Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924024153987).pdf/186

 BAH

108

SECTION 1.— Mythic

Period.

the Hindu Epics from which information can be The Gandharp Ban gathered of the dynasties which held sway in anand Banaudha. cient times in the country to the north of the Sarju The portion of that country now included within the limits or Gogra. of Bahraich formed a part of the Gandharp Ban, the vast forest, the remains of which still exist unfelled, to the north of the district and in the Tarai country of Naipal, The Gandharp Ban was separated from the Banaudha which covered the country between the Sarju and the Gumti by the former river. Accordingly Brahma himself is said to have chosen this district as his own especial kingdom, and calling together a company of holy Rishis to have established his worship in the midst of these lonely wilds. Hence arose the name ("Bahraich or Brahm-aich",) the assembly

There

is

but

little in

of Brahma.

Under the name Uttar-Kosala,

oriw"^

the

^'™' '"^

of Uttar-Kosala the same country north of the Sarju formed a portion of the great kingdom of Ajodhya,

and was governed by Lava, the son of Rama, but it seems that the name of Uttar-Kosala should more

strictly be applied only to the trans-Rapti portion of the country, the cis-Rapti districts being known as Gauda, a name which survives in " Gqnda."

The

capital of

Lava was doubtless the

city of Sravasti,

now known

as

Sahet Mahet, the remarkable ruins of which are situSr^vaati, his capital. ^^^^ ^^ ^j^^ borders of this district on the south bank This city is said to have been built by Raja Sravasta of the river Rapti. the son of Yuvanaswa, of the solar race, and the tenth in descent from Surya himself. ^

The

following description of these most interesting ruins is by General Cunningbam who visited them in 1861 " The D. ^''^ '^'"^^'i '^ity of Sahet Mahet is situated between niSfrf &sti^ Ikauna and Balrampur, 5 miles from the former and 12 miles from the latter, and at nearly equi-distance from Bahraich and Gonda. In shape it is an almost semicircular crescent, with its diameter of one mile and a third in length curved inwards and facing the north-east along the old bank of the Rapti river. The western front whieh runs due north and south for three quarters of a mile is the only straight portion The ramparts vary considerably in height those to the of the enclosure. west being from 35 to 40 feet in height, while those on the south and east are not more than 25 or 30 feet. The highest point is the great northwest bastion which is 50 feet above the fields. The north-east face or shorter curve of the crescent was defended by the Rapti, which still' flows

A



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down

its old beds during the annual floods. The land ramparts on the longer curve of the crescent must once have been defended by a ditch, the remams of which yet exist as a swamp, nearly half a mile in length at the south-west corner. Everywhere the ramparts are covered with fragments of brick of the large size peculiar to very ancient cities and though I was unable to trace any remains of walls except in one place, yet the very presence of the bricks is quite sufficient to show that the earthen ramparts must once have been crowned by brick parapets and battlements. The portion of the parapet wall which I discovered still standing in the