Page:Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of India Vol 18.pdf/7



N his last report Mr. Carlleyle described his discovery of 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 Ramagrama and the Anoma river. The latter is still known as the Kudawa, or "Leap river;” and I have little doubt that it represents the AnomA 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 stupas 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 stupa that was built over the ashes from Buddha’s funeral pyre. The forest still exists around Rajdhani, and Mr. Carlleyle has identified one of the brick mounds with the famous "Ashes Stupa.”

But Mr. Carlleyle's great work of the season was the complete exploration of the ruins at Kasia, which 1 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 scene