Page:Report of a Tour Through the Bengal Provinces of Patna, Gaya, Mongir and Bhagalpur; The Santal Parganas, Manbhum, Singhbhum and Birbhum; Bankura, Raniganj, Bardwan and Hughli in 1872-73.djvu/115

Rh westerly direction, five or six li, there is a stone cave situated in the northern shade of the mountain and called cheti. This is the place where 500 Rahats assembled after the nirvan of Buddha to arrange the collection of sacred books.

"Leaving the old city and going north-east three li, we arrive at the stone cell of Devadatta."

The italics are all mine.

From the first quotation we learn of two caves close together, in the south-eastern slope of the Baibhár mountain, one of which, that in which Buddha used to sit in profound meditation, faced the south.

From the next quotation we learn of the existence of two other caves in the Baibhár hill also, one of which is the Pippals cave, and the other the Sattapanni cave; this last situated to the west of the former and in the northern shade of the mountain.

From quotation 3 we learn of a cave in Vipulagiri.

Of these five distinct caves, two have been identified,—the Pippala and Devadattas caves.

There still remain three to search for and identify.

We have, however, only two hitherto described caves to dispose of; these are situated close together, and one of them faces the south (I quote General Cunningham's own words), "in front of which the rock has been cut away to form a level terrace 90 feet in length by upwards of 30 in breadth. Two caves have been excavated out of the solid rock behind; that to the west now called the Son Bhândâr or treasury of gold, being 34 feet long by 17 feet broad; and that to the east perhaps somewhat less in length, but of the same breadth." (Arch. Rep., Vol. I, pp. 24 & 25.)

Referring to plate 41, Vol. III, we see at once that "entering the valley and skirting the mountains along their south-eastern slope for a distance of 15 li," we arrive at these two caves; further, the caves face nearly south. Is it possible to resist the conviction that these two caves are the two caves referred to by Fa-hian in the first quotation?

But neither of these two is the Sattapanni cave; of these one is Buddha's cave, the other is Ananda's cave according to Fa-hian.

General Cunningham alludes to the socket-holes in front of what I may now venture to say he erroneously calls the Sattapanni cave, as in some way confirming his identification; but Fa-hian distinctly tells us that "the hall where Buddha delivered the law" was overturned and destroyed in his time;