
narrow pa<,&age underneath a boulder <,ymbolising the
passage of the mother's ,yomh &till rrmain& to put the Hindu
pilgrims rager to escape from rebirth to the hardest trial.
In point of fad. thi::.. paF.sage. called Brahmayoni, has at
last lent its name to the Gayasira hill. The deepset basalt
block on the sOllthelll olope of the Bhasmakfita hill suryives
to the present day with tlw I'o-called hoofmarks of the
heavenly cow Kapilii and her calf to tIckle the curiosity of
the creclulous Hindu pilgrims and in reyerence from them.
The ballJan tree marking the approach to the Gridhrakiita
hill and the wondeJ'ful mango-tree praised in the Gay a-
mahatmya, have peri&hed long ago. But the far-famed
Akshaya-va!a standing close to the temple of Prapita-
mahesvara has somehow maintained it::. ljving identity.
The ancient tank of Gaya. known by tlw name of Brahma-
!'lam or Brahmakm:u:ta anJ once noted for its hot-spring
waters, can still be seen at the foot of the Pretasila hill and
serves still as a bathing place for the thousands of pilgrims
who visit Gaya throughout the year. The hundreds and
248 GA YA. AND BUDDHA GAY A.
thousands of Hindu pilgrims CO]11e eYf'ry yenr from nll parts
of India to payoff their solemn debt to the deceased fore-
fathers and to ma!.:/> the place a pOElitin lluiflance liJld dirty
hell. In spite of tllCir mi<lC'rable condition, the
Brahmins of conlinue io (,11jOY the highest place and
derive their income hom the fee5 o.ffeTPd by the pilgrims.
Despite the ere('tion 0] lllO-.f}ll(':o, ,md C'llli&tian chapels,
modern DaX' bcmqlol
l
s al1(l (,OWlS (If Jaw. the city of Gaya
retains its Oliginal C'haraci el UR a HlllL1u holy land with the
lines of C'omnlUnication ::,imilal' almoF-'\; to those of yore.
Uruvela, too, appear':! eyen ))Ow ,l". the :;ame sandy tract
with its plain surface aml open fT:1C('f .. , The Elame Nairaii-
jana still clown toward::, the north preE.enting a beautiful
landscape view, and is still remmlmhlc for its sunny beaches
and crystal waters. The F..pot of tll(' Do-tree is still the flame
sombre woodlantl in the l1f'Rl't of thC' tract of Uruvela, and
is still situated in the immrrliatf" neic.bbourhooc1 of Scnani-
'J
gama, the moaern yillag
r
of l fl cl. The l\Iahabodhi is still
the same holy site whcr(' the great Bo Asmttlw lords it over.
The site itself is btill bnrrounded by an enclosure and E>hines
forth with great many a i>hrinc. The l':>acrcc1 area of the
BodhimaJ}.Q.8 is still connerted by the same high road that
extend.ccl. along the wec;tC'rll hank of the Nairafijana. and the
distance. too, remainq prartically the same. Though the
Jatilas have lost their foothold long ago, the 8aiva ascetics,
their present-day dcsccndants, are &till the masters of the
situation. Onc can say that the' ancient three divisions of
Gaya. Na(li and Uruvela have formed at present two wen-
defined sacred areas, the Brahma-Gaya and the Buddha-
Gaya, the former prcdominated hy the shrines of Hindu
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY 249
worship and the latter by those of Buddhist worship;
the former representing the eternal domain of the Aksha'fja-
vata and the latter that of the Bo-tree ASvattlta.
The Vata or Nyaqrodha and the Asvattha or Pippala
are the two well-known species of the Indian FW1t8 Rel1'gioa.
Of the'3e, the former find'3 mention in the etliets of King
ARoka a'3 the rerognizecl type of all shady trees.
l
Such
shady were planted hy the great :Maurya king on the
high roads at uniform distances to provinp cool shade for
both men anu unimals.
2
Resting place was arranged for
and drinking water unner those trees to render
relief and comfort to the travellers. weary and th
i
rsty.3
TIle well"! were sunk and tlH' tanl\!, excavated, and the
mango and othe! frUlt-gardells laid out, and the ehal'ity-
halls put up near by to guenclJ the thm .. t and appeaRe the
hunger of the
In all these acts of piet.v the Burldhist emperor emulated
iust the noble tame of his predecessorF-. the fOlmer kings of
Inrlia,5-the lllonarch& who had reigned 111 the long past
awl clllTmg ll1<1,UV lUlll(hed ycaJ''i.
6
AmL he eagerly
1 We me,m that the telm Nlgolw, (Nyaglo(lllu) l' INd III a &l"nse to slgmfy
a,U the avltIlnhle tlceg
S REIl: Pallltltesu l tlp, (udrtpana) l,]ulIIiiprlii t/acl/a ca lopiipitd pal ibhogiiya
paSUlIIUI!16al!am PE YrI Jlage.<lll in X/golliim IOpaPltiilll lkMgopagallt hoaamziti
ptlSil tnU12I8iillum
3 The tLl1l1 II/pa 01 lull/pUlla, tun, 1'> ubcd In a gcnene bCll,e to SIgnify wells, tanks
and the hkr Cf Sii1attfta-lmt..ii6!11i, I'Id.lllCqe Ed, P,ut [, 1) 107: Uclapiino,1lt yo,'l]'
kl'nclu pol..T.llalan/-taliil..iidl
4 PE VII' ambii. lOlJiiplta, adllal..os.lgalll udll1Jlillii1l& khatllip/Uitll mm-
tndhiya cha kiiliipltlint pa/.bko(Jiiya ptUlu-Ii&UlIISiillam C'f ,1190 the Queen's Edict
& P'E VII: V.OIdltiiya }'" 8ulchii.yaniiya puZ,meTn pi ZiiJiM mamayt\.clia 8'/LlduJyite
loke
FOl the med.nmg of the telm pulimehi Ziijlki see R E IV, REV, R EVIl,
R r: VIII P E VII
32
250
GAY! .Al\D E"cDDHA-G.Al
the examplp,> 5Pt 01' the lrft hy him <..hould
be foUower11JY hi <.. <:(rm<. and grann. .. 011" "nr1 ot hpr rlpl'ol"l-'nrlantE-.
nay. the wholf' of poc:,terity. a.., a ... tl1(, .,1111 &l1r1 thp moon
lastpr1 or thp pr,..-. l1t wlJrl I 1-... ..-3t 1-'111 (nlltimwrl t) f'Xist.1
0)". Wi[!ht 'l<'y tlL,j+- 1,1' (11(1 Hot dlll.,l, t"iJI<; m'5h in yain.
FOI. a(. clf-8r1y brllll(' on; h7 diP .... VH 1 .... n1'P of c:,ome of
the Purdua-, thr'-t' l)h;Jaltth,op ( (Ir. d., herarnl-' lJut a
common pxprp."ion "t -5r}u-l,d H.w1n p; ty2 Tl1U" mrlpen.
OM call seek to estahlj.,ll that tu Cl 1f wIn thp ra.tn or
Sljfl1fod11f(, primalily a ... :nnhol of utihty and
phH8uthropy.
As rl3gHfl<. the A;"ff.Hhq Gr Pippala l)aP carulOt lmt hp
intelP.,terl to fill(l thr.t It ancient 1nc11all
liteldtUl" at. a Dj 1111)01 ot hip dUll It" growth and
Although in an of tI,(, tp;,:t<.. thp namp of
A:"(1tfhq IJI Ptl)(Jftlrr hR" nr)t hpf'n ""'CpH,,,<'h- mentioned by
a ,areful (OmpJl i-m nf tht)-,I-' in ",hi('h It 1" mentiOllPd hy
nam"':' with 111 h It i not
4
Olle may C'ouvinclllgly
show that the mtf'urlerl hp .. 1<" no othCl than It. In t]le
1 (f R.E IV, REV and PE HI
I Bahnt-Purann.
V.,.iklJha flul ma-hIM-! allyashal ofirfhlrona j iilayrt I
.",,1 ete t(lhha11Iilla' 1'1 alii lOP' lllmlfll/! bHRlI 11
Ya'" PlllrfH lOp 'UPt! Ill! .,!all cltlvlYu 1lO/1hlla lllw7()pclglill r
sa yol! pmamam 'lalml 11
ef Paibna PIITunfl, SIl&hhkanch, Ch 26 rllJ.,lwIOllahfl/11 I'lmdarh one ma,
read WIth plOlit the Buddhl,t Salliljut
1
a-111/ulJa, Palt I. Dc\atii Eoutta
No 8. for the Buddha'; Plnlo;C of (t/ama IOJla and WI!a IOjJII ao; a t'fficaclOu,
act of merit BUdcihaghosh'l t"plalll' the tC1111 IWla IOpa ;1b mcanmg ChhulllljJrt'lC
'l'Uk1he d"t!amii,mp' talla lopa yew Iwma Read also Raghunandal1'1. J >I
kaluJprntH/llltii-Iath a
J KallVl Upr.lll!sll(Ld, VI I, BlIagazadgllri. XV 1-3
, RV. I 16.l, 2022. Jlurulal..a Ulll1lmlwl. III I 8teliin.alala r:pall"'lllrl HI
I). 1fbl" -1lwqitii XXXY .2021
PRE-BUDDHISTIO H1STORY
251
Katha Upanishad! and the Bhagavadgita
2
the evolution
of life has been illustrated by the AS1}attha tree, eternal
and undecaying, with its root above and bra.nches below
adhaMaklzaM. "The tree was certainly held
in high e&tecm even as early as the Yedie poems. Vessels
for the mystic cult WE're made of it::; wood; and so
were the containing the medicinal herbs used in the
mystic cmft of the physician of the day. The upper pOItion
ill the fire-arill ............. was ot the Pippal tree. A.nd in
one the tree in heaven under which the souls of the
blessed recline ;s likl'lled to a Pippal. "s It is undoubtedly
the or Pippala which in the Upanishad
symboli&e'3 the tree of life whcl'eon perch two
birds anti dwell as inosepara.ble comrades. 011e of which eats
its fruits and the other simply looks 011 and ponders over
wi.thout cClrting anything.
4
ThE' same symbolisation by
the Av{ttthct or Pippala of life, characterised by its two
different trends 01' tendencies or dispositions, vital and
reflective, finds a marvellous poetical expression even in so
ancient a Vedic hymn al3 that attl'ibuted to 1,tishi Dirgha-
tamaH in the first :i\Iaw:la1a of the 1,tigyeda.
5
As some of
1 Katlta, VI. l:
Uldhl:amulo'val .. &lilclja esllO'';vaWIa}& aallata1!ull I
3 Bhnga',tdgit;i, XV 1
Urcllwamulam a6vattlla1ll1JriUIlIr avgagam I
cllltllaii.'Y}Isi YaBgu palllalli yaB tnl}! veau 8a vedavit 11
3 Buddlliat India, pp. 23l-232 Zimmel"s Alt indi8clt68 LOOsn, p. 58.
illU1J.dal..-a U ]JflnUil!Ua, HI. 1
& RV , I. 22. l64 20:
Dvli. Supalllii. SClgujei Sa!.M,y{;' Samalliil/i V/ik81u1III l)(IIipaavajiite I
lugor ulIgoli pippaTam 8vadl'Qllyana8na1ll anyo abMelliikailiti 11
"Two bill}, of be,mtlful U1l1g,.-comrade& intimately lClated to each other, 81'0
Jlcrohing 011 thl' b.11\1C trce , ouc of the two ta.te9 of the sweet fl'uit while the other
looks 011 Without C,ttlllg ,111\ thlllg .,
252
GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
the earthen seals nnearthecl at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro,
clearly attests, the actual artistic repres(lntation of some such
symbolism, pregnant with meaning, is as old as 3000 B.C.,l
and none necd be if this iF> a Rtrjking reJic of a
long-forgotten Indian civili&atiOll ",hid is 011 a par with,
if not decisively antuior to, the
In the popula.!' estimation 01' thr Vata (Banyan)
excell'i all oilier in tile anti magnitude vi its
sharlu Vat) while tllL' _l.;mttha (Pippal)
excels all other trees in the high SI111cLity uf its being (faf/(-
sl'esf/w The Bh[',gavad[:,ll ft. too. accords the
highest plaJf..: to the ,'omong all tilr trees for its
divine The ctist;l1dioll tlH' two is relative
only and by no llleans u.bl:lolatc. J U:3t <1:'. ult the one hand.
the shady trees typified by Va?a or ,\-!Jet[}I"odha do not
exclude the oc Pip]Jltla, so, on the other, the sacred
tree;:; typified by the [.l.l..tl;r do :wt l'flcl actp the former:
As a matter or fact, to u, l-lillJa both 01 them are highly
sacred, the fOl'mer aE. :1 li v llLg Iorm of l{ llct.ra and the latter
as a hving torm of \ri:;ln.1U.
J
A retrospect of the history of the Gaya region most pal-
pably brings us home to the fact that the Va/a has invariably
served ad the oub,,,Lu.nding symbol of Brahmanieal Hinduism
and the that of popular Buddhism. The same
1 J.'lte Londo/l IIZustrated liclIJs, .IJ'eb. 27, 1926, 11. 346 Fig. 2.
Bh.auavaduita
Alia!/! sarm
v
/ihltul!ii.1II I
8 Padmu-Pu,u(w. UU(l/u!dtu!uJa, Ch. CLX:
Xath.wn (Ital! (Jo-bralIllUl!IU-SalllaU krilau I
sflrvebllyo'lJ1 tCIIllbh.y(ntnu kat/KuII pii,iyatamau k';lrw. 11
Lli.!u/!li.arup" MUr/rwUIt Vislttlur eva na 8U1118Uya1a I
Budrurupo Va/ab lad.at ....... .... 11
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 25:3
dibtmction of the sylvan symbols between the 0 faiths
did not remain confined Vv ithin the limits of the region of
enquiry, It is discernible in the long array of traditions
of sacred places connected with the two faiths. The pro-
111ll1enCe enJoyed by the Banyall over the Hindu til'thas in
general IS clearly borne out by the fact that the VaishI.lava
tl adltlOll of the Yamuna-tirtha alone sanctifies the glory
of the reIgn 0 f some sixteen "\ anetIes of the Vat
a
1 And,
on the other hand, the pre-eminence of the Pippal in Bud-
dhism IS such that the history of the !'lse of an Buddhist
holy places, both 11l and outside India, may be read in no
better term than that of the plantmg of the seed or branch
of the Bo
It IS by lUere aCCIdent that the "U,/"flttlw became the Bo-
tree of the Illstol'lcal Buddha As Bo-trees of previous
Buddhas, the Nyaql'odha and a nmnbel' of other trees-the
rdmnbrlla, the PII1Jrjrlrika (Plakshmrt) and the rest-have
figured in the legends and sculptnre'3 of Buddhism as
c::peual symbols and objects of "\wrship. It IS not difficult to
::-;ho" that all the:,:e legelluary Bo-trees to Buddhism
arc but partICular types of a varIety of tl ces that enjoyed
I11gh sanctity In the eye of the Hindu.., In actuality,
however, none but the Ro-tree of the historical Buddha ha'3
been venerated by the Buddhists as a pre-eminent object
of \\orship or a prolllment emblem of their faith. And
1 l'lHl/IIu-l'III/lIIfI rttuIIII Twnd(/
I ,'Ij(I/M' Itrlll I,; 1111111111 I 111111'1-1 /Ita Vltll /1;11 1 /1- III 111/11 lilt IlIIlt JI t
,<;(1 IP 1 I tIll otfi(11/1; YU))1rrnii 1/IH tllIl,t u T. ,,,,((-1111/1 I"it/a 11 fIll ( dIll, ,111 nottul<t-
fatlll/oil ,"or/o ,(1)a flail I
In hl& 1'I/I/a
1
)1J name.. the Il1xteen varieties
a& !ollow"
811111 eta JJhfif/di/(1 1 iiw1.n. 8nnyuJa, Vamho, SIt, Jata/uta Kiima,
111J1/Id1J(/, Xiii Sii I/Hll.ell , Nalllubru(/Iu, Slid/wla and SalJltta
254 GAYA AND BUDDHA-GAY!'
whatever the actual tree representing the Ba, the differ-
ential element in Buddhism lies in its strong tendency to
restrict its worship and its symbolism to a particular tree
and its offshoots and descendants. That is to say, all the
Pippals or all the Banyans are not indiscriminately sacred
to Buddhism but only those "rhich are directly or indirect-
ly associated with the life of a Buddha, particularly with
the event of Buddhahood.
So far as the region of Gaya is concerned, even at
Buddha-Gaya the Bo-tree Aswttlw reigned supreme just
in the midst of such Nyayrodhas of earlier fame as the
Ajapala, and the one standing as a living sanctuary to
the village of Senanigama, while at Brahma-Gaya both
the Akshayacata and the (}ridhrakftta hecame associated
with the worship of Siva-Mahesvara. Rarely indeed the
Banyan appears even now as a tree sacred to Siva-
Mahadev, while in a large majority of cases Saivism has
monopolised the ASl1fhttlia. Though the historian may be
tempted here to interpret the Saiva monopoly of the As wt-
tha as a patent case of aggressiveness, none should lose
sight of the fact that Saivism has in its essential character
remained ever loyal to the spirit of Brahmanical Hinduism
and differed from Buddhism hy its main tendency to attri-
bute religious sanctity to all the A SIJftttli as without limiting
it to a particular ASl'attha or a particular Nyagrodha be-
cause of its living assoeiatioll with a great historical event.
The point of Buddhism ml,lst not, however, be misunder-
stood. For, even that standardisation of form by
a singular object, e.g., the Bo-tree Asvatthu as here, and
the particularisation of notable objects are the charac
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
255
teristic fea.tnre!'! of popular Buddhism. we ma.y observe at
the same ti.me t.hat it has not. missed the pra.cticl11 importance
of similar other ohjects representing its historical back-
ground and changing social surroundings. It has allowed,
may he by WA.y of sufferance granted to them. the Va!a,
the U'lnb/frct, the Sl71(l, the Sidslm ann the rest of the vene-
rated trees to CO-('Xlst, nay. to thrive along with the Bo-tree
Asvattha either as Bo-trees of the illustrious predecessors
and successors of the historical Budclha or as trees associated
with the c,\reer of the Buddlla hoth pl'lor and posterior to
the event of Buddhahood. Empha,sizing the importance
of the particular Aivattlza as a Ba-tree of tIle last and greatest
known Buddha it has just f;en-en to bring once more into
prominenee the ancient Tree of LiCe, the religious symbol
of a long-forgotten Sumerian-like Indian civilisation in the
two buried cities of Harappa and Mohcl1jo-daro. Truly
indeed has the following utterance been put into the mouth
of the Bnddlla in the famous Nagara-Sntta :
".A<; a man, brethl'cn. wandering. in the forest. in the
mountain-jungle, might sce an ancient path, an a,ncient.
roar 1, trodden by lllen oL un earlic)' age: awl following it,
might discover an ancient township. an ancient palace. the
habitation of men of an earlier age, surrounded by park and
grove and lotus-pool and walls, a delightful spot; and that
man were to go back, and announce to the king or his minister:
Behold, Sir, and lea,rn what I haw Sef'll! And, having
told him, he were to invite the king to rebuild the city,
and that city were to become anon flotuishing and populous
and wealthy once more :-Evrn so, bretluen, have I seen
an allcif'llt path. an ancient road. trodden by Buddhas of a
256 GAY!.AND BUDDHA-GAY!
by-gone age ............ the which having, followed I understand
life and its coming to be and it<l pasf-ting away. And thus
Wlderstanding I haye declarf'd the same to the fraternity
and to the laity."1
'rile l'!'lC of ih/' D')-Tl'(,C into import [lI1C(, is itself a .<;trjking
phcnomf'l[on in the l-tibtory 01 Bndilhi'-m. As pointed out
by the laip Prof. Bln?>:> U,widc,.2 f-O far n,c:, the whole corpus
of thCc' PaJi Pitak tn tf-xt" goec;:, it is nowhere but in the
solitary Mahapadcin<l Hntumtn. that the Bo-trees of &even
Buddha". in('ludll1!"!, thp Bo-tree of the last Buddha,
find all iucid, Btd.1 mentIOn, TIle way in which they are
intuJdut-e,l &how ... Hat they are :lOthillg a,e., yet but so many
pas.sillg ']'}l(' :-luttant::" &eekcs. 110 doubt, to inculcate
a general rUle, namely, tlwt the U>:>&Orlatjoll of a fortunate
tree with the momelltoll'3 E'vrnt 01 Btlddhahood is uni-
v<'fballT t1'np ill tIlt \ ,he all the Buddhas, No special
sanctity is at4 1)1 hed, Ill)\"\ (' \ Cl. TO thesp trees. There if! no
eAaggeraterl. dt'C,CliptlOll ef tIlLl! llJ!1jesty and glory. Bnddha-
ghobha'l'> {'omment"lY on t}l(' "lllttallta in question shows
altogethpl a changpd f-t;),tc ot thilLgS, The Pali commf'ntator
has gladly devoted several pagc!'! to descriptions of the
peculiar maiesty of the Bo-treeFl, the symmetry of their
heights and the heauty of then foliagef'>. A similar change
in thc Buddhitlt attitude towards the sylvan symbols of
Buddhahood is equally borne out by in the
Jiitaka-Nidana-katha, the Lalitavistara and the l\raha.-
vastu.
3
A long interval of time elapsed between the paesing
1 Buddhi8m by M1B Rhys Dn.Vlds, pp 33-34
I Budd1U/t India. p 310.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
257
mention in the original Rllttallta and tbe later comul<'utftl'ial
descriptions. In hetweell the two oue has to take not(> of
artistic delineations of the scenes of Buddhahood in the
Buddhist bnR-reliefR a.t B8rhut, Bodh-Gaya and
nther place .... partirnlarly those at Barhnt. There can he 110
d('nying of the fact that art 'vith the trf:'f:'R in motif f:'xf']'ci<\cd
a potf:'ut influence on IJOpular mind and I"l'I"Yl'rl ultimately
to brin,Q: ahout changN! hot1l in lih'rature and in the
f01"111 of worship.
Ar; for the Barlmt bas-reliefs clealing with the sttbject of
Buddhahood (,o,ch of them "contains a E.pecial Rcene of
worship and pl'rambuJation 011 the histOl'ic rpot of thl'
C'nlip,htenment of a Burlrlha. the living memory of which
is hallow('d by the peef'ence of a cubical jf'wel-seat of stOllC'.
or Vajl'usana. and that of a Bodhi-
tree, Pilfali. PllI.ulw1.l.-rt, 8lila. Sir1.slia. DU1JIlmra. J.Y yaqrufllla
or .Uwtftlm. with flowel'-garlands ha.nging from its bl'anchel't
nnd huncIle" of fruit 'I 01' flower:; adol'ning its well-
&hapen foliage', and n111hre118r; Hel yjng 8."1 canopies at the top.
Tlw seat iK 11. L'epresentation of the oue npon \' hilh a. Bndd.ha
was seatc>cl cJ'oss-legged ....... and <Jaw tIlt' light and ohtained.
the hlis.,. 1'he tree iR a l'eprl'sentation ot t]w one at the -foot
of which a Burldha became a Budd.ha. The S(lltt of stone is
symholical of tlw firmness of the will to do or die. to ('onquer
and It"! cubical E.hape is reminiscent of tlu' ',<,dic
altar which wv;,; a geometricCll repl'eHellb11 ion of tlw fonr-
side cl cfirth as known to the nneient'l. 1'h(' i('w('l-ornanwnt
distingui'lhes it as a work of art from the ordinary cubical
heap of earth attached to a woodland-shrine. The tree
is tIle one which is associated in the popular superstitioll
33
258
,,'it'll demoruae, and $'P]rit-
ha.unting The flowe'l'-gar]ilInds re,plaee the
pieces of li1lf;'D thread tJl dQth tied r')lmd and
from Tt-'": th<:- of promi::,f; k:r n:mkin,g: ofimng:s on
the fuJ:filmr:,r::.t <if .nEnf::'3. 'The oITHirig5 (:Qusist of flowers
and :!'mtf$ afll distingui5hed tt&m the sat:ri..1ic5. inelud-
ing vf l;12>rn.g-, ii'!,6iDjD!g the sB-Croo
a.]wr. Y:if: lIT1.1:-JIf:'Il.aB 112di('at
l
: ::!T!:: 1"0-Y.2i} majesty of the
UI"t' wllidt f{:'ign.e on i:hl:' as 1.h '."'='1".' 1vrd of the fmist.
The folia"ge and shady })O,,"""T of the trim-b'Jug.hed
trfl":! a,!'';; !r:..dicatiy' of .jf fill? B-uddha and [US
relig!vh il true shEltf.:T' or for thlC' afflicted humanity
and otnr::r r)tirtgs. The of :i::: ,n1ivened by the
aroma of fragra.nt'i:: a:r..d pre.eenc-E' of the
being:..,. Her is a juyom' situar,ion 1!1 the midrl of s.erene
<:-alm, whf"" 811d h(:8 H-'J1. gods B.nd men. kings aml
pe8,B-a,nts. m<:'T! awl WOmF!!. the hi;ih and the low meet.
pay and partiC'j pt':"::" jl! a t(mml0n worship. Tlw
worshippers haye to demeanour and a caim disposition.
They are gently their hehaviour is comtier-like.
and their kneelir,u attitude and mode of salutatjon are
""0
h(::rolc or \vii-nioT-like. 'rhe element of fear or tbe loVE' of
gain infiu(:'.ing ttl: (;ommon people to make offerings is
sought to with lJY creating a changed situation
and a new historical association where the usurping demons
and t.he jndwelljng spirits themseln.g are busy protec-ting
the sanctuary t'onsecrating the treasll1'ed memory of the
mghest human triumph. Thp. spot is the very navE.>I of the
centre of l1Ulllan attraction wh:ch
well-ptOtectf'i1 hy the with walls. tOWNS and rampal'ts
HISTORY
259
and mar ked with a monumental stone-pillar. The sanc-
tuary is technically a PiiribllOgilt'a-chetiya, enshrining as
it does the objectFl actually enjoyed or used by a Buddlla,
and are, thE'refore, inseparabl)" associated with his life and
memory, The le:. yacant because the ellshrinemE'nt
is that of an hi,:>torical association. which is not a.
natural thing or corporeal embodiment, The worshi}J.
introdurell j llst to meet the urgent popular demand, is yet
based upon an injunction occurring. for instance, in
the introJuctory discour'3f' d,llll anecdote of the KaliIiga-
bodhi-Jataka (Fautlboll. No, 479). III later timeR the
Buddha appeared indeed, enshrinrd on the earlier
vacant dll'one. and cOllccdmg to the similaf popular demand
101' a C011<:rete forlll fo1' wor5hip; the was made.
though the enshrined image was not at all meant to stand
as a bU1't Of btatue but only an objective reference
(Ilddesika), created by imagination (manamaltal.-a),-an ideal
form ha,-ing 110 positiye background (omttliul.:a). the art
making the human bhapc just a lllod<.' of the mind's ex-
pres':Iion ........ the exalted mode of religious homage is based
11pOll that hero-worship which is the most primitive aud
universal element in all religions, "I
Now by whateyer adual historiC'al process the Ba-tree
of the last known Budclha came into prominence, when it
was offerell as all object of worship to the mass of Hmdu
people. it was welcome to thrm as it appeared in no other
form than .1 st'aulm. their ancient and highly reYel'ed 'rree
of Life. If the BllddhiFlts "allted to present the Ballle as 9
Tree of Wisdom, it was all the more welcome to them bcC'aufle
1 !:Ice QUL mUltllgmph-Bwllut, Book I, Art. ;m, luc. tit
260
GAYA BUDDHA-GAYA
they were taught long ago to believe that in wi..<odom lay the
fruition of life. If Buddhist tradition supplied a new assc-
dation of enlightenrr...ent of the hnman mind, they
to YH1ra.
t
(: it as B&d!ti-dtUiIW, and. if Buddhist
art and its and beauty as a
I/Jrd rA the t.hey ',\"(:re equally prel'hled to praiie it as
withrJut finding anything to d(: ,-iolel1cE' to
their I)wn inh'O!ri1:ed belief;: and practic(;s. The ready accept-
ante fA t!l(; Do-tree as all additional of worship enabled
them. to indude Bodh-Gava in their Hoh- Land in a lliore
. .
weli-dl:'finr:d nJ.lHIIlf:t, and to the-Ill the hOly region of (;'a:-a
prl;;;(:nted at one end the "Cnrlying Banyan amI at the otl!l-'f
as distinct objects of worship. The
genl':'ral run of Hindu peo}Jle {oUlld nothing straI1ge in the
CynOSllI'lJ of Buddhism, nothing that did not (:ollllllalHl
ready there was nothing to preyent tl](,lll
froID counting the Buddhist Tn:e of "\Yisdom and the Buddhi;:;t
sanctuary at Bodh-Gaya among the important to be
visited hy tlJeID.
the two d(.maius, ont' of the 'Undying Banyall and
the of the Bo-tree AivaUlta, met to eOlllplete
Hindu Holy Land, the sar,red region of Gaya, just in 1.he same
way that the two hill-streamB, the Xilajan of Buddhist fame
and t},e 3Iohiina of Brahmin fame, met to fil)W together
as the Phalgu aml enjoy sanctity greater than that of the
Gauge::;. The main differellcn between tIle two domains
he understood thus: in the one the natural features,
mtmely, the hills with their rugged appearance and
the Phalgu wit}) its \Vicle expanse predominate over human
artmanshjp, an.d ill the other the work of art, namely, the
PRE-BUDDRISTIC HISTORY 261
Bodh-Gaya temple ,,,ith its towering height gives its stamp
to the whole of its natural surroundings. Brcl.hmanical
Hinduism resolves itself into pure nature-worship and is
lavish in the praise of the divine in nature external, and
Buddhism re':lolve& itself into pure mind-worship and is lavish
in the prid"e of the diyine of divine in llatmc internal. And
both these tcndencies worked together to mould the life of
modern Hinduism.
With the llillrlus the antitluity 01 Gaya iR to be deter-
mined ih terlllS of the age ot the rocky hills, the hut springs
and the hill-strcallll'l. Barring the fiingular aboriginal rude
structure of stone, the Yaksha-temple
Tanb-ktta-nwn('ha, mentIOned in the emlv records of Buddhism,
. . .
and the \\i':lhahhadhvaja Oll the G-ridhrakuta hill, mentioned
in the Ureat Bpic. thcu' is haHlly cmy other ancient work of
human skill to be noted hr the hl;:ltol'ian ot Brahrua-Gaya.
:;\Iost 01 the existillg t.cmplcs a.t Gayu propeJ were built and
most of the existing tunb excRyated umillg the reign of the
later Pala,R and after: most ot the uyailable i1J.scriptions,
too, belong to this ycry period of time. FOl' a connected
hiRtory of the We of the tiaya region m terms of the handi-
works of art and the epigraphic recor<.lF. one must turn
one's attention to Buddh8-Gaya and Buddhism. Thus the
large gap between the al'yakta (potential, merely rocky) a-Q-d
thE:' vyal.:ta (fL1Uy iconic) stages ot the manifestation of the
Hindu divinity of Garii is filled up by the recordR of deve-
]opmeutK at Buddha-ll,IYJ.
It is not witllOut soml" justification on its side that
Buddhisll.L has made a lordly AS/'altlia as the outstannillg
symhol of it::> olorv. FOl', just as the Asvattlta represents
I:)
262 GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
the tree of life, the symbol of vitality. ':JO Buddhislli lliay be
justly taken to represent the dynamir energy and expansive
force of the lndo Aryan culture. broarlly termed Hinduism.
Buddhiglll not ho" l' el', the only n:oyement of it& kind:
there are :-evelal vtlu 1.' moYem('utc; 11on. time to time that
were illtelldpd tu HIP l!IJ.-Il'd hut ela"tic curve of the
Indo-Arym: hfe to '-lU 11. <11' Pxt-::llt- tl Jt it might ultimately
include in it t hp \'.-lot l ')1 l!U!.L.c Ifty .LJlrl an types of c-iyilisa-
tiOll. rhe earlier lllO\ progres-.ed enough to Hillc1uise
almost the whole ')f India Cyell before the reign of King
Asoka. In llic;, Ro(k Relict. tllf' great )Iuurya
empel'Ol <;:ay, tllat fit the tilllE' of the prolllul-
gation of partH lC\:Old tht'lI no other place in
the wholp (If In
r
1ia but thf' Yom pronlll c of hi'! empire wherp
the ot th(' Inchan Itligl(l{J. the SramaI).3.", an(l
(:/)Ulll l111t b( fountI. anrl the inhabitants 01
which were no'" (j-'\'vt- d to; 0,1(' Ul 1111" ether or to aU of them.
As pointed 01!t -.I-.p"h, le 1 Bnllc1hl"lll a" cl new moyement
was till that tiuw t,OllfiIwcl wlthin the territorial limits
of the )liddle ('oulltry cl/;) known to the : e,"en as
regard& the )Iidclle Country, Bllchllllblli. was to be found where
it might be found and not to be fonnd where it might not be
found (yottha all]!; t rttth ':1 attl.i. !Jutt}w n'atthi tattha n'atthi) ,
Traditi(Jll King Asoka with the despatch of BuddhiRt
..
mis"ioDR north. soutll. east and west, to places outside the
:;\Iidtlle Conntry. to the Hilllalayan tracts ill the north. the
Yavana-tract in the north-west, the A.paranta in the west.
VanavB.si.)Iahi5hamal,l(;lala(Mysol'e) and (Ceyloll)
in the l'louth, and in the cast or nOl'th-caRt.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 263
The suce-ess of these missions is prow(l hy the formation of
a number of local '3ef'ts whose llames and yjews are met with
in the of Vasumitra. and others:
such sect':! as the Raimavata the Fttarapathaka. the Yajriya.
the Andhraka. the PUl'Yac!iaila and the In Ilis
R. E. XIII. the Buddhist emperor <:.ays that the laws and.
practiceR of riety and lllOl ality promulgah'cl by him
found a ready t\.cceptancf' throuflhout hiq own tlominions
as well as ill the outlying territories. the principalities of his
five Greek allies in the the cOhutries of Chola,
Chera and in the ::;ol1th. even far Routh as Tamra-
part).i, within the reaches of his emitlsarieF" and within the
length ancl bread.th of ;;ix hundred Witll regard.
to the regions beyond the' Teach of hi.., PI1VOYS as well, he
firmly believf1Cl t.hat ewn the inhahitantc;, of those places
would welronw thoRe lawi"> aur{ practir'(lb when they would.
COUlf' to know of thf'l1t through Rome agency. His prophecy
came truE' alid his expectation waR fulfilled. For within
a few centn.rief> from. hiq death Buddhisllt 1wcame t,hE' pre-
Ilomil1ant religion of thf' grE'ater portion of A.:-;ia,--of Central
AQia. Tibet. :.\Iol1l!.olia. China. Korea. Japan, Ceyloll, Java.
Riam and Burma. \Vith the wider and wider propagation
of the norm of faith E'xpandecl the domain of the 8am-
bodhi -the Bo-tlf'e awl f'xtel1decl as well thE'
, .
circle of the impf'l"i'3hable Banyan humanitarian
spirit and philanthropic' deetls of thE' Hindu people. 80
in hi& R. E. n. the great )[am'ya rlller proi'laims with pride:
"Throughout my own dominionF, in the countries of
ChoIa, PaI;lQ.ya. Kera]aputra. as far (south)
3'1 Tamraparl)i, and (no less) in the principalities of
264 GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
and four other (Greek) allie'S, I l,ave arranged for two kinds
of treatment, one suitable for men and tbe other for animals.
Medicinal plants haye been supplierl and the rooti; and fruit'S
planted w]lere these are not 3yailablp. Thr shady trees have
bren plant<>d on the roads and watrry p1ac
p
s eX('f)Nateo for
the benefit of both lllell and animal'!.
Thuf'l Buddhism has. in course of itf" f'ntluu;iaE,tjc march
for conquest by the dlmll1l11((, widened the :-.phere of Hindu
life fl.nd deepened itf> <,ign
i
fir'm1rp: it lw" expanded the
Hindu healt and btOarlelled the Hindu outlook: and. ahove
all, awakenf'o consciou<'llC'f>b tlh' Hindu people ot
thf'ir true greatnrss that H{'F, in the fulfilment of all higher
a.nd lowpr duties. tbe whic11 has found its
fitting expwlsion in a of :.\Ianu's Codr:
wl.Yi;r(d ll9J'(I.iamll(f/lct[1 I
ehw iit'({l!! S ;hhr I (tit Pl itl! /I'!/a1!1 SUIl'a1llii nrH'fi[i 1:1
"Lpt all men of tlw, ectTtll comp to learn the ideal of
COllrlurt bf'fittillg t h( m 11'0111 tlli' forcmost 21ll0ngl'lt thosc
born in this sacred laml.'
Bu(ldhism has nowhcll' sh n( k a (li'>cordallt or jarring
note'. and llf'vcr offered a nOll11 which is unpalatable or
una,('ceptable to the Hindus and the civiliFled humanity of
any countl'Y. The cellhal jrlpa in the Hindu cult of
offering at Gaya and other places is the payment of the
debt of gratitude to the parf'nt'> and oth!'!' predere'Ssors who
mould our liff> in different ways. Apparently thpre can be
no grand pr conception of civilisetlliIe than that we be!?,ill it
in the sense of triple debts, the debts that wp owe to the
Pitris, the IJishi8 and the One will look through
1 Mallu.samhlla, IT 20.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY 265
all the recorns of Asoka only to be convinced that there
is hardly any record ln which the good king has not harped
on the supreme need of proper attention to parents, proper
attention to superiors, proper attention to elders, seemly
behaviour towards all the teachers and miniRters of religion,
kind treatment to slaves and servant!'!, humane action
towards the aged and destitutl'. and tendcr regard for all
forms of life as a means of growth of higher humanity. As
a matter of fact, the Buddhist emperor has, in one of his
edicts, proclaimed all these essential duties as a categorical
imperative dictated by the ancient or etel'nal impulse of
civilised nature (esa porafta pakiti).l
There is nothing in Asoka's Dhamma which is not either
inspired by nor may be shown to be wholly consistent with
the teachings of the Buddha. The gospel truth with the
Buddhist empl'ror indeed was: "All that is taught by
the Buddha is well-taught" (e keohi bhagavata budhena
bhiisite save se subhagite va),2 Whether in the Singalovada-
Sutta, where the Buddha is represented as laying down a
whole programme of duties of a cultured householder, or in
the Mahamangala and other Discourses, where he is repre-
sented as summing up these duties, in short, wherever there
was an occasion for pronouncement of his opinion on the
subject, he has tried to heighten the importance of res-
pectful attention to parents, teachers and other superiors,
3
and proper discharge of duties to wife, children, friends,
relatives, acquaintances, slaves and servants,-to all persons
by whom a householder is surrounded in his daily life.
1 MRE.II.
3 DigTla.Nikaya. Vol. nI, pp. 191-192.
34
266
GAY!. AND BUDDHA-G<\.Y!.
The common burden of most of the me<liroval inscriptions
at Bodh-Gaya is:
"Let whatever merit may be in this (recorded act of
mine) serve for the benefit of mothC'r and father, to begin
with, for the benefit of teachers. precf>ptors (and others),
and (ultimately) for the attaimllC'nt of the fruit of supreme
knowledO"e bv the whole multitude of all sentient beings.'"l
o 01
Can there be any doubt that in this spontaneous and
burning expression of a truly human heart the Hindu practice
of p
i
t14a-offering has found its fullest recognition and gained
in its spiritual f-ighifilnnce ?
Buddhism flid 11()t ereat<: beliefs as to the exiEtence of a
spirit-world and thE> misNies an<1 utter helplessness of
spirit-life.
2
'rllf' beliefs we!'!' <llreacly thprc among the people
to wllOse lleecl the new teligion had to minister:
T irokll(l(/P81
1
ti!!lwnti sa1ldhi-siJighii!akeslI cha I
dva,I'cbci/tasll (;!tha)lt I fiq'1J1{1'r(l/t/ sa/'W?l 11
Palnl,te annapiinamhi /{pa!!liite I
na tesal]1 8arati saltanm}t hwwlClJ)achchaya 11
Na hi lattha kasi atthi . .'IfJwkkh{'llia Ita I
tiidisi n "atthi ltirajiiieJla 11
ito dinnena yapenti pda kalakata 11
3
'The departed spirit& stand beyond the outer walls,
or where the four cross-roads meet, and even by the door-
pocst when tlley revisit their old llOnll'. When ahunrlant
quantity of food and drink hoth hard and soft, ;s provided
1 lA, Vol X, p 346:
Yadalra l1"
n
yam utd bltavalu.achii.ryopii..tlnyliyamii,fiipitri.piLrIJlJQ.1I.gamam kritvrt
911 knla,atvurli;el fl1wUm a j nlina l1hallivaptaya iei
.B C I,a'l" OOllcel>f,ion n/ .spilltB, pp. 12.
Petnl'utlllll, r .3, VC1"lCS 12, 67.
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
267
for a feast, no one remembers them--stlch is their woeful
lot brought about by the;}' past misdeeds.
There is to be foullfl neither agriculture nor cattle-rearing;
there is likpwisf' no commercial or bartering
with aua Rijwl'. They spend their days in the state
of woe with wha.tcver is poured clown from h('re."
'Vithout violellCQ to thcse beliefs Buddhism gave
a. new turn 10 them and fully ILtilised tl1f'll1 a'3 a means of
diverting tl1P ('ourse of ",orrow and lamentation over the
death of dear awl near ones hy instructing the people to
do the vcry thing they can (10 for the benefit of the
depa,rtecl sl)il'its. ann that in such a manner that along with
d01l13 grcat }1IIn0111" to the departed s}Jicitj':. the function of
offeriug giftc:; will "'eI've as a cor(lial social expression to
kinsmen who arc> a.liw cmJ }1 .3OU1'ce of strength to the reli-
gious illstitutiOI!.l
The c0utempOraJ'Y Brn.hmanical litel'ahue goes to show
that pitri-1jafiia or formal ')ficl'ing of rice-cakes to the de-
ceased fOl'efatherR came to be re<'ognized one of the five
sacred functions in the life of an Aryan houfleholder.
2
The
Buddha readily accordcd Hanction to thil'1 time-honoured
practice, recognizing it to be one of the fivE" main obligations
of a clliturpd
Accorcling tt, the usage of Hjnnu law, the duty of offering
piruJas to the deceased forefathers WflS obligatory on thp
pa.rt of tl1P inheritor of ancestral properties. To this custom,
1 Tirolr:uMa-SuUa. verst's 10-12
8 Amliyana Gl'ihya.-Siitra. llI. 1 3. 1-2 :
AtlliilaQ, : Deva-yajiio BkfUayajii(i/} pilriyaJiio brakm.ayaJiio mtmu=
RTlyayajiifJ ili
3 Ai/{fUttara-Nikiiya. p,ut HI, p
268 GAY!. AND BUDDHA-GAY!'
too, the Bnddha gave his sanction in unequivocal tel'ms:
"The son (prospective heir) must make it a point of duty
to offer dakshi'Y,lii in honour of the depa,rted spirits of his
forefat.herEl and to i.nherit the a.ncestra.l properties."! In
all such matter') of moment thf' definite principle of the
Buddha was 110t to rlisturh or upset the long-estabJished
custom. So in conllcction with the Vrijj<l of Vaisali he is
represented as Ollt this opinion: -'Ro long as the
members of a nation wjJl not (forcibly) seek to el'ltanlish
t,hat which is not well-established (as a and will
not (rashly)upset tha.t '"nj('h is lOllg establishec1 (as a custom),
so long they may be expectelllo pJ:osper ano not to decline."2
Where the quet$tion of welfare was involved,
the Budrlha rlid 11eV<'l" tbink it pl'Udellt to demolish the
existing shrines or to c1istul'h the COUl'RC of common worship.
So again in conne('6ull IVith the Vrijis of Vaisali lw is repre-
sented as saying: "So bng as the mellthol's of a nation will
continue to pay eke honour, reyerence. respect and homage
to whatever shrines of their own tllere be, within and without,
and will llot allow to fall into dissuetuCle 1 be offerjngs made
anfl granted to them before out of faith, so long they may
be expected to prosper and not to decline."3
1 Singftloviida.8ulla, Dig71U.)liT.iiya, Vu] HI, p. 189:
DuyaJjam palipajJ/j,7IIi, alha cha pana pelanam T..ala7catanaf!1> da1ck7li'l)arp. anu-
ppada.ssami
= .ilIahiiparinibbiina8u!tantu, DighaNikii.:\,a, Vu) H, p. 74:
YavaHvali cka, .1nonda, Vajji uppaiUialturp, na paiiiial1e8Su1tti, paiiiiattal'{l1!a samu.
cckindis!anli, '/Judd/ti yeva, Allamlu, Vajjina'lfl piilil'unkka no pariTliini.
3 ,'lahiiparilliblliinfl-F.h,llallla, Di'.]7IaNikaya, Vo!. H, p. 75:
Yuvakivan rllU, ,Illundu, Vrtjji yuni tuni Vajjinam Vujj;; clletiyuni, abbkanlarani
ill, 'cva MIll/ani elm, Irini 9ak1./lTl98anl, fjarUkfl1l88f1nti mane9santi piijessallti tesan clla
di1l1IUpubbam kutajlul1bul/I rlllUlIIlIll!..um vaUlt! 110 pUl illiipessanti vuddM yeva, Ananda,
Vajjinaqr. pati1cunkha I/O palikani.
PRE-BUDDHISTIO HISTORY
.t
269
It is then qujte in keeping with the spirit of Buddha's
teaching that the course of religious life of Gaya proper
haR been left by the votaries of Buddhism.
The city of Gaya draws every year, even till now, millions
of Hinnu l,ilgrlms from parts of Innia as it did two
thousand and five hunnred yearq back. These pilgrims
com(' with a vi.ew to offering for th release of their
deceased forefatl1ers from the woes of spirit-life and washing
away their sins by bathing in the sB,ered of the Phalgu
antl the of Gaya. The ingrained idea of payinp; off the
triple dehts impel'! them to viRit the place ann even to
tolerate the ugly conduct of tilE' Gayawals and their agents.
They visit Bodh-Gaya and wOl'Rhip the Bo-tree and the
Buddha-illlae?:e with this very purpose. Srf'e GaUIanga is
the greatf'st known among the ('aTlier Hindu pjIgrims
to thp holy city of Gaya. If the facts reco:rded in the
Chaitanya-bhagavata concerning Gauranga's pilgrimage
to Gaya be true, even so great a VaiEohJ;lava reformer
as GauritIiga faithfully obeyed the Hindu custom of
pi{'tt;la-offering.
The Hindu ceremony of is, after all, a
very simple affair, whic11 needs no elaborate preparation
smd is within the means of all. On all days, in all seasons
and under all circumstances thd Gaya-ceremony may be
performed. No formal invocation of the Pitri.<; is necesRary,
nor is there any fpar of an evil eye. The prescribed formula
of requires the devout Hindu pilgrim to
define, first of all, the range of the universe with which he is
to a cordial relation of his human heart through
act of piety:
270 G.AYA .AND BUDDHA-GAYA
.. 4brahma-sfnrnvu pCfJl'yanf tl1?1, if f' l'ct1'8h i -}J if ri-manat'(l[l
tripyantu 11
Atita-kula-ko!inii1]1 ipa-nhasiniirp. I
abrahmanliu1'OJlCil lo7.iirl idmlt a,\{1f ti7odaJ.:amll
"From tIle highest tl) the low('o:,t point nq far as extends
the Ulllvel'f"e. let all diviu(' eag.e<, dnd pd.tlia
1
dls. all decefloed
forefatherf'(. hoth on the "irk of htllPl' fln(l mothf'l'. be pro-
pitiated. Let ihit> ]UllUU<, cffl'liu2, o( go to benefit
the whole world fIon) thl h;ilhe'lt hCil.Vf'n down to this
earth.-to benefit ull thl' i.ni1a
1
)lttlllt" ol tJle &cven rontjnents
who belongt>fl to (:r01'l'o:, of hlmiIH:,> in th.f' past."
After tlll' d('\'Ollt p.ilg,j1l1 i'{ J'(lquir(ld to repeat the
u::, hp <'cl'd.utt h
T
offf'L& tilnda!i,a for the
release of ilH' dl'paltNl <'lJil;<" \vlth \"hom he is dirf'etly or
indirectly conuf'cted and iu \,'hvRC [1(' may be supposcd
to be personall\' Thl' lif-tt of recipirnts includes
not only tho&e wIw ],-,\yr dlf'fl 1n ]}j" 1)1Yl1 family or own
direct line not only tllof,e \\ ho llaY(l (lied jn tIle family of
his maternal gralldtat11cl. l10t only 'lho'le who have died in
the familiE'R of his teaf'bcr ana iathel-in-la.w, not only those
who were hi"\ kinsmen, but all thost> whom he can remember
at the moment, whf'i:her kinsmf'n or not.
Though the germ of the id(la iR then'. far as tho
actual cxprc'l'lion goes, there i'l 110 fun era I ritllal in the
Vedic texts which comes so near to the
in t.be later Gaya-Eulogium as the fullowing formnla of
(cultivation of friendliness) prescrihed in et'lrly
Buddhism:
Yf' l'ecbi attlll tosii l"l thii'lxtrii 1'(;' anal'afJesii I
digha tyi !if' rltahanNi 'I'ft 1'assaltii
iJ i 1 rli '1ft " rli ,Mll'I!IJHiJi 'Ill {{11th J}iliw 11flHllfltr (fflul'iJpn 11
ll{i,,7:1 /lrIi '1iirIIWiVMlli'T[-.i Qt/flbf/ 'JIdik'jj MfllJl(JJ)rfJlll 'Rlllffdl1lJlia.!Ll
VI ." I \'"1('1 l!IIMly llJ):l" dlll .... "'tliIl <U'- lhN 1lM,\. lltoJjllf(fl>
'f"T '! , lOOi/111'" 1\Iiht llmu.> '$fYAt @]]
r- t 11 _ .... , I Hr 1/ UII'" flJilllItlll '-MI ut' rm ..fumit 'ittaittlUt!(
-] r1 1 r..., ,.1l. I.tlfu l' I'iM Ill' Jl1 1NJThllf
till.. - I r- I, ,r 1 l If 11 1 !{i, \ 1lu ttlll.,,. I lhmm @n
.111 t, 4....1 J.. dl! 1'! 2' 111 llInllhlJ. \I (lll/lIIdlll \\ 11lJl
rr J L & r J "ll.;e - ttllll r,}JJI"{ 1111'!'In hmlllibi 1111$
1- J _ " .J_ h ,1"), (tr tTh j- it )jJflIllll1l!!,1!l I, till fDfl ttIbt i)UYflf(Jl}W:-
1 \/
..L.r.-. ,... ," U BI' dl i%lltJ'llllrutnD dlllfl
TI L 1.. Ftl r\"1 I !.,r
l
,jl 1, cMt t1ful-
:. f 10 "1" IJl! '\I 1'- t h '01 ,11lIl ihnnn III fum
-1.1 1...:
,",!LllV-'dL
fr
t lti111 lBmllk. Jpllcmdl
'r/ I l.- '11 -porL-ll.-lIl,.""Ul._ Uili 1hJ. .. !tnn 1l'1btt>
.J. r- M I L h,:"" A ... ,A .. jJ t ... "O\tlll..Jfuujpl mm hwum.
... ., -' _ .... .it BrJ ... tr",r. thr tbl"'lllklL '"nd..lW1lh...!
If' R-uldhd fmj? .. 1 '" ,.f""-"U 'ilL ... l!. ttr-.. jt
W(frrL 'i pwty dOD" by rho.,. who { J1 i fuJr .. a.a.mplle 1B;unIt
H'11 rlfl" 'mpr-tn.-+ .gn-I"D bl" A Iu it J<l; dfblllhtfu11 uif ..
Il ... .,.!] '.llJ ot rj.,-vd wou1l:1 MY-- n"""lo into
duI'" ,.j(fm.11 bUD.M"'N "it /l'ht" IlIUmflOllB'B.
'11turm '" 1IlI9!W DP'f ] l-" dI"!t/Jm .. htd III "'''f' tiidf tlip:fa.me. of the
I!iUlllUrft u "0: Ihdll-"dI,,;i I"" )'>11]1 by th,.. pionee.l
11- .. piita __ .he XArtJla1'dplillttz
J. 'JiulE 111> fflJdreat6d m nit. o! tile e!oowPg .... _ rJ thp JII!IItmdIa
l&B'ffI. 'PI """'lbltrtk.U m'llVlMYII liM""", f.tptlnmii.rtf
270 GAY.! AND BUDDHA-GAY'!
... .fbrahma-sfamVUpaJr'yanfC11]t i/f'l'Cfrshi-pifri-nulnatla,[z
tripyantu
<mpfctd1iipa-niciisina'f!! I
a,brahmanJllfl'anCil lolJid idmlt ({,{If tilodakaml!
"From the highest tl) the low('st point. no:; far as extends
the univerf'le. let all diyiu(' E!ageq dnd pd.hiarclls, all deceased
lJoth on tlH' "j(k of f'l,ther an(l mothf'r. be pro-
pitiated. Let this lmmU<, r,f t,"lo(7a!.a to benefit
the whole world flOlll the highe<;t hm1Vf'1l down to this
earth ,-to benefit all the' inila l)ltant <; oE the f,cven continents
who belongefl to crOl'es of hlmiht"'> in tnp pa,')t."
A.fter this the d<'VOllt pilgrim iq rcquirpd to repeat the
appropri:1te hp <'cl.JeLl'cth 15' offrrs tilodC11,;a for the
release of ilH' d<'palt('<l <lpil;' ') \vith whom he is dirf'ctly or
indirectly conllPcted and iu whvse welffll'c 11(' may be supposed
to be personalh" interp<.tecl. The liflt Ol recipirnts includes
not only those ,yho l'.lY<' dier1 in hi" own family or own
direct line not only tJIOf,C ,dll) haw <lied jn tIle fami.ly of
his maternal grandtathCl, liot only 'l110<;(' who have di.ed in
the familiE's of his tear-llCr anll iather-in-law, not only those
who were kinsmen, but all thos<' whom he can remember
at the moment, whether kinsmen 01' not.
Though the germ of the idp8. if) tllC!,(', ::;0 far as the
actual expression goes, there ic;; no fun era 1 ritual in the
Vedic texts which comes so near to the
in the later Gaya-Eulogium as the fullowing formula of
mettu-bhavana (cultivati.on of friendliness) prescrihed in early
Buddhism:
Yt" l.ec"foi, attlll tOfJjj, lla tltiillara 1'(t anavasesll I
digha cfi !Jf' mahcmt(l Wt rafJsak{i
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
271
dittlu], '/.,a ye va ye aka dure 1)a.santi aV1"dure I
bhuUi va sambha'l.'esi vii saMe saftii blUJt'a11tu sukhitattnjit
"Whosoever may be c1Msed as beings, whether
weak or '3trong, lE>aving none aside, whether of long size, or
of large r1imension, or of meclium flize, or of short staturE'.
whether small or large, whetber yisil,le or invisible; whether
to be found Ilear at hand 01 far off, whf'ther artually born or
al'e to be bOlll. lrt all beings be happy (and live in safety)."
Though a mental the preo;;cl'ibt'd formula may
haw a good deal to do with the formnlation of the tarpa!L
a
-
mantm ill modern Hind lli sm.
Thus here again We may cJeally SE'e that therE' was no
conflict in e'\scnce between Brahlll.anical Hinduism and
Bucldhic.,m. TheRe, like the two great hill-streams of the
Gaya tcgioIl, combined to fiow together and form a far
wider expanse in modem Hinduism
The attainment of Buddhahood by the Buddha proved
to be an epoch-making event in history. The pilgrimage
undertaken by King A&oka to pay his worship in honour
of the great Bo-tree, the then known living witness of Buddha-
hood of the Buddha, proved a great incentive to the lasting
work of piety done by those who copied his exa.mple. But
for the impetus given by King Asoka it is doubtful if the
region of Gaya would have risen into world-wide importance.
Whoever the actual builders of the numerous votive
shrines, none need be astonished to see that the fame of the
builder of Bodh-Gaya shrine is still enjoyed by the pioneer
1 MeUaautla in the Sutta.Nlpata and the Kkuddakapaelw
I Thilll8 clearly mdlcated In one of the closmg gtanzas of the ,llellas1ttla:
EIJaln p1 sabbabkiilesi/ tn{mosam M{/I'Oye apal! miinam I
2'72
GA.YA AND
in the field (iillikaru). As a happy result of his action,
Bodh-Gaya has become to Buddhists what the hill of
Golgotba is to the anti 3Iecca to the lIuham-
madans.
The har; inyested the Bo-tree
A1tVlitPfl with a miracllloll':> p07;CI and says that when this
tree !Swayed. to the ea!'>t 0r to the west. to thr:: north or to
the south. it tQ11{:herl faIt1"'''>t reach of the horizon.
The de&:'ription, as it i:,. is notlling but a poetical exaggera-
tion. This is hil:>torically true ill (he sense that
many ile.out pilgrim..., h"yt' f. 'Jcked to the glorious spot of
the from the fellIT (" arrtjnal point'5 pnd e,-en from
places fsr beyond the 6';ogIaphical limit:. of India. 'We
may safely leaye abide those who came from different parts
of India and e.en those who hailed from Ceylon and Burma
and think only vf thoFe who came from China and Korea
beyond it. The 8h11'1'::' 1) was ,-isited by Fa-
Hian ;mn. Hwen Th-lang nom China who have left important
notices of the place in their nawls. and Chi-I I. Kwei-tseih,
Chi-I Il ann. Kwang-tung. Yuu-:;,hu. Chiang Hsia-pias. I-lin,
I-ching and Hui-weu who hayc left inscriptions to com-
memorate their ,-isit'3 anrl acts of merit. All these Chinese
pilgrim'! caml'.l by tll, land-route, walking their way to
India through "dust ann. def>ert:' There came a number
of otherb by the southern f>ea-route. I-tsillg, a priest from
China, two priests from Korea whol:le names are mll-nown,
Mochade-va and Kwei-ching from Cochin China, Taoulin of
Kao-chang (Turfal1), Chi-'sze, \You-hing and others. 1Yith
the historical tradition of Bodh-Gaya have been associated
lasting homage') from such foreign kings us DeY3.nUlllpriya-
PRE-BUDDHISTIC HISTORY
273
tishya and JHeghavarJ}.a of CeyIon. His Imperial Majesty
T'ai Tsung, the emperor of China and his illlmediatC' suc-
cessor in the Great Sung dynasty, and the king of Upper
Burma, Theinpyu-Thakin-taru-Millgyi. the lord of 10.000
Pyus.
The religious sentIlllrnt that plOmpted the band of
pilgrims from China to lmdertuke a perilous i ourney to India
has found a permanC'nt explession in the Hymn of Praise
left behind by Chiang IIsia-pias, the l'elevant portion of
which is cited below from the translation of Mr. Giles:
"To witness the source and wander o,er
the sphere of the Law
It was well to travel through dust amI desert.
Bright. bright, without begmning or end;
Dark, dark, breaking the cham of mdiina :
Dwelling on earth without becoming earthy:
Abiding in heaven without undergoing change;
In this eulogium I utter the deepest words of my heart,
For I have at length met with the Immaculate Body."
"This shrine towers above the limits of the Trilokaya;
Its shapely summit rests above the sky.
The kalpa of fire exercises no influence over it ;
On earth how should we seek to model its like 1
The reputation of King Asoka extends afar:
He rested in wonderful perception of the doctrine.
A iewel among grains of sand,
Immortal, he will permeate the Great Void."
"No beginning. no birth, no death;
All distracting influences at an end. "1
1 Cunrungham', Jlllluibotll!1, pp 70.71.
35
19. APPENDIX
CHAITANYA'S PILORDfAGE TO GAYA-.
The Chaitanya-bhiigayata anel the Chaitanya-chari-
timfita contain an interestll1f5 account of the pilgrimage of
Chaitanya to tIte Itoly laml of Gaya. The' great YaishQ.s'Q
reformer of Bf'ngal is '32id to hayf' vi"ited Gaya at the age
of IfP-9- in.the month ot .. J<UJI ,of the Saka-era
1430 (= A.D. 1508) as a rkvout HLllrh, r.ilgrirp for offering
pi'1J4as to the spirits of hi .. rlpct'a"t'd forefathers. It ib
quite by accident that hp l1kt llif. !JIU,I the D::>.<nami Saiva
. 1 I , -:f j 1ft 'T .... '
ascetic 8varapuri, Ml(l togf't .ne ner-
formed the whole louml '01' autif'':> pnjomcd 'UPOil a
pilgrim anrl ofi&rerl at ",ixteen &allctrfiecl ;-.ites
, Cl" .. 01 ' .,d I
the holy land, ctva-Gaya Brahma-(la} a, Pl.em-Gaya
(P
., R (' l' utl" (I" 'rH r'< It
retagul), ama- Tay.. LUC Ill" . llla- Cfa:-yii, nnima-tiayii,
Brahma Km)'(ia, "V'ibru}updCla I
manasa, Gayasir'a. and the re",t.' I TllC
refers 't'd tIie' Gaya'lis '{Gayawals) r the" gluft<?hous
Bra.hmins who swcaIlo'wed' the J were
being offered on .the 1:!1l1ectec1 spots.
1
po I r- J """J tr
Atul Kr.shnl> Mul..hcIJI'9 Gaga lal"n, ,,,th .. f?le"old l'y, Ptnrut]
Tarkaratna.,pp.283 .. 289. .." 11 ",ou ""'J 1,,'4
- \ .... f ....... : ... 1 ... r <:.r, r, r r.... !
,rf .... ., ,1"'9'0"'" f"f-t"1,f.. t ,-. .. "1"\"..11
,.. .._ ... t. .. _. r' .. r..\-:.,., ,oe ... f ,P (\, .... ;r"ll;,rt.
'- f'( .............. T ,. \'V'l ,I .. "" Hr
r .. .J ... __ .J. ... t" ....f.+ ........ r ... of' 11 1 u-.. -;t
1
Abu) Fad, 213
Amaradcva. 11>2
Amogha, iSI
Anantavarman, 1;;1
Aeoka, 50, 262 foll
AtIoka\ 166, 201 232
Asvala, an .. , 243, 26'711
Am, 66, 1>8
Aurnanabha, 41
Banel"J1, It D, 61, 202
Barua, 220, 235
11") fall
Begl,l.l, 209 I
.Bhatta, \>2, 2j:.w.
Blooh, 22, 83 101)
181
.Bohtbngk, 101
.Bomd,llol1, b4
13uddllllthosh.l, 1:>7 fill
Bmne}, (,01 207
ehl 1,199
CUllll.lllgham, 163 foil
Dam-hho<.ena, 187
Da-al 1.2
Dharmad;;',a, Ib7
Dhalmagupta, 187
Drulmapala, 89 faH
Dlmlmald.JdgulU 109'I,,1l
1' .. Rl1Ln 37 full
20.
Faueboll, 115 foil
neet, 1;;0, 151, 1JJ, 11>1, 185 full
Glad,nu, 162
G11cloon, 84, 112
HamIlton, Buchanal1, 1. H
HIa Oung, 207
Hm "en, 200
H"en Thsang (ffillLn 'I', lIlJl, b, toll
I chmg, 200
l-ltn,200
InihaJl, Bhaga,,, Blllal, 211, 211
84
211
Jlnad .. Parul.tt.., 212
ii.yau .. , 66
Kelll,45
155, 230
Khiiravel,\, 1 '76,
KLP)hlllU r, 61, b2, 202
KuiacholldLn Thal.kma, 212
KUl \Ilgl, 177
INDICES
La" B (' I rl!06n
Ltklut>ar ,
IT 185 foil.
IIhnuiima, 22, 82
Jlt.nu,264.
lIhha, RaJcnlI.ralala, !!I, 8, '!!,
;1.IukhelJI, Atul Chnndra 274
l'\agade\"l 1 '?If ' ".
Niip;'llade\I,211
Neumann, 101
Oldonberg, 24.4-
O')Ialle1, 36) 38, 3'9, 511; 57, 5b
Pra.1.h, ataISl hi, 1II'r
Piirnll bhlldla, 198
Rachld., 21'1
Rdtna,pa1n, 207
Rh,. 256'
Rh). DIn [(b, \11<' 99, 256,'
Roth lQl u_
r
RamJ..lla,66
&aoiinka lab, 2;26'
bastrl, HalaplaOa.d, 58, 9\1.
'hutl,69
'Senatt; 'i1J2 full
bIlachal p.". 210
SmgdradiL bu, '.h 1 "
"1I1mB.,177
I'lIl\lth, Vmcfnt, -\.,186.
,li>tlllmg,47
211
Jihaniith 194 ''',
Uda, ,\ sli, 197
U&ana,67
'al4ampalllna, 6'1
V lIStshtha, 66
Vi') enwll, 206
V'ShUII,65
Yiili'lavalk,a,67
Yiiska.41
Y"n shu, 200
"l'ID,200
Waddell, Col. 55n.
Zlmmel.251
2 4.UTHORITIES
o\p;m PUldll.\,
Am, AkbalL (h)"dwm).
Alt mdl-rhcs Loben (Z,mmer).
<\.n[!Lltt,ll a Xlkii, a,
4.lchren)lI.rl(,\I<'lUvPyoflndtR, Val I
276 GAY! Al'-ID BUDDHA-GAY'!
Archmological Survey lWport. 1908-9
A!lvaliiyana Grihya-Siitra
Atri-aal!lbita,
Bah1}i-Pnrii1)a
Biinrliir ltiha.o (R. D.
DaThut Irlf'o;r1jJti<or_, (Bor .. B an'! "inna)
BhagaTarJ.!!ita
Eh,,;;',. l;l1Cr,.-.. t ,

Bu<l<lhiem ()Ir<!. Rny" n.-vid.)
Bndtlhi.t NJUcLption "I Spirit. (B. C. L"lw)
llud<lhist HC<:'Jl',l. of the Wc,t"m \\"Jrld
(Bea.l)
BuddhH lr.ilia. (Rhy, .l)a,ld,j
L'haitanyB -bhiiga'''<l.ta
Ghaitan ... ,,-chaI"ltd.mrit.,
Corpus - Inq"riptifJnum Indicdl"UlO., Vol.
rn, (Fleet),
Sutt.
lJigha-YiluiYd. ';01. IT, HI
DisrrJUffill-) nf 00t.lm1l the nurlrlhll
(S.lach.lln.l
1Jistrict Ga7.otlr"r of G.,vJ,
thl,yii-k;;'hl1'i (.\tnl :lIllkb.erji)
Gayimii.hdtmy.1 i1, tbQ \';iyu-Purd'.la,
Chs. Ill,.!), th" A'!I1i-p,ual)a, Ch .
CXIVCXVIf. ami the l\Iahiibhiirata,
Vanapal\'a, Vh-. [lJ.
G .. y;;'uu,ht
1
;;'na p l<lrlhaU (Kuriiy"
Bhai.ta)
Gaya Sriiddh.1 nnd Gayii.",J!, (O'l\Inll .. y)
G .. ..
Indian Yul X,
InscriptioJ1':!. f)f Anlal'ndcva, Anloglla,
Anant9 v ... A{V}ka,
B"dhir .. k.hita, lJ.iljl-htra<Plla, Daa-
ratha, JJharmarlii.... lJha.rmagul'ta,
Dharmarii.jagum, I-ching. I1in. Jajora.-
devi, .Tinadii,a, Khiiravcia,
Thakkura Kulachandra, Kuraitgi,
IT, Nugadevi, Nagaladevi,
Pr.l,h,iit.lkirlti, purI.lolbhadrdrk va.
Riich.1d.., f:iritnu, f)nnda.ravarma,
U,II.ya'Ii, Vlr,rendw, Ylln-shtl, and
Yu.pin.
. Jataka Ni,lnna btM
J"urna), Beh",. and HCN: .u ch
Yo1. 1
.Journal, Bombay Branch o[ the Royal
A,iatie ,,,I. \-1
KiilIiIgabu'lhi .Tiitak
Kath" Ul'.miblmd
Katyayalltl'b'Ul1loit,i
Likhit:,-samlJil,i
J.4f)ndon 111u ... ha,tcd i!J:! j
Par't J
lIahib',dhi ('unningh .. m)
Mahii.hhiirala, \"anaparva


.. -Sutta.
Jlr"hii vR"ta, \'01. If
Y.trwNtba-Piira:oi
Manll-.l1.I!lhitit
:l.rm;r.!Jaka U;pni,had
XlIUkt" (Yii .. ka) .
.. t" in th'1 Grih:.-a-8iitras, S.B.E., Past 1,

N"te. 011 Bndb (BlfJch)
N'Ac; on the Dbtrict of Gaya, (Grie1'l!On)
Old Blah,ni Inacriptions in the Udo.yagiri
and Khal)!]..tgiri Caves (Ba.rua)
Pudma PUrdJ:w.
Piil}.ini
P.t.paiichn . urlilni
P"ramatthn-j',tikii, 1'01. II
Ramaval)"

Srtlnn.nta-pd'::i::i.dika.

SalJlyutta-X:k:i.y
Suratth".p .. kii..ini
B .. laPolth,,-Br.ihmal].a
Slmndcla
Part I
Svetas...,.tara UpanL.had
TirokmJcJd..Sutta
lJ,liina
Ud1ifld.ColUmentary

3. PILGRDrs
Amaradev.l, a pilgrim to 162.
Amogha, a pilgrim to Bodh-Gaya. and
donor of a rail-har, 181.
A,,\oka, a pilgrim to Bodh.Gaya and hi.
Ilct, of merit, 170 fQU.
Buuhirak.hita, a Ceyloll pilgrim to Bodh
Gayii and donor of a rail ha .. , 181.
Chaitanya, a pilgrim to Gayii, 274.
Chinng Hsia'pias, a Chinese pilgrim tQ
n .. dhGayii,273 .
Chi-l J. "' Chine"" pilgrim to Bodh
Uayil., 199, 273.
ChiI H, It Chinese pilgrim tn Bodb
nay .. , 199, 273.
Chi-'sze. a Chin""c pilgrim tu Blldh.
nays,27:i.
a C"yIUllC'<' l)i1gl'im t I)
J3odh-Gayii, 1&7.
.t. 11i1gl'iln tf)
18;.
INDICES 277
Dhllrmllguptll, a. Ceylonese 1)i1,,<>r.im to
187_
Dharmariijaguna, a Burme.e pilgrim to
Bodh-Gayii, 207.
Dharmariijaguru, a Burmese Ililgrim
Budh-Gayii.,209.
Fa Hian, a Chine.c pilgrim to Bodh-
Gayii., 147, li8.
Hui-wen, a Chinese pilgrim to) Bodh-
Gayii, 200, 273.
Hwen Th.ang. i\ Chine-c IJilgrim tu Bodh-
Gayii, 147, 178 foil.
I-ching, a Chinese pilgrim tu Bodh-Gavu,
.
I-lin, a pilgrim to Bodh-Gayii.,
200,273.
Isvarapuri, a Sah-a pilgrim to 2i4.
Jiijoriirlevi, a l)iIgrim frum nnrth-wc.tel'll
India tu Bodh-G,nd. 211.
Jinadiisa, a pill,!1 ini frlllll 1',11'\",lt,1 tn
Budh-Gavii, 212
Kulachandpu, a l'ilgriln f"'lll HOllh-
\\cstern India to Clavu, 212.
Kurailgi. wife of Kini Indlu!!nilllitr.l, ,\
pilgrim tu Bodh-G.lya. 177.
Kwnng-fung, it Chine.c pigrilll tn B"dh-
Gnvii,272.
Kwei-ching. ,) Chin('sc pilgrim tn Butlh-
Gayii..273.
Kwei-t.eih, a 1lilgrim fr"lll ('uchin China
to Bodh-Gayu, 272.
l\Iahiiniima H. a 1,iIgrim 10
Bodh-Oavii.185.
lIuchadcva, a pill!rim from Cudlin China
to Budh-GavR, 272.
Nagnladevi. Ililgrul1 from Ilolth-
westem India to lludh-Oavu. 211.
Pmkhyiito.kirtti, a l,ilgrim lu
Bodh-Gayii..197.
Rachrii. a pilgrim from nurth-\\
India to Budh-Gava, 211.
Taoulin, 0. pilgrim TUl'f,1I1 to Bouh-
Gayii.,272.
Uclayasri. a pilgrim io Bodh-
Gayii,197.
a pilgrim 10
lludh.Gaya, 206.
YU-])ill, a Chine.e pilgrim tu BUllh-
GUYd.. 200, 272.
Yllll-.hu, a Chinc8c pilgrim tu lluclh-
Gayii, 200, 272.
t:liilguradlLbu. It l'ilJ!Iim frum north
India to 211.
}:illmu, a pilgrim to B'Jdh-G,)ya, 177.
4. OTHER PERSONAGES
A.dityasena, a later gllpta. king, 150 .
.t}jatdatru, king of Magadha, 139.
Ajivika. ascetics, 142.
Akbar, 162, 220.
Anagarika Dharmapala, 213.
.!nantavarman, a lIIal1khari chieftain, UiI,
153.
.duathapig.Q.ika. 169.
163.
llhatu DJmouara, 204.
Bha t n PUinlll, 204,.
Bhul-a. a Buddhist monk, 185.
Bimbisiira, 139.
13rahmamitro., king of Magadha, 143.
Rrihaspatimitro, king of magadha, 176.
Bukhtyor Kliilji, .202.
Chnndm, kinlZ, 153.
Chattol1adhi.-n Knshmere Pandit, 234-
DnSlratha. of .dBoka, 142.
Dasar.tlhlt, prince, brother of King Aeoka-
.o.lln, 20;;.
DharmupJ,la, u Piib king, 163.
Dharnl<l.il!lhu. a masun, 208.
Foroz ::>hah Tnghlnk, 212.
Gopa l)dln. a mason, 208.
Ral'sha. king of Kanauj, 150.
IlldrJgnimitra. king uf l\Iagadha, 143.
Indranandi, a poot and composer, 204.
Jnhangir, 220.
Khiirvela, king of Kitlmga, 176.
Lnk.lllrug.a ... Il<l, 201.
58.
a Buddhist Thera, 185.
Mahunullllt 1, 181, 185.
Mahunuma n, 181. 185.
MithipJ,lndcl-d, a I'iila king, 198.
:3Iamdim, a took, 204.
Mfil}ikyusllll\:ta, grandson of King Puru-
shottamaSllllhd, 205.
:illeghayarmiil[egh,warl)ll, king of Ceylon,
1.30, 195.
)ling-donmin. king of Upper Burma., 208.
Tao, emperor of China, 200. .
l\Inshaln, a KHbitmere Pandit, 204.
N'iiriiyal}upaladeva, a. Pala king, 198.
l'iiL'.lnblllldl'll, king of Sindh, 196.
Piirl.lllYUrmd, king of lIIagadha 180.
Puruslwttumndiisa. king of Kamii, 204.
HUlllnpiiluti("-,I, 19U. .
Kahul.I,)"dlU), bUll of M:rishibra.hma, 206.
S.lil"as, 161-
tSa111gutta. it ,f.(("l'Jbc, 212.
196.
Kh,)h Jail.lll, :l2u.
t:>J';u Hiigh,)v,\, 234.

278 GAYA. AND nqDDHA-GAYA.
&1..andagupta, 153.
l,I,3 ,
Toramlina,
Tunga., 11 R&!ht:'riikith l.lng, lOO -
Tnr8JnidJ; }4t'J I L
UJJula., a. .tone (utt, r, lE/I
Upa&ena I. 181,11>;;
U[laqena. IT l!jl, 185
Vtgrahapiil
o
, aI, 1H
Yl&viidltYd. of biidldJ..d, (,1
PUll. km!!: ('1, jjj
j }IYTHJ( \L PER"O}'''
Amiiltarv a', fJth.t of lUl,! 81
Lusmga a l,e! Ilut, 43
Kahka, K tin a, a dl'lvn lli
It u )Ia of L Jl.llt,
\ a.tuk I, 117
Khata. d ) ,1-.,11.
"Krauficha v hNlUlt, 12
Gad4'U<1 a dUllun 2-!
G.a\a a \ h, kat hb Il LIlt LII (, 1\ i
puri,8'1
Ga'}8, an 11 ,11" knl hb 'hUll! t,
28
(hund", '1. Y.I1.,h'l, H7
lJharma, hthCl ot DlIII.IlJlaHd,tii, 2-1,
\Id, r,[ )L'lkht
mto d. -to11(,,,1 vutup.14
Plahliida on of Rn 1nl Ika.lpu 42-
Ylfll,arup'; of JJhd!,UW\1'1t,\ 24
Eliithllom I 48
Sud,,'61\Jl )\d.Jd1<J.J.l of _\1'al I 60tHI
117
Het!, a demou, ,!-1,
a m::O('ltAPHICAL INDEX.
AwpiiId., .. mU 9, 13
Adhlka1.I,d., a 11\0,210
It 'I, <j
Akii ... g,llI,(L L t.lt[l.lact, b, 9
Amladvipa, 183 #'
.AUillt .. , 81
AlICloni or JffilUUlIJtahon, 1 U foll
Angn., 110
AplLra a"j:', lJ(,
Aphbad,l50
ArlLvllldlLla, a. lull, 9,
Ava., 208
Bahu]";I, d, llver, 2-10.
B .. I;i,blLl hIll>, 1;2
'! 1nl!, 7, 1"
Bhlm .. G,,,;>, 274
71
BrahmlL)om, modem n.lme of Gay;i';lI.l
hlll,7
Cential hUl, :;0.
Ceylon, JO J
ChamatJ..ual'u' I, 81
i(\
(hol" il
( ochlll Ch'l'a, 2i3
Dadhthuh ii, 11. O. [j
f) d .. ,lun;i,!tll, IH
Dak.luniipatha, 114
Uhaii 1'111 (' -\.1110 ,n), 21 J
71
Dhallndldn, 111 7)
1'n( (,,,ch 1 flll 'I)'lhtle" il
1'"1 t, I l,t, '11" 116
(, .. i llH U.J.t. the PIU'_ll 240
(,"" I, I dl\I" 1 t h" I ,11rt! \ n
( fJ um i\laga{Un
J..'lIptl I 1
( l\ iipnrl name d( r, ... ( d fwm (1\ I
2j
(.\\lStll (.H.- I III I
('\"'11 hl (m,rlelll BI1hmnomJ
",]I, b, 11, 2)
(drh J lJ 1 01 u1(1 Raldc!llh, 13
(1< \Jldrhi I I hul 72
(.ot1:h ,lli !)7
lIh
( ... 1 ],L,'}\.uhil t ('l,.t U l.lt 1,7,9
(J IlIlhlnkiita a hill h, 9, 13, i2
j I Illl1 1"lInh 1JlUI 1
I! l,1 ('1 un, I.l
Him d,ll 111 It_I n -B
HI lln \ p U \ at 1 ('.Mullgl" r hilt), ;)-\-
T 'IP'!! lIld (<..11 !la 1 h) 1] '!
J llldld6lhtl.ut I Inl1, &
.. ,an", H.&
Kan,\uj,223
K .. pll;i" 0. 8, 'l
1<apl!a, a.stu U8
211
Kii.i,97
Kau8.c101, a lull, 5&
Ktrala pu tt n, 51
Koliiha1,1 lllountam, 33
K.mJ..hal, 1;
KuJ..k.ut.lp",d,lgUI, a hIll, 1 H
118
Lohlh.vastu1" (Rhotasg<11h). 116,
Lumbmi, R gdHlpll, 118
6 0
i, (" 7. 0
,\ 1 f,)lI
l\flgd.dh', \ III
IT IhablJ(l1u, 110" Ih\\ H!2
INDICES
279
(=1vlohii.na), 5, 7, 9.
Mnhendragiri, 46.
lIIongolia. 50.
Nndi, a diviE.ion of Gnviiksheti'lI., 83.
Niignkiita, .t hill, 6, 9.'
Nii,giirjuni hills, 132.
NaimishiiflllJp. nlo('nhty, (j(i
NiibhiGayii, 40.
Xiilii., .L \-ill,lge, 103.
Niilnndii, n locality, 113.
Nnl'mndii.,63.
Nel'lliijnra (Nail',tiijllllU), 101.
Pii,(htGayii, 48
Pagan, a city, 207.
Pii.IJc).ya, 31.
l)areshnuth hill, loo.
Pii.iiJ:lulm.chdiya, '114 1
PMaliplltra, 114.
Phnlgu nnme derivE'Cl from th(' Phiilgun.l
3, 9, 73.
u hilI, 9. ,
Prllbllllsa, a locnlity, .66.
hill, .IOU, 1:iR,
Pl'u,riign, n OG.
Plnyii,!!'""., a riv(,I',.24U.
ii, 274. 1
PJ'etiddit.t, Prclugiri, a lnll. ,i.
:9,)4: ,
Piinpiill,.a dtel',lil, G.
Pnqhkal a, ,t locality! 6,;.
IULjag-ahu, H.iijagl1h,1,('upit,11 bf 1I1,I!\tHlha.
.. 4,
274.
H'iimabilil,'ll'hill, H, U.
Snllllltnl u, .t 206 '
t:lllmbodh'i (Bodh(;!ayii), IG3.
S..tl'Ud.ll.lk.li..t. a Lncality, 201
Siil'llthiplll'a, a loc,\lity, 116.
Snl'ussati, 273.
Satiyaputra, a locality, ;n.
Siivatthi, 168.
t:lcna..nignma, Sl'llanigd-mn, Rcnd-pati.
griimn, a Vill,lgC, 102.
Rindh,203.
274-.
RomapuI'J,200.
::in bhl'ii., a cat,U',lct, 8.
T,lll1bapnml}i, T,iI111\lpnl'l}i, :it.
Tcnassel'il11, 213.
Tibet, 213.
Turf,m, 273.
Udaplltn. a hill, 9, 72.
Uldwln (Urissa), 114.
UPI1Cl' Burma, 207.'-
IHtul'iipatha, 114.
Ul'Uvela., a division of Gayii.kshetra, 99,
Viimara.kaJ}.ta,ka, n locality, 66.
VaJika, Vali.kahiira, a janapada, 103.
Vdii.lii a locality, 116.
Viraja hill, 46.
Vishl)upada hill, 133.
Ynmunii. I).i.
Ya.hthana, 107.
2i4.
S. BATHING PLACES IX GAYA
Uttal'a.miinnsn, a tnnk, 9, 274.
Gadiilolatirtlla, 9,
UU) iil)ol.khal.'al}.i, a tank, 87,
l)akshn:mmiinasa, a tank, 9, 274.
Dcvikii. a ri'V&I', 1.
a tnnk, 9.
101.
H.
Ph..tlguti11hn, !I
Br.lhruakundn, 9.
!I,
)IawJ.lla"api, snme ns
8i.
)liitailg,L\'ii.pi. 9 .
)IllhiinIHU, a rh-Cl', 9.
Rlimntirtha. !I.
H n kmiJJilnu.l(la, 9.
,Tnital'nl}i, a tanli:; 9:
Siliitil'thu, 9.
0, HACRED SITES IN 'GA1A' .
Agnsty..tpndll, 10.
Ajupiilnnya'gl'!iLlh1I1uiiln:, 127.
Anilllisn. 126.
Avas..tthyu]ludn. 10.
KiirttikcyapacIn. 10.
Kiisyapapada, 10.
Krauiichnpadn, 10.
Galldapada, 10.
Giirhapatyapadn.l0,
Goprnchal'a, Rame as Tilndllellukii., 10.
Tilmlhpnukii, 80.
Dal,&hil)iignillnda, 10.
Dhanniirnl))'n, 10.
Dh('nuka., 80.
Pniirhaloka. 10,
Priigbodhi hill, 105, 108.
Pl'('tnGnyii,274.
nllllh.Gayii. 162.
Bl'nlun,l(;!,wii, 162, 274.
BhimnGflvii, 274.
)Inrhalinda.llliila, 127.
274.
127.
280 GAY! AND BUDDHA-GAY!
Ratana.-ghara, 126.
Ratana.ehailkama, 127.
Rima.Gaya, 274.
Rudrapada., 10.
VaikuJ.ltha, 10
Sakrapadd, 10
Siva.Gayii, 274.
Sapta.loka, 10
Sftrya.pada, 10.
10. SHR[XES 1\11) OBJECTS OF
WORSHIP
10.
Abhaya.vatn, undying Banyall, 10, 1 i
!va.sathyapada, 10.
Bodhidruma ASvattha, 10, 2.13
Brahmfl}1f1da, 10.
Brahmaprakfllpita.iimla, 10.
DakshiJ].ignipada, 10
10.
Gane&\pada, 10.
Gii.rhapa.tyapada, 10.
Gridhrakiiiavatn., 10.
Indrignimitra.''l Id.ja-piisiidd, 180
Kikdilii.,lO.
KU.rtikeyapacla, 10.
KUyapa.pada, 10.
Krauiicha.parla, 10.
Ma.hibodhi.&anghitima,179.
lIahitbodhivibira, name of the great
temple at BodhGayi, H13.
MahadevaSchaturmukha, sam\) a, Chau
mukh Mahidev, 230.
Rata.n.a..ohalika.mo..chE'tiya, the Jewelwalk
shrine, 177.
Rudrapa.da., 10.
Sabhya.pa.da., 10.
Sakrapada, 10.
Siiryapada, 10
Tam-kita-maficha, a Y,\kqha.-trmple, 88
i'cmJlle of Aftgirt'4n, l\ fonn of Siva, 10
a furm of Vishl)ll, 10
Uttard.lkn, n iUlln of Sun.god, 10
EIght 10: ElcT'en Rudras, 10;
KapardH1, a form of Si,a, 10;
KotiSa, n form of Siva, 10 ; Gal',landtha,
a form of Siva, 10 ; GnyaclltYlt, a. form
of Sun.gud, 10 ; Janardana, It form of
10; It form of
Siv-u, 61; a
form of the Budrlha MThhippcd at
l3lJdh(/o' a, 10: Naldvana, a form of
VI,llllll. 10. Gl : a form of
SUll gOll, 10; Pltiimaha. a form of
BI,lhma, 10; a form
of Yishnu, 10; Prapitiimahes.nsa, a
form of Siva-Bzahlllii, 10; Phalgu-
chnn4i. a form of SIlkti, 10; PhaJgu
n:i.th:l, It [m'ln of Sn-u, 61 ; Brahmii,
10, a form of Sakti, 10;
a form of Knmal.l, 10;
It form of Sh1t 10;
Yama-DhltULlariiJ,l, It torm of the lord
of death, 10; Vijayadztya., a form of
Still.god, 61; Viniiyab, a fonn of
Ga\\eSa, 10; Vriddha PrapitiLmaha, a.
form of Bl'Uhma, 10; Smasanikshi, 0.
form of Slkti, 10: Sripurnshottama, 0.
form of Vishl)u, 10; S"I"etiirka, a form
of Sun'llod, 10; Sandbyi, a Vedic
rleity, 10; Saras'f'<].ti, It Vedic deity,
10; a form of Siva, 61 ;
S.lvitri, 11 Vcdic deity, 10; Sieldheaa, It
form of Bmi, 10 j Seven 10;
Somanii.tha., e. form of Sive., 10.