Page:Discovery Of Living Buddhism In Bengal.djvu/10

[ 5 ] The Teshu Lama sent an Embassy in 1777 to the Vajásan and paid his respects to it by proxy. The Burmese visited it so late as 1809 and 1823.

In the MS., No. 3582 belonging to the Asiatic Society of Bengal, of a work entitled the Decávalivivriti there is evidence of the existence of Buddhism and Buddhist tradition. In the first 11 leaves is given an account of Pátalipatra or Pattana city by Jaganmohan, a pandit learned in various Çástras, and a great traveller, at the command of Vaijala Bhúpati, the Chanhán proprietor of four parganas about the city of Patna. Vaijala died in the Samvat year 1570. Cáke Saptativánacandraganite Vikramasya ca Jáhnavítatinftfre Vaijila Bhúpatíh. He lived at a time of confusion and made a small semi independent principality for himself, but his kingdom was destroyed shortly after his death. These eleven leaves appear to be the genuine work of Jaganmohan. The rest of the work was re-edited from torn MS. and from traditions by a Pandit alter some lapse of time. Jaganmohan mentions that Sugatichandra, the King of Mahendráditya, a worshipper of Buddha, conquered Patna and many other cities. His Queen Hansagadá was a devoted worshipper of Buddha. He conquered not only the whole of Eastern India but Cína, Laghucína, and other countries and islands. He established a Buddhist Matha at Amará on the Irávati. He conquered Dharmapura, the Capital of Vogí Pandita in Bengal, who was a son of Mahádeva. After making all these conquests and paying his respects to all the various shrines, he went to his country in the West. Jaganmohan mentions many Buddhist rites and ceremonies, but they have all been taken from the Hindu Tantras; of genuine Buddhist works he appears to know very little.

Jaganmohan also says that after the incarnation of Buddha there was a king, Sucandra or Bhúcandra, by name, who established many cites in Magadha. Old traditions still lingered in the birthplace of Buddhism.

The most important piece of information about the existence of Buddhism in India in the seventeenth century has been obtained from Tibet; and Dr. Waddell has laid Buddhist scholars under very great obligation by publishing an abstract of the wanderings of Buddhagupta Nátha in India about the year 1608.