The Bhilsa topes: or, Buddhist monuments of central India: comprising a brief historical sketch of the rise, progress, and decline of Buddhism; with an account of the opening and examination of the various groups of topes around Bhilsa

©arberrg

fcotoer

Uilirarj).

CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

Cornell University Library

BL 1420.C97 The

Bhilsa topes

or,

Buddhist monuments

3 1924 022 980 571

THE

BHILSA TOPES OB,

BUDDHIST MONUMENTS OF CENTRAL INDIA.

:

THE

BHILSA TOPES; OR,

BUDDHIST MONUMENTS OF CENTRAL INDIA COMPRISING

A BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH THE

03?

EISE, PBOGBESS,

AND DECLINE OF BUDDHISM;

WITH AN ACCOUNT

Off

THE

OPENING AND EXAMINATION OF THE VARIOUS GROUPS OF TOPES AROUND BHILSA.

BY

BREV.-MAJOR ALEXANDER CUNNINGHAM, BENGAL ENGINEERS.

"

Whose

You

fabric huge,

dust the solemn antiquariau turns,

And thence in broken

sculptures, cast abroad

'

Like Sibyl's leaves, collects the builder's name,

Dyes..— Ruins of Rome.

Rejoiced."

Pttslrafcir

SMITH,

foitfc

®feirtg-tfem

LONDON: ELDER AND CO.,

$)lata.

65,

BOMBAY SMITH, TAYLOR AND :

CORNHILL. CO.

1854. {The Author

0/ this

work

it.] reserves to himself the right 0/ authorizing a translation of

3*7^//^

Printed by

Stkwabt and Mubhay, Old Bailey.

PBEFACE. The

1.

discoveries

made by Lieutenant Maisey and monuments

myself, amongst the numerous Buddhist that

still

exist

around Bhilsa, in Central India, are

described — imperfectly,

present work.

To

I fear

torian, these discoveries will be,

of very high importance

reader they

mounds

may

— by

the Indian

,

I

myself in the

antiquary and his-

am

willing to think,

while to the mere English

not be uninteresting, as the massive

are surrounded

by mysterious

pillars, recalling attention at

circles of stone

every turn to the early

earthworks, or barrows, and the Druidical colonnades of Britain.

In the Buddhistical worship of

trees displayed in

Sanchi bas-reliefs, others, I hope,

the

will

see (as

well as myself) the counterpart of the Druidical and

adopted

English reverence for the Oak.

horse-shoe temples of Ajanta and Sanchi

In the

many

will

recognise the form of the inner colonnade at Stone-

henge.*

More, I suspect,

will learn that there are

Cromlechs in India as well as in Britain ; f that the

Brahmans, Buddhists, and Druids transmigration of the soul *

Plate II.

figs. 1, 2,

and

3.

;

all

believed in the

that the Celtic language t Plate

II. figs.

4 and

a

5.

—

!

PREFACE.

VI

was undoubtedly derived from the Sanscrit ;* and that

Buddha

(or

Wisdom), the Supreme Being- wor-

shipped by the Buddhists, the

same

Welsh are too

is

probably (most probably)

god Buddwds, considered by the

as the great

These coincidences

as the dispenser of good.

numerous and too striking to be accidental.

Indeed, the Eastern origin of the Druids was sus-

who

pected by the younger Pliny, t

day Britain

this

many

similar

magic

celebrates the

ceremonies,

says,

rites

with so

The same

even more distinctly stated by Diony-

is

sius Periegesis,

who

says that the

Amnitse celebrated the As

to

one might suppose

that

they had been taken from the Persians." coincidence

"Even

rites

women

of the British

of Dionysos, v. 375

:

the Bistonians on Apsinthus banks

Shout

to the clamorous Eiraphiates,

Or, as the Indians on dark-rolling Ganges

Hold

revels to Dionysos the noisy

So do the British women shout Evoe

my

I have confined

2.

religious

belief

last

mortal

Buddha,

chiefly

to

Sakya Muni, the who died 543 B.C. There

taught

the

observations

by

was, however, a more ancient Buddhism, which prevailed not only in *

India, but in

all

the

countries

The name of Druid may be taken

tipvs;

Sanskrit, -r, dru; Welsh,

tree.

t Pliny? Nat. Hist. xxx.

1,

as an example: Greek derm; Erse, dair: a tree, or oak

—" Britannia

attonite celebrat tantis ceremoniis, ut possit."

hodie earn (magiam)

earn Persis dedisse videri

PREFACE.

Vli

populated by the Arian race.

The

Kra-

belief in

kuchanda, Kanaka, and Kasyapa, the three mortal

Buddhas who preceded Sakya Muni, was

India

in

contemporaneous with the worship of the elements inculcated

in

The

V6das.

the

between

difference

Vedantism and primitive Buddhism, was not very great; and the gradual evolution of the worship of

Pradhan by the Brahmans, Prajna by the Buddhists), from the

concrete Nature (called

and

Dharma

or

more ancient adoration of the simple elements, was but the natural

consequence

progressive

development of

Europe the

traces of this older

in the

the

the

Caduceus, or

wand

of the

and

growth

human mind.

the

Buddhism

are found

of Hermes, which

is

only

symbol of Dharma, or

deified nature, and in and the Saxon Woden ;— but Buddwas, Welsh

slightly altered forms of

the week,

The fourth day of

Buddha.

Wednesday, or Woden's-day, was named

Dies Mercurii by the Romans, and Buddhrvdr by the Hindus. of the Greek Hermeias or

is

still

called

Maia was the mother Hermes and Maya was ;

the mother of the Indian Buddha.

The connection

between Hermes, Buddwas, Woden, and Buddha is dent

In

;

although

impossible, to

it

make

Hermeias and mentioned by

may be it

his

and perhaps nearly

apparent to the general reader.

" golden wand,"

Homer *

difficult,

evi-

;

but Hesiod*

Theog. 938.

-^pvaoppairig, are is

the

first

who

PREFACE.

Vlll

speaks of his mother " Maia, the Atlantis to

Zeus the

illustrious

bore

Hermes, the herald of the

In the Homeric poems,

immortals."

who

also, there is

no

trace of serpents entwining the

in the

manner

represented in works of art.

the late

Home-

1

hymn

ridian staff) is

wand Even in

wand (which was

the

Apollo's sheep-

described as " a golden three-leaved innocu-

The

ous rod."

epithet of three-leaved

peculiarly

is

symbol of Dharma,

applicable to the three -pointed

an ornament on the Sanchi gateways

so conspicuous

of this volume.

In

of the

illustration

ancient

of India,

history

the bas-reliefs and inscriptions of the Bhilsa Topes are almost equal in importance to the discoveries

Layard

in

made by the the mounds

enterprising

more splendid and

of the Euphrates.

inscriptions found in the Sanchi

energ-etic

In the

and Sonari Topes we

have the most complete and convincing* proof of the authenticity of the history of

the Mahawanso. is stated,

Asoka, as related in

In the Pali Annals of Ceylon,

it

that after the meeting of the Third Buddhist

Synod, 241

B.C.,

Kasyapa was despatched

mawanta country

to the

He-

to convert the people to

Buddhism. In the Sanchi and Sonari Topes were discovered two portions of the relics of Kasyapa, whom the inscriptions call the " Missionary to the

The Sanchi of the

first

bas-reliefs,

whole Hemawanta."

which date in the early part

century of our era, are more original in

PREFACE. design and

more varied

IX

than any other

in subject

examples of Eastern sculpture which I have seen in

The

India. cessions,

subjects represented are religious pro-

worship of Topes and

the

and the

trees,

Buddhist

adoration of the peculiar symbols of the

Besides these there are some spirited sieges

Triad.

of fortified

cities,

Muni, and some

several stories from the little

rather attribute

life

of

Sakya

domestic scenes which I would

the fancy of the artist than to

to

their particular significance in Buddhistical story.

The plans and are all

sections

drawn from

scale (of

40

feet to

careful

an

which accompany

the north,

is

inch), to preserve the relative

by which the

The top

termined at a glance.

on which

the

same

scale of

400

thus

compare

the

another.

may

The plans of the from

feet to

be de-

different

groups of Topes are

several

situated, are all taken

of each

relative positions

of staircases, gateways, and other parts,

hills

work

measurements on the same

proportions of the different Topes.

drawing

this

my own an

surveys on the

The eye can

inch.

disposition

of

Lastly, the drawings of

one group with all

the principal

relic-boxes and caskets are one half the original size, sufficient (I

have reason to think)

for the correct deli-

neation of the different shapes and various mouldings.

I

am

indebted to the kind liberality of Major

H. M.

Durand, of the Engineers, for the view of the Sanchi Tope, and for the drawings of the Sanchi

bas-reliefs,

X

PREFACE.

containing the boat scene,

from

this world/' the

or

" Sakya's departure

" Religious Festival, with adora-

and a scene in the royal palace, with

tion of a Tope/'

a relic-casket.

The Topes were opened by

Lieut.

Maisey and

myself in the end of January and beginning February, 1851

;

1

of

and I attribute the success of our

discoveries in great part to the vigilance of our per-

I had become aware of the

sonal superintendence.

importance of this

watchfulness

strict

(after

I had

opened the great Sarnath Tope, near Benares, in 1835),

by the purchase of

five

beautiful gold coins

of Kadphises, which were brought from Anghanistan

Mr. Masson was engaged

at the very time that

opening the Topes of the Kabul valley.

I

now

from Major Kittoe that he has found a broken

in

learn

steatite

vase amongst the rubbish at the foot of the great

Sarnath Tope. this vase

It

was the

is,

I

fear,

more than probable that

relic-casket of the

Sarnath Tope,

which must have been destroyed during

my

unavoid-

able absence on engineer duty at Mirzapore.

As

the opening of the Bhilsa Topes has produced

such valuable results, Court of Directors authorise the

much

it is

will,

to be

hoped that the

with their usual liberality,

employment of a competent

open the numerous Topes which

and South Bahar, and

to

still

officer

exist in

to

North

draw up a report on

all

the Buddhist remains of Kapila and Kusinagara, of

PREFACE. Vaisali

XI

and Rajagriha, which were

scenes of

A

Sakya's labours.

would be of more

the

principal

work of

this kind

real value for the ancient history

of India (the territory of the Great

Company) than

the most critical and elaborate edition of the eighteen

Puranas.

I would also venture to recommend that the two fallen

gateways of the Sanchi Tope should be removed

to the British

Museum, where they would form

most striking objects

The value of

in a

the

Hall of Indian Antiquities.

these sculptured- gateways will, I feel

confident, be highly appreciated after the perusal of the brief account of their

them contained

in this

work; while

removal to England would ensure their preser-

vation.

For a most admirable view of one of these

gateways I

refer

Mr. Fergusson's

the reader to beautiful

and

the frontispiece of artistic

illustrations

of ancient Indian architecture.

Before parting,

may

I beg to draw the particular

attention of the reader to ferent classes of

my

identification of the dif-

Pramiue and Germance, as recorded

by Kleitarchos and Megasthenes, with orders of Buddhist Srdmanas.

the different

I do so because some

of our most eminent scholars have doubted the prevalence

and extension of the Buddhist

the beginning of the Christian era.

religion before

Now

the Pramnce

of Kleitarchos, and the Germance of Megasthenes, are

both stated to have been the opponents of the Brah-

— XU

—

PEEPACE.

Were

mans.

the

this

case

Srdmanas, which was a

title

they can only be the

common

to all the orders

of the

Bauddha community even Sakya himself

being-

styled

Maha Srdmana,

or the " Great Devotee."

The

;

Germance of Megasthenes is placed doubt by his mention that " women were

identity of the

beyond

all

* allowed to join them on taking- vows of chastity,"

had nuns.

for the Buddhists alone

It will not, I trust, be out of place in a Preface to observe that the several orders of Pramnce, mentioned

by Kleitarchos, 1. Optivoi,

Arhan

(or

are,

or "mountaineers," a

Aran, as

it

is

Greek corruption of

sometimes

spelt),

which was

common title of the Bodhisatmas, or second class of the Bauddha community, who usually dwelt on hills. a

2.

clad,"

YvfxvTiTai,

—a

the

" naked," or rather the " half-

descriptive title of the

Bodhisatwas, who,

during their devotions, wore only the Sanghdti, or kilt.

Tvftvijc,

soldier,

or Tujuvhtj/c,

was applied

—not to an unarmed one

;

to a light-armed

and, therefore, also,

to a lightly-clad person. 3.

Ho\itikoi, the

" townsmen," I only take to be

a corrupted transcript of the Sanscrit Pratyeka, the third class of the

was

it

Bauddha community, whose duty

to mingle with the people,

and frequent the

towns. *

Megasthenes

in Strabo, v.

ae^oixivai nai uvras aQpoBiolwp.

2vft

silent

abstraction,

only-

and contemplation of

the Supreme Being. J

now

by the people of Burmah.

Pradhdn,

T[ViT*f, Nature, or concrete matter.

THE BHILSA TOPES.

24

regained his bodily strength and mental vigour

was abandoned by the

five

disciples

who had

;

but fol-

lowed him for six years.* 16. After

Bodhi

he passed four weeks under the

this

then one week under the Nigrodho tree

tree,

(Ficus Indica), then another week under the lindo tree (Stravadia), then another

Rqjayatana

(Buchanania

tree

week under the

latifolia).^

whole weeks he thus continued

Macha-

For seven

absorbed in deep

meditation until he had obtained Bodhi-jnydn,^. and

was prepared

known unto mankind

make

to

wonderful efficacy of

Dharmma

(both

faith

the

and

works), and the desirableness of Nirvana. 17.

During

his

the

that

liberation

of abstract meditation under

tree,

of death § army of horrors

him

fit

Sakya was assailed by the terrors (Maro, or Death personified) and his

Bodhi

the

;

one whose belief taught

but, to

dissolution

of the

soul

the approach of death

from

of

the

its

supposed

to

the

was received with calm joy,

instead of cowardly apprehension. is

body was

earthly trammels,

This event, which

have ended Sakya's

trials

in

this

mortal body, took place in the month of Astirh, or *

Tumour's Extracts

in Prinsep's Journal, p. 811.

f I have purposely retained the mention of these trees, because the Sanchi bas-reliefs, which exhibit the adoration of trees, may be best explained by the knowledge that certain

Sakya had

sat,

were held sacred.

\

Supreme wisdom.

$

Namuchi-Mara,

the

Demon

of Death.

trees,

under which

LIFE OF SAKYA. June, 588 B.

moon

full

A

c.

25

few days afterwards, on the

of Asdrh, or 1st July, 588 B. c, Sakya,

clad in his ascetic dress,

and with

his begging- pot

in his hand, proceeded to the Isipatana

On

Benares.

and who were

was recognised by

his approach, he

who had formerly

the five Bhikshus

resolute not to

still

Vihdra at

deserted him,

pay him reverence,

but under the influence of his benign

spirit

they

bowed down to him with every mark of adoration. Sakya then explained to them that he had attained Buddhahood, and preached to them on the supremacy of Dharmma. 18. From this time Sakya travelled over the greater part of North-West India, continually inculcating the

reward of the

of

efficacy

Nirvana

(or

Dharmma, and final

In

emancipation).

year of his ministry he

first

the vast

is

said

to

have

assembled a synod of no less than twelve hundred

and were

fifty

sanctified

disciples;

of

whom

Sariputra and Mangalyana, and

the

the

chief

three

Kdsyapas. 19.

The various

acts of Sakya, during

his

long

ministry of forty-five years, are too numerous to detail,

and are too much mixed up with the fond exaggerations of his followers to admit of any satisfactory selection

from them.

rally as so

many

But they may be taken gene-

illustrations of the peculiar tenets

which Sakya inculcated

—amongst which

are charity,

abstinence, and the prohibition against taking

any kind.

life

of

:

THE BHILSA TOPES.

26 20.

Buddha took place January 543 B. a, when he was

The death of

Kvsindra, in

at

this mortal

On

eighty years of age.

addressed his followers

his

he thus

death-bed

" Bhikshus ! should there

:

be anything- doubtful or incomprehensible regarding

Buddho, Dhammo, Sangho, Maggo, or Pati-padd* inquire (now)."

preme,

i. e.

Three times did Bhagawd [the Su-

Sakya] address them in the same words;

but they were

all silent.

Among

the five hundred

Bhikshus present, there was not one who doubted,

who

or

Bhagawd again spoke

did not understand.

" Bhikshus ! I now exhort you transitory

things

perishable

are

qualif}r yourselves (for Nirvana)." last

the last time

for

without

;

delay

These were the

words of Tathdgata.^

21.

The lower orders of Bhikshus, and

Mallians of Kusinara, lamented

aloud

all

with

the dis-

" Too soon has Bhagawd died too soon has Sugato died too soon has the Eye (chakku) closed on the world!" But those Bhikshus, who had attained the state of Arahat, comforted themselves with the last words of the sage, that all " transitory things are perishhevelled hair and uplifted arms, saying, !

*

!

Tumour's Extracts inPrinsep's Jour.

Dharma, and Sangha,

are the persons

Maggo, the Sanskrit Mdrga,

WT,

the lower stages of initiation in the the

Sanskrit

Pratipada,

was

vol. vii. p.

of the

1007. Buddha,

Buddhist Triad.

" road," " way," was one of

way of Buddhism.

the

first

or

lowest

Patipadd, stage

Buddhism. f Tumour's Extracts in Prinsep's Journal,

vol. vii. p.

1008.

of

LIFE OF SAKYA. This very scene

able."

is,

27

I believe, represented in

one of the compartments of the eastern gateway at Sdnchi.

Three figures are seated in a boat

— one

—

in

rower, one

and one

steersman,

passenger

all

On

the shore are

four figures, also in religious garb;

one with dis-

the dress of the religious class.

hevelled

and

hair

who wear

caps, with hands clasped together in atti-

The passenger

tudes of devotion.

Muni,

arms, and the others,

uplifted

who

represented

is

after

is,

I think, Sakya

Nirvdna on

his

passage over the waters which are said to surround

The

on the shore Bhikshu of the lower grade bewailing the departure of Sakya with dishevelled hair and uplifted this

world.*

transitory

figures

are a

arms, which, from the description given above, would

seem to have been the customary manner of ex-

The

pressing grief. f

who had Arahat, and who com-

others are Bhikshus

attained the higher grade of

forted themselves with the reflection that sitory things are perishable." is

known by

the

The

prevails

Tibet,

in

tran-

all

difference of rank

bare head of the mourner

the capped heads of the others still

"

—

a distinction

and

which

where the lower grades of

Qe-thsul and Chhos-pa invariably go bare-headed; whilst

all

the

Ldmas

(or

higher

grades),

includ-

* Hodgson's Literature and Religion of the Buddhists, p. 151. " The world is surrounded by water," " Le tourbillon d'eau qui

—

embrasse

les

mondes."

f See Tumour, in Prinsep's Journal, vol. vii. pp. 1009, 1011, for See also Plate XI. of this volume. these instances.

THE BHILSA TOPES.

28 ing

Lama

Grand

the

himself,

have their heads

covered.

The corpse of the Great Teacher was escorted hy the Mallians of Kusindra with music, singing-, and dancing, to the east side of the city. It was 22.

wrapped in a new

wound about with floss cotton, and again wrapped in numerous other cloths. Thus prepared, the corpse was laid in a metal oil vessel, covered by another, and placed upon a funeral pile of sandal wood. At this moment the venerable Maha Kdssapo, having arrived from Pdwd, first

cloth, then

approached the funeral

bare (the right), and, with

performed times

j

the

With one shoulder

pile.

hands, having

clasped

padakhindn

(perambulation)

three

and, after opening the pile at the end, he

reverentially

The

five

pile

was

bowed down

at the feet of

Bhagawd*

hundred Ehikshus did the same; and the When the body was consumed, the

lighted.

metal vessel was escorted back to the town; where, with music, song, and dance, and with garlands of sweet flowers, the people their reverence

for

seven days showed

and devotion to Bhagawd's mortal

remains. 23. After this, the burnt bones were divided into

eight portions by the *

Tumour's Extracts

act of

Kasyapa I

Buddha's old, as

feet.

Brahman Dono

in Prinsep's Journal, vol.

(Drona), and

vii. p.

1012.

This

believe to have been the origin of the worship of

The reverence shown

to the feet is

undoubtedly

the feet are represented on the central architrave of the

Eastern Gateway at Sanchi, in a procession.

*

LIFE OF SAKYA.

29

amongst those who applied

distributed

for

Eight Stupas or Topes were erected over the

—

them. relics

at the following places : 1

At Rajagriha,

1st.

Magadha, by Ajata-

in

satta.

At Visali, by the IAohawi family. 3rd. At Kapilavastu, by the Sdkyas. 4th. At Allakappo, by the Balayas. 5th. At Ramagrama, by the Kausalas. 6th. At Wetthadipo, by the Brahmans. 7th. At Paw a, by the Malliyans. 8th. At Kusinara, by the Malliyans. The Moriyans of Pipphaliwano having applied 2nd.

a share of the

too late

for

charcoal

from

the

relics,

pile,

received

over

At Pipphaliwano

9th.

which they

;

Tumour's Extracts in Prinsep's Journal,

1013.

vol. vii. p.

whole of these places, including Allakappo, although been

some

Stupa the

built

*

funeral

were situated

identified,

in Tirhut

and Bahar.

it

—

1,

The

has not

Raja-

griha was the ancient capital of Magadha, or Bahar Proper. 2. The ruins of Visixi still exist at Bassahr, to the north of Patna. 3. Kapilavastu was somewhere between Ayodhya and Gorakhpur.

Gorakhpur

Ramagrama was

5. :

it

Sri-JRdmpura.

was most 6.

Piwi

8.

Kusinara was about

or

'in

in

the

neighbourhood

probably Bettiya.

to the west of Visali, on the high road to Kusinara.

equi-distant between Benares and Visali,

the position of Kusia on the Little Gandak.

wano,

or the place of tbe Charcoal Tope,

and Kusinara. Ptolemy.

of

Selampura of Ptolemy, or

Wetthadipo was most

7.

was

likely the

The people of

Visali

9.

Pipphali-

was between Kapilavastu are

called

Passalm by

THE BHILSA TOPES.

30

and

Brahman Dono,

the

lastly

the

over

(kumbha) in which he had measured the

vessel

relics, built

the

10th Stupa. 24. fire

The

relics

which remained uninjured

b}'

the

were the four canine teeth, two collar bones,

and one frontal bone with a hair attached which was therefore called the renhisa, or hair

to

it,

relic.

was ultimately enshrined in Gandhara, the country on the lower Kabul river around Peshawur; a second in Kaling'a, at Dantapura, or

One

of the teeth

" tooth-town

;"

and the others are said

have been

to

worshipped by the Devas and Nagas. 25.

But within twenty years

Sakya, his

relics

were

all

after the

death of

brought together, excepting

by Ajatasatta, King of Magadha, through the influence of Maha Kdsyapa, the portion at Hajagrdma,

the patriarch or head of the Buddhist religion, and

a great Stupa was erected over them to the southeast of Rajagriha.*

26.

King

In the reign of Priyadarsi or Dharmmasoka, Magadha, about 250 B. c, these relics were

of

again distributed over the whole of India. *

Tumour's Extracts

in

See also the Mahawanso, at Bhojpur,

we

teeth, all in

good

Prinsep's Journal, vol. p. 185.

vii.

p.

1014.

In one of the Topes opened

found, amongst numerous fragments of bone, four order.

;

FAITH OF SAKYA.

CHAPTER

31

III.

FAITH OF SAKYA. 1.

In the infancy of the world, when

left to his

own unaided

Man

was

reason to solve the mysteries

of nature, and the destiny of his race, the most casual

observer must have seen that nothing of this earth 1

is

lasting-

;

that the loftiest tree, the loveliest flower,

the strongest animal, the hardest rock, are to decay

;

nay, that

man

himself

is

all subject

nought but dust,

and that to dust does he return.

Closer observers

would have been struck with the perpetual recurrence of seasons

;

the ever-changing yet unchanged

the continued production of plants

with the never-failing stream of 2.

;

human

discrimination of the various elements

and

and

to the doctrine

And

air;

all,

life.

Such observations would naturally lead

fire,

moon

and, above

to the

— earth, water,

to a belief in the eternity of matter,

of the transmigration of souls.

thus the material elements, or Nature, with her

supposed inherent power of combination and repro-

became the Deity of this world. But even the most thoughtless man must at times have felt

duction,

THE BHILSA TOPES.

32

conscious that he possessed within himself an unseen

power

which controlled

Hence

arose

which was at

the

a belief in

actions

the

of

existence

body.

his

of Spirit,

made only an inherent power of

first

Nature, but was afterwards preferred before her;

and was eventually raised

to the position of the

Great

First Cause and Creator of all thing's.

Such is the course which the human mind most probably went through both in India and in Greece. In process of time the more commanding spirits, who ruled the passions of their fellow-men by the ascendancy of genius, and by unbending firmness of will, 3.

-

were held to be mortal emanations or avatars of the

Supreme Being

;

and, after death, were exalted to

the rank of demig'ods.

Thus, in both countries, hero-

worship had prevailed from remote antiquity;

and

the tombs of the mighty had become objects of reve-

In India, the Topes or Tumuli of Krakuchanda, Kanaka, and Kasyapa, existed before the preaching of Sakya and the ancient elemental deities rence.

-,

of the Vedas preceded the worship of

Dharma, or

concrete Nature.

The religious systems of India are all deeply imbued with metaphysical speculations ; and the close 4.

agreement between these and the philosophical systems of Greece would be an interesting subject to the

classical

scholar.

A

strict

analysis and

com-

parison of the systems of both countries would most

probably tend to mutual elucidation.

The Indians

have the advantage in point of time; and I

feel

FAITH OF SAKYA. satisfied

83

Greeks borrowed much of their

that the

The most perfect system of the Ionics, as developed by Anaxagoras,* is the same as the Sankhya school of India; and

philosophy from the East.

the famous doctrines

Buddhistical.

of Pythagoras are intensely

The transmigration of

souls

is

Egyp-

tian as well as Indian: but the prohibition against

eating animal food

Women

altogether Buddhist.

is

were admitted as members both by Sakya and by Pythagoras ; and there were grades in the brother-

hood of Pythagoreans, as munity of Buddhists.

in the

Sangha, or Com-

These coincidences between

the two systems seem too strong to be accidental. 5.

Pythagoras

there

are

is

said to have visited India;

and

some curious verbal coincidences which

seem to countenance the story. Pythagoras married Theano (Sanskrit, Dhy&na, " devout con-

really

templation") ; and by her had a daughter

whom

he

Dharmma, " virtue, or practical morality"), and who became a most learned Pythagorean. He was the first who assumed the title of i\oaoog (Sanskrit, Buddha Mitra), the lover of wisdom, or Budha. His own name is perhaps named Darno

(Sanskrit,

only a compound of *

irvOag,

or Buddha, and ayopevw,

Anaxagoras held that Novr, Mind

or Intellect,

creator of all things, hut only the artist existent matter. particles,

to pre-

According to him, matter consisted of various

which were put

homogeneous

was not the

who gave form

particles

in

motion by the action of Mind

were blended together into

an

variety of forms, and the heterogeneous were separated.

D

;

the

infinite

THE BHILSA TOPES.

34 to

and the names of two of his and Pythias (or Dharmma and

expound or announce

Damon

followers,

j

Buddha), have become celebrated for terested

All

friendship.

scarcely be

accidental

these

their

can

may

and though we

;

disin-

coincidences

be able to trace the actual progress of

not

Buddhism

from India to Greece, yet the evidence in favour of

its

transmission

6.

The system of

has been

tersely

Hodgson

as

is

much faith

too strong to be doubted.

taught by Sakya

" monastic asceticism in morals, and

philosophical scepticism in religion."

case with

cially the

sophical

Muni

and truly characterized by Mr.

sj-stems,

the

the

This

is

espe-

two more ancient philo-

Swdbhdvika and Aismdrika,

which he has made known to us from the Sanskrit

The former, Mr. Hodgson thinks, was that of primitive Buddhism but as the Swdbhdvika was essentially a doctrine of materialism, books of Nepal.

;

it

must have been closely

allied to

the Nirismara

Sdnkhya school of Kapila. In this system* Pradhan, or MaM-Pradhdn, or " supreme nature," was held to be the Mula-Prakriti, or "plastic origin" of all

Budhi, or " intelligence," was this is the very system which

things, from which

produced.

Now

Sakya had

rejected, after six years' study at

jagriha.

RaThe supremacy of Naturef taught by the

Srvdbhdvikas

is

also

• Colebrooke, Trans.

at

variance

with the

Roy. As. Soc.

+ Hodgson, pp. 33, 77. rialists.

utterly

The Swabhavikas were simple

mate-:

FAITH OF SAKYA. solemn address made by his death-bed

Sakya

35

to his disciples

from

under the Sdl tree at Kusinagara*

" Bhikshusl" said the dying- teacher, "if any points

seem doubtful or incomprehensible to you regarding

Buddho, Dhammo, Sangho, &c, inquire now." In this address, which was three times repeated, Buddha, or " supreme intelligence," is placed before Dharma,

" material nature," as the first person of the Triad. The system of faith taught by Sakya must, or

therefore, have been that of the Theistical Triad of

Buddha,\ beyond

Dharma, and Sangha. doubt by the edict of

all

lished

after

Synod

in

the

This

is

placed

Priyadersi, pub-

meeting of the 3rd Buddhistical

B. C. 247, at which the orthodox doctrines of Sakya were upheld.^ In this edict, the names of the orthodox Buddhist Triad are distinctly mentioned as istence

Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

of the

Buddhist Triad at that

further proved

period,

is

names

as Budha-P&lita,

The exparticular

by the occurrence of such Dharma Rakshita, and

Sangha-Mitra, among the colonnade inscriptions of

No. 2 Tope 7.

he

at Sanchi.

When Salya Muni

first

tried the

began

system of the Samddhikas, who

placed the attainment of

continued *

Tumour,

practice

his religious career,

of

everlasting bliss in

Samddhi, or

in Prinsep's Journal, vol.

vii. p.

of

deep

the

and

1007.

f Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, are the Sanskrit names ; the others are Pali. t

See Jour. As. Soc. Bengal,

vol. ix. p. 619,

names of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, " Buddhist faith."

where the three

are improperly translated

;

THE BHILSA TOPES.

36 devout

Dissatisfied with

abstraction.*

this

belief,

he next tried that of the Prddhdnikas, or worshippers of "universal nature" as the sole First Cause of This atheistical doctrine he also abandoned ; and, in its stead, either invented or adopted the theistical Triad of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, things.

all

Buddha, or "supreme intelligence," " In the transcendental is the Creator of all things. and philosophical sense, Buddha means Mind ;

in which Triad

and Sangha, the concretion of the two former in the sensible or phenomenal

Dharmma, Matter world.

;

In a practical or

Buddha

religious sense,

means the mortal author of this religion (Sdkya) Dharmma, his law ; and Sangha, the congregation of the faithful."!

But though the early Buddhists admitted existence of a Supreme Being, they denied 8.

providence, in the

and

solely

Dhyan,

by

full

their

of

efforts

Tapas % and

or Abstinence and Abstraction, they could

for themselves the " everlasting bliss"

win

his

without his aid,

belief that

own

the

(Moksha)

of absorption into the Divine Spirit.§ *

So complete was the power of abstraction held to be, that the

author of the

Mahawanso

262) —" This Raja (Dhdtusena), (p.

gravely relates the following;

was improving Kalawapi tank, observed a certain priest absorbed in the Samddhi meditation and, not being able to rouse him from that abstraction, had him buried under the embankment (of the tank)

story

:

at the time he

the

;

by heaping earth over him." The I Hodgson, page 35. not

penance,

or

self-inflicted

Brahmans, but a perfect rittika).

f Hodgson, p. 89. Tapas of the Buddhists was bodily

pain,

rejection of all §

like

that

of

the

outward things (prav-

Hodgson,

p. 37.

J

FAITH OF SAKYA. 9.

One

belief

common

of Nirvritti and

The

to

Buddhism

37 is

the doctrine

Pravritti, or Eest and

latter state is that of

Action.*

man, and the former that Buddha

of the celestial, self-existent Being, whether

Dharma. According' to. the Aiswarikas, the Supreme Being- Adi Buddha, or Iswara, though

or

formless

as

a cypher or mathematical point, and

separate from all things (in Nirvritti),

is infinite

form, pervading

Pravritti).f

all,

and one with

His proper and lasting

state

is

all (in

in

that of Nirvritti,

but for the sake of creation, he spontaneously roused himself into activity {Pravritti), and by means of his five

five

spiritual faculties (Panchqjny&na),

and by

exertions of mental reflection (Panchadhydna),

he created the Pancha-Bhyani-Buddha, or celestial

"

five

Buddhas," together with the " five elements,"

the "five senses," and the five "objects of sense," in the following order:

1

THE BHILSA TOPES.

38

10. These five celestial

Buddhas appear

personifications of the five elements,

to be simple

and their

in-

sion,

or, to use Mr, Hodgson's expres; " of the active and intellectual powers of nature."

The

five

herent properties

Bodhisatwas, as well as the

Lokeswaras,

five

or inferior celestials, likewise possessed Saktis. 11.

I omit the

formed no engrafted

Bodhisatwas, Lokes-

long* train of

waras, and Buddhasaktis, as part

of original

when

afterwards

I believe that they

Buddhism,

the

of

religion

had become firmly established, and when

were

but

its

Sakya votaries

took more delight in the indolent enjoyment of metaphysical

speculations than in the active

exertions

I believe also that, as Buddhism

of propagandism.

gradually obtained an ascendancy over men's minds, the whole of the Brahmanical schools, by an easy

change

of phraseology, accommodated

their

own

doctrines so as not to clash with those of the domi-

At

nant party.

least

it

is

only by a supposition of

this kind that

I can account for the great similarity

which

between the philosophical systems of

exists

Buddhism and those of the Brahmanical Sankhj'as. This similarity, which Colebrooke,* difficult to

is,

has already been noticed by

indeed, so

great

as

to

render

it

discriminate the doctrines of the one from

The phraseology

those of the other. ideas are the

same

varies, but the

so that there is a distinction, but

;

without a difference. * Colebrooke, Trans.

Boy. As. Society,

Philosophy of the Hindus.

vol.

i.

p.

19

— On

the

FAITH OF SAKYA. 12. There yas,

however, one doctrine of the Sdnkh-

is,

and clearly distinguishes them

which neatly

from the Buddhists matter, as well

The Sankhyas

—a

belief in

the eternity of

as in the immortality of the soul.

asserted that nothing can be produced

which does not already

exist;

educts and not products.*

and that

This

is

effects are

the old classical

of ex nihilo nil Jit, " from nothing, nothing

dogma

The

can come."f

stately tree

sprang from a seed;

the costly jar was formed from

There might be

and

before,

the potter's clay.

of form and ever-varying

infinities

combinations of substance

;

but the materials existed

the difference consisted only in the shape

and mixture, and not 13.

39

in the matter.

The orthodox Buddhists, on the

every thing was the creation of the

believed that

Adi Buddha, who

self-existent

contrary,

willed

and

it,

it

was.

The Sdnkhya

14.

teachers,

whose doctrines cor-

respond with those of the primitive Buddhists, are

Kapila and Patanjali.

The

owed

Mula-Prahriti, or Radical

origin

their

Nature, in

to

first

held that

all

things

which Purusha, or Soul, was inherent,

and from which Budhi, or Intelligence (in a female and inferior form), was brought forth. His system • Colebrooke, Trans.

Roy. As. Society,

vol.

i.

p.

38

— On

the

Philosophy of the Hindus.

f This

is

ex nihilo, in nihilum can be produced

;

nil

posse reverti.

—

Rerum Natura Nil fieri " From nonentity nothing

the doctrine of Lucretius, de

and entity cannot be reduced to nothing."

—

—

THE BHILSA TOPES.

40

was

Niriswara Sankhya*

called

or

"

atheistical

Sankhya/' because he denied the existence of an as

crifice,

away 15.

of

Kapila also prohibited sa-

Providence.

all-ruling

its

was attended with the taking

practice

life.

The

followers of Patanjali were called

wara Sdnkhyas,^ or " a

they recognised

Ses-

Sankhyas," because

theistical

Supreme Being who was the

ruler of the world, infinite

and

eternal.

The Brahmanical Niriswara system agrees very nearly with that of the Buddhistical SwabMva, in which Dharma is made the first person of the Triad, as Mah£-Prajna,% or " supreme nature," 16.

which tity,

is

Sroabhava (or self-existent), the sole

from

which

things

all

proceeded

in

enthis

order§: 17.

From

„ „

„ „

Y R V

„ „

„

L

„

S Mount

the mystic root of the letter

air fire

water earth

Sumeru.

In *

Swabhavaka

the

JSfir,

and

without,

Triad,

Isrvara,

God

Dharma

is

— that

Godless

is,

repreor

Atheistical.

t Sa, with

;

Iswara, God.

I

Hodgson,

p. 77.

§

Hodgson,

p.

va, la,

109.

which signify

Sumeru proceeded

all

These are the Sanskrit air,

fire,

trees

radicals,

water, and earth.

ya, ra,

From Mount

and vegetables, and from the earth

proceeded the Dhdtwdtmika, or bases of

all

the metals.

:

FAITH OF SiKYA. sented as a female, with

and Sangha on the 18.

41

Buddha on

the right hand,

left.

The Sesward school of the Br ah mans agrees

very closely with that of the Aiswdriha Buddhists.

Both take their names from the recognition of a Supreme Being (Ismard), whom the Buddhist considers as the first Intellectual Essence, the AdiBuddha, by whom all things were created. In the Aiswarika Triad, Buddha holds the

Dharma, who

first

place,

and

represented as a female, the second

is

place on his right hand, while Sangha occupies the left

hand.

19.

All these

schools,

Buddhistical, whether they

Brahmanical

both deify

intellectual

or material nature, agree in considering that is

the united production of both

man

— a compound of mind

and matter, or soul and body. Aiswarikas, the

and spirit

human body,

According to the

as well as

the

ma-

was compounded of the five elements The soul, which earth, water, fire, air, and ether.* animates it, was an emanation from the self-existent Godi Man was, therefore, emphatically the " Union"

terial universe,

(Sangha) of " material essence" (Dharma) with a portion of the " divine intelligence" (Buddha).-\

20.

parted

But

these metaphysical speculations were im-

only

to

Bhihshus, who

Bodhisatwa.

the initiated,

or highest class

of

had attained the rank of Arahat, or

For Sakya had divided * •f-

Hodgson,

p. 112.

Hodgson,

p.

127.

his doctrines

THE BHILSA TOPES-

42

into three distinct classes, adapted to the capabilities

of his hearers.*

addressed

discipline,"

ditors/'

1st,

who were

The Vindya, or " to

" auof the Bauddha

Srdwaka,

the

the lowest class

religious

or

community ; 2nd, The Sutra, " aphorisms," or Principles of Faith, addressed to the

who formed

tinct intelligences,"

Pratyekas or "

dis-

the middle class of

monks; and 3rd, the Abhidharma, or " supreme law,"

Transcendental Principles of Paith, im-

or

parted only to the Bodhisatwas, or " true gences,"

who were

the highest class of the

intelli-

Bauddha

community. 21. These three classes of doctrine are collectively called the

Tri-Pitaka, or "three repositories;" and

the Tri Yaniharf or " three-means-of-progression;"

known as the Lowest, the Middle, and the Highest means of Advancement. These terms are of common ocand separately they are

generally

currence in the Buddhist writings,

and especially

whom

in the works, of the Chinese travellers; from

we

learn

that

the

pastoral

nations

of the

Nor-

thern Hiils, accustomed to active habits, were content with

Lowest-means-of-Advancement,

the

while the more intellectual and contemplative people

of India generally strove for the attainment of the superior

degrees of Madhyima-Ydnika, and

* Fo-krve-ki, c. 2, note.

Csoma de Koros, —Analysis of the

Tibetan Works, in Prinsep's Journal,

f Ydna means advance

is

vol. vii. p.

a vehicle of any kind,

obtained.

Mahd-

145.

by which progress or

;

FAITH OF SAKYA.

43

Ydnika, or "

Midble and Highest Means-ofAdvancement." 22.

The Tri-Pitaka were compiled immediately by three of his

after Sakya's death, in B. c. 543,

chief disciples, with the

assistance of five

hundred

The Abhidhaema was the work of

learned monks.

Kdsyapa, the head of the Bauddha fraternity; the

Sutea of Andnda, Sakya's favourite disciple; and the Vinaya of Updli* The language in which these works was written, has been the subject of much dispute

;

but the account given by the Tibetansf

so probable,

and at the same time so natural, that

is it

ought, as James Prinsep has observed, to set the

matter at

Their account

rest.

in general, that

proper, were

is,

first

is

that the Sittbas

the Vinaya, as well as the Sutr&

written in the

Sindhu language

but that the whole of the Sher-chin,$ that is, the Prajnd Pdramitd, or " transcendental wisdom,"

and the whole of the Oyud, that is, the Tantras, or " religious mysticism," were composed in Sanskrit. This appears to be the only conclusion that anyone can come to who examines the subject attentively. For the Vinaya and Sutra, which were addressed to the people

at large, as well as to the

Srdwakas

and Pratyekas, must necessarily have been published in the vernacular language of the country; while * Prinsep's

Journal, vol.

i.

p.

2;

and Transactions As. Soc.

Bengal, vol. xx. p. 42.

p.

Journal, vol. vi. t Csoma's Index to the Kahgyur, in Prinsep's vi. p. 503. 688. \ See Csoma, in Prinsep's Journal, vol.

;

THE BHILSA TOPES.

44

philosophy

and metaphysical

the abstruse

Abhidharma, which learned, that

is,

to

was addressed

solely

of the to

the

the Brdhmans and Bodhisatrvas,

would, without doubt, have been enunciated in Sansimple reason that

skrit, for the

its

refined elegance

and delicate shades of meaning-, could not

of ideas,

be adequately expressed in any of the vernacular*

The Tantras

languages.

much

are of

later

date;

but the same reasoning holds equally good for them as the esoteric mysticism of their doctrines could only

In a few words Buddhism were ex-

have been expressed in Sanskrit. the

speculative

pounded

and

principles of

recorded

in

Sanskrit,*

while

the

practical system of belief, deduced from those principles,

was spread abroad and propagated by means

of the vernacular Prakrit. 23.

In the JRupasiddhi, which

grammar now

is

the oldest Pali

extant, and which the author

Buddha-

priya compiled f from the ancient work of KachMyana, a quotation from the latter is given, appaoriginal words.

rently in the

According to

this

Kachhayana was one of the principal of Sakya, by whom he was selected for the

account, disciples

important

office

of compiling the

first

Pali

grammar

the rules of which are said to have been propounded

by Tath&gata probable *

;

himself.

This statement seems highly

for the teacher

must have soon found the

See also Hodgson's opinion on this point.

Prinsep's Journal

vol. vi. p. 683.

f Tumour's Introduction to the Mahawanso,

p. 26.

;

FAITH OF SAKYA. making himself

difficulty of

1

45

clearly understood

when

each petty district had a provincial dialect of

own,

unsettled

both in

its

and

spelling'

its

its

pro-

nunciation.

A

24.

difficulty of this

come by the publication speech, which should fix and loose orthography This was accomplished

kind could only be over-

of some established rules of

the wavering pronunciation

of

a

common

language.

by the Pali Grammar

KachMyana, compiled under Sakya's and the language, thus firmly

of

instructions

established,

was used

throughout India by the Buddhist teachers, for the promulgation and extension of the practical doctrines of their faith.

In

25.

guage of

is

the Buddhist works of Ceylon, this lan-

expressly called Mdgadhi, or the

Magadha ; and

scene

of

Sakya's

as this district labours,

as

was the

well

selection of

Mdgadhi

principal

the

as

country of himself and of his principal

speech

native

disciples, the

for the publication of his doc-

It is true, was both natural and obvious. remarked,* Wilson has that H. as Professor H.

trines

there are several differences between the language of

Mdgadhi of

existing Buddhist inscriptions and the

Pali as

Grammars

;

but these differences are not such

to render them unintelligible

Pkiyadabsi addressed

in his

to

Pillar

those

edicts in

middle of the third century before Christ.

* Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, vol.

whom the

The Pro-

sii. p.

238.

THE BHILSA TOPES.

46

was most likely selected by Pri}'adarsi, " that they might be

fessor admits that the Pali

for his

edicts

people ;" but he

intelligible to the

language

the

of

common tongue

of opinion that

is

the inscriptions

was rather

of the inhabitants of

Upper India

than a form of speech peculiar to a class of gionists

the

reli-

and he argues that the use of the Pali

',

language in the inscription

not a conclusive proof

is

of their Buddhistical origin.

The conclusion which I have come to is exactly the reverse ; for it is a well known fact, that the Brahmans have never used any language but 26.

Sanskrit for

their

stigmatised the

low tribes.*

In

writings,

religious

Mdgadhi their

and

as the speech of

dramas

have

men

also the heroes

of

and

Brahmans always speak Sanskrit, while the use of Magadhi is confined to the attendants of royalty. Professor Wilson has, however, identified the Mdgadhi the

with Prdkrit, the use of which, though more honourable,

was

characters

still ;

but

confined

the

to

the extensive

principal female

employment, in the

dramatic works of the Brahmans, of various dialects, all

derived from one

common

stock, seems to

me

to

prove that they were the vernacular language of the people.

In

this vernacular

language, whatever

it

was, whether the high Prakrit of the Saurasenas, or the low Prakrit of the Mdgadhas,

we know

certainly

that the Vinaya and Sutra, or the practical doctrines * Colebrooke, in Trans. As.

Wilson's Hindu Theatre,

vol.

i.

Soc.

Bengal,

p. lxiii. iv.

vol.

vii.

p.

199.

—

FAITH OF SAKYA. of Sakya, were

compiled, and

47

therefore

also

pro-

mulgated.*

In the opinion of Turnour, the

27.

scholar, the Pali is a "rich

which had already attained

celebrated

and poetical language,

its

present refinement at

Gotama Buddha's advent"

the time of

According" to Sir William Jones, f

it

is

(b. c.

"

little

588).

more

than the language of the Brahmans, melted down

by a delicate articulation to the softness of Italian." To me it seems to bear the same relation to Sanskrit does to

Italian

that

Latin,

and a much nearer

one than modern English does to Anglo-Saxon.

The nasal sounds

are melted

down

;

the

compounds

are softened to double and even single consonants;

and the open vowels are more numerous. the opinion of

language skrit

;

scholai's that the

is

Pali

derived almost entirely from the San-

is

and

European

all

It

in this opinion

I fully coincide.

Messrs.

Burnouf and Lassen, who jointly formed a Pali Grammar, state, as the result of their labours, that Pali

is

almost identical with Sanskrit; J and Pro-

* Csoma, in Prinsep's Journal,

Prdkrit as comprehending; of Northern India. in

contradistinction

all

vol. vi. p.

503.

I use the term

the written and cultivated dialects

Prdkrit means " common" or " natural," or " refined " Santo the " artificial "

skrit.

t Preface to Sakuntala. X

"

II

Essai sur

le

Pali

;

par E. Burnouf et Chr. Lassen, p. 187,

en est resulte qu'elle etait presque identique a l'idiome sacr6

des Brahmanes."

—

THE BHILSA TOPES.

48

fessor Lassen, at a later date,*

when more conversant

with the Pali books, states authoritatively, that the

whole of the Prakrit language

Tumour f

Sanskrit.

also

is

derived from the

declares

conviction

his

that all researches tend to prove the greater antiquity

of Sanskrit.

Professor Wilson J and

James Prin-

sep§ are likewise of the same opinion.

seems to

clusion

tendency in

me

self evident

spoken languages

all

similar consonants,

j

This con-

for

to

there

suppress dis-

and to soften hard ones

:

as in the

Camillus for the Tuscan Cadmihs, and the

Latin

English farthing for the Anglo-Saxon feorthling ;

"

as in the Pali assa,

and

a

is

the

madhya.

away

Pali majha, " middle,"

There

is

or,

a horse," for the Sanskrit asrva, for

the

Sanskrit

also a natural inclination to clear

the semi-vowels and weaker consonants ; as in

the English King, for the Anglo-Saxon Kyning, or

" the seen" (i. e. Buddha), for the Sanskrit Avalakita ; and in the Pali Ujeniya, a as in the Pali Olakita,

"man

of Ujain," for the Sanskrit Ujjayaniya.

It

always therefore easy to determine between any

is

written languages, that resemble each other, which

of the two

is

the original, and which the borrowed

• Institutiones Linguae Prakriticae ki'iticam

f

;

Chr. Lassen, p. 6,

j

— " Pra-

linguam derivatam esse totam a Sanskritica."

Tumour

results of

all

Mahawanso,

Introduction, p.

xiii.

The general

researches tend to prove the greater antiquity of the

Sanskrit. t

Hindu Theatre,

§

Prinsep's Journal, vol.

vol.

i.

p. lxiii. vi. p.

688.

FAITH OF SAKYA.

49

because letters and syllables are never added, but, on the contrary, are always suppressed or curtailed in the process of time.

The Pali

therefore, without

is,

doubt, derived from the Sanskrit, and must, moreover, have been a spoken

language

for

many

cen-

turies.

For the publication of

28.

esoteric theories

his

regarding the origin of the world, and the creation

Sakya made use of the Sanskrit lanBut the perfect language of our day,

of mankind,

guage

only.

perhaps, owes

much

of

its

refinement to the care

and sagacity of that Great Reformer; highly probable that

and

lawgiver

who

Panini's Sanskrit

Katyayana, the

corrected

grammar,*

KachbayanoJ" who

on Panini, called Vdrtikas,

Sanskrit

others.

" These

grammar were formed

same as the

Katyayana's annorestrict his

rules, enlarge his limited ones, and

exceptions to

of

Pali grammar

compiled the

during the life-time of Sakya. tations

inaccuracies

the

is

for it seems

the inspired saint

amended into

vague

mark numerous rules

of

memorial verses

by Bhartrihari, whose metrical aphorisms,

entitled

Kdrika, have almost equal authority with the precepts of Panini, and emendations of Katyayana.

According

to popular

tradition,^

Bhartrihari was

the brother of Vikramaditya, the author of the * Colebrooke, Trans. As. Soc. Bengal,

vii.

Hindu

199.

form of the Sanskrit Kdtydf Kachhayano is only the Pali changed to chha. invariably being latter yana; the tya of the X

Colebrooke, Trans. As. Soc. Bengal,

vii.

204.

E

THE BHILSA TOPES.

50

Samvat, which dates from

K&tyayana

is

unknown

The age of

B. c. 57.

but as he flourished between

;

the date of Panini, in about 1100 B. a, and that of Bhartrihari, in 67 B. a, in

there

is

every probability

favour of the opinion that he was one of the

disciples of

29.

But

Buddha. this

of

identification

two greatest

the

grammarians of the Sanskrit and Pali languages

upon other grounds besides those mentioned above. Colebrooke, Wilson, and Lassen, have all

rests

identified

on Panini with Vara" Prakrit Grammar," called

the commentator

ruchi, the author of the

Prakrita-prakdsa,

Of

Chandrika.

or

Vararuchi

known than that his work is the grammar extant, and that his body includes all that had been laid down by

nothing more

is

oldest Prakrit

of rules earlier

grammarians

regarding

the

vernacular

dialects.

more strikingly conthat Kachhayano is not a name

30. This identification

firmed by the fact

is still

but only a patronymic,* which signifies the son of

Kachho, and was himself.

first

If, therefore,

assumed by the grammarian Vararuchi Katydyana is not

the same person as Kachhdyano, he to

him and of the same

family.

must be

We

posterior

shall thus

have

* Tumour's Mahawanso, Introduction, p. xxvi. where the original

passage of the Bupasiddhi

is

in Prinsep's Journal,

144, where the fact

vii. p.

given.

the Tibetans call the Grammarian of

KAtya.

See also

Csoma de Koros, is

confirmed; as

K&ty&hi-bu— that

is,

the son

FAITH OF SAKYA.

51

two Katyayanas of the same family living* much about the same time, each of whom compiled a Pali

or

Prakrit grammar;

much more improbable than

a conclusion which

is

that the two were one

and the same person. 31. I have been thus particular in stating all the

evidences in favour of this supposition, as the probable identity of the two great grammarians seems to

me

to offer

an additional reason

for considering*

Sakya Muni as one of the chief benefactors of his For I believe that we must not look upon S&kya Muni simply as the founder of a new religious

country.

system, but as a great social reformer

preach the perfect equality of

all

who dared

to

mankind, and the

consequent abolition of caste, in spite of the menaces of the most powerful and arrogant priesthood in the

We

world.

must regard him

also

as

a

patriot,

who, in spite of tyrannical kings and princes, had courage to incite his countrymen to

the

forcible abduction of their wives

great men.*

To him

resist the

and daughters by

the Indians were indebted for

a code of pure and practical morality, which inculcharity

cated

and

chastity,

works, and abstinence from to

all

living things.

performance of good

evil,

To him

and general kindness also

I believe they

owe the early refinement and systematic arrangement of their language in the selection of the learned * See the fifth of the " Seven Imperishable Precepts, imparted

by Sakya vii. p.

to the people of Vaisali."

991.

—Turnour

in Prinsep's Journal,

;

THE BHILSA TOPES.

52

Katyayana as the compiler of the Sanskrit and Pali grammars. 32. As the champion of religious liberty and social Stikya

equality,

their weakest

Muni

Brahmans

the

attacked

in

and most vulnerable points; in

their

mediation between

man

impious assumption of

all

and his Maker, and

in their arrogant claims to here-

ditary priesthood.

But

was

his boldness

successful;

and before the end of

his long career he had seen and successfully promulgated Brahman disciples Sariputra, Mangalyana,

his principles zealously

by

his

Ananda, and Kasyapa, as well as by the Vaisya Katyayana and the Sudra Up all At his death, in B.C.

543, his doctrines had been firmly estab-

lished

and the divinity of

;

his

mission was fully

recognized by the eager claims preferred by kings

and rulers

for relics

His

of their divine teacher.

ashes were distributed amongst eight cities

;

and the

charcoal from the funeral pile was given to a ninth is more clearly shown by the mention of the numerous cities where he lived and preached. Amongst these are Champa and

but the spread of his influence

Rajagriha on the

*

Sakya began

and died announced

east,

Sravasti and

In the short space of

the west.

at

Kausambi on

forty-five years,*

his public career at thirty-five years

eighty.

Mahomed was

his mission in

born

in

of age,

569 a. d.

he 609 at forty years of age, and died in :

when he was seventv-five. In a. r>. 640, or in thirty-one years from the announcement of his mission, the arms and the religion of Mahomed had spread over the ancient empires of Egypt, 644,

Syria, and Persia.

FAITH OF SAKYA. wonderful

this

own

man

53

succeeded in establishing

1

his

peculiar doctrines over the fairest districts of the

Ganges; from the Delta

Agra and Cawnpore. much due to the early own

neighbourhood of

This success was perhaps as corrupt state of Brahmanism,

as to the greater purity

of his

to the

and more practical wisdom

But, rapid as was the progress

system.

Buddhism, the gentle but steady swell of its current shrinks into nothing before the sweeping of

flood of

Mahomedanism, which,

in a

few years, had

spread over one half of the civilized world, from the sands of the Nile to the 33.

The two most

swampy

fens of the Oxus.

successful religious impostures

which the world has yet seen, are Buddhism and

Mahomedanism.

Each

creed owed

its

origin to the

individual, and each was numbers of zealous followers. by rapidly propagated

enthusiasm

of a single

But here the parallel ends for homed was addressed wholly to ;

the

Koran

of

Ma-

the " passions" of

mankind, by the promised gratification of human

and

desires both in this world

Dharma "

of Sakya

intellect,"

Muni was

transitoriness

of

all

;

while the

addressed wholly to the

wean mankind from the of this life by pointing to the

and sought

pleasures and vanities

in the next

to

Mahomed

human enjoyment.

achieved his success by the offer of material or bodily pleasures in the next

life,

while

Sakya succeeded by

the promise of eternal deliverance of the soul from the fetters of mortality.

The former propagated

ligion by the merciless edge of the sword

;

his re-

the latter

—

THE BHILSA TOPES.

54

by the persuasive voice of the missionary. The sanguinary career of the Islamite was lighted by the lurid flames of burning- cities; the peaceful progress

by the

of the Buddhist was illuminated

cheerful faces

by the happy Dharmsdlas by the

of the sick in monastic hospitals,* and smiles of travellers reposing in

The one was the personification of bodily and material enjoyment; the other was the

road-side. activity

genius of corporeal abstinence, and intellectual contemplation, f *

Mahawanso,

p. 249.

Upatisso, son of

hospitals for cripples, for pregnant

Dhatusena

diseased. sick.

(p.

Buddha Das,

women, and

builds

for the blind

and

256) builds hospitals for cripples and

Buddha Das himself

(p.

245) ordained a physician for

every ten villages on the high road, and built asylums for the crippled, deformed,

f There

is

and

destitute.

a curious coincidence also in the manner of death of

the two teachers.

According to the Buddhists, Maro, the Angel of

Death, waited upon Sakya to learn when to die.

The Musulmans

assert the

it

would

be his pleasure

same of Muhammad.

the Angel of Death, entered the chamber of the

sick

Azrail,

man

to

announce that " he was enjoined not to interfere with the soul

of God's prophet, without an See Price's

Muhammadan

entire acquiescence

History, vol.

i.

p. 16.

on his part."

FIRST SYNOD.

CHAPTEE

55

IV.

FIEST SYNOD. 1.

The whole Bauddha community,

or all

who had

taken the vows of asceticism, were known by the general

name

of Sangha, or the

t(

congregation."

The same term, with the addition of the local name, was used to distinguish any one of the numerous Buddhist fraternities ; as Magadhe- Sangham, the fraternity of Magadha Santi Sangham, the fraternity of Santi, or Sdnchi* It was also employed to denote the general assemblies f of monks, which were held at stated periods; as well as the Grand ;

Assemblies, which occasions. called

* See the ;

this

volume.

only

on

particular

the

First,

Second,

and

were held at different periods, Bhabra

the other

first

place

Three of these extraordinary assemblies,

respectively

Synods, J

took

is

inscription,

for

the

Jour. As. Soc. Bengal, for the

used in the Sanchi

pillar inscription,

published in

f MeyaXrjv awolov is the expression of Megasthenes annual assembly held at Palibothra. t

Third

for the

PrathamS, Droitaye, and Tritaye Sangham, or Sangiti.

THE BHILSA TOPES.

56

suppression of heresy, and the solemn affirmation of

orthodoxy.

The

2.

first

of these assemblies

was convoked

after

the death of Sakya, in the middle of the year 543 B.

a, by the great Kasyapa, on hearing

ones "

in-

" Revered

aged Subhadra* said the dotard, " mourn no more

sidious address of the !

the

1

We

!

are happily released from the control of the great

Srdmana (Buddha)

:

we

shall

no more be worried

c

is allowable/ and that is not allowable;' we can now do what we wish, and can leave undone what we do not desire." Kasyapa reflected that

with 'this

the present was the most fitting time to

summon a Dharma

general assembly for the solemn rehearsal of

and Vinaya, according to the injunction of Sakya.

"Ananda,"

said the

dying sage, "let the

Dharma

and Vinaya, which I have preached and explained to thee, stand in

death."

Reflecting' on

imperishable

meetings," shus.f

the place of a teacher after

precepts,

my

this,

and on the

"

hold frequent religious

to

first

of the

K&syapa addressed the assembled Bhik-

" Beloved

!

let

us hold a rehearsal both of

of the Vinaya" " Lord," replied " they, do thou select the Sthdviras and JBhikshus." Kasyapa therefore selected five hundred holy mendicant

the

Dharma and

monks who had mastered the

Tripitaka, or Three

By them it was decided that the First Synod should be held at Rajagriha during the rainy

Repositories.

*

Tumour,

in Prinsep's Journal, vii. 512.

+

Tumour,

in Prinsep's Journal, vii. 518.

FIRST SYNOD.

when

season,

57

the regular pilgrimages of the Buddhist

monks were suspended. 3. At the full moon of the month of Asarh (1st July, 543 B. c), the five hundred monks having assembled

month

at

Rajagriha, spent the whole of that

in the repairs of their Vihars, lest the heretics

should taunt them,* saying, "the disciples of

Gotama

kept up their Vihars while their teacher was

alive,

hut they have forsaken them since his death."

With

the assistance of Ajdtasatra, Raja of

Vihars were renewed for the

j

Magadha, the

and a splendid hall was built

assembly of the First Synod, at the mouth

of the Sattapanni Cave, on the side of the

for

the

Webhara

Five hundred carpets were spread around

Mountain.

monks; one throne was prepared

abbot on the south

side,

for

the

the north, f and

facing*

another throne was erected in the middle, facing the east, "

fit

for the holy

Buddha

himself."

Placing

this throne, the Raja sent a message saying, u Lords, my task is perassembly, to the

an ivory fan on

formed." 4.

On

the

moon (first week monks, having made their meal, and

fifth

of August), the

of the increasing

having laid aside their refection dishes and extra •

Tumour,

in Prinsep's Journal,

vii.

516.

" seat" of the Sthavira. In the t Sthavirdsan, the dsan or this throne is exactly reversed. position of the Mahawanso, p. 12,

Dharmdsan, " throne of Dharma," was placed in See Tumour, in Prinsep's Journal, the middle of the Assembly.

The

pulpit, or

—

vii.

517.

THE BHILSA TOPES.

58

Dharma

robes, assembled in the hall of the

with their

rig-lit

shoulders bare.

Synod,

They ranged them-

according to their rank, each in his appro-

selves

1

priate place

;

hall "glittered with the yellow

and the

robes" of the monks. 5.

The Synod was opened with the rehearsal of

whom Buddha

the Vinaya, superintended by Upali,

himself had pointed out as the most learned of

Up61i mounted

followers in "religious discipline."

Dharmasan, and with the ivory fan *

the

answered

all

the questions of

Kasyapa

Vinaya, in which there was nothing

During

omitted.

this

all his

in his

hand,

regarding- the

to be

added or

examination, the whole of the

assembled monks chanted the passage,

beginning with

Weranja dwells."

Vinaya, passage by " The holy Buddha in

This ended, Upali laid aside the

ivory fan, and descended from the

with a

sumed

reverential his

own

seat.

Dharmdsan ;

and,

bow to the senior monks, reThus ended the rehearsal of

Vinaya.

For the rehearsal of Dharma, the assembled (the nephew and companion of Buddha) f who, with his right shoulder bare, and 6.

Bhikshus selected Ananda

the ivory fan in his hand, took his seat on the pulpit *

The " jewelled

tioned in chiefs

of

fan,"

as

a symbol

the Mahareanso, p. 189; religious

fraternities

in

and

of authority, it is still

Ceylon,

on

all

is

men-

used by the state

occa-

sions.

t According to some, he was the son of Dotodana, the younger brother of Suddhodan, the father of Sakya.

—

!

FIRST SYNOD.

59

He

was then interrogated by Kasyapa on Dharma, beginning with the first words of S&kya,

of religion.

after his attainment to

tree at

Bodhi-Gaya.

These words are called

Hymn

'f

Buddha's

7.

Buddhahood, under the Bodhiof

Joy :"*

" Through a long course of almost endless beings

Have

Now

sorrow, sought the Great Creator.

I, in

thou art found,

Henceforth

And

from

my

its

8.

The

over

House of Sin,

ruins the glad Spirit shall spring,

Free from the

And

Great Artificer

soul shall quit this

fetters of all

mortal births,

all desires victorious."

Buddha's

examination ended with

last

injunction to his disciples, given under the Sal tree at Kusinara. " Bhikshus

Are 9.

!

I

now

transitory

conjure you

—seek

—earthly things

eternal rest."

These rehearsals of Vinaya and

Dharma

lasted

and were concluded at the beginning of March, 542 B. c, when it was announced that the religion of the "ten-power-gifted Deity"

for seven months,

This synod

should endure for five thousand years.f

was known by

different

names; as the Prathama-

Sangham, or First Synod, the Pancha-Satika-San*

the

Tumour,

in

Prinsep's

Supreme Being

builder"

—that

is,

is

Journal,

twice called

vi.

In

523.

this

hymn

GaMk&raka, the " house-

the artificer or creator of the

human

house, or

body. t See Tumour, in ruanso, p. 11.

Prinsep's Journal,

vi.

The " gifted with ten powers."

527

;

and Maha-

f

THE BHILSA TOPES.

60

gham, or Synod of Five Hundred, and the Sthdviraka

Sangham, or Saints'-Synod, because all belonged to the higher grade of monks.* 10.

From

this time until the

its

members

end of the long reign

of Ajatasatra, 519 B. a, the creed of

Buddha

ad-

This success was partly

vanced slowly, but surely.

politic admission of women, who, even in

due to the

the East, have always possessed

much

though

secret,

not apparent, influence over mankind. To most of them the words of Buddha preached comfort in this life, and hope in the next. To the young widow,

and the cast-off mistress, the

the neglected wife,

Buddhist teachers nuns.

offered

an honourable career as

Instead of the daily indignities to which

they were subjected

by grasping

and

cherous husbands,

faithless

miserable of the sex could

now

relatives,

trea-

the

most

lords,

share, although

still

humble way, with the general respect accorded who had taken the vows. The Bhikshunis were indebted to Ananda's intercession with Sakya in a

to all

for their admission into the ranks of the

community

;

paying their devotions principally to * See Fo-lime-hi, chap. xxv. note 11 p.

20

;

Bauddha

and they showed their gratitude by

and Tumour,

in

Prinsep's

;

his relics.

and Mahamanso, chap.

Journal,

vi.

527.

Csoma's Analysis of the Dulva, Trans. As. Soc. Bengal,

v.

See also vol. xx.

p. 92.

f See Csoma's Analysis of the Dulva, Res. As. Soc. Bengal, also Fo-hme-ki, chap. xvi. p. 101. vol. xx. p. 90; The Pikhieu-ni, or Bhikshunis, at Mathura, paid their devotions chiefly

FIEST SYNOD.

The

11.

61

was the same both

dress of the Ascetics

for males

and females.

ments,

all

of which were yellow

or

fastened round the waist and reaching to the

kilt,

knees

It consisted of three gar;

The Sanghdti,

1st,

1

2nd, The TIttar a- Sanghdti, a mantle, or cape,

;

which was worn over the

and under the

left shoulder,

right, so as to leave the right shoulder bare

3rd,

;

The Antara-vdsaha, an under vest or shirt for sleeping in.* The first and second garments are represented in many of the Sanchi bas-reliefs. They are the Stupa of

to

Buddha ascetic

A-nan (Ananda), because he had besought women the liberty of embracing

that he would grant to

The observances

life.

found in note 23, chap.

required from the nuns

The female

xvi. of the Fo-kwe-ki.

even of 100 years of age was bound to respect a first

*

monk

be

ascetic

even in the

year of bis ordination. Fo-kwe-ki, chap.

xiii.

Csoma, Res. As. Soc. Bengal,

note 14.

Analysis of the Dulva, states that these three pieces of

p. 70,

clothing were of a dark red colour

where mentioned the outward it is

may

;

but yellow

distinctions of the

is

the colour every-

These two colours are

in the Pali annals.

Buddhists of Tibet

;

may have been dark

probable that the Buddhist dress

Sakya's time, and yellow during the reigns of

still

and therefore red in

Asoka and Milindu.

According to the Chinese {Fo-kwe-ki, xiii. 10), the Sangkdti of seven pieces ; the Uttara - Sanghdti, of seven

consisted pieces is

;

and the Vdsaka of

five pieces

:

but the number of pieces

stated differently in another place (Fo-kwe-ki,

nine,

seven, and

five.

The

dress also

is

colours ; while in the Buddhist annals as yellow.

Ladies of wealth in

c. viii. p.

5) as

said to have been of divers it

is

Ladak have

invariably mentioned

their petticoats

formed

of numerous perpendicular strips of cloth, of different colours, but generally red, blue, and yellow. these dresses.

See Plate XI. of this volume

for

THE BHILSA TOPES.

62 all

barred perpendicularly to represent their formaof separate

tion

times, the

number of

In

sewn together.

pieces

pieces

after

denoted the particular

The

school or sect to which the wearer belonged.

mantle or cape was scarcely deep enough to hide the right breasts of the nuns

sented in the bas-reliefs

baring

—

at

least

so repre-

is

it

but as the same custom of

arm and shoulder

the right

amongst the

;

prevails

still

females of Middle Kan&war, on

any exposure of the

Sutlej, without

breasts,

the

I pre-

sume that their representation by the sculptor at Sinchi was only the result of his own clumsiness, as he could not otherwise show the difference of sex.

12.

When

as fetching'

the

monks

engaged in common occupation, such water, felling wood, and carrying loads,* always

are

At

mantles or capes.

represented

without

religious meetings, as

their

we have

seen at the First Synod, and as they are represented

throughout the Sanchi robes.

But during

bas-reliefs,

they wore

their contemplative

all their

abstraction

in the woods, the devotees are represented

naked to upper garments being hung up inside These devotees are, no their leaf-roofed houses. the waist, their

doubt, the Tvfivr)TT)Q

Tvfivtirai

of Kleitarchos

;

for

Yv/ivris

* All these acts are represented in the Sanchi bas-reliefs. first is

found on the

left pillar

partment, inner face.

ment of the same

or

mean a naked man, but only a

does not

The

pillar.

The

of the eastern gateway, second com-

others are

shown

in the third

compart-

FIRST SYNOD. lightly-clad

was applied

man; to

and

with

63

this

signification

These same devotees are, most probably, the aofiarai hists

of

were

it

the light-armed soldier of Greece.

other

Greek writers

positively

for

;

the

from

prohibited

Fvfivo-

Budd-

appearing

naked.*

members of the Bauddha community, who life, were called Sramana, or Sramanera. They who begged their food from motives of humility were dignified with the title of Bhikshu and Bhikshuni, or male and female mendicants. The Srdmanas are, beyond all doubt, the Tap/iavai (or Garmanes) of Megasthenes, and the Ilpafivai (or Pramnts) of Kleitarchos ;f while the Bhihshus are they who went about "begging both in villages and 13. All

led an ascetic

in towns." J

Megasthenes divides the Garmanes or Srdmanas into three classes, of which the most honourThese are clearly able were called BTylobii, "YXoj3ioi. 14.

the Bodhisatwas or Arhatas, the superior grade of

monks, who, having repressed •See

Fo-kwe-hi,

chap.

viii.

n.

all

8;

human

and chap.

passions, xvii.

n.

21.

See also Csoma's Analysis of the Dulva, Trans. A9. Soc. Bengal, vol. xx. p. 70,

where Sagama presents cotton cloths to the

monks and nuns, because she

had

heard

that

they

lathed

The Buddhist belief of the Tap/iavai, f Strabo, xv. of Megasthenes, is proved by his mention Iarpuoi, and 'YXojiwi, were allowed to join some of them. women of the fact that Ev/MpiXosofeiv S'evloie Kal yvvaiKag. J

Strabo, XV.

JL-n-aiTovvras Kal

Kara

Kuyjias

Kal iroKsis.

64

THE BHILSA TOPES.

were named Alobhiya* or " without desires."

.

They

woods upon leaves and wild fruits. Several scenes of ascetic life in the woods are repre-

lived

the

in

On

sented in the Sanchi bas-reliefs.

the lowermost

gateway (inside), there is a very lively scene of monks and nuns, who are occupied in various acts. Elephants and lions appear architrave of the northern

amongst the

and the king on horseback

trees,

approaching to pay them a 15.

The second

larpiKoi,

Iatriki,

which

word

name name

Megasthenes

is

doubt that

little

Pachhe, which seems

The Pali

fully as far

from the original as the Greek term. class, or

the

a corrupted transcript of Pratyeka, the

is

of the middle class of Buddhists. is

are

a pure Greek word, sig-

But I have

nifying physicians. this

visit.

of

class

is

removed

The

third

Srdwaka, are represented by the mendicants

before described. 16.

According

classes of

the

Kleitarchos,'f"

or

Naked;

Ilpoayupioi, or

Greek names

:

but

it

is

the

IloXn-i/coi,

Rural.

^5RnfH^T>

fr°

or

Townsmen;

All these are pure

not unlikely that Oreinos

only a transcript of the Pali * Sanskrit,

there were four

Pramnce: the Opivoi, or Mountaineers;

rv/iviirai,

and the

to

ma

>

Aran\

(Sanskrit

without, and lobh, desire.

pare the old latin lubedo, and the

name

is

ArCom-

of Queen Lab, of the

Arabian nights. f Strabo, |

On

title is

lib.

xv.

the stone box, extracted from No. 2

twice written >j

|*,

Aran; but

Tope

at Sanchi, this

in the inscriptions generally

FIRST SYNOD.

which was a

hanta),

first class

title

As

of monks.

65

of the Bodhisatwas, or

the Arhans, however, dwelt

chiefly in caves cut out of the living rock, the

of " hill-men"

perhaps, a marked one.

is,

name

Gumnetes,

or " lig'ht-clad," was, as I have already shown, only

another

name

for the

his fits of musing*,

Arkan, or hermit, who^ during

wore nothing but the

class, Politikos,

reaching

The name given

from his waist to his knees. next

kilt,

to the

seems only a copy, and a very

near one, of the Sanskrit

But

title

Pratyeka, or " single

may, perhaps, be descriptive of the duty of the Pratyeka; who, while he sought deliverance for himself, was not to understanding."

the Greek term

be heedless of that of others.* lead

him

As

to mingle with the people,

this

duty would

and chiefly with " townsman"

those of the towns, the appellation of

seems intended to distinguish the Pratyeka from the " hill-monk" or Arhan of the rock-cut caves.

The name of the

" rural ;" as the former

ArahantA.

may

or Arahata.

Tumour's

In

Arhanta.

513), the

vi.

Araha

written either

*"*fif«TT,

I

slightly

npothe mendicant nun."j No.

3.— Vaja-Gfutasa ddnam. " Gift of Vajra-Gupta."

No. 25 of Prinsep^ who reads Vajdgato" Gift of VkijagAn ; " because in Pali an ddnam, This

is

becomes ato in the genitive ; but he has omitted the vowel

u,

and the

final s in gutasa,

very distinct even in his *

The Nos.

Plates in his

Plate

own

both of which are

fac-simile.

of James Prinsep's inscriptions are taken from the

—

Journal

XXIII. ;

vol.

vi.,

Plate

XXVII., and

vol. vii.,

the lesser Nos. being in the former Plate, and the

greater Nos. in the latter.

———

236

THE BHILSA TOPES. No.

4.

—

Dhamagirikasa m&tu-ddnam. " Gift of Dharmagirika's mother."

Prinsep, No. 5, reads Dhamagdlika, but the vowels are very distinct in the inscription. No.

5.

Kekateydkasa Jamata Vijitasa d&nam.

" Gift of Janamata Vrijita of Kekateyaka" No.

6.

Kddasa-bhichhuno-ddnam.

" Gift of Kanda, the mendicant monk."

Prinsep, No. 15; translates bhichhuno, "poor man •"

but the Bhihshu was a mendicant

vows of poverty, and who begged No.

7.

—Devo-bh&g

(iniya)

who had taken

his bread.

Dhamanaka

(yd) Ihichhuniye

d&nam. " Gift of Deva's

Dharmanaka,

sister,

the men-

dicant nun."

—Inside.

From East to South No.

8.

— Vdkaldye Deviye Ahi-Mitama (tu-ddnam). " (Gift of) Vakala-Devi, the mother of AhiMitra."

Prinsep, No. 40; reads Akilaye Deviye ahi

mara ; but

own

the vowel

fac-simile.

same as that of No. No.

9.

No. 10.

i

in

Mita

is

distinct

The mother's name

is

matu

even in his nearly the

11.

ikaya. Phaguyavasa . " Of Phalguna the Updsiku." .

Nagadinasa-bhichhuno-dcmam.

" Gift of Nagadina, the mendicant monk."

——

INSCRIPTIONS. No. 11.

237

Ujeniya Vdkiliy&na d&nam. « Gift of Vakiliyan of Ujain."

See No. 76 for another No. 12.

gift of this person.

Ujeniya Gopdlasa-Visa(ka")masa-ddnam.

" Gift of Gopala Viswakarma

(the architect)

of Ujain."

Ayapasanakasa

No. 13.

" Gift of

—bhichhuno-ddnam.

Arya-Prasanaka,

the

mendicant

monk." No. 14.

Nadinagara Achalaya-bhikhuniya ddnam, " Gift of Achala, the mendicant nun of Nadinagara."

Nadinagard Kabojasa-lhikhuno ddnam. " Gift of Kamboja, the mendicant monk of

No, 15.

Nadinagara."

From South to West Gate

—Inside.

Siha-Bakhitasa-pajavatiya Sono Devaya ddnam.

No. 16.

" Gift of Sinha-Rakshita's

sister-in-law,

Sona-

Deva."

Pajavati wife.

the Sanskrit Praj&vati,

is

Prinsep,

differently

No.

a brother's

8, reads this inscription quite

:

Siha-rakhitasa-parawtiyasa-rudov&ya ddnam.

" Gift of Sri

name

out the lady's inscription

(or Sinha) Bakhita, the hill

is

man, to Rudova ? "

again mentioned in the next

:

No. 17.

Sono-Dewya-parijaya Agidoviyadha-ddnam.

" Gift of Sona-Deva's

man" No. 18.

servant,

Agni, the washer-

(?)

Subhagdyasa-bhdginikaya-d&nam.

" Gift of Subhagaya's

sister."

—

——

238

THE BHILSA TOPES.

No. 7, reads Sabhageyamasa-aginikeya " ddnam, Gift of Sabhageya, the fireman (or black•" smith) but I had the letters of all the inscriptions Prinsep,

I have full own transcript (See No. 36 for a

well cleaned before I copied them, and

my

confidence in gift of

Subhaga

himself)

:

Dhama-Bakhitasa — bhichhuno-ddnam. " Gift of Dharma Rakshita, the mendicant

No. 19.

monk."

A

No. 20.

(yd) sa-kamakasa-ddnam.

" Gift of Arya-Karmaka." No. 21

Pusagirino

.

— bhichhuno-ddnam.

" Gift of Pusagiri, the mendicant monk." No. 22.

—

.

.

.

" Gift of

pasa-kama Chada bhichhuniya ddnam. .

.

.

pakarma ChandI, the men-

cant Nun."

No. 23.

Samanerasa Abeyakasa Sethino ddnam.

" Gift

of the ascetic

Abeyaka,

the Sreshti." (See

No. 124.)

Sreshti means the master of a trade or guild ; a " deacon" in Scotland. Prinsep, Nos. 4 and 11, makes Samanera a man's name ; and reads " Gift of

Samanera and of Abeyaka;" but the omission of the conjunction cha, which should follow each this

name

were the true reading) shows that Samanera

only the

common

title

of ^TTOWtTj

(if is

Srdmanera, an

ascetic.

No. 24.

Pati-bdnasa hhichhuno Pddayasa Atevdsino ddnam.

" Gift of Pratiban, the mendicant monk, pupil of Pdndaya."

——

S39

INSCRIPTIONS. No. 25.

This

Udubaraghariyasa Sa . . Rakhitasa-ddnam. " Gift of 8ANDHAEAKSHiTA of Udubaraghariya." ; .

inscription

has

puzzled

from

Prinsep

its

rudeness. Udatikaye bkichhuni Vedisikayd ddnam. " Gift of TJdatika, the mendicant nun of Vidisa."

No. 26.

From West No. 27.

to

North Gate. — (Inside.)

— Yasopdlasa-da (nam) Ihadanaka. "

No. 28.

Gift of

Yasopala, the fortunate?"

Mahamaragimusapagirino-ddnam. " Gift of Sarpagiri, the . .

.

No. 29.— Pusasa-cha-Hatiyasa bhichhunoddnam.

"Gift of Pusa and of Hatiya, the mendicant monks."

No. 30.

Dhama

Rakhitaya Madhava-nikdye ddnam.

" Gift of

Dharma

Rakshita, of the Mddhava

community."

13TRJ, nikaya, means an assemhly, a congregation.

No. 31.

No. 32.

Dhana-bhiMuno ddnam. " Gift of Dhana, the mendicant monk." (Ga) ha-patino Budha Ghosa

" (Gift

No

24.

of) the householder,

Gotiputasa

.

.

.

Budha Ghosha."

Bhadukam bhichhuno ddnam. son, Bhanduka, the mendicant

" Gift of Goti's monk."

See No. 110 for another son of Goti. relic

See also the

hones of Sanchi, Sonari, and Andher, for other

sons of the same teacher.

——

240

THE BHILSA TOPES. No. 34.

— Veyajasa-g&masa-ddnam. " Gift of Vejajjagrama."

Prinsep, No. 10, suggests that the population of a village ;

offering;

called Vrijagrdma,

but the name

is

combined to make this most probably that of a

man. Araha-Gutasa Sds&dakasa bhichhuno ddnam.

No. 35.

"

Gift of

Arhata Gupta,

a mendicant

monk

of

the Sdsdrdaka order."

Sdsan

is

" devotion/' and arda means " to beg;"

Sdsdrdaka, therefore, means a religious mendicant, but as Bhikshu has the same signification, I have considered the former as the

title

of a particular class

or order. Sabhagasa Koragharasa ddnam.

No. 36.

" Gift of Subhaga, of Koraghara.

(See No. 18 for a gift of Subhaga's

Aya

No, 37.

sister.)

Bahilasa Sdrhineyakasa-Mdtu ddnam.

" Gift of

Arya EahilI,

the mother of Sarhi-

neyaha.

There

is

a grammatical mistake in the masculine

termination of the female name, which should have

been

Bahilaya.

The

son's

name may be

Saphineyaha.

From East Gate— Outside. No. 38.

— Vaddn&ye

Upa&ikdyd ddnam.

" Gift of Vadana, the Updsikd."

read

—

——

241

INSCRIPTIONS.

Upasika means literally a c< worshipper/' or rather a " female worshipper." M. Burnouf* renders this term by " devotee/' which certainly appears to be the best equivalent for

I consider the Up&saka

it.

and Upasika as male and female devotees who had not taken the vows of celibacy and mendicancy pro-

by the Bhihshu and JShikshuni.

fessed

Kdkandye Bhagavatopamona-lathi ; or

No. 39.

Kdhenoye Bhagavatopamdne-rathi,

No. 18; reads

as Prinsep, lation.

which

it;

but he gives no trans-

I can only suggest Bhagavata-upamanoratM,

may

be translated

" Gift of K&kana, an anxious longer

Manor atha is "

wish, desire/'

is

often

Bhagavat."

and upa means " excess the " Supreme Being,"

Bhagavata is applied to Buddha.

of anything."

and

for

No. 40.

Tubavani-gahapatinopatithiya-nasdya-visamana-

datiya-ddnam ; or vesa-man-

Gobavand-gahapati-nopatidhiyanusaya

dataya ddnam,

according to Prinsep, No. 6, * Introduction a l'Histoire

des textes,

lecture attentive

respectable a mes yeux que

who

thus

du Buddhisme Indien, et

quelques

celles

called

i.

p.

autorites

que je viens de

decide en faveur du sens de devot ou fdtte."

Hindu Theatre,

translates

279

—"La

non

moins

citer,

m'ont

See also Wilson's

123, where the heroine of the Mrichhakati

BuddhopAsikd, the " devoted-to-Buddha."

R

is

—

——

'

THE BHILSA TOPES.

242 it

:

.

" Gift of the

called

Nopati,

cowherd Agrapati,

to the highly

commonly

ornamented (Chaitya)

but Agrapati would be written Agapati,

:"

and not

gahapatino is the Pah genitive of the Sanskrit grihapati, a " householder/' and the

In

Agahapati.

inscription

may

fact,

be read thus

:

" Gift of Visarmana-datti the

.

.

•

of Pratisthiya, a

householder of Tubavan."

taking patithiya for pratisthiya. tion,

which

is

The next

four times repeated, refers to the same

person, and proves the correctness of is

Prinsep's No.

No

.

41

.

inscrip-

my

reading.

It

9.

Tubamni-gakapatino-patithiyasa-ddnam

" Gift of Pratisthiya, a householder of Tulavan."

No. 42.

NamdmaMdisd

rakhitasa ddnam.

" Gift of Isa-Rakshita, of Narmamakddi "

No. 43.

No. 44.

?

Nadavuno-cha Nadidrohisa-cha dinam. " Gift both of Nandabu and of Nadisirohi." Pothd Devdya ddnam.

"GiftofPoTHA-DEVA." No, 45,

— Kandarigdmiyasa

-

Ndgaya-

Sethino -pajavatiya

danam. " Gift of NagA, the sister-in-law of the Sreshti of

Kandarig&miya."

No. 46.

— Kandarigdmiyasa

-

Sethino -pajavatiya

-

Ddsdya-

ddnam. " Gift of DAsA, the

sister-in-law of the Sreshti of

Kandarigamiya.'

——

INSCRIPTIONS. No. 47.

243

Kandarigamd-varhasa ddnam. " Gift of Vakha, of Kandarigr&ma."

Kandarigrdma, or grdmiya, must have been a considerable place ; or

it

would not have had a Sreshti.

Mulagirino ddnam lekhakasa. " Gift of Mulagiri, the scribe."

No. 48.

Prinsep, No. 30, reads lakhakasa, the " millionaire."

But

the inscription occurs twice, and No. 49. No. 50.

Ujeniyi

—

.

.

is

quite distinct.

.

Yakhadtinasa-bhikhuno-ddnam.

" Gift of Yakshadana, the mendicant monk." No. 51.

Padondya- Upasikdkaya-ddnam. " Gift of Padona, the devotee."

No. 52.—

raha-Savdnodasa Isadatasa-ddnam. " Gift of Isa-datta, the humble in all things" .

.

.

I have taken savdnoda "

all"

as a

compound of

and anuddhat, humility ; but

1

sarvva,

this rendering- is

a mere conjecture. No. 53.

Navagdmikand Upasik&na-ddnam. " Gift of Navagamika, the devotee."

No. 54.

Isi-Mitdyd Vahilasa ddnam.

" Gift of Isi-Mitha of Vakila. (Bhilsa ?)"

This inscription No. 55.

is

on the

coping* to the north-east.

— Ujeniya Rohuniya ddnam. " Gift of Rohuni of Ujain."

No. 56.

Ujeniya Dhamagirino-ddnam.

" Gift of Dhabmagiei of Ujain."

——

THE BHILSA TOPES.

244

No. 29, reads Dhamagilino, but the meaning- of the name remains unchanged, the two Prinsep,

liquid letters r

and

being constantly used the one

Z

for the other.

No. 57.

— Ujeniya Sonasa ddnam. "GiftofSoNAof

Ujain."

Ujeniya Tapasaydna Pusanajaya ddnam.

No. 58.

"Gift

of

the

tapasya

(ascetic)

Pusdnajd of

Ujain."

Prinsep, No. 35, reads punsanamjaya, and trans-

" The victory

lates

gift

of the people performing

But tapasya

austerities

at Ujain."

like that of

Bkikshu or Upasikd

to imagine

how

is

and

•

only a

it is

title,

not easy

the gift of a stone-slab could have

anything to do with a victory. No. 59.

— Ujeniya Tapasayana " Gift of the

ascetic

Isi

Mitasd-ddnam.

Isi-Mitra of Ujain."

Prinsep, No. 32, reads Isi-mdtasa, and translates,

" The

gift

of the

body of

rishis

performing* their

austerities at Ujain."

No. 60.

— Ujeniya Mula-dataye ddnam. " Gift of Mula-datta of Ujain."

No. 61.— Ujeniya Balakaya ddnam.

No. 62.

" Gift of

Balaka

Ujeniya

Upedadatasa

of Ujain."

—pajavataya

Maya-dalaya

ddnam.

"Gift

of

Mayadatta,

the

TJpendradatta of Ujain."

sister-in-law

of

—

245

INSCRIPTIONS.

No. 34, reads padavalayuchhaya, " translates, The gift of Upendradatta of Ujain,

and

Prinsep,

perpetual charity to the itinerants." ficult

to conceive

how

the

gift

But

for a

is

dif-

of a stone to

the

it

Sanchi enclosure could form a charity to anybody.

The

correctness of

my

reading

is

proved by the two

Upendradatta's

following inscriptions.

own

gift

is

recorded in No. 90. No. 63.

— Ujeniya

Upedadatasa

Himadataya

bhaginiya

ddnam. " Gift of Himadatta, the

sister

of Upendra-

datta of Ujain."

Ujeniya Upedadatasa ihaginiya Budhaye-ddnam.

No. 64.

" Gift of Buddha, the

sister of

Upendradatta of

Ujain."

Ujeniya Kadiye bhichhuniye ddnam. " Gift of Kadru, the mendicant nun of Ujain."

No. 65.

No. 66.

— Ujeniya Chheta-matu ddnam. " Gift of Chhetra's mother of Ujain."

Prinsep, No. 31, prefers Kshatra's mother

the meaningNo. 67.

is

j

but

exactly the same.

— Ujeniya Tapasiyena Siha-dataya ddnam. " Gift of the Ascetic Sinha-datta of Ujain."

This

No. 37.

is

probably the same inscription as Prinsep's If so the p of Tapasiyena has been omitted.

No. 68.

— Ujeniya Saphineyakina Isakasa ddnam. " Gift of Isaka, the Saphineyaki (?)of Ujain."

Prinsep,

No. 33,

translates

" The

gift

of

the

— ——

246

THE BHILSA TOPES.

By reading

morality students of TJjain to the rishis." savineyaka,

as

Prinsep

has

the

done,

translation

would rather be " learned in Vinaya," which was the

name

of the lowest class of Buddhist scriptures. No. 69.

Kuraghara hi Mitaya ddnam. " Gift of Isi Mitra of Kuraghara."

No. 70.— Ujeniya Vipulaya ddnam. " Gift of Vipula of TJjain." No. 71.

Kuraghara Naraya ddnam. " Gift of Nara of Kuraghara."

No. 72.

Kuraghari Nigd Mitaya ddnam. " Gift of Nagamitra of Kuraghari."

No. 73.

Bodhe Gothiye Dhama Varhanana ddnam. " Gift of Bodhi-Gothi for the advancement

of

Dharma." No. 74.

Nagddinasa-bhichhuno ddnam.

" Gift of Nagadina, the mendicant monk." No. 75.

Phaguyavasa

.

rikdya.

"(Giftof)PHALGUNA No.

.

.

."

(See No. 9.)

76. — Ujeniya

Vakiliydnd ddnam. " Gift of Vakiliyan of TJjain."

Prinsep, No. 28, reads Phahiliyanam, and translates

See No. 11 for

"Gift of subscribers of Ujain."

another of this person's No. 77.

gifts.

— Ujeniya Gohilasa

Visasa-cha

" Gift of Gohila and of

No. 78.

d&nam.

Viswa

of Ujain."

Chirdtiya hhichhuniyd ddnam.

" Gift of Chirati, the mendicant nun."

Prinsep,

woman."

No. 14,

translates

bhikshuni as

" poor

———

247

INSCRIPTIONS. No. 79.

Sadhanasa bhichhuno ddnam. " Gift of Sadhana, the mendicant monk."

No. 80.

Aswa-Devaye Bahadata mdtu ddnam. " Gift of Aswa-Deva, the mother of Bahadatta."

Prinsep, No. 41, reads " No. 81.

Aswa

Devi."

— Utareyekasa Saligutasa ddnam. " Gift of Satya

Gupta

of Utareyaka."

Prinsep, No. 38, reads Ogireyakasa, the

wala" or " son of Agra;" but with u} and not with No. 82.

l


OPENING OF THE SANCHI TOPE, NO. and perhaps even a century

271

1.

or about b. c.

earlier,

500,*

The date of the colonnade

4.

or railing

1

might be

determined approximately to belong to the age of

Asoka, by the alphabetical characters of the inscriptions,

which are exactly similar

But

edicts.

there

a

is

still

to those of the pillar

more

certain proof of the

correctness of this date in the short inscription,

No.

110, which records the " gift of Subahita, son of Goti

This Goti was a descendant of Kodini (Sans. Kohudinya), one of the principal disciples of Buddha. As he was the teacher of Vachhi

the royal scribe."

Suvijayata, he must have taken the vows

His

eldest son, Ootiputra,

Buddhist teachers of his day. from the

two

relic inscriptions

himself.

was one of the most famous

We

learn this fact

which record the names of

Of these, the most celewho conducted the proThird Synod in B. c. 241. The other

disciples of Gotiputra.

brated

is

that of Mogaliputra,

ceedings of the pupil 6.

was Vachhiputra.

A

third son of

Goti,

named Kakanava Pra-

bhdsan, was the donor of Suvijayata's relics to the

Sanchi Tope, No. 2

;

and

his

own

relics

were found

Andher Tope, No. 2. A fourth son, named Bhanduka, is mentioned in the colonnade inscription,

in the

* I suppose that the interior brick b.

c, and that the stone

addition tisso,

stone.

casing;

was not unusual.

king' of

Tope may be

was added by Asoka.

See Mahawanso,

p.

as old as

500

This kind of

202, where Lajji-

Ceylon, encloses the Thuparamo with a case of

272

THE BHILSA TOPES.

No. 33.

Thus three sons of Goti had taken the vows, whilst a fourth became the King's Scribe, or Secretary (Raja'Lip&kara). As the eldest of these brothers was

was probably some-

the teacher of Mogaliputra, he

what

older than his pupil, although not necessarily

The younger brother may

so.

upon

the

as

therefore be

contemporary of Mogaliputra, which

will fix his date

from 260 B.

to 230, during the

C.

most flourishing period of the Buddhist 6.

looked

religion.

The age of the gateways has been ascertained

from an inscription carved on a bas-relief representa-

Tope on the upper architrave of the southern

tion of a

This inscription (No.

entrance.

"

190) records the

an entrance architrave by Ananda, the son

gift of

of Vasishtha, in the reign of Sri

Satakarni."

This

Macommon

Prince was the third of the Andhra kings of

gadha

;

and

consent of first

his reign has been fixed,

all archaeologists, in

by the

the early part of the

According to

century of our era.

my

chrono-

logy he reigned from 19 to 37 A. D. 7.

The

fact that the

gateways are of

than the colonnade or railing,

more recent character

of

the

is

later date

confirmed by the

which

inscriptions,

approaches that of the Sah coins of Gujrat.

For

the sake of comparison, I have collected all these

gateway

inscriptions in Plate

ancient record

of

the

XIX., beneath the more

Southern Pillar.

arrangement, a single glance is sufficient to

By

this

show the

great change which had taken place in the alphabetical characters in about

two centuries and a

half.

OPENING OF THE SANCHI TOPE, NO.

But

8.

there

is

still

273

1.

one more convincing

1

proof

that the gateways are of later date than the railing.

In the plan of the Tope, in Plate VIII., the old railing on which the more ancient inscriptions are carved, is shaded lightly, and the additional railing and gate-

way

pillars,

found, are

on which the

made

less ancient inscriptions are

By

quite hlack.

this it will be seen

that a half pillar of the more recent railing

abut against the third

pillar

of the

is

made

to

older railing.

Now, as most of the old pillars were seemed probable that one inscription at

inscribed, least

it

would

be found hidden by the half pillar of the less ancient

And

railing.

is

the fact at the northern

where a long hidden inscription on the

entrance, pillar

such, indeed,

of

the

old

railing

now

is

revealed

by the

separation of the two pillars of different ages. 9.

The

and of

different dates of the Tope, of its colonnades

gateways, have been satisfactorily settled

its

within certain limits the building

is

more

;

but the destination or object of

difficult to

the non-discovery of

relics,

I

be ascertained.

infer that this great

chaitya was dedicated to the Supreme Buddha. conjecture

From This

strengthened by the existence of statues

is

of the four mortal Buddhas at the entrances.

For

modern Buddhists of Nepal, when they dedicate a Chaitya to Adi Buddha, to place four statues of the Dhyani Buddhas at its base. it is

the practice of the

Vairochana ani

(or light), the first of the

Buddhas,

building.

is

Pancha Dhy-

supposed to occupy the centre of the

It seems quite possible, however, that this

274

THE BHILSA TOPES.

Tope contained some believe, the relics

relics of

Sakya; but

if,

as I

of the holy teacher were always

kept in some easily accessible place, for the purpose of being-

shown

to the people

on stated

festivals, it

seems probable that they would have been carried

by the monks, on the general break-up

of the

dhist monastic establishments throughout India.

off

Bud-

;

NO. 2 TOPE.

—SANCHI.

CHAPTER

275

XVIII.

NO. 2 TOPE.— SANCHI.

In 1819, when Captain Fell visited Sanchi, this Tope was " in perfect repair, not a stone having fallen " * but in 1822 it was half destroyed by the 1.

same amateur antiquaries who ruined the larger Tope. It stands half

way down

the slope of the

about

hill,

400 yards from the great Tope, from which it bears 109^° west. The hill has been carefully levelled, and the western side built up to form a court 100 feet square, in the midst of which stands the Tope sur-

rounded by the usual Buddhist 2.

The

rough

Tope

is

a

railing.

hemisphere

solid

stones, without mortar)

39

feet in

(built

of

diameter,

springing from a cylindrical plinth of the same dia-

The basement is 6 meter, and 3f feet in height. feet in height, with a projection of 5 feet 4 inches, which forms a terrace shippers.

by

The

terrace

for the perambulation of is

wor-

reached on the eastern side

a double flight of steps

(now in ruins) 5

* Prinsep's Journal,

iii,

494.

feet

2

;

THE BHILSA TOPES.

276

inches wide, which meet at a landing-place, 7 feet

6 inches square.

The hemisphere was flattened at top to form a terrace ; which, when measured in its perfect state by Captain Fell, was 19 feet in diameter.* This was most probably enclosed by a coping*, or cornice, 3.

similar

that which

to

terrace of

No.

Buddhist

pedestal,

railing-

being only 4

Tope at Andher.

1

stood a square

centre

its

whole height

The fragments of

this railing,

which I measured, were

:

—

height, with a section of rails,

In the

surrounded by a square

of small dimensions,

feet.

around the

represented

is

pillars,

3

inches

"7\

feet

1^ inch in

by 5§ inches

by 8J inches broad, at intervals The pedestal was of course originally

10|- inches long

of 2f inches.

surmounted by a

chattel,

but of this no trace -now

remains. 4.

The whole

is

in height, with four

7 feet 6 inches

wards the four pillars

are 5

inches

sides

of the

entrances to-

square

The

court.

feet 11 \ inches in height, with a section

of 15 \ inches

the

surrounded by a Buddhist railing

broad,

middle.

The

by 11^

inches.

with

thickness

The

a

are

18

inches

in

rails

of 5^

inter - columniation

varies

from

17 to 18 inches; and, as in the great Tope, seems The coping is to be equal to the depth of rail.

21 inches in height, and 14 inches connected

to

the

the large Tope.

pillars

in

the

and same way as thick,

is

in

This railing, like that of the great

* Prinsep's Journal,

iii.

494.

NO. 2 TOPE.

Tope,

west being 74|

and the shorter diameter from

feet,

north to south only 69

feet.

By

all

8 feet

pre-

is

round the base of the building.*

The

5.

ellipticity of

this

form, a clear breadth of more than served

277

the longer diameter from east to

elliptical,

is

—SANCHI.

pillars of the

Buddhist railing which have

already been described, are perfectly plain

;

but these

by medallions containing a variety of and numerous animals, both known and The medallions are circular in the middle

are ornamented flowers,

fabulous.

of the pillar, and semi-circular at

The

its

head and base.

semi-circular medallions are nearly

flowers

;

but the

and winged

Many

bulls.

are generally coarse

The

men and

animals

and clumsy.

pillars of the entrances are'covered

reliefs, all

with

of the flower orna-

ments are pretty, but the figures of

6.

all filled

men and women,

and elephants, centaurs, winged

horses, bulls, lions horses,

medallions have

full

with bas-

of the same inferior style of art, save a few

remarkable exceptions at the eastern entrance, one of

which

is

much

superior, even to the best bas-reliefs of

This represents a female standing in

the great Tope.

a doorway, with her right hand resting on her hip,

and

in her left

hand a

parted on the right

lotus flower.

side.

She

is

Her

hair

is

naked to the waist,

is drawn over the The graceful proportions and easy atti-

from which a single piece of drapery left thigh.

tude of this figure place

its

sculptor almost in the

same rank with the carver of the *

See Plate

XX.

for a plan

beautiful lions of the

and view of

this

monument.

;

278

THE BHILSA TOPES.

south there

On

pillar.

another face of the same

pillar

a two-horse chariot containing two figures, 1

is

and attended by an elephant carrying a standard-

On

bearer.

a second pillar

is

represented a wheel, or

symbol of Buddha, standing- on an

Two

mented with garlands.*

bowing down 7. is

On

altar,

and orna-

kneeling figures are

to the steps of the altar.

one of the

pillars of the south entrance there

a representation of a Tope, enclosed with a Budand surmounted by a square

dhist railing,

by the usual

chatta.

On

pedestal,

a second pillar

is

and

repre-

sented an isolated column surmounted by three lions

bearing a wheel or symbol of Buddha. 8.

On

relief of

a pillar of the west entrance there

is

a bas-

a single column surmounted by three ele-

phants carrying the same wheel emblem of Buddha.

The base

is

enclosed

outside which

paying 9.

two

by a square Buddhist

figures, a

railing

male and a female, are

their adorations.t

On

a pillar of the north entrance, the wheel or

emblem of Buddha is represented resting on the On peculiar monogram or symbol of Dharma.J suranother pillar is shown an isolated column, mounted by an elephant, and two the wheel emblem of Buddha. 10.

The colonnade of

Great Ohaitya, bears * See Plate

this Tope, like that

many

XXXI.,

t See Plate XXXI., j

carrying

lions,

inscriptions,

fig. 6, fig. 1,

See Plate XXXII.,

of which

of this work,

of this volume,

fig. 1,

of the

of this volume.

NO. 3 TOPE.

—SANOHI.

279

These inscriptions are

none have yet been published.

chiefly valuable for the light that they

throw on the

changes which had gradually taken

place

in

the

these

is

the

substitution

The most remarkable of of Bhikhu for BMchhu.

exceptions,

the

language.

latter

is

the

only

With

spelling

five

used

throughout the numerous inscriptions of Asoka' s age

on the colonnade of the Great Tope at Sanchi the former

is

the only spelling used in

all

;

while

the gate-

way But on

the colonnade of this Tope

spellings

bhikhu being used ten times, and bhichhu

inscriptions of the age of Sdtakarni.

five

;

times.

From

the colonnade

was

this

fact

we may

we have both conclude that

certainly erected at

some period

between the ages of Asoka and Sri Satakarni. is

This

borne out by the forms of the alphabetical charac-

ters,

which, though generally like those of Asoka's

time, yet present

some

differences

which undoubtedly

The principal change is seen manner of attaching the vowel u at the foot of In the Asoka inscriptions, this is done by the kh.

point to a later date. in the

the intervention of a dot, or point the present Tope, the circle.

dot

is

;

but in those of

replaced

by a small

— —

280

THE BHILSA TOPES.

CHAPTEE INSCRIPTIONS.— NO. PI.

XXI V

No.

2

XIX. TOPE.— SANCIir.

Ndgildsi ddnam Ayasa-atevasino.

1.

" Gift of Nagilasi, the pupil of Aryya."

No.

Dhama

2.

Bakhitasa sejhasaka.

" (Gift) of Dharma Rakshita No.

3.

.

.

P&dulml&lidyag&masa ddnam.

" Gift of Aryyagrama, of the P&ndu

The

."

celebrated

name

with, for the first time,

met on a genuine ancient monuof the

Pandus

race."

is

here

The use of the cerebral d, and the affix of the term hula, " race or tribe," prove that I am right in ment.

attributing this gift to one of the race of also

No. No.

8, for another inscription of a

4.

5.

See

Budhilasa-bhogavarhanakasa ddnam.

" Gift of Budhila, the No.

Pandu.

Pandu.

—

.

.

increaser of enjoyment."

ma-devaya ddnam Mitamajheya Antevd-

sini(ya).

(Dhar)ma Deva, Madhya."

" Gift of

No.

6.

the pupil of

Isilasa bhikhuno ddnam. " Gift of Isila, the mendicant monk."

Mitra

——

INSCRIPTIONS.— NO. 2 TOPE.— SANCHI.

281

— Sagha Mitasa bhikhuno danam.

No.

7.

No.

8.

" Gift of Sangha Mitra, the mendicant monk."

Budha

Paliiasa Sethino Padukuliniyase danam.

Budha

" Gift of

PAlita, the Sreshti

(or

master of

a trade*) of the race of Pandu."

No.

9.

—

yapana «Gift0f(AB)YYAPANA

No. 10.

.

.

.

.

kasa danam.

.

..."

Budha Sakhitasa anammitakasa d&nam. " Gift of Rakshita ." .

.

— Vijhasa bhikhuno d&nam.

No. 11.

" Gift of Vidta, the mendicant monk."

No. 12.

— Yakhilasa bhichhuno d&nam. " Gift of Yakshila, the mendicant monk."

N&gap&yasa Achhava(da)sa Sethisa d&nam.

No. 13.

" Gift of

NAgapaya Achhavada,

the Sreshti."

See Nos. 182 and 192 of No. 1 Tope, which both give

name

the

of

N&gap&ya

(or

friya) Achhavada, but the

persons cannot be the same, as there

is

a difference in

the dates of the inscriptions of the two Topes of about

two

The two donors must, however, have

centuries.

been of the same family. No. 14.

—

sapaMya Soraya d&nam bhikkuniya. " Gift of (Ka)syapaki Sora, the mendicant nun."

No. 15.

.

.

—

ValayA Korariye bhikhunaye d&nam. " Gift of Vala Korari (the weaver ? ), a mendicant nun."

No. 16.

Bhama Sanaya " Gift of

Korariya ddnambhi

Dharma

.

.

.

Sena, Korari, the mendicant

nun." *

The meaning of

this

term has been given before; but

De as well to repeat here, that Sreshti is

equivalent to the modern Chaodri.

is

it

may

the head of a guild, and

—

282

THE BHILSA TOPES. No. 17.

"

Naga Palitaya ddnam ihabho. Naga Palita."

Pillar-gift of

Phagulaya bhikhuniya ddnam.

No. 18.

" Gift of Phaoula, the mendicant nun."

Balakasa Ayasa Arapa Grutasa sdsd

No. 19.

(nan)-

.

dakasa atevasino ddnam.

" Gift of

Balaka Aryya,

Gupta, the

the pupil of

Arapa -

(delighter) in Scripture."

Balaka may mean simply a boy, and Balaka Ayasa will signify only the child

Arapa ; but I No. 20.

Aryya. name

believe the true

My copy reads to be

Araha.

— Yama Rakhitdya bhikhuniya ddnam. " Gift of Yama Eaeshita, the mendicant nun."

No. 21.

"

Muldya ddnam-thabho Yadaya Atevasiniya. MulI, the pupil of Yada."

Pillar-gift of

Sagha Rakhitaya mata

No. 22.

.

.

daka Isiddsiya

bhichhuniya ddnam.

" Gift of Sangha Eakshita, the

.

of Isidasi,

.

the mendicant nun."

No. 23.

— Yasa Budha Rahhitasa Pokhareyakasa ddnam. Yasa Budha Rakshita,

" Gift of

of Pokhare-

yaha."

No, 24.

— Vindkdye " Gift of the

This inscription

wheel

pillar

is

of the

Vddyuvahanikdye ddnam. lute-player,

Vadyuvahanika."

carved on the bas-relief of a

western entrance.

There has

been an attempt to render some double letter, and I am not satisfied that I have read the middle part of the inscription correctly.

If

we might read ^j

3^, vadhu, instead of vadyu, which seems

or

perfectly

—

— —

INSCRIPTIONS.— NO. 2 TOPE. allowable, the translation

Vinaka

;

— SANCHI.

283

would be simply " Gift of

the daughter-in-law

(son's

wife)

of

Va-

HANIKA." No. 25. " No. 26.

Pedaya bhikhmiya thabho ddnam. Penda, the mendicant nun."

Pillar-gift of

Isadakaditisisasa ddnam. " Gift of Isabakaditya (?)

No. 27.

.

(or Isadakanditi)."

Isddekadiyd ddnam. " Gift of ISADEKANDI."

No. 28.

No. 29.

(I)saddkadiya Patolaya ddnam. " Gift of Isadakandi, of Pratold."

Budha " Gift of

This inscription it

Pd(litd)sdkodiya ddnam.

Budha Palita is

much

.

.

."

mutilated; but I believe

to be the same as No. 8. No. 90.

Sagha Mitasa Sonadakasd ddnam. Sangha Mitra, of Sonadaka."

" Gift of

No. 81.

Budha " Gift of

No. 32.

(Miti)sedakadiya ddnam.

Budha Mitra

Abha(ti)sd

ddnam

" Half-gateway

.

.

."

adha-porikasa.

gift of

Abhrati

(the brotherless)."

Adha-porikasa I have taken for arddha-paurikasya, " of half an entrance/' which is not an unlikely gift to

have been made to the Tope.

Plate, No. 33.

— Hasogirino ddnam bhichhuno. " Gift of Yasogiri, the mendicant monk."

No, 34,

AraJiakasa bhichhuno chanakaya ddnam. " Gift of the holy bhikshu Chanakya."

This inscription will admit of several readings, such as

——

284

THE BHILSA TOPES. "

Gift of Arhdka, the

mendicant monk of Cha-

nakd."

" Gift of Arhaka, the mendicant monk, and of

Nak&r No. 35.

Bahulasa ddnam.

"GiftofBAHULA." No. 36.

Gadaya Nadinagarikaya. " Gift of Ganda, of Nadinagarikd."

No. 37.

Idagi(riya)sa ddnam. " Gift of Indragiriya."

No. 38.

Aya Nandahasa bhikhuno ddnam. " Gift of Aryya Nandaka, the mendicant monk." Naga

No. 39.

Rakhitasa

bhiohhuno

Pokhareyaliasa

ddnam.

" Gift of Naga Rakshita, the mendicant monk, of

PoMareyaha." No. 40.

Sagha Rakhitasa bhichhu danam hma. " Gift of Sangha Rakshita, the mendicant monk."

No. 41.

(Ya)khihanakasa Udabaraghariyasa danam. " Gift of Yakshihanaka, of Udabaraghariya."

No. 42.

—

.

.

.

Udabaraghariyasa.

...

"

(Gift) of

"

Pillar-gift of

of Udabaraghariya."

Sediya bhikhuniya thabho ddnam.

No. 43.

Sendi, the mendicant nun."

OPENING OF NO. 2 TOPE. —SAN CHI.

CHAPTER OPENING OF NO. 1.

On

2

285

XX.

TOPE.— S^NCHI.

looking at this Tope, which Captain

had seen perfect in 1819, I must confess that I

Fell felt

a

secret satisfaction that the labours of the bung-ling

who had half ruined it in 1822, had ended nothing. But at the same time I had some mis-

amateurs, in

givings, from the large size of the breach, whether their

workmen had not reached

several careful

tenant

After

measurements, however, both Lieu-

Maisey and

actual centre

the centre.

myself

had not

satisfied

felt

that the

quite been attained, although

the excavators must have been within a single foot of

After a few hours' labour in clearing

it.

away

the

loose stones from the middle of the breach, we began

carefully to sink a shaft

In three hours more from the western

down

the centre of the Tope.

the removal of a single stone

side of the shaft, disclosed

a small

chamber containing a stone box. 2.

The chamber was made of

on edge forming the the top and bottom.

sides,

six stones, four set

and two

laid flat forming*

The chamber was not

in the

— THE BHILSA TOPES.

286

centre of the building-, but two feet to the westward of

the measurement from the south side being 18^ 1

it,

or exactly half the diameter, while that from the

feet,

was 20J feet, or 2 feet more than the The bottom of the chamber was semi-diameter. eastern side

exactly 7

feet

above the terrace or upper surface

of the basement, and 3J feet above the centre of the

hemisphere.

The

3.

formed of white sandstone,

relic-box,

is

11

9^ inches broad, and the same in height, It was standing- with one of its including the lid. inches long,

long sides to the east, towards the Great Tope.

removing

from the chamber, we found the follow-

it

ing inscriptions carved in three lines on face

On

its

eastern

:

Savina Vinaydk&na Aran Kasapa

Gotam Up&diya Aran cha Vdchhi Suvijayatam Yindyaka.

" Teacher of all branches of Vinaya, the Arhat KAsyapa

Gotra, Up&diya

(or

Abbot) ; and the Arhat

Vachhi Suvijayata, 4.

teacher of Vinaya."*

Up&diya, in Sanskrit UpadMya, was the Abbot

or head of a Buddhist monastery,

who had accom-

plished Updddna, or the complete restraint of

all

organs of sense, and the consequent suppression of earthly desires.

religionists

;

all

Vinaya was the lowest of the three

advancement

grades of

the

and the

taught

fact that

by the

Buddhist

Kasyapa-Gotra was

a teacher of Vinaya will account for his mission * See Plate

XX.

OPENING OF NO. 2 TOPE.

Hemawanta, where,

the

to

—SANCHI.

we

as

learn

287 from the

Chinese travellers, the active mountaineers preferred the practical teachings of the doctrines of the for

Arhata

Araha

is

Vinaya

Abhidharma.

The

peculiar, as this title

in the

inscriptions

to the esoteric

spelling of is

Aran

always written

of the colonnade of the

Great Tope.

On removing

5.

the lid of the stone box,

we found

inside four small caskets or boxes of mottled steatite,

of which one

is

represented of half size in Plate

Each

of these caskets contained

burnt

human

XX.

small portions

of

bone, and each was inscribed with the

names of the holy men whose ashes were enshrined therein.

Plate

All

these

inscriptions

will

be found

in

XX. No. I.— STEATITE

BOX.

Outside Lid. Sapurisa(sa) K&sapa Gotasa Sava Hemavatachariyasa.

"

(Relics) of the emancipated

Kasyapa Gotra,

the missionary to

the whole Hemarvanta."

Inside Lid. Sapurisa(sa) Majhimasa.

" (Relics) of the emancipated

Madhyama."

Bottom.

" (Relics) of the emancipated Haritiputra."

THE BHILSA TOPES.

288

No. II.— STEATITE

BOX.

Outer Circle. Sapurisasa Vdchh&ya Suvijayatasa Gotantevasitw. '

(Relics) of the emancipated

Vachha Suvijayata,

the pupil of

Gota."

Inner Circle. Kdhanava-p&bh&sasahana d&nam. " The gift of Kakanaya PrabhAsana."

No. III.— STEATITE BOX.

Outside Lid. Sapurisasa

Maha Yanayasa— Sapurisasa

" (Relics) of the emancipated

Maha Vanaya,

cipated

Apagirasa.

(and) of the eman-

Ipagira."

Inside Lid. Sapurisasa ICodiniputasa.

" (Relics) of the emancipated Kohudinya-putra."

No. IV.— STEATITE

BOX.

Outside Lid. Sapurisasa Kosikiputasa. " (Relics) of the emancipated Kausikiputra."

OPENING OP NO. 2 TOPE.— SANCHI.

289

Inside Lid. Sapurisasa Gotiputasa. " (Relics) of the emancipated Gotiputha."

Bottom. Sapurisasa Mogaliputasa.

"

(Relics) of the emancipated

6.

Maudgalaputra."

REMARKS.

—

No. I. Box. The names of Kasyapa and Madhyama are recorded in the Mahawanso as two of the five missionaries

wanta country,

who were

after the

despatched to the

Hema-

meeting of the Third Synod

241 B. c. A second casket of Kasyapa's relics was discovered at Sonari, and from the inscription we learn that he was the son of Koti. Of Haritiputra nothing- is known ; but another portion of his relics was found enshrined alone in No. 3 Tope at Andher. in

—

a

No. II. Box. Vacchi-suvijayata must have been of some consequence, for his name is placed on

man

the outside of the

Kasyapa.

Relics

stone

of

his

box,

along*

son,

with that of

Vacchiputra, were

found at Andher, along with those of Kakanava

Prabhasan and Mogaliputra. connected with Kakanava,

He

who was

is

thus doubly

the donor of his

u

THE BHILSA

290

Sanchi Tope.

relics to the

TOPES.

Colonel

Low

gives a story

from the Pali books of Burma, regarding a sea 1

named Kakd-bhasd, who traded

captain

in the reign of

to Takkasila

Kdkd-bhdsd appears

Asoka.*

to be

only a contracted form of Kdhanava Prabhdsan.

The Captain was a servant whose subjects were famous therefore,

hidden

employed

relics,

and

of the

for

King

magic

Kdkdbhdsd

Mom,

of

spells.

Asoka,

some

discover

to

to superintend their enshrinement

in a splendid Chaitya,

which was duly accomplished

with the recital of one hundred and eight

Pah

invo-

I presume that Kdkdbhdsd was a native of

cations.

Multan, or Sind, and that he traded to Takkasila for rock

Kdkanava Prdbhdsdn was

salt.

the son of Ooti,

and a descendant of Kodini or Kohudinya, one of Buddha's eighty

disciples.

The name

is

a remark-

able one, and as both parties were contemporaries of

Asoka,

it is

at least quite possible that they were the

same person.

—

Of Maha Vanaya and Steatite Box. nothing; but Kodini'putra was know Apagira I No. III.

probably a son or descendant of the celebrated Kohudinya, one of Buddha's eighty disciples.

No. IV. kiputra

Andher

;

Steatite

Box.

— I know nothing of Kosi-

but Gotiputra, as inscriptions,

we

learn from one of the

was a descendant of Kodini

Kohudinya, who has just been mentioned.

or

Mogah

Maudgala putra was the well-known head of the Buddhist Church, who superintended the proceedings

or

* Journal of the

Bengal Asiatic Society,

xvii,

91, 92.

OPENING OF NO. of

the

Third

in BiC. 241*

TOPBj—SANCHI.

291

Synddj during the reign of Asoka

He

died at eighty years of age, in

B. c. 233.

The discovery

7.

in

Tope consisted of the

this

of no less than ten of the leading

men

of the

Buddhist Church, during the reign of Asoka.

One

relics

them conducted the proceedings of the Third Synodj in 241 b. c, and two others were deputed

of

to the

Hemawanta country

meeting of the Synod.

as missionaries, after the

]?rom this

we may

con-

clude that the date of the Tope cannot be earlier

than about 220 b. c^ by which time the Asoka's contemporaries would have

The

last

of

away.

passed

most probably of the same period,

for

the use of the term BhikJiu instead of

BhichM

(of

which

amongst the

railing is

latter there are only five instances

numerous

inscriptions

on the colonnade df the great

Tope); might readily be supposed to have" extended in fifty

years to that proportion in which

Tope

in the inscriptions of No. 2

we

find

it

used

The

at Sanchi.

general forms of the alphabetical characters agree too closely with those of Asoka'S owft age", to permit the

assignment of a later date than 200

b.

C,

for

the

erection of this Tope. 8.

The Tope

itself

Would seem

at first to

have been

intended only for the relics of Kasyapa Gotra, and of

Vacchi Suvijayata, whose names alone are found on the outside of the stone box.

But I suppose

during the several years of

erection the Sanchi

its

community gradually became possessed of the

that

relics

— 292

THE BHILSA TOPES.

men who had worked

of other distinguished

and well

for the extension

religion,

during'

long"

and glory of the Buddhist

the long and

prosperous reign of

Asoka.

A

9.

comparison of

all

these different inscriptions

which existed be-

establishes the intimate connection

tween many of the principal leaders of the Buddhist faith

The family of

during the reign of Asoka.

Kodini, in two generations alone, would appear to

have furnished no

less

than six leading* members of

His son Majhima was the in 241

the Buddhist priesthood.

missionary sent to the B.C.

•

and

Hemawanta country

his grandson, Gotiputra,

member of the Bauddha community the

title

was

so eminent a

as to have merited

of ddyado, or, " brother" of the faith ; which

proves that he must have dedicated some of his children to the service of his religion. also,

would appear

to

own

This family,

have been equally celebrated as

successful propounders of

Buddhism,

for Goti is re-

corded to have been the teacher of Vachhi Suvijayata,

have been the teacher of

and

his son Gotiputra, to

the

famous Mogaliputra, who was the head of the

Buddhist Church at the Assembly of the Third Synod in B.C. 241.

members of

The connection between the this family

the following table

:

and

their pupils is

different

shown

in

OPENING OF NO 2 TOPE.

—SANCHI.

293

KODESTI had three

I

sous,

I

I

KODINI-PUTEA,

GOTI,

MAJHIMA,

Belies at Sdnchi.

had 4 sons and 1 pupil.

Missionary to the

__ I

GOTI-PUTEA, Missionary to Ddrddbhisara,

I

A ,

I

pupils.

BHANDUKA,

SUBAHITA,

PBABHASAN,

a Bhikshu or

the royal

Presented Relics of Vdchhi to Sdnchi.

GOTPS

Monk.

scribe.

See Sdnchi

See Sdnchi

Inscriptions, No. 33.

Inscriptions,

No. 110.

VACHHI-SUVIJAYATA,

pupil was

Eelics at Sdnchi,

|

GOTI-PUTEA had 2

,1

I

KAKANAVA

Eelics at Andher, Mendicant

Eelics at Sdnchi & Sondri,

had 2

Hemawanta, Eelics at Sdnchi and Sonari.

had

1

son.

pupils.

MOGALI-PUTEA,

VACHHI-PUTEA,

Head

of the Buddhist Church in b.o. 241. Eelics at

Eelics at Andher.

Sdnchi and Andher.

10. This genealogy, obtained from the inscriptions

of the Bhilsa Topes, shows what

we might reasonably

expect to get from the numerous Topes which exist in the ancient

still

Kapila and Magadha, the scene

of Sakya Sinha's birth, teaching, and death. A few more genealogies, similar to the above, would pro-

bably give us a complete succession from the time of

Sakya Sinha down

to the age of

blish the accuracy of the date

Asoka, and so esta-

now

assigned to the

great founder of the Buddhist religion.

already discovered

relics of his

putra and Mogalana,

who

As we have

contemporaries, Sari-

date from the middle of

294

THE BHILSA TOPES.

the 6th century B.C., and of Mpgaliputra and others

who

assisted at the

Third {Synod in

b.c. 241, there is

every reasonable expectation that a complete examination of the

existing

1

still

many

the nanies of

monuments would

yield us

of the principal leaders of

Bud-

dhism during the 4th, 5th, and 6th centuries before 1

Christ,

complete,

We

should thus, perhaps, obtain one or more

genealogical successions (Juring the

eventful period of Indian history.

most

tope.—sAnchi.

NO. 8

395

CHAPTER XXL NO. 3

At

TOPE.— SANCHI.

Tope presented a mere mass of ruins * but a closer inspection showed the lower 1.

first

sight this

;

and the terrace of the although hidden amongst

courses of the hemisphere

basement tolerably

perfect,

a heap of fallen stones. sphere

is

40

was formed

feet

;

6

is

still

by a

and and

feet,

original level of the soil floor

is

4^

is still

its

7£

quite perfect

feet square,

about 3^ feet in diameter.

on

height above the

feet

;

but only 6 feet

of the entrance door-way which

standing to the south. pedestal

the hemi-

the breadth of the terrace, which

of single slabs,

the western side,

above the

The diameter of

is

The dome was crowned which supported a chatta

A

once formed part pf the pedestal,

square, is

now

slab,

which

lying to the

south of the Tope, and a fragment of the chatty to the north-east. 2.

The Tope was surrounded by a Buddhist

railing,

of which the only reinains, are a few pf the curve.d •

See Plate XXII.

;

296

THE BHILSA TOPES t

coping stones, and some fragments of two 1

The coping The

thick.

may

stones are 9 inches high and

have the same section

pillars

pillars.

7% inches and we ;

was someThe railing of

therefore conclude that the railing

what

less

than

five feet in height.

1

Tope

at Sonari, of

inches

by 8

inches, is only

No.

The

enclosure

which the 4

feet

pillars are

9J

8 inches in height.

most probably had four gateways

one to the south

is

still

standing, and I

thought

that I could trace the remains of a second on the east.

The

3.

inches

The

pillars of

southern entrance are

the

square, with an interval of 5 feet 4 inches.

clear breadth

between the railing and the base

of the Tope must have been about 12^ feet side of each of the pillars, to

attached,

same

14

is left

plain

;

;

one

which the railing was

and as the arrangement

is

the

as that of the entrances of the Great Tope,

seems certain that the gateways of

this

have been of a later date than the railing. reliefs of

it

Tope must

The bas-

the pillars and architraves are so strikingly

similar in subject

and

in style to those of the Great

Tope, that there can be

work of the same

period.

sentations of Topes

surmounted by

little

doubt that both are the

There are the same repre-

and Trees, the same

lion pillar

a wheel, and the same figures clad in

the same dresses.

The Tope stood in the midst of a square enclosure, and was surrounded by a very thick wall, the foundations of which still remain on three sides. The 4.

TOPE.— SANCHI.

NO. 3

was 90

enclosure

feet square,

297

and the walls were

built

due north and south, and east and west.

A

5.

and

was sunk

shaft

in the centre of this Tope,

a few hours' labour we came to a large slab

after

upwards of 5

feet in length, lying in a direction

On

north to south.

raising this slab

from

we saw two

large stone boxes each bearing a short inscription on to the south bore Sdriputasa, " (relics)

That

its lid.

Sariputra"

of

Mogalanasa, "

;

(relics)

box was a cube of 1^

The

the

north bore

MaM

Maha

Mogalana."

Each

that of

to

foot,

position of the relics

with a

lid

6 inches thick.

was on the same

level as the

terrace outside. 6.

In

casket,

Sariputra's

covered

earthenware

2 inches. surface

9^-

by a very

lustrous.

Close to the steatite casket were

polished.

half-size

\

4^ inches

in length,

The only other thing

relic-casket is of

been turned on a lathe

and

black

but the colour of the inside

off,

pieces of sandal-wood, one

The

of

inches in diameter with a depth of

had peeled

still

thin saucer

in

The saucer was broken, and the upper

and the other 2J inches. this box was a live spider. 7.

steatite

upwards of 6 inches broad and 3 inches

height,

was two

box we found a large

and

white steatite. its

surface

is

in

It has

now hard

In Plate XXII. I have given a

sketch of this antique casket, which con-

tained only one small fragment of bone, scarcely an

inch in length, and seven beads of different kinds.

These are no doubt the " seven precious things" which

— THE BHILSA TOPES.

398

were usually deposited with the holiest the skull of

Buddha*

were two distinct the one

j

as with

at Hilo near Jalalabad.

There

relies

sets of the seven preeious

containing the precious

things

metals as well as

1

precious stones, the other precious stones only, 8.

According to the Chhiese the

first

series con-

sisted of Chinese.

Sanscrit.

Suvama Rwpya

1. Su-fa-lo 2.

A-lu-pa

3. LieuJi

Silver.

Vaidurya, ,,,. Lapis

, ,

4. Serphortiikia ..,,..,. Spfyatika 5.

Gold.

Meu-pho-lo-kie-la-pho

.

.

,

lazuli.

Rocfc-prystal,

,

....

(A

....

(Variegated agate).

pale blue stpije— ame-

thyst). (?) 6. Mo-lo-kia-li 7.

Padmardga .Ruby.

Po-ma-lo-kia

9.

.

The second

series consisted Sanscrit.

Chinese.

Prab&la

1.

Po-lo-so

S.

A-cby-ma-kie-pho

3.

Ma-ni

4.

of—

. .

,

, , , , , , , .

Coral.

AmagyrbhaiJ) Amber.

Mani

, .

,

Pearl,

(A

Chin-shu-kia

red stone— garnet),

(The most excellent of

5. Shy-kia-pi-ling-kia

(?)

pre-

cious stones). 6.

Mo-lo-kia-pbo

Marakala .... Emerald.

7.

Pa-che-lo

Vajra

Diamond.

The seyen precious things found with putr^'s relics differ somewhat from both of 10.

series

;

but the correspondence *

Fp-kweM,

c.

is

xiii.

still

S&rithese

very striking.

;

TOPE.— SANOHI.

NO. 3

a

1st,

pearls

flat piece

of pearl; 2nd, 3rd, two small seed

4th, a garnet bead

;

of lapis-lazuli

;

299

5th, a star^shaped bead

;

crystal bead

6th, a

;

7th,

an oblong

The same custom

bead of pale amethyst.

still

amongst the Buddhists of Ladak, who

vails

place with the ashes of a chief, or the dead

a

Lama,

bits of gold, silver, copper,

garnets, and turquoises

;

pearls,

and white sandal-wood ; and

BMkpa,

the holy

body of

grains of wheat, barley, and

;

rice; specimens of red

of

and iron

pre-

usually

pencil

or

(Juniperus

eedar

excelsa).

11.

In the northern stone box we found another It

Sariputra.

fop the surface like

somewhat

casket,

steatite

chalk

;

the colour

is

than

that

of

apparently of a softer substance

when

but this

was white and powdery has now nearly disappeared, and

first

seen

almost the same as that of Sariputra's

is

Inside

casket.

smaller

we found only two minute fragments

of bone, of which the larger was rather less than half

an inch in length. 12.

there

In

On is

the inner surface of the lid of each casket

a single ink

letter,

half an inch in height.

Sariputra's casket the letter

Maha

Mogalana's

letters

of their respective names.

13.

The

significance

it

relative :

for

is

ma;

position

in

their

is

sd,

and in that of

these being the initial

of these relics has religious ceremonies

ancient Indians always sat facing the therefore

south

east,

they named the front, para;

and

north

were

respectively

the

its

the

which

while the

u right,"

THE BHILSA TOPES.

300

dakshina, and the " left/' vcima.

Now

apara, "behind."

The west was

called

Maha Mo-

Sariputra and

galana were the principal followers of Buddha, and

were usually styled

his right

and

left

hand

disciples.

Their ashes thus preserved after death the same positions to the right

and

themselves occupied in

left

Buddha which they had

of

life.

was the son of the Brahman Tishya,

14. Sariputra

and of the beautiful-eyed Sari or Sarika, who received her

name from

the resemblance of her eyes to those

of a Saras or Cyrus bird. is his

Sariputra, or son of Sari,

most common name ; but he

the patronymic of Upatishya.

Brahmans Sarika herself was a

griha.

all

the

also

Tishya was the most

or Sari's son.

Sha-ri-hi-bu,

learned of

known by The Tibetans call him is

at the court of Rajaproficient in the four

Vedas, and had overcome her brother in disputation. But her son excelled them both; and was much

His

celebrated for his wisdom. attributed to his moral

and

talents,

which were

religious merit in former

were so great, that Sakya himself proclaimed! that the " profoundly wise Sariputra was competent births,*

to

spread abroad the wisdom of Buddha;" and his

fellow-disciple

Kachhayano

declared that a excepting

the Saviour of the world, there are no others in exist-

tence whose

wisdom

is

equal to one sixteenth part of

the profundity of Sariputra." *

Csoma de Koros

in Asiatic Society's

Researches,

p. 52.

f Tumour, Introduction to Mahawanso,

p. xxvii.

vol.

xx.,

NO. 3 TOPE.

— SANCHI.

301

According to the Japanese chronology,

15.

1

Buddha embraced a monastic

wisest of the disciples of

four years after Sakya's attainment of

life,

hood, that

is

in

584

He, and

B. c.

Maudgalyayana, had attended schools of the

this

all

Buddha-

his fellow-student

the philosophical

day without obtaining

conviction, until

they heard the preaching of Buddha, when they gave

up

and followed him.

all

In a Mongolian wort

16.

Sanskrit, and Parables),

we

Uligerun

entitled

read,* "

Buddha was bent on

(the

dala'i

When Sabiputba

Sea of

learnt that

entering nirvana, he experienced

profound sorrow, and said to himself,

and contrary to

indeed,

from the

translated

all

f

It

is

soon

expectation, that

the

Tathagata hath resolved upon entering nirvana j who

him

after

will be the protector

and

of beings enveloped in darkness

Buddha,

'

It

impossible for

is

nirvana of Buddha.'

when Buddha Sanskrit,

V He me to

then said to witness the

Thrice he repeated these words, '

replied,

come, then do thy

and

shield of souls

If thou believe thy time

like

will,

Nirmmanhaya,

all

the

Khutukhtu

incarnations),

Nirvana of tranquillity/

Sariputra,

who

(in

enter the

having heard

these words of Buddha, arranged his

dress

;

and,

having a hundred times walked round Buddha, he repeated a great number of verses in praise of him.

He

then embraced the

them

thrice

upon

his hands, said, *

Fo-kwe-M,

'

c.

feet

his head,

of the latter, placed

and joining the palms of

I have been found worthy to apxxviii.,

note 7, Laidlay's translation.

:

302

THE

BHIIigA TOPES.

He

proach the gloriously accomplished Buddha/

then worshipped Buddha, and proceeded with his

monk

servant^ the

town.

When

Yontij to Rajagriha, his native

arrived there, he

into the town, into the suburbs,

said to Yonti,

and

f

Go

to the palace of

the king , and to the houses of the high functionaries, 1

and of such as give alms, and thus say to them " The Kutukhtu Sariputra hath resolved upon entering nirvana—^come and prostrate yourselves before

him.'"

The monk Yonti executed

the orders of his

master, went to the places indicated, and thus delivered

message:

his

hath arrived here ) out

The Kutukhtu SaripIjtRA

you Would

if

When

delay.'

'

visit

him^ come with-

king Ajatasatra^ the

the

dis-

penser of alms, the great dignitaries, the officers of the army, and the heads of families, heard this an-

nouncement, they were

all

with heavy hearts said,

{

filled

Ah

!

With sorrow^ and

what

will

become of

us when the second head of the law, the leadef of so

many

beings, the

Kutukhtu SaRiputha

down and becomest nirvana who him, bowing

that of so

many

saying, shall

'

Kutukhtu!

the

have

end of

all

is

if

thou

be our protector,- and

other beings?'

addressed them the following words perishable,

shall

Hurriedly they proceeded towards

entered nirvana!

Sariputra then :

death.

'

Since

As

ye,

all is

too,

belong to this world of torment, ye, too, will ndt

remain long; death career.

But

as

you

Will all,

come and terminate your

in consequence of meritorious

works in a former existence, have had the happiness

;!

80S

NO. 3 TOPE.-— SANCHI. of being; in the

merits,

from

ton

in tile World with

human

Buddha, and that too

form, do you add other accumulative

and accomplish such works as

Shall save

When Sariputra

Sansara.'

had

you

finished

preaching thus to the bystanders the inexhaustible law, and had comforted their spirits with salutary

medicaments, they bowed doWn before the Rutukhtu,

and each returned to

SaripuTUA all

sat in a perfectly erect position

the faculties of his soul

pointj

After midnight,

home.

his

and entered the

entered the second

;

directed these

first

nihility. 1

Samtidhi of the

From

this

upon one

and from the

;

the fourth he passed into the

Saniddhi of the births of boundless then into the

gathered

Thence he

Dhytina.

thence the third

From

third the four th*

\

;

celestial space

births

of complete

Samddhi he entered that of

neither thinking, nor not thinking f then into that

of limitation ;

and

lastly into Nirvana.

"

17. When Khourmousda, the king of the Gods, learnt of the Nirvdna of SariPTjtra, he came with

several hundreds of thousands in his suite, bearing flowers^ perfumes,

They

and other

diffused themselves

of heaven ) their tears

objects

meet

for sacrifice.

through the whole space

fell like

rain

;

they scattered

their flowers so as to cover the earth, saying,

he whose wisdom was as the depth of the

had passed through

all

'

sea,

Oh who

the gates of knowledge, whose

musical speech flowed sweetly as a running stream,

who was

perfect in the fulfilment of every duty, in

self contemplation, in all

wisdom— the

sublime chief of

304

THE BHILSA TOPES. Sariputra

the doctrine, the excellent Khutulthtu

hath too hastily entered nirvana.

Who

—

shall suc-

ceed the gloriously accomplished

Buddha and Tatha-

gata to spread ahroad the law?'

All the inhabitants

of the town and neighbourhood, as soon as they were apprised of the nirvana of Sariputra, came, bearing-

much

oil,

perfumes, flowers, and other things appro-

priate for sacrifice.

They wept loudly with

accents

of woe and sorrow, placing upon the ground the objects

fit

the

for

Khourmousda, the

sacrifices.

prince of the Gods, then

commanded Vishwamitra

to

prepare a car of various precious materials for the

When

body of Sariputra.

finished,

Sariputra was placed thereon

the corpse of sitting position, all

was

the car

and taken forth

in

a

to a beautiful plain,

the while the JNagas, the Yakshas, the king, the

commanders of the army, the

people, uttering cries of sorrow. pile of

with

chandana (sandal) wood.

oil

and

butter, they placed

There they raised a After moistening

upon

Then

Sariputra, and applied

fire.

and each went

home.

to his

and the whole

officers,

it

it

the body of

bowed down, was

all

When

the fire

completely extinguished, the priest Yonti collected

from the ashes the sdrira of

his master,

and conveyed

them, as well as his pot and ecclesiastical dress, to

Buddha.

He

placed these things

Buddha, announcing,

at the

at

the

feet

of

same time, the death of

his master. When Ananda learnt this from the lips of Yonti, he was much grieved, and said to Buddha, 1 Oh, Buddha the first of our band has entered !

"

;

NO. 3 TOPE.

nirvana; to

and

whom

Buddha

whom now shall

replied,

—SANCHI. we unbosom

shall

we regard e Ananda

305 ourselves,

as our protecting- sun?' !

although

Sariputra

hath entered nirvana, neither the charge of your duties, nor samddhi, nor understandings nor plenary

redemption, nor the prajna of plenary redemption,

nor the nature of occult properties, hath become so

many

moreover,

generations ago Sariputra once be-

came nirvana, because he could not endure enter upon nirvana.' 18.

As

the funeral pile

or sandal,

it

seems highly probable that the two

with Sariputra's

We

me

was formed of chandana,

pieces of this fragrant wood, which

the pile.

to see

relics,

know

we found along

must have been taken from

that a Tope was built over the

charcoal with which Buddha's body was burned, and that the Moriyans of Pipphaliwano celebrated a festival*

From

in honour

of their much-prized

this account there

acquisition.

would seem to be nothing

improbable in supposing that fragments of sandal-

wood from

the funeral pyre of Sariputra should have

been held in almost equal estimation. 19.

Mogalana,

or

Maha Mogalana

as he

was

usually called to distinguish him from others of the

same name, was the son of the Brahman Mudgala. His proper name was Kalika or Kolita, but he

was generally called by his patronymic Maudgalyayana, or Mogalana. Csoma de Korosf calls * Tumour, in Prinsep's Journal,

vii.

1013.

f Asiatic Researches of Bengal, xx. 49.

X

THE BHUSA TOPES.

306

him Mongalyana, that but his true Sanskrit

is

name

one of Mongol extraction ;

Maudgalyayana.

is

20. The relics of these two famous disciples of Buddha would appear to have been almost as widelyscattered as those of Buddha himself for we found :

another portion of their relics enshrined together in

No. 2 Tope

Hian

that

She-li-foe

We

at Satdhara.

learn also from

Mathura* there were Topes both of Sariputra) and of Mou-lian (or Mo-

at (or

galana), while

we know

griha, where a

Tope was erected over

was

still

21. It

Fa

that the former died at Rajahis ashes

which

standing in 400 A. D. is

not possible to

fix the

date of this Tope,

more nearly than between 550 and 250

B. c.

Sari-

putra died a few years beforef Sakya's attainment of nirvana, in 543 b.

o.

It

is

therefore just possible

Tope may have been built as early as 550 and if there was any proof that Buddhism had

that the B. c.

;

extended so far at this early period, I should have no hesitation in ascribing the

sixth century before our era. it

is

recorded that

Tope

In

to the middle of the

the Tibetan

Katyayana, and

five

Duha£ hundred

other monks, were despatched

by Sakya to convert the King of Ujain to Buddhism. This would seem to show that the religion of Sakya had been established as far as Ujain, even during his lifetime

that the omission of Ujain amongst the * Fo-hme-hi,

c. xvi.

f Fo-kwe-hi,

c. xxviii,

X Asiatic

;

and

names of the

Researches of Bengal, xx. 89, Csoma de Koros.

NO. 3 TOPE.

life

of Buddha,

is

307

had witnessed various

celebrated cities which

the

—SANCHI.

to be accounted for

that the people of Ujain were converted

yana the

by

disciple of

Second Synod, in

by the fact by Katya-

Buddha, and were never

the Great Teacher himself.

(or

acts in

At

visited

the time of the

Avanti

b. c. 443, the fraternity of

Ujain) furnished no less than eighty orthodox

Bhikshus to

assist the

holy Yaso in suppressing- the

As

schisms of the community of Vaisali.

conversion

must have preceded the establishment of fraternities and monasteries, the propagation of Buddhism

may

throughout Ujain

500 B.

B.

c, and with probability even as high as 550

c, during the 22.

be dated with certainty in

On

lifetime of

the other hand,

Sakya.

it

seems to

that the relics of Sariputra were

Tope at Rajagriha

all

me more

deposited in the

and that they remained there

;

undisturbed until the time of Asoka

Buddha

distributed the relics of

;

who, when he

over India, would

most probably have done the same with the Sariputra and of stated that the

Maha Mogalana.

still

likely

existing

gateway of

this

Tope

of the same date as those of the Great Tope, that the early part of the railing

I

attribute to the

period I suppose

although

first

it is

it

of

relics

I have already

century of our era.

is

is,

The

age of Asoka, at which

probable that this Tope was built,

quite possible that

it

may

date as early

as the middle of the sixth century before our era. The great Topes at Sanchi and at Satdhara were built principally of brick

:

and these I presume to be

THE BHILSA TOPES.

308

the oldest of the Bhilsa Topes, most of the others,

which are of

stone,

were certainly of the age of

Asoka.

OTHER TOPES AT SANCHI. masonry marked Nos. 4, 5, 6, and 7 in Plate IV., were all opened without any results. They were built of large stones set in mud. 23.

The

In No.

solid

mounds

4, the solid

of

rock was reached at 8| feet

the earth was reached at 13 feet

in

No.

9,

and 10, are merely circular foundations.

7,

;

;

and

Nos. 8

SONABI TOPES.

CHAPTER

309

XXII.

SONARI TOPES. 1.

The

little

village of Sonari is situated

spur of a sandstone

hill,

on a

low-

between the Betwa and Besali

Rivers, six miles to the south-west of Sanchi,

and

about twenty-one miles to the north-east of Bhupal.

The name is only the spoken form of Suvarnari, or the " golden wheel/' which is a symbol of Buddha as the

Maha

Chakravartti Baja.

The

Buddhists say that when the age of

traditions of the

man

attains four

thousand years, there appears a Xing of the Golden Wheel * " who is born in a royal family, and obtains

supreme dignity on succeeding

his father

For

baptized in the water of the four oceans.

days he bathes in perfumed water, and ascends an elevated tower, surrounded ters

and

courtiers.

and

fasts

by

being* fifteen

-

then

his minis-

Suddenly there appears a golden

wheel in the east, shedding a brilliant light, and

advancing to the place where the King

is

standing.

If the King would proceed towards the East, the * Fo-hwe-ki, c. xviii., note 12.

";

THE BHILSA TOPES.

310

wheel turns in that direction, and the King, accompanied by his troops, follows. four genii, there does

Before the wheel are

who serve as guides. Wherever it stops, The same thing the King in like manner.

takes place in the direction of the south, the west, and

the

—wherever

north

follows;

and where

it

the wheel

King same. In the

leads,

he does the

halts,

the four continents he directs the people to follow

the ten right ways, that steal,

is

to say, not to

not to commit adultery, not to

kill,

lie,

not to

not to be

double tongued, not to calumniate, not to speak with

lusts,

abandon

refinement, not to

elaborate

one's-self

to

not to entertain anger and hatred, and not to

have immodest

looks.

He

is

called the

King of

the

Golden Wheel, or the Holy King turning the wheel

and he possesses the seven precious things, of which the

first is

'

the treasure

of the

Golden Wheel.'

The monarch who u the Holy King who causes the

This wheel has a thousand rays. possesses

it is

called

wheel to turn," because from the moment of possessing

it,

the

wheel turns and traverses the

universe, according to the

Other wheels of

his

silver,

mentioned j but they are

thoughts of the King.

copper, and iron, are all

also

nearly the same symbols

of Buddha. 2.

From

name,

this explanation of the

it

seems

probable that Sonari once possessed a golden wheel,

which mu3t have been elevated on a in so

many

kind

is

of the Sanchi bas-reliefs.

described

by Fa Hian, as

pillar, as

shown

A pillar of this still

standing at

SONABI TOPES.

311

Shewei or Sravasti in Gudh, when he

400 A. D. " There are/' says

visited

the

place in

stone pillars

on the

j

the figure of a

now

executed

pillar to the left, is

wheel— on

the figure of an ox."

a pillar

" two pavilions and two

he,

that to the right

There

at Sonari

;

is ;

placed

is

however, no trace of

but the polished cylindrical

shafts of these columns could be so readily converted into sugar-mills, that their entire disappearance offers

no proof of their non-existence. 3. hill,

The Sonari Topes

are situated on the top of the

about one mile to the south of the village.*

To

and south of the Topes, the

hill

the north,

east,

extends for some distance almost

westward

it is

level,

but to the

broken into narrow ravines, which give

rise to clear springs that

once furnished the fraternity

of Sonari with drinking water.

The

hill is

covered

with trees and low thorny jungul j and the place

now

as wild and desolate as

flourishing

when

the

hymn

it

is

was once cheerful and was chanted by

of praise

several thousand voices. 4.

The Great Tope

at Sonari

midst of a square court,

240

south-west corner there

is

masonry, from 12 to 15 each

side.

of steps, 4^

feet

is

situated

each

in

the

In the

side.

a solid square mass of

feet in height,

In the north-east corner

and 36

there

feet wide, leading to the top.

is

feet

a

The

on

flight

object

of this building and of similar structures at Satdhara

puzzled

me

very much, until I had seen the ruins at * See Plate V.

THE BHILSA TOPES.

312

Bhojpur, amongst which there

is

a very large build-

of the same description, but in a

ing-

As

more perfect

was undoubtedly a temple, I presume that the Sonari structure was only the basement or state.

this

terrace of a Buddhist temple.

The Tope

5.

itself* is a solid hemisphere,

This

is

drical plinth 5|-

raised above the terrace on a cylin-

4

The

feet in height.

broad by

feet

feet

cement or

in diameter, of dry stones, without either

mud.

48

6^-

terrace itself

is

The Tope

is

feet in height.

nearly perfect, not more than 6 feet of

height having been

entire

its

It was once surmounted by

lost.

a square Buddhist railing, of which only a few frag-

ments now remain. 3

feet in height,

inches side.

The

pillars

were rather

with a section of 6^ inches face, by 6

There were three

The

deep by 3^ inches thick.

rails,

railing

each 8 inches

was

all

of white sand-stone, from the Udayagiri the Tope itself

than

less

was

formed

hill,

while

built of the claret-coloured sand-

stone of the Sonari

(See

hill.

figs.

2 and

3,

Plate

XXIII.) 6.

The base of the Tope was surrounded by a

Buddhist

4

feet

8 inches in height, of which

now remains but

nothing

two

railing,

a few broken

or three small fragments of coping.

were 3

feet

inches

face

railings,

pillars,

The

and

pillars

8J inches in height, with a section of 9|by 8 inches side. There were three

each 15 inches long, 11 inches broad, and

3£ inches

thick.

The coping was *

See Plate XXIII.

different

from that

——

SONAKI TOPES.

313

It was 11^- inches

of the Sanchi railings,,

iii

height,

and the upper half had a projection of 2 inches on the outer face.. The pillars were ornamented on the outer faces with medallions: of full and flowers, as

railing

shown

was

Sanchi,

in the fragment, Plate

erected in the

by the

Two of these simple records XXIII, figs.. 8 and 9). Fig. 8.

IX.

This

same manner as those at

many

of

gifts

half lotus

different individuals-

still

Aya-pa&analiasa Atevas(ino)

remain

(see

Plate

Dhama Gutasa Navaka-

manasa ddnam. " Gift of

Dharma Gupta, the pupil of

new man (». e., the regenerated) Akyya Prasannaka." the

(A)yapamnakasa Atevasino Sagha Rakhitasa adnam.

Fig. 9.

"Gift of Sangha Eakshita, the pupil of Aryya Prasannaka." 7.

In No. 13 of the

inscriptions

from the great

we have a record of a gift made by Abyya Prasannaka himself, who is there called a BMkshu, or mendicant monk. As the name does not Tope

at Sanchi,

appear again amongst nearly three hundred inscriptions, it

seems highly probable that the Bhikshu of

the one record and the teacher of the others are the

same person.

This would fix the date of the Tope in

the latter end of Asoka's reign, coeval with that of the neighbouring Tope, No. 2, which will presently be described. 8.

A shaft was sunk

and at a depth of

little

down

the centre of this Tope,

more than 5

was reached, which on being raised

feet a large slab

disclosed the relic-

chamber strewn with fragments of stone boxes.

The

;

314

THE BHILSA TOPES.

fragments were carefully collected and afterwards put together, but no trace of bone or of other relic discovered.

The

largest of the relic-boxes

is

was

a cylin-

der 4 inches in height and upwards of 8 inches in

by a domed lid of the same fine sandmore than 2 inches. Inside was a smaller stone box of the same description

breadth, covered

stone having a rise of this

but only 5 \ inches in diameter and 3| inches in height.

total

Inside this, again, there was a third stone

box or casket only If inch in diameter, and of a different

shape, being nearly spherical with a pin-

nacled top.

Lastly, inside

this

there

crystal casket only seven-eighths of

meter.

This

little

was a small

an inch in dia-

must once have enshrined

casket

some minute portion of bone, or perhaps a single tooth of the holy

Buddha

;

but, after the

most careful

search of the chamber, no trace of any relic was dis-

As

was near the summit of the Tope, the probability is that the villagers had opened it long before, and that when the relic-boxes were broken the minute fragment of bone was dropped into the chamber, and after the lapse of years had become mingled with its kindred dust. covered.

the relic-chamber

NO. 2

tope.— sonAri.

CHAPTER

315

XXIII.

NO. 2 TOPE.—SONARI.

The

1.

second of the Sonari Topes*

is

situated north

by west from the Great Tope at a distance of three The bearing 103 deg. W., very nearly the same as that between Nos. I.

hundred and is

so

fifteen feet.

and II. Topes at Sanchi, that I cannot help suspecting- that there must have been some peculiar significance

angle

is

109 deg\,

106 deg.

The Sanchi and the mean between the two is

in this

At

particular

Sanchi the

angle.

line is

At

eastward to a lofty temple.

prolonged to the Sonari also

it

is

extended in the same direction to No. 3 Tope which bears 102 E. from the Great Tope.

No. 2 Tope

an enclosure 165 feet It is a solid hemisphere of dry stone, 27^ square. feet in diameter, raised on a cylindrical plinth 4J feet 2.

in height.

12

The

feet in height.

is

situated in

terrace

is

This

is

5

feet

8 inches broad, and

gained by a double flight

of steps each 20 feet long, which meet at a landing

6J

feet

long by 6 feet broad. • See Plate

No XXIV.

trace of railings or

—

THE BHILSA TOPES.

816

pinnacles could be discovered

;

but the Tope

other-

is

wise tolerably perfect, not more than 5\ feet having

been

lost.

A shaft was

3.

which at 7

feet

reached the slab forming' the

The chamber

relic-chamber. depth, and

its

sunk down the centre of the Tope, lid

was 1^

itself

of the

foot in

bottom, where the relics were deposited,

was on the same level as the base of the hemisphere. 4. In the chamber was found a large steatite vase profusely but coarsely ornamented with elephants and horses,

and indescribable winged animals of rude

The vase was covered by a

execution.

secured by lac.

plain

were found

Inside this vase

relic-caskets, each containing portions of

human

lid,

five

bone,

with an inscription recording the name of the person

whose 5.

relics

No.

were enshrined therein.

1 Relic-casket is a

round

flat

box of

crystal,

2 inches in diameter, and six-tenths of an inch in height.

As

the crystal

be inscribed, the

was too hard a substance

name and

title

of the holy

man

to

were

carved on a small piece of stone three quarters of

an inch long and only half an inch broad. inscription,

which

is

engraved on both

the most interesting of these discoveries -

Sapurisasa Goti-putasa Sava

Hemavata

sides, is

in

a

my

full

one of

:

Dadabhisd-

i

c -sa

$

\ -ra d&y&dasa.

" (Kelics) of the emancipated Gotipdtra, the brother of among-st the Dardabhisdras of the Heniawanta."

As

The

religion

explanation of this legend has been given

account of

the

different

religious

missions

NO. 2 TOPE.

—SONAEI.

317

despatched by Asoka to different countries bordering

upon India, place. 6.

nothing-

(See Plate

more need be added

in

this

XXIV.)

No. 2 Relic-casket

is

of a dark mottled steatite,

nearly hemispherical in shape, with a

bottom and

flat

pinnacled top, similar to the smallest of the stone caskets found

in

No.

The

Tope.

1

engraved on the outside of the

inscription

is

lid.

Sapurisasa Majhimasa Kodini-putasa.

Majhima, the son

"(Relics) of the emancipated

Majhima

Madhyama

of Kodini'.'

and Kodini

is

perhaps the vernacular form of Kohudinya, which

is

is

the Sanskrit

•

name of one of the eighty principal disciples of Buddha. In No. 2 Tope at Sanchi the relics of a second, or of the same Majhima were found, but in the

the inscription the patronymic relics

is

omitted.

As

the

of Kdsyapa-gotra were found in both Topes,

it

seems probable that the two Majhimas were the same person,

who was placed

at the

head of the Hemawanta

Mission after the meeting of the Third Synod in B.

c.

His father Kodini was probably a descendant of the great Kohudinya the companion of Buddha. 241.

7.

to

No. 3 Relic-casket

No.

2,

and

mottled steatite. the outside of the

is

is

of the

The

similar in shape

and

size

same dark-coloured and

inscription,

engraved around

lid, is

Sapurisasa Kotiputasa K&sapa Ootasa Sava Hemavat&chariyasa.

" (Relics) of the emancipated son of Koti, KAsyapa-gotra, the missionary to the whole Hemawanta."

—

THE BHILSA TOPES.

318

The Tope his

relics of

Kasyapa were same

at Sanchi with the

mission to

also

found in No. 2

inscription recording

Hemawanta, hut

the

omitting* the

patronymic.

No. 4 Relic-casket

8.

The

inscription

is similar to

Nos. 2 and

engraved on the top of the

3.

lid is

Sapurisasa Kosikiputasa. " (Relics) of the emancipated Kosikiputha."

Another portion of Kosiki's

relics

was found

in

No.

2 Tope at Sanchi. 9.

No

5 Relic-casket

shaped somewhat

is

of black steatite, and

a pear.

like

The

outside

is

is

or-

namented by a succession of triangles, alternately plain and crossed. triangles

The

inscription occupies the plain

on the lower half of the casket. Sapurisa(sa) Alabagirasa.

" (Relics) of the emancipated Alabagiba."

Allakappo or Alawi was one of the eight

which obtained a portion of Buddha's perhaps the name of Alabagira at Sanchi

names are the same

and

have been de-

Relics of Apagira were found

rived from the city. in No. 2 Tope

may

cities

relics,

;

;

and I suspect that the two

the letter

^J Z, having been

in-

advertently omitted in the Sanchi inscription. 10.

The

relics of

no

erection of this Tope, less

which contained the

than four of the Buddhist teachers

whose ashes had already been discovered in No. 2

Tope at Sanchi, must evidently be referred to the

;

NO. 2 TOPE.

same

—SONAR!.

319

end of the third century

period, towards the

by which time all the eminent misemployed by Asoka for the propagation of

before our era, sionaries

his religion

must have

closed their earthly career.

OTHER TOPES AT SONART. The remaining Topes at Sonari are all of small dimensions.* The most perfect were Nos. S, 5, and 8 but even these had been opened before, and on the 1

11.

removal of a

little

rubbish in No.

3; the broken

chamber was discovered quite empty. Nos. 4; 6, and 7, were mere circular foundations. No. 3 has a diameter of 15^

feet,

with a present height of 6

The bottom of the chamber No. 5

is

a nearly perfect

is

feet.

3 feet above the ground. Tope.

little

It

is

14

feet

4

inches in diameter at base with a height of 9 feet.

The upper diameter is

2\

is

10

feet

feet in breadth, and

4

1^

inches. foot

The

whole height could not have been more than

No. 8 feet,

is

very

much

ruined.

terrace

in height.

Its

12|- feet.

It has a diameter of 12|-

with a terrace 3 feet broad and 3 feet high.

* See Plate V.

320

THE BHILSA TOPES.

CHAPTER

XXIV.

TOPES OF SATDHAKA. The group of Topes known as the Satdhara Topes are situated on the left bank of the Besali River 1.

Ghora-pachar River.*

just below the junction of the

Sat-dhara means

literally the

"hundred streams/'

and the place most probably received its name from number of streams which meet at this point. The

the

hill

on which the Topes stand here forms a perpen-

dicular

cliff,

beneath which flows the Besali River

The view up the

through a deep rocky glen. is

river

one of the most beautiful I have seen in India.

Above

are the Topes, those mysterious piles which

have baffled the great destroyer Time

two thousand years.

for

Beneath are the

upwards of

clear emerald

waters of the Besali; on one side darkly shadowed

by

the overhanging trees and frowning

cliffs

;

other side sparkling bright in the noon-day sun.

on the

The

selection of this lovely spot

shows that the Buddhist

Bhikshu was not without a

lively appreciation of the

* See Plates

I.

and V.

TOPES OF SATDHARA.

331

beauties of that nature which he worshipped under the name of Dharma. 2.

The Topes

W.S.W.

are situated about two miles to the

of the small village of Firozpur, and about

three miles from the village of Sonari.

of the Topes

now a

is

vast ruinous

The

mound

largest

of brick-

work that has once been faced with stone like the great Tope at Sanchi, which it almost rivals in size.* The base of the dome is 101 feet in diameter ; but its present height

is

only 30

wide with a height of IS total height therefore

as the

is

The

feet

42

terrace

is

9 feet

above the ground.

The

feet.

feet as it

now

stands

;

but

hemisphere was an essential part of every

Tope, the height could not have been

less

than the

50^ feet; and was most probably somewhat more. The Tope was crowned by a Buddhist

radius, or

railing,

of which several pillars

together upon the terrace. pedestal also remain this

;

Some

still

remain lying

pillars of the square

and there can be no doubt that

Tope was once completed with the chatta

which has already been described

pinnacle,

in the account of

the Sanchi Topes. circular railing

which surrounded the top

consisted of pillars 2 feet

4J inches in height with a and 7 inches side. There

3.

The

section of 9 inches face,

were only two inches thick.

rails,

each 10 inches

deep,

and 3|

The whole was surmounted by an

archi-

trave or coping, 10^ inches high and 9 inches thick. The square railing of the pedestal had pillars of the * See Plate

XXV.,

fig. 3.

Y

THE BHILSA TOPES.

322

same

section

were 3

but as there were three rails the pillars

;

They were ornamented

5 inches in height.

feet

with the usual medallions of

full

and half

lotus

flowers. 4.

10

A

perpendicular shaft was sunk to a depth of

brick Tope at Sanchi

we were

as

As

hut without any discovery.

feet,

had not yielded any

pressed for time,

My

opening of this Tope. these large Topes

the great relics,

and

we gave up the farther own opinion regarding

that the relics were always placed

is

near the top so as to be readily accessible for the purpose of showing them to the people on stated

Now

festivals.

as the great Satdhara

tainly lost at least ten feet of

more,

me

seemed to

it

would be found

in

should have carried

it

its

height,

Tope has

and probably

very unlikely that any

:

down

cer-

relics

had time permitted, I

but,

the shaft to the level of the

ground. 5.

Around

markable

Tope there are three of those remasses of building, of which one has

this

solid

my

already been described in

Tope

The

at Sonari.

first,

account of the Great

which

is

the northern wall of the court -yard,

from east to west, and 48

feet broad,

height of from 16 to 18

feet.

half engaged in is

55

feet

long

with an average

The second, which

is

immediately outside the western wall of the courtyard,

60

is

80

feet

feet broad.

long from north to south, and nearly

The

third

is

in a

more

perfect state.

It stands due west from the second, and on the very

edge of the

cliff

overhanging the river ; the wall on

TOPES OP SATDHAKA.

up

this side being- built

building

333

to a considerable height.

This

about 98 feet long and 55 feet broad, with

is

an average height of 16

feet

above the ground.

It

is

pierced on the eastern side with a doorway leading into

an open passage, from which a

feet wide, ascends

flight of steps, 4|-

towards the north to the top of the

All of these buildings were most probably

platform.

temples, of which nothing but the raised basements

now remain. The people know them by the common name of Siddh-ka-makdn, or " saints' houses." As the term Siddha, the " perfected," or " finished," was

a

common

title

of the Bodhisatwas,

is

it

probable

that these places are only the remains of their residences.

TOPE.-SATDHARA.

NO. 2 6.

This ruined Tope stands at a distance of 230

feet to the

N.N.W.

of the great Tope.

in diameter, but only 8 feet in height,

of a small raised terrace.*

depth of 6

feet,

when some

It

is

24

feet

and has a trace

A shaft was sunk in stones falling in,

it

to a

two small

were seen lying at the bottom. The stones were loose ; there was no trace of any chamber ; and the caskets were both much discoloured on the steatite caskets

upper surface.

It

is

evident therefore that the Tope

had been opened before by the

villagers

;

who, find-

ing nothing but a few calcined bones, had replaced * See Plate

XXV.,

fig. 2.

324

THE BHILSA TOPES.

the relic-caskets, and

up the holes again with

filled

loose stones. 7.

These caskets are of a pale mottled

each

steatite,

three inches in diameter, and two inches in height.

They

are inscribed inside the lids, the one with Sdri-

putasa "

Sariputra," and the other with

(Relics) of

Maha-Mogalanasa " (Relics) of See Plate

XXY., figs.

The history of these two hand disciples of Buddha,

4, 5.

holy men, the right and

left

my

has already been given in

Maha Mogalana."

account of the opening

The only

of No. 3 Tope at Sanchi.

real difference

between the alphabetical characters of the Sanchi and Satdhara inscriptions, which, in the

is

in the position of the

Sanchi legend,

is

the m, whereas in the Satdhara legend

it

is

This variety

to the middle of the letter.

vowel

o,

attached to the top of

attached

may

have

been only a mere matter of taste with the engraver but as

it is

also possible that

difference of date,

NO 8.

This Tope

it is

7

it

may

;

be the result of a

worthy of remark.

TOPE.— SATDHAKA.

is

similar

in

respects

all

to

that

which has just been described, but somewhat more

The diameter of the hemisphere

perfect.*

the terrace

is

present

9

is

2

feet

feet.

broad

A

;

shaft

centre to a depth of 4 feet,

shaped

slab,

is

feet

and the whole height

was sunk down

when

XXV., %.

;

at

to the

a large irregular-

8 inches thick, was reached. * See Plate

24

1-

On

this

TOPES OP SATDHARA.

we saw

being raised 1

325

a chamber, 1 foot 8 inches long

from north to south, by

1 foot

3 inches broad, and 1

foot 6|- inches in depth. The bottom of the chamber was therefore only 1 foot 3|- inches above the terrace. In the chamber there were two red earthenware pots,

or covers, shaped like beehives.

8 and

9.

On 7|-

we saw a

mouth of whose

relics

On

9.

Ill-

by a domed of any kind. The

inches in diameter, closed

this vase is

believe that

was

cylindrical red earthen-

There was no inscription

lid.

XXV., figs.

raising the larger cover, which

inches in height,

ware box,

See Plate

it

broken in two places

;

and I

was an alms-dish of the holy man

were here enshrined.

raising the

inches in height,

smaller

we found

cover,

which was 9f

a similar red earthenware

box, containing two small caskets, one of steatite and

the

other

of

inscriptions.

red

earthenware,

and

Of

these

therefore,

relics,

both without nothing

more can be said, than that they are probably the remains of some of the principal teachers of the Satdhara fraternity.

The remaining Topes at Satdhara are now little more than mere circles of stone, from IS to 20 Two of them are hollow in the feet in diameter. 10.

centre,

and contain

trees

that these circular walls

;

and

may

it is

therefore possible

once have been only the

enclosures around different holy trees.

It

is

remark-

THE BHILSA TOPES.

3S6 able,

however, that at Satdhara

we found one

solitary-

trace of the real builders of these Topes, in the

Buddha name still of

Bitha, or " Buddha's Topes/' which current amongst the

massive and mysterious

piles.

people for

name is

the

these

TOPES AT BHOJPUR.

CHAPTEK

327

XXV.

TOPES AT BHOJPUK: 1.

The

visited

Buddhist remains at

my

hy

brother,

this

who gave

place were

first

a brief notice of

them under the name of "the Pipaliya-Bijoli Topes."* The former name is so common in this part of the country, that it is the usual practice to add the name of Bijoli to distinguish

it

In the same way Sanchi Kanakhera, to distinguish the same name. village,

my

this

hill

name

is

invariably called Sanchi-

it

As Bhojpur

from two other places of has long been a deserted

brother probably never heard of

The ruined houses on the

from the other Pipaliyas.

of Bhojpur, however,

name.

its

still

remain

between the Topes, and I have adopted

in preference to the others, as

it

may

possi-

bly have had some connection with the monastic establishment in the midst of which •2.

it is

situated.

The Topes of Bhojpurf stand on the southern

end of a low range of

hills,

6 miles to the S.S.E. of

Bhilsa, and 7 miles to the E.S.E. of Sanchi. * Journal Asiatic Society of Bengal, xvi. 752.

t See Plates VI. and

XXVI.

To

THE BHILSA TOPES.

328

the S.S.W. stands the celebrated Fort of Raysen,

which offered so gallant a resistance Shir Shah.

On the west

the east the

Andher Topes

The Topes

3.

of the

hill,

to the treacherous

the great SanchiTope, and on are all distinctly visible.

are situated on the south-east corner

on four successive stages, rising one above

the other, and separated

by rocky

ledges,

and there have been formed into rude

which here steps.

The

principal Topes stand on the uppermost stage, and

are very nearly in a straight line from north to south.

On

the same stage, to the east, are the ruined houses

of Bhojpur, and to the west are the remains of a

by 84 feet of a second building known by two

large square solid building, 96 feet long

broad.

The ruins

names, either as Siddh-ka-makdn, the " Saint's house

;"

M&dhu-Deo-ka-mandar, the "Temple of Madhava Deva," that is, Krishna, are 113 feet long from east to west, and 82 feet broad, and upwards of 20

or, as

The walls

feet* in height.

are supported

the corners.

from which a terrace,

which

end there *

is

slope considerably,

by square towers of small projection at The entrance is in the north-east corner, flight of steps leads to the top of the is

covered with grass.

At

the western

a small ruined temple,t of which the

Seventeen feet high on north and east

feet

and

high on the other

sides.

The

sides,

and twenty-eight

walls have a slope of one inch

for every cubit of height.

f Amongst Sir Charles D'Oyly's lithographed sketches on the new road from Calcutta to Gya, there is one of an old temple at Budh-Gya or (Bodhi Gya), which stands upon a solid terrace, the

same

as this at Bhcjpur.

—

TOPES AT BHOJPTJR.

doorway and a few enshrined figure of

mannerj with the

329

pillars are still standing . 1

Buddha

The

squatted in the usual

is

soles of the

feet

turned up, the

hand lying over the knee, and the left placed in the lap. To the right and left of the head there are

right

representations of Topes and other ornaments.

low, there

is

Be-

the following inscription in characters of

the seventh or eighth century, similar to that which I

extracted from the Sarnath Tope near Benares. Ye Dharmma hetu prabhava, hetun tesh&n Taih&gato Hyavadat tesh&n cha yo nirodha, evam vddi Mahasram&nas. " Of all things springing from cause, that cause hath the Tathagata explained. The cause of their extinction the great 1

ascetic

hath also declared."

Dharma

personified Nature, or

is

Maha Srdmana

Tathagata and

all

are

existing things.

names of Buddha.

Besides this figure of Buddha., there are some small

broken images, of which one

recognizable as Surya,

is

or the Sun, with his seven-horsed chariot represented

on the pedestal.

UPPERMOST STAGE OF TOPES. No. 1 Tope, A.

4.

There

side of this is

is

Bhojpur.

a considerable breach on the south

Tope

;

but the hemisphere of dry stones

otherwise nearly perfect, excepting the upper sur-

face,

which

is

wanting in

meter of the hemisphere

is

all

the Topes.

66

feet

The

dia-

2 inches, and the

"

THE BHILSA TOPES.

330

height of the cylindrical plinth above the terrace

The

feet.

terrace itself

The

feet in height.

A

is

llf

feet in

was sunk

8 inches.*

feet

without any discovery being

shaft

4

breadth and 5 is

24

to a depth of

13

height above the terrace

feet

is

made

;

and

as

we

were pressed for time, we were reluctantly obliged to excavation unfinished.

leave the

I

confident,

feel

however, that the complete excavation of this Tope will lead to

some important discovery, perhaps more

any that has yet been made. The situated in an enclosure 252 feet long- by 214

interesting than

Tope

is

feet broad.

No. 2 Tope, 5. This is

B.— Bhojpur.

one of the most perfect of

The top

around Bhilsa.

is,

the double flight of steps to the west

and the

traveller

may mount

bulate the Tope.

feet long,

hemisphere

is

gone, but

is still

complete,

the terrace and peram-

It stands just 200 feet to the south

of the great Tope, and

240

the Topes

all

of course,

is

surrounded by an enclosure

and 210

feet broad.

39

in diameter,

feet

The base of the and its present

height, including the cylindrical plinth of 4 feet, 14|- feet.

high. feet in

It

The terrace is

is

6 feet broad and

7

feet

reached by a double flight of steps,

breadth, which

meet at a landing,

square, on the outside of the terrace. built of dry stones, without * See Plate

XXVI.

4|-

7 feet

The whole

any mortar or mud.

is

is

TOPES AT BHOJPUB. 6.

A

331

was sunk down the middle, which,

shaft

at

the end of two hours' labour, had reached the relic-

chamber, at a height of 9|

The chamber was a square 1^ foot.

we found

Inside

feet

above the terrace.

of 1^ foot, with a depth of

a hemispherical cover of red

earthenware, 9 inches in height, and 1 foot 4 inches

which was a red earthenware

in diameter, beneath

box, 8J inches in

its

greatest diameter, and 6 inches

The

lid

had been thickly coated with

in height.

whitewash, on which the traces of ink visible

;

much

but so

letters

were yet

of the whitewash had peeled off

in the lapse of ages, that not even a single letter

This

legible.

is

relic-casket found inside is the

of

all

The

our discoveries.

washed

inside,

was

the more to be regretted, as the

most curious and costly

lid

of the box was white-

and the white colour

On

had been recently done.

is

as fresh as if

it

seeing this I could not

help wishing that the inscription had been placed inside the lid. 7.

The

relic-casket

is

a small crystal Tope, with

its

terrace, plinth, hemispherical dome, square pedestal,

and double chatta pinnacle, in half size

(in

Plate

all

complete.

XXVI.)

earthenware box in which

it

It

is

shown

placed inside

was found.

the

The top

is

pierced with a small perpendicular shaft, to which

the pinnacle forms a stopper. shaft

is

The bottom of the we found some

the relic-chamber, in which

In the red earthenware box small pieces of bone, and a series

minute pieces of bone. there were several

of the seven precious things usually placed along with

332

THE BHILSA TOPES.

the relics of an eminent person.

4

thin,

round

few grains,

1

These consisted

of

weighing altogether only a

bits of gold,

bead of garnet, or Badakshani ruby,

crystal bead, 2 beads of pale greenish crystal,

some minute fragments of

pearl.

of the seven precious things, see

For another

my

1

and

series

account of the

opening of No. 3 Tope at Sanchi, in which the precious metal

is

omitted.

No. 3 Tope, 8.

C— Bhojpur.

This was a ruinous-looking mound, 14 feet in

height, but with a slight trace of circular form on

one

side.

The

depth of eight

was sunk down the centre to a but without any discovery. From

shaft

feet,

the best measurements that I could make, the dia-

meter appeared to be about 40

than that of No. 2 Tope.

feet, or

Now,

one foot more

the relics of that

Tope were found at a height of more than 15

feet

above the ground, and as the remains of this Tope

were only 14

feet high,

we concluded

that the relics

had long ago been removed along with the upper half of the Tope.

One

curious fact which

was that the Tope had been

we observed

built in four distinct

quadrants of masonry, meeting at a point, by which

means the centre of the structure was accurately preserved.

—

.

TOPES AT BHOJPUE.

No. 4 Tope, D. 9.

333

Bhojpue.

This Tope stands in an enclosure of 130 feet

square, and

750

due south from No.

feet

of the hemisphere

is

31

feet

2.

The base

2 inches in diameter. It

is

raised on a cylindrical plinth 3 feet in height above

the terrace, which

is itself 3^ feet in breadth, and 4J 16 The present height of the Tope is feet in height. A shaft was sunk down the centre, which feet. reached the relic-chamber at a depth of 5^ feet. The

chamber

itself

was 2

5 inches deep

feet

;

the level

of the bottom being 4 feet 4 inches above the terrace. In the chamber we found a black earthenware box (see

Plate

XXVI.,

bowl covered by a is

the

word

O

containing an earthenware

of the same material, on which

Mun, "the holy"

Buddha

applied to

fig. 6),

lid

himself.

—a

is

generally

Inside the bowl was a

small crystal casket, with a perfectly casket

title

This

flat lid.

remarkable for the thinness of

its

sides,

which in such a hard material must have been most difficult

but a

of execution.

little

This casket contained nothing

brownish-red powder, which I believe to

be only a portion of the dust which had found

its

way

into all the relic-chambers in the lapse of ages.

presume, therefore, that

this

I

Tope had been opened by

the villagers. 10.

To the

east of this Tope, at a distance of 60

of another Tope, feet there is the circular foundation

18

feet in diameter,

with a terrace 3 feet in breadth,

—

;

THE BHILSA TOPES.

334 and beyond

this,

again, there

another of the same

is

dimensions.

SECOND STAGE OF TOPES. No. 7 Tope, 11. This

Tope

is

Bhojpur.

a.

situated on the eastern edge of

the second stage, at a distance of 850 feet from the

The

Great Tope, on the uppermost platform. meter of the hemisphere present height

which is

is

only

is

32

feet

1 foot

8 inches in

very small for a Tope of

The whole height of the Tope 12.

its

11 feet above the cylindrical plinth,

is

The

heig'ht.

this

being only 1 foot 8 inches, and

than 14

4 inches,

dia-

and

is

size,* its

its

height

therefore

terrace

breadth 1-J

little

foot.

more

feet.

A shaft was

sunk as usual, down the centre

but at a depth of

than 3

less

feet the

edge of the

relic-chamber was discovered on the south

On measurement,

excavation.

chamber was found centre of the Tope.

side of the

the centre of the relic-

to be 3 feet to the south of the

In

cases of this kind, I always

suspect that a second chamber has formerly existed,

such

as

we found

(See Plate

XXX.,

when opened by

in fig.

Tope No. 17, k, at Bhojpur 5), and that it was destroyed

the villagers.

A

presumptive proof

of this supposition was found in the disposition and contents of the relic-chamber. *

See Plate

XXVIL,

One of the figs.

1 and 2.

side stones

;

TOPES AT BHOJPUR.

was

displaced,

and

end thrust some three inches

its

The

into the chamber.

335

lid of the

red earthenware

box was separated from the bottom, and each half contained an earthenware vase, both without

and

The whole chamber was

one with a broken neck. full

lids,

of leaves and earth, and small stones, amongst

which rubbish we found the

Now,

lids

the relic- chamber, which

above the terrace, was only 15

was 9

8 inches

feet

and 8 inches

feet square

scarcely, therefore, have

It could

deep.

of the two vases.

been

in-

tended to hold both of the vases which were found in

One

it.

of these vases was,

no doubt, originally

placed in the red earthenware box other vase

that the

may

corner of the chamber bable that

it

;

;

and

possible

it is

have been placed in the

but

it

seems to

me more

should have been placed

in

pro-

another

chamber. 13.

Both of these earthenware vases

are inscribed

and as these are the only inscriptions that were found The red at Bhojpur their occurrence is remarkable. earthenware box

is

shown

in Plate

XXVII.,

a scale of one-eighth of the original vase

is

given in

fig.

size.

fig. 3,

on

The larger

4 of the same Plate.

It

is

—

4£

inches in height and 6J inches in breadth the width The of the neck, which is broken, being 3 inches.

upper surface figures,

is

ornamented with a succession of dotted

and on the body of the bowl

Patito, " the degraded."

is

the legend

This simple inscription

is

a

curious and unexpected illustration of the most com-

mon punishment

for

breaches of discipline in the

336

THE BHILSA TOPES. The punishment of a de-

ancient Buddhist Church.

gradation" was awarded for indecent conversation or

immoral behaviour, or

for

amongst

the

causing-

for

The

fraternity.*

Patito

dissensions

(Sanskrit

Patitya) must therefore have been guilty of one of these three

The

sins.

ceremony \ of degradation

in turning the offender's alms-dish upside

consisted

down^ in which position it was left until reconciliation had taken place, when the alms-dish was again set upright. In the present case we may suppose that the offending

and that

own

his

his

monk had

died during his degradation,

alms-dish had been thus inscribed at

mark of

request as a

his

penitence

and

humility. 14.

The

smaller vase

of red earthenware,

is

inches in height and nearly 5 inches in width.

the upper surface of the bowl kasa, ' Relics

name

the

of

is

4^

On

the legend Upahita-

Upahitaka," which was no doubt monks of the Bhojpur

of one of the leading

fraternity.

15. It is scarcely possible to

alphabetical characters in

that

its

date cannot be

plinth

most

;

later

than the end of the

while the lowness of the

on which the dome stands shows that

it

was

probably erected in the beginning of Asoka's

Csoma de Koros

— Analysis

searches of Bengal, xx. 82.

f

The forms of the the two inscriptions show

much

third century before our era

*

determine the age of

Tope except conjecturally.

this

Ditto, ditto, p. 87.

of the Dulvaj in Asiatic Re-

TOPES AT BHOJPUR.

The date may

reign.

mately as the

337

therefore be stated approxi-

latter half of the

third century before

the Christian era.

No. 8 Tope, 16. This

the

Tope

Tope on the second stage of base of the dome being 38J feet in

the largest

is

the

hill,

diameter.

It stands to the south-west of the last

at a distance of

No. 4 Tope.* terrace, which feet

in

b.—Bhojpur.

The is

height,

height of the

260

plinth

feet in the is

5 feet 4 inches in breadth, and 6^

with a slope of 6 inches.

mound

is

now only

at that the shaft

level of the terrace should

No. 9 Tope, 17. is

At 160

another of

of the dome

feet to the

less size is

29

As

19|- feet, or only

thirds of the original height of the Tope,

wondered

direction of

raised 3 feet above the

it is

not to be

which we sank down have yielded no

c.

the

two-

to the

relics.

—Bhojpur.

S.S.E. of the Tope, there

but equally ruinous.

feet in diameter,

and the

The base heig'ht of

The terrace is 2^ feet is 1^ foot. with in height, a slight slope outand feet broad, 5\ wards. The whole height is now only a little more than 14 feet. The usual shaft was sunk to a depth the cylindrical plinth

of nearly seven feet to the relic-chamber, in which * Fig. 6, Plate

XXVII.

—

—

THE BHILSA TOPES.

338

Inside this was

was a large box of red earthenware,

a double steatite vase* of a mottled purple colour, containing

1

an abundance of human bones amongst

which the following are recognizable 1

:

Portion of temporal bone.

Portion of parietal bone.

The

internal surface

branching lines called sulci meningei. skull are very much solidified,

still

retains the

These portions of the

which proves that they belonged

to an old person.

Three

incisors, or front teeth.

One molar,

or back tooth, not fully developed, and therefore the

backmost, or wisdom tooth. Portions of ulna, forming the lower end of long 1

arm bone.

Portions of tibia ?

Portions of femur, or thigh bone, with the

linea

aspera

still

strongly marked.

Portions of phalanges unguium, or finger bones.

No. 10 Tope, d.

Bhojpur.

Tope had a diameter of 19 feet, with a terrace 2 feet 8 inches broad and 3 feet in height. The whole height was only 7% feet. On removing a few stones we found a chamber, 1 foot 18. This ruinous

filled with leaves and rubbish, and containing one complete earthenware box, and a

square and 1 foot deep,

In the box there were a few small of bone mixed with leaves and gravel. This

part of a second. pieces

* See Plate

XXVII.,

formed into a small box.

fig. 8.

The

lid

of the large box

is itself

—

TOPES AT BHOJPUR.

Tope had therefore

339

certainly been opened before

by

the villagers.

No. 11. Tope,

19.

A

tree

e.

was growing-

ruined Tope which

is

Bhojpur.

in

the

middle of this

only 15^ feet in diameter, with

and 5

a terrace 3^

feet broad,

west a double

flight of steps

3^

feet high.

feet

On

the

broad meet at a

The removal

landing 6^ feet long by 4§ feet broad.

of a few stones showed a chamber 18 inches square,

and 13 inches deep, the bottom being on a level with the terrace. In the chamber we found a round earthen jar

Like the

full

of bits of bone, leaves, and rubbish.

last Tope, this had evidently been opened

before.

20. the

The remaining Topes on the second stage of

hill

may

No. 12

be described in a few words. Tope,

diameter of 17

f,

feet.

and No. 13, g, have each a No. 14, h, has a diameter of

i, of 18£ feet, the present height 17f, and No. 15, being only 4 feet. No. 16, j, has a diameter of 23£

with a terrace 3 feet broad. No. 17, k, has a diameter of 19£

feet,

of 6

feet.

On removing

feet,

a few stones

and a height

we found two

relic-chambers at a height of 5 feet above the ground. The chambers stood respectively to the N.E. and

;

340

THE BHILSA TOPES.

S.W-

of each other, although the direction of their

sides corresponded with the

west.

See Plate

XXX.,

north, south, east, and

fig-.

One chamber was

5.

9 iuches square, and the other only 7 inches square. Inside

and

we found also

been opened by the villagers.

No. 18, 1, has a diameter of 19, m, of 13 feet ; No. 20, n, foundation

earthenware pots

bone mixed with leaves and rubbish. This

bits of

Tope had

the remains of

No. 21,

;

and No. 22,

p,

10|- feet, is

and No.

a mere circular

has a diameter of 18J feet of 9^ feet, with a terrace of 1 foot 1 o,

inches.

THIRD STAGE OF TOPES.— BHOJPUR. 21.

The

third stage

platform of the

or

very narrow, and has only a few Topes,

all

hill

is

of which

are of small size.

No. 23, of 1^ foot.

q,

has a diameter of 19

A

feet,

chamber was found in

and a terrace

this

height of only 3 feet above the ground. foot long,

Tope It

at a

was

1^ foot broad, and 9 inches deep j and

contained three earthenware jars

filled

1|it

with earth and

leaves.

No. 24, r, is 6 feet in diameter, and is the smallest at Bhojpur ; No. 25, s, is 9 feet in diameter, with a No. 26, t, is 8 feet in diameter with a terrace of 14 inches No. 27, u, is 7^- feet in diameter No. 28, v, is 10 feet ; and No. 29, w, is 7 terrace of only 6 inches

;

;

;

feet.

TOPES AT BHOJPUE.

341

LOWERMOST STAGE OF TOPES.— BHOJPUR. There are only eight Topes now remaining'

22.

on

platform of the

this

hill

from north to south, and parallel

No. 30 Tope,

a,

lying in a direction 1

all

to the other series.

diameter and 2 feet

feet in

is 85-

high; with a terrace of

10 J 8, is

17-g-

1 foot 6 inches ; No. 31, |3, is No. 32, y, is 9 feet ; No. 33, 13 feet ; No. 34, e, is 10 feet and No. 35, I, is All these Topes are standing feet in diameter.

feet in

diameter

;

;

close

together at the northern end of the platform.

At 600 Tope,

the south are the remains of No. 36

feet to

t),

and again

No. 37 Tope,

0,

at

which

600 is

feet to the

now

a mere

south of this

mound

with a diameter of between 30 and 40

is

of stones

A shaft

feet.

was sunk down the centre of this Tope to the rock without any discovery. 23. A more careful examination of all the

solid

little

heaps of stones lying about these different stages of the

hill

would no doubt discover some ten or even but as they have j

twenty more of these small Topes all

long ago been

rifled

by the

villagers the labour

The

would be completely thrown away. of Bhojpur was no

taken from these

little

few

Topes

as not

;

largest

of

stones

Topes, and from the surround-

ing walls of the great Topes. for the

old village

doubt entirely built

This will fully account

discoveries of interest

more than

five,

amongst

so

many

or perhaps six, of the

had escaped the hands of the

spoilers.

THE BHILSA TOPES.

342

CHAPTEE ANDHER The

1.

little

village of

XXVI.

TOPES.

Andher

situated

is

at the

foot of a hill 10|- miles to the south-west of Bhilsa,

and 5 miles to the west of Bhojpur.

The Topes are

perched on the northern declivity of the

hill

just

miles from Andher, and on the very edge of the

about 500 feet above the plain.

The

position

two cliff,

is

a

very fine one, from which the eye wanders over the

whole of the Bhilsa

by

district to the north,

the blue hills beyond Gyaraspur, a

The Great Tope

twenty-five miles.

Lohangi rock giri,

at Bhilsa,

and the holy

till

checked

distance of

at Sanchi, the hill

of

Udaya-

are the most conspicuous objects in the landscape.

Nearer, and almost beneath one's

feet,

are the nu-

merous Topes of Bhojpur.*

NO 2.

This

is

1

TOPE.—ANDHER.

one of the few Topes which has a

Buddhist railing

still

* See Plates

standing.-)" I.

Its preservation

and V.

t See Plate XXVIII.,

figs. 1

and

2.

ANDHEB is

no doubt due

TOPES.

343

and

inaccessible posi-

to the secluded

tion of the Topes, which

enough

are not large

to

attract the eye, although they can be distinctly seen

when 35

The base

pointed out.

of the dome, which

is

2 inches in diameter, rests on a cylindrical

feet

The

plinth only 4 feet in height.

wide and 5

feet high,

terrace,

5\

feet

has a stone coping, along

its

outer edge, 15 inches in height, and 13 inches in

This

thickness.

that

now

the only instance of terrace-coping

is

From

exists.

the style of the bas-reliefs of

Topes on the Sanchi gateways, we had expected

to

have found some terraces surrounded by Buddhist

we were

railings, but

disappointed, for not one of the

numerous Topes excepting

this

of a ledge of any kind.

The rounded and massive

coping forms an appropriate

basement.

4

steps,

On

feet

has the slightest trace

finish

the west there

is

to

massive

the

a double flight of

4 inches in width, which meet

at

a

landing-place 7 feet 2 inches in length and 5j feet in Several of the steps are perfect, 13J inches broad and 10 inches high j and, as the gateway is breadth.

still

standing,

we have

here one of the most complete

existing specimens of the second-rate Tope.

The base

3.

is

enclosed

feet in height, with

in the

The

by a Buddhist

railing 7

an entrance on the west formed

same manner as those of the Sanchi Topes.

are 5 feet 8f inches in height, with a section of 14J inches face and 10^ inches side. There pillars

are three railings each 18 inches broad, and Q\ inches thick.

The coping

is

the

same as that of the

terrace.

— THE BHILSA TOPES.

344

The

pillars

are ornamented with full and half

formed of lotus and other flowers.

dallions

quadruple emblem of Dharma, which

is

meThe

seen on so

many of the old coins, here occupies a medallion.* On one of the pillars there is a short inscription in the usual style

:

Dhama Sivasa Mdtu ddnam. " Gift of Dharma-Sjva's mother."

The

characters, which are very neatly cut

and well

formed, are apparently as old as those of the great

Sanchi Tope which dates in the reign of Asoka.

The

pillars of the

entrance are carved on both sides,

and the two outer ones on three subjects are

two

lions

:

principal

a wheel-pillar with a capital formed of

and an elephant, a holy

a chatta, and a Tope.

which several

The

sides.

There

is also

fig'ures are seated in

small square couch.

This

tree

may

a

surmounted by

another scene in circle,

each on a

perhaps represent the

The Tope

meeting of one of the Buddhist Synods.

surrounded by the remains of a walled enclosure,

is

and to the south there tions

70

is

one of those massive founda-

which have already been described.

feet long-,

and between 30 and 40

It

is

nearly

feet broad,

but

not more than 6 feet high at present. 4.

A

shaft

was sunk down

hemisphere, where square,

and 18 inches

in height

inches on the opposite side. * See Plate

to

the centre of the

we found a chamber 10

XXXII.,

on one

side,

inches

by 10

Within was a round

fig. 4,

of this work.

ANDHEE

TOPES.

345

stone box, 5^ inches in height, 6| inches broad at

bottom, and only

which

3^ inches deep and 4 inches wide, contained

is

nothing- save

a

quantity of black ashes and

small

The

something- like calcined nut-shells. is

The chamber,

inches at top.

5f-

2^ inches

beneath.

of the box

domed, and slightly hollowed

in height,

See Plate

lid

XXVIII.,

fig.

6.

Three

feet

beneath this deposit, and on a level with the terrace,

we found a second chamber, somewhat slightly formed, containing a hemispherical red earthenware vessel 10 inches in diameter turned with the mouth downwards.

Beneath

this

8^ inches

was a second

vessel of red earthenware,

in diameter, containing a black earthenware

bowl 7 inches

in diameter

and 3£ inches in height. was a black earthenware

Lastly, inside the bowl there

vase 5 inches in diameter and 4| inches in height, with a small lid of the same material.* This vase

was empty.

See Plate

XXVIII.,

fig. 7.

NO. 2 TOPE.—ANDHEE. 5.

One hundred and twenty

of the

last,

there

is

dimensions, but in a

feet to the south-east

a second Tope of

much more

much

smaller

perfect state than

The base of these buildings are usually met with. the dome, which is 18 feet 10 inches in diameter, rests on a cylindrical plinth 4 feet in height above the and 6 feet terrace, which is 4 feet 4 inches broad •

The

a bright

glaze of these black vessels metallic lustre.

is

beautifully smooth, and of

THE BHILSA TOPES.

346 high.

It

reached by a double flight of steps; 4

is

8 inches broad, each step being- 6 inches high and

feet

14 inches in width. as

it

6.

now

The whole height of the Tope

stands, is only 14 feet 7 inches.*

A shaft was

sunk down the centre of the Tope

to the depth of 3|- feet, 1|- foot

when we found The

broad and 1 foot deep.

chamber were not in the meridian as 57|- deg.

Inside

we found a

sides of this

usual, but bore

W.

and 147|- deg. E. and

the chamber

respectively.

large box of red earthenware, 9£

inches in diameter and 7^ inches in height, f containing a small flat casket of red earthenware and a tall steatite casket,

both inscribed.

Beside the earthen-

ware box, and mixed with the leaves and rubbish which half filled the chamber, we found a large steatite vase

with the neck partly broken, but luckily

with the inscription complete. evidently been opened before 7.

The

flat

This chamber had

by the

earthenware casket

villagers.

is

3 inches in dia-

meter, and nearly 1| inch in height. J The inscription on the outside of the lid is partially obliterated, but

by supplying a few

letters,

the sense

is

easily

com-

pleted. Sapuri&asa V&chhiputasa Gotiputa Atevdsino. " (Relics) of the emancipated VAchhi-putra (son of Vachhi), the pupil of

The

relics

of

Goti-putra."

Vachhi

himself were found in No.

Tope at Sanchi. * See Plate t Plate

XXIX., figs. XXIX., fig. 4.

1 and

2. j

Plate

XXIX.,

fig. 5.

2

— —

ANDHEB 8.

The

tall steatite

at bottom, and inches.

TOPES.

casket

2£ inches

347

3 \ inches in diameter

is

at top, with a height of

5|

ornamented on the outside by bands of moulding-, between which the whole surface is divided It

is

into triangles, alternately plain inscription

"

on the top of the

and barred.*

The

lid is

Sapurisasa Gutiputasa Kahanava Pabh&sanasa Kodinyegotasa. (Relics) of the emancipated son of Goti, Kakanava Prabha-

sana, of the race of Kodini (or Kohudinya.)"

In my account of the discoveries made in No. 2 Tope at Sanchi, I have already stated all that I can suggest regarding Kahanava Prabhdsan, who was the donor of Vachhi Suvijayata's relics to the Sanchi fraternity. 9.

The large

steatite

vasef

is

made

which were fastened together with

ments are similar

of two pieces, Its

orna-

to those of the great vase

found

lac.

in No. 2 Tope at Sonarij but the Andher vase has a narrow neck and no lid, and was once furnished with a spout, for which the hole still remains. No trace

of this spout could be found in the relic-chamber, but

I presume that

it

represented in the

XXXIII, neck

figs.

was

similar to those which are

Sanchi

20 and 21.

bas-reliefs.

On

See

Plate

the upper rim of the

there is the following inscription

:

Sapurisasa Mogaliputasa Ootiputa Atevdsino.

"

(Relics) of the emancipated

Moqaliputra,

the pupil of Goti-

putra." 10.

Every thing that I can

* Plate

XXIX.,

fig. 3.

collect

t Plate

regarding this

XXIX.,

fig. 8.

;

THE BHILSA TOPES.

348

personage

celebrated

As

has already been mentioned.

was of course a con-

the pupil of Gotiputra, he

temporary of Goti's other son, Kakana Prabhasan

and

it

is

therefore very natural that

we should

find

This Tope must of

their relics enshrined together.

course be of the same age as No. 2 at Sanchi, or

rather a few

was

still

may

alive

r

j

ears later, as

when

zeal

some certainty

therefore be fixed with

a, when the

B.

the latter

Kakanava Prabhasan was erected. The date by the

religious enthusiasm excited

and example of Asoka was

still

200

in

fervent.

NO. 3 TOPE.—ANDHEE. 11. This

little

Tope, which was the last that

we

had the pleasure of examining, was likewise one of the most complete in its preservation, and one of the most interesting

in its contents.

It stands

to

the

north-west of the other two, at a distance of rather

more than 200 15 is

feet.

feet in diameter,

just 12 feet.*

The base of the dome

The base stands on a

plinth 3|- feet above the terrace, which

width and the same in is

heig'ht.

On

12.

flight of steps,

A shaft was

only

3

feet

cylindrical

is

4

feet in

the east there

a landing place, 6 feet by 4 feet, which

by a double

is

and the whole height of the Tope

is

reached

2 inches in width.

sunk as usual down the centre of

the Tope, and the relic-chamber was reached at a

height of 1 foot 8 inches above the terrace. * See Plate

XXX.,

figs.

1 and 2.

The

——

ANDHER

TOPES.

349

chamber was 14 inches long by 13^ inches broad, and the same in height. The side stones were placed so as to overlap at one end, thus forming" a Swastika

or mystic cross of the relic-chamber. See Plate figs.

3 and

Inside there was a large box of thin

4.

red earthenware, containing a

Kakanava,

7|-

inches high and 7 inches broad, casket,*

tall steatite

which

was

found

the outside, with the exception

bands.

It

On

bone.

scription

quite

is

full

the outside

is

of

similar to that of

the

in

This casket, however,

described.

XXX.,

is

Tope just

quite plain

of the

on

ornamental

fragments of burnt

carved the following in-

:

Sapurisasa H&ritiputasa.

"

(Eelics) of the emancipated Haritiputba (son of Hariti)."

Inside the lid in ink

is

the following inscription, written

:

Asa Devasa ddnam. Aswa-Deva."

" Gift of

13.

The

relics of

sented to the

Hariti-putra were therefore pre-

Andher

fraternity

by Aswa Deva.

As

relics

was found in No. 2 Tope

at Sanchi, enshrined in the

same casket with those of

another portion of his

Majhima and Kasapa Gota, the two missionaries to that he was the Hemawanta, there can be little doubt men; and a contemporary of those once celebrated that he

was one

of the principal Buddhist teachers of

the age of Asoka.

The date

* See Plate

of the

XXX.,

fig. 6.

Tope may there-

THE BHILSA TOPES.

350

fore be fixed with

some certainty in the end of the which

third century before the

Christian

make

two than that of the Papyri of

era,

the ink writing of the relic-casket about

centuries

1

and a half older

Herculaneum and Pompeii.

will

;

SYMBOLS OF BUDDHA, DHARMA, AND SANGHA. 851

CHAPTER

XXVII.

SYMBOLS OF BUDDHA, DHARMA, AND SANGHA. In

1.

my

account of the sculptured ornaments of

the different Topes, frequent mention

is

made

of the

symbols of Buddha and Dharma, which occur either singly or united amongst the bas-reliefs at Sanchi,

and on many of the most ancient coins of India. The summits of the Sanchi gateways are crowned with They occur as objects of worship these symbols.

amongst the on

altars.

bas-reliefs,

supported either on pillars or

They form ornaments

standards of the soldiers

;

for the

arms and

and they are frequently

placed both at the beginning and end of inscriptions.

The Triad of the Buddhists, which has already been explained, consisted of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Buddha was Spirit, or Divine Intelligence 2.

Dharma was

Matter, or Concrete Nature

;

and San-

gha, the " union" of the two, was the universe.

was

This

the esoteric or metaphysical explanation of the

terms

;

but according to the exoteric doctrine, Buddha

was Sakya Sinha, the mortal author of

the Buddhist

THE BHILSA TOPES.

352 faith:

Dharma was

or the

the religion,

"Law,"*

and Sangha was the " congregation" of the

By

the orthodox believers,

Buddha

and the Supreme First

the chief person of the Triad,

Cause and Creator of exalted

Dharma

Buddha, or

all

faithful.

was held to be

things

but the Materialists

;

and taught that

to the chief place,

was only an emanation from Prajna, or Nature, which was the Divine Source Spirit,

of all.

The symbol of Buddha was, I believe, the wheel; which in its revolution was emblematic of 3.

the passage of the

through the

soul

circle,

was

typicial of

circle of the

Hence, the wheel, or whole

various forms of existence.

any one who,

after obtaining

nirvana, or emancipation from this mortal

coil,

had

completed the circle of his existence, and was no longer subject

to

Buddha,

Such

transmigration.

was

person

a

the founder of the Buddhist religion,

who

was commonly called the Maha Chakravartti Maja,-\ or Supreme Lord of the Universe ; or, more literally, the Great

King who hath turned

migration).

In the

institutes

the wheel (of trans-

of

Manu,J transmi-

gration is compared to the wheel of a car ; and again, in the Vishnu Purana, § " the mark of Vishnu's dis*

The Buddhist reverence

for

Dharma,

or the

Law,

will

remind

the English reader of the law in the Old Testament.

t See Fo-kwe-ki, vol. vii., p. 106,

c.

xx., n.

where Tumour

10; and also Prinsep's Journal, states that as

were those of a Chakravartti Raja, 124.

t

Chap,

§

Wilson's Translation, p. 101.

xii., si.

so

was he

Buddha's attributes

called

by that

title.

SYMBOLS OF BUDDHA, DHABMA, AND SANGHA. 353 cus"

said to be

"

visible on the hand of one who born to be a universal emperor" (Chakravartti).

4.

is

The wheel

is

the central

emblem on the summit

of each of the Sanchi gateways.

have been

its

is

This would seem to

usual position, and

it

was, no doubt,

supremacy of Buddha.

significant of the

In the Mahawanso, Eaja Sirinago of Ceylon is stated to have inserted gems in the centre of each of the four emblems of the " Sun" on the Maha Stupo, or Great Tope.*

This, perhaps, points to the absorption of the

ancient sun-worship into

Buddhism

;

for the

wheel

was one of the most common and obvious emblems of the sun. 5.

In Plate XXXI., I have

together

collected

several illustrations of the wheel-symbol of

from the Sanchi Fig.

1.

bas-reliefs,

and from

Buddha

coins.

Bas-relief on a pillar of the western en-

A man and woman

trance of No. 2 Tope at Sanchi.

The

are represented perambulating the pillar.

illus-

tration shows the importance attached to this symbol

by the Buddhists of Asoka's pillar occurs

age.

The same wheel-

again at the northern entrance.

Fig. 2. Central emblem on the summit of each of

the four Sanchi gateways-!

*

Mahawanso,

p.

229.

f See Plate XXXI., fig 7, for the celebrated wheel and club of Surya, from Udayagiri. This was the god whom the Greeks of 1

.

Alexander's army mistook for Hercules j but one of them has preserved the true

name

in SopoaSiios, or

Surya Deva, the " Sun-

God."

A A

THE BHILSA TOPES.

354

Eeverses of coins found at Ujain^-

Figs. 3, 4.

quadruple emblems of the sun. Bas-relief on a pillar of the south gate of

Fig-. 5.

No. 2 Tope, and

also

on a

pillar of the south gate of

No. 3 Tope, both at Sanchi. Fig. 6. Bas-relief on a pillar at the eastern en-

A

trance of No. 2 Tope, Sanchi,

figure

is

kneeling-

at its foot.

On

Figs. 8, 9.

found in

the earliest silver and copper coins

parts of India, from Nepal to Ceylon,

all

and from Kandahar to the Delta of the Ganges. Fig, 10. Ancient

Hindu

coin

covered with Buddhist symbols. bull

;

of brass, literally

On

to the left, a peculiar symbol,

the obverse

which

is

is

(in the middle), ;

Sumeru;

below

is

On

emblem of DJtarma. is

a tree surrounded

a chaitya,

or,

left,

by a Buddhist

more probably, Mount

the symbol of Sangha, being the

united emblems of

Buddha and Dharma.

placed uppermost, which I presume

show over

the reverse

to the right, a swastika, or mystic cross;

and to the

is

Bud-

on one of the Sanchi gateways. Above

the quadruple

railing

a

found on

other Buddhist coins, and on the necklace of dhist symbols

is

the superiority of

Buddha,

Dharma,

is

The

latter

intended to

or Concrete Nature,

or Spirit.

Fig. 11. Coins, both of silver and copper, found

between the Indus and the Jumna. On the obverse is a deer, with branching horns, and before it a chiefly

human

figure with the

emblem of the

sun.

arm

raised.

Behind the deer an

Inscription in old Indian Pali.

—

SYMBOLS OF BUDDHA, DHAKMA, AND SANGHA. 355 Rajnya Kunandasa Amogha-bhatisa Maharajasa. "(Coin) of the royal Kunanda, the brother of Amogha, the King."

On

the reverse

is

a chaitya, or

Mount Sumeru,

rounded by the monogram or symbol of

sur-

Dharma ;

to

the right, a tree in a Buddhist enclosure, and to the

a swastika, and the unknown triangular symbol.

left,

Inscription in Ariano Pali the same as on the obverse. 6.

The quadruple symbol

found on the Ujain

Dharma

of

coins,

of Buddha,

which

is

and the quadruple symbol

which occurs on coin No. 10, and on one

of the pillars at Andher, most probably have reference to the other four mortal

The four enSanchi, and at the Great Tope in Ceylon, crowning symbols of Buddha, may, I

naka, Kdsyapa, and trances at

with their

Buddhas, Krakuchanda, Ka-

SdJcya Muni.

think, be also referred to the same, 7.

Dharma,

or Concrete

neatly symbolized by a radical letters

of

the

Nature, was, I believe,

monogram which various

According to the Pwja-kand* " veja-mantras

(radicals),

Hodgson,

all

things with their (the

:

From the vija of the letter From that of the letter From that of the letter From that of the letter From that of the letter One

elements of matter.

came from Swabhdva

self-existent), in this order

*

united the

Y,

air.

E,

fire.

V,

water.

L,

earth.

S,

Mount Sumeru.

of the Sanskrit Buddhist works of Nepal, quoted by p.

105.

356

THE BHILSA TOPES.

Now

curious that the old Pali equivalents of

it is

these letters form,

gram of

when combined

mono-

together, a

exactly the same shape as the symbol which

I have attributed to Dharma. In Plate

XXXII., fig.

3,

I have given this monogram, with the singie letters

which compose

monograms, both of the the symbol

crossed

is

In

placed in a line below.

it

bas-reliefs

by a

and of the

horizontal line

the

all

coins,

in the

middle, which I take to represent the lower stroke of

the Pali letter vacuity."

,

n, the radical of

This, therefore,

" void space, or

must be the

fifth

element,

the dkds of the Hindus, and the mdrip of the Greeks.

The symbol

thus strictly

is

composed of the

radical letters of the five elements, y, air

water ;

earth

1,

;

and

n,

ether

;

;

five

r, fire

;

v,

which when combined

contain the letter £j s, for Mount Sumeru, as well as the letter 6, m, or manas, or mind.* In Plate XXXII.,

I have given

all

the different specimens of this sym-

bol that I can collect from various sources.

Fig. 3

the simple monogram, composed of the

is

five radical letters of the elements.

Pig. 4

a quadruple specimen of this symbol, from

is

a bas-relief medallion on one of the pillars at Andher.

The same

is

found on No. 10 coin of Plate

XXXI.

Fig. 8 shows the elemental symbol crowning the staff of a flag or military ensign. *

A strong proof of

in the

jt|

monogram

,

the correctness of this explanation

is

found

smdstika, or mystic cross, which appears to be only a or literal symbol of the old letters

or suti, which

is

(f

,

su,

the Pali form of the Sanskrit swasti.

and

$

,

ti,

SYMBOLS OF BUDDHA, DHARMA, AND SANGHA. 357 Fig-.

9

one of the ornaments from a necklace in

is

the Sanchi bas-reliefs. Fig-.

10

the same

is

Two

ornamented.

monogram, but very highly

of these symbols are placed

on

the summits of the Sanchi gateways, one on each side of the wheel-symbol of Buddha.

Fig. 13

a copper coin from the ruins of the

is

ancient city

The of

of Ayodhya,

inscription in Old Pali

Vijaya Mitra."

matic symbol.

or is

In the

Ajudhya,

in

Oudh.

Vijaya Mitasa, " (coin) centre

the monoo-ram-

is

Vijaya Mitra was most probably one

of the ancient kings of Oudh, although his

not to be found in the fabulous

lists

name

is

of any of the

Puranas. Fig-.

14

the reverse of a copper coin, procured

is

from several old is

the

quadruple

cities

In

around Ujain.

the centre

symbol of Dharma already de-

scribed.

Fig. 15

from one of the Sanchi

is

bas-reliefs,

on a

sword scabbard. Fig. 16

is

from the coins of the Indo-Scythian

Kadphises. Fig. 17 of

from the coins of Kunanda, the brother

is

Amogha. Fig. 18

from the coins of Sasa, of the family of

is

Gondophares. Fig. 19

is

from the Sanchi colonnade

inscriptions.

Fig. 20

is

from the Sanchi colonnade

inscriptions.

Fiff.

21, from

the

symbol placed on an

Sanchi

altar.

bas-reliefs,

shows the

.

THE BHILSA TOPES.

358 Fig-. 22,

from the Sanchi

also

of the

bas-reliefs

South Gateway, gives a triple representation of the symbol of Dharma, which is most probably intended Buddhist triad of Buddha, Dharma, and

for the

Sangha. 8.

The

third

XXXII.

Plate

In

at Sanchi. is

member , fig-.

1,

of the triad

represented in

from a bas-relief of No. 2 Tope

this the wheel, or

monogram

placed above the

is

emblem of Buddha,

or symbol of

Dharma,

perhaps to indicate the superiority of Spirit over Matter.

On the obverse of coin No.

the symbol

is

Buddha

XXXI.,

represented in the contrary manner,

with the monogram of of

10, Plate

below.

Dharma

This,

above, and the wheel

I presume, denotes the

belief of the striker of the coin in the superiority of

Dharma,

or

elemental

Buddha,

Nature, over

or

Spirit. 9.

name

Two

Schlegel writes

of sangha.

Professor

have been given

different spellings

H. H.

"Wilson,

^f

it

for the

Hf* sangga; and

sanggha.

The

latter

appears to be the more correct reading, as the Bhilsa

Tope

inscriptions

invariably

spell

it

sangha, with

the gh. 10.

Plate

The

emblem, represented

triple

XXXII.,

is

in

fig.

22,

one of the most valuable of the

Sanchi sculptures, as

it

shows in the

clearest

and most

unequivocal manner the absolute identity of the holy

Brahmanical Jagannath with the ancient Buddhist The similarity between the Buddhist proTriad. cession of images described

by Fa Hian and

that o

§

SYMBOLS OF BUDDHA, DHARMA, AND SANGHA. 359 the modern Rathyattd of Jaganndth was

out by the

Rev. Dr.

Stevenson.*

first

pointed

Colonel

Sykes

discovered that both processions took place at the

same time of the year.f both of these

facts,

Mr. Laidlay,

after noticing

adds his opinion that a the modern

procession of Jagannath originated in the Buddhist practice

described

He

by Fa Hian."

opinion on the fact, that "in the pictures

founds his

ordinary native

of the avatdras of Vishnu, the ninth, or

Bauddha Avatdro,

is represented by a figure of Jaganndth^ or the Bath Jdttrd." \ To these facts I can now add that of the absolute identity in form

of the

and

modern Jaganndtha and

sister

his brother

Balardma,

Subhadrd, with the Buddhist monogram or

symbol of Dharma.

This identity

is

rendered

much

more striking and convincing by the occurrence of the symbol of Dharma in a triple form amongst In Plate XXXII., fig. 23, I the Sanchi bas-reliefs. have given a sketch of Jagannatha and his brother and

side

sister

Dhafma from 11.

But

which, in

*

by

side,

triple

symbol of

Sanchi.

there are

my

with the

still

two points of coincidence

opinion, tend to complete the proof of

Journal of the Eoyal Asiatic Society, vol.

t Journal of the Eoyal Asiatic Sooiety,

vii., p. 8.

vol. vi., p.

420, n.

See his translation of the Fo-kwe-ki, pp. 21—261. and his brother and sister, § Another drawing of Jagannath, of the Journal of the Royal vi., 450, vol. in found p. may be of figure is even more identity the In this Asiatic Society. J

striking.

THE BHILSA TOPES.

360

the Buddhist origin of Jagannatha.

These

suspension of caste during the festival,"

image contains the

Krishna."

The

relips or

faith, that

was promulgated

by the great teacher Sakya Muni, and repugnant to the deeply inwoven pervades Brahmanism, that

we have

is

is

so utterly

which

spirit of caste

we may

The other

a Buddhist origin. manical, while, as

bones of

one of the fundamental prin-

first is

Buddhist

ciples of the

the

and " the

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