Page:History of India Vol 2.djvu/52

26 with which its fortunes were indissolubly bound up. This little kingdom owes its fame in the ancient books not only to its connection with its powerful neighbour, but also to its being one of the most sacred spots in Buddhist church history, the scene of Buddha's earliest public preaching, where he first "turned the wheel of the Law."



The reputation for special sanctity enjoyed by both Benares and Gaya in Magadha among orthodox Brahmanical Hindus adds little to the detailed information available, which is mainly derived from the writings of Jains and Buddhists, who were esteemed as heretics by the worshippers of the old gods. But the Brahmanical Puranas, compiled centuries later in honour of the orthodox deities, happily include lists of the Kings of Magadha, which had become, before the time of their compilation, the recognized centre, both religious and political, of India; and so it happens that the Jain, Buddhist, and Brahmanical