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/13

Rh appreciably shifted from Buddha's time to the present day, as Vaisali still stands on the banks as it did then, only 20 miles above the junction; therefore, the only possible cause must have been the shifting of the embouchure of the Son suddenly from Fatuha to Maner. I have already shewn in the body of the report what changes such an event would produce in the course of the Ganges.

It is therefore clear that the change did take place very shortly before A. D. 750, and I feel gratified that my inference regarding the date of the change, based upon other and independent grounds, is thus unexpectedly confirmed.

I must not, however, omit to note that the statement of Patanjali that Patna was situated on the Son, coupled with the statements of the Greeks that it was at the confluence of the Ganges and the Erranoboas, and the actual fact that it is, and always was, on the Ganges, seems to settle the question as to the identity of the Son and the Erranoboas.

I have also visited Rajgir again, and this time with the aid of Hwen Thsang.

Fa Hian says,—"Entering the valley and skirting the mountains along their south-eastern slope for a distance of 15 li, we arrive at the hill called Gridharakonta,"—and he then goes on to describe the cave in which Buddha used to sit in profound meditation, and also Ananda's cave. In the body of my report I have identified these with the Son Bhândâr and the broken cave close to it, Nos. 3 and 4, page 90, text. Now, however, with the aid of Hwen Thsang's writings, of which I could not then avail myself (the books being out of print and not obtainable), but extracts from which have now been kindly supplied me by General Cunningham, I find that those identifications are not tenable. Following Fa Hian and entering the valley, one has to skirt the south-eastern foot of a range of hills; but as the ranges which bound the old city run north-east and south-west, it is clear that one may skirt the south-eastern foot of the northern range, the only