ASI Report of A Tour in the Gorakhpur District (Volume XVIII)

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IN his last report Mr. Carlleyle described his discovery of 1 Kapilavastu, the birthplace of the Buddha Sakyamuni, and of the many interesting sites in its neighbourhood; all of which are intimately connected with the early history of the great teacher. In the present report he describes his further progress in the identification of other interesting sites, such as Râmagrâma and the Anomâ river. The latter is still known as 'the Kúdawâ, or “ Leap river;" and I have little doubt that it represents the Anomâ river, over which Sakya Sinha took his great leap on his famous horse Chandika.

To the eastward of this river Mr. Carlleyle has identified certain brick mounds as the stûpas of “ Chandika's return," of the “ Cut hair" and of the" Changed garments.” These identifications seem to me to be almost certain

Still further to the east lay the city of the Moriyas and the Nyagrodha forest, and the stúpa that was built over the ashes from Buddha's funeral pyre. The forest still exists around Rajdhâni, and Mr. Carlleyle has identified one of the brick mounds with the famous “ Ashes Stûpa."

But Mr. Carlleyle's great work of the season was the complete explotation of the ruins at Kasia, which I had already identified with the ancient city of Kusinagara, where Buddha died. As the scene of the teacher's death, Kusinagara, was one of the four great sites that were famous in the history of Buddhism. These were-1, Kapilavastu, the scene of his birth ; 2, Uruvilwa (or Buddha Gaya), the scene of his asceticism ; 3, the Deer Park at Benares, the sceneof his teaching; and 4, the city of Kusinagara, where he died, and obtained Nirvana, or final emancipation.

**Contents and Sample Pages**