Anoma

Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

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Anoma (अनोमा) is a River mentioned in Buddhist literature.

Variants

• Anoma (अनोमा) (AS, p.23)
• Anoma River/Anoma river (अनोमा नदी) (AS, p.23)
• Aumi (औमी) दे. Anoma (अनोमा) (AS, p.120)
• Kudava (कुदवा) दे. Anoma अनोमा (AS,p.201)

Mention by Panini

Kudava (कुडव) has been mentioned by Panini.

Visit by Xuanzang in 636 AD

Alexander Cunningham writes that From Kapilavastu both pilgrims proceeded to Lan-mo, which has been identified with the Ramagrama of the Buddhist chronicles of India. Fa-Hian makes the distance 5 yojanas, or 35 miles, to the east, and

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[p.421]: Hwen Thsang gives 200 li, or 33.33 miles, in the same direction. But in spite of their agreement I believe that the distance is in excess of the truth. Their subsequent march to the bank of the Anoma river is said to be 3 yojanas or 21 miles by Fa-Hian, and 100 li or 16.66 miles by Hwen Thsang, thus making the total distance from Kapila to the Anoma river 8 yojanas, or 56 miles, according to the former, and 300 li, or 50 miles, according to the latter. But in the Indian Buddhist scriptures, this distance is said to be only 6 yojanas, or 42 miles, which I believe to be correct, as the Auyni river of the present day, which is most probably the Anoma river of the Buddhist books, is just 40 miles distant from Nagar in an easterly direction. The identification of the Anoma will be discussed presently.

According to the pilgrims' statements, the position of Ramagrama must be looked for at about two-thirds of the distance between Nagar and the Anoma river, that is at 4 yojanas, or 28 miles. In this position I find the village of Deokali, with a mound of ruins, which was used as a station for the trigonometrical survey. In the ' Mahawansa ' it is stated that the stupa of Ramagama, which stood on the bank of the Ganges, was destroyed by the action of the current. Mr. Laidlay has already pointed out that this river could not be the Ganges; but might be either the Ghagra, or some other large river in the north. But I am inclined to believe that the Ganges is a simple fabrication of the Ceylonese chronicler. All the Buddhist scriptures agree in stating that the relics of Buddha were divided

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[p.422]: into eight portions, of which one fell to the lot of the Kosalas of Ramagrama, over which they erected a stupa. Some years later seven portions of the relics were collected together by Ajatasatru, king of Magadha, and enshrined in a single stupa at Rajagriha ; but the eighth portion still remained at Ramagrama. According to the Ceylonese chronicler, the stupa of Ramagrama was washed away by the Ganges, and the relic casket, having been carried down the river to the ocean, was discovered by the Nagas, or water gods, and presented to their king, who built a stupa for its reception. During the reign of Dutthagamini of Ceylon, B.C. 161 to 137, the casket was miraculously obtained from the Naga king by the holy monk Sonuttaro, and enshrined in the Mahathupo, or " great stupa," in the land of Lanka.

Now this story is completely at variance with the statements of the Chinese pilgrims, both of whom visited Ramagrama many centuries after Dutthagamini, when they found the relic stupa intact, but no river. Fa-Hian, in the beginning of the fifth century, saw a tank beside the stupa, in which a dragon (Naga) lived, who continually watched the tower. In the middle of the seventh century, Hwen Thsang saw the same stupa and the same tank of clear water inhabited by dragons (Nagas), who daily transformed themselves into men, and paid their devotions to the stupa. Both pilgrims mention the attempt of Asoka to remove these relics to his own capital, which was abandoned on the expostulation of the Naga king. " If by thy oblations," said the Naga, " thou canst excel this, thou mayest

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[p.423]:

destroy the tower, and I shall not prevent thee." Now according to the Ceylonese chronicler, this is the very same argument that was used by the Naga king to dissuade the priest Sonuttaro from removing the relics to Ceylon. I infer, therefore, that the original "tank" of Ramagrama was adroitly changed into a river by the Ceylonese author, so that the relics which were in charge of the Nagas of the tank, might be conveyed to the ocean-palace of the Naga king, from whence they could as readily be transferred to Ceylon as to any other place. The river was thus a necessity in the Ceylonese legend, to convey the relics away from Ramagrama to the ocean. But the authority of a legend can have no weight against the united testimony of the two independent pilgrims, who many centuries later found the stupa still standing, but saw no river. I therefore dismiss the Ganges as a fabrication of the Ceylonese chroniclers, and accept in its stead the Naga tank of the Chinese pilgrims. Having thus got rid of the river, I can see no objection to the identification of Deokali with the Ramagrama of Buddhist history. The town was quite deserted at the time of Fa-Hian's visit, in the fifth century, who found only a small religious establishment ; this was still kept up in the middle of the seventh century, but it must have been very near its dissolution, as there was only a single sramanera, or monk, to conduct the affairs of the monastery.

अनोमा

विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर ने लेख किया है ...अनोमा नदी (AS, p.23) बौद्ध साहित्य में वर्णित एक प्रसिद्ध नदी है। बुद्ध की जीवन-कथाओं में वर्णित है कि सिद्धार्थ ने कपिलवस्तु को छोड़ने के पश्चात् इस नदी को अपने घोड़े 'कंथक' पर पार किया था और यहीं से अपने परिचारक छंदक को विदा कर दिया था। इस स्थान पर उन्होंने राजसी वस्त्र उतार कर अपने केशों को काट कर फेंक दिया था।

किंवदंती के अनुसार बस्ती ज़िला, उत्तर प्रदेश में खलीलाबाद रेलवे स्टेशन से लगभग 6 मील दक्षिण की ओर जो कुदवा नाम का एक छोटा-सा नाला बहता है, वही प्राचीन अनोमा है और क्योंकि सिद्धार्थ के घोड़े ने यह नदी कूद कर पार की थी, इसलिए कालांतर में इसका नाम 'कुदवा' हो गया। कुदवा से एक मील दक्षिण-पूर्व की ओर एक मील लम्बे चौड़े क्षेत्र में खण्डहर हैं, [p.24]: जहाँ तामेश्वरनाथ का वर्तमान मंदिर है।

युवानच्वांग के वर्णन के अनुसार इस स्थान के निकट अशोक के तीन स्तूप थे, जिनसे बुद्ध के जीवन की इस स्थान पर घटने वाली उपर्युक्त घटनाओं का बोध होता था। इन स्तूपों के अवशेष शायद तामेश्वरनाथ मंदिर के तीन मील उत्तर पश्चिम की ओर बसे हुए 'महायानडीह' नामक ग्राम के आस-पास तीन ढूँहों के रूप में आज भी देखे जा सकते हैं। यह ढूह मगहर स्टेशन से दो मील दक्षिण-पश्चिम में हैं। श्री बी. सी. लॉ के मत में गोरखपुर ज़िला की 'ओमी नदी' ही प्राचीन अनोमा है।