The Ancient Geography of India/Kusinagara
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20. Kusinagara.
[p.430]:Fa-Hian places Kusinagara at 12 yojanas, or 84 miles, to the eastward of the Charcoal Stupa, a distance which is quite impossible when compared with its other recorded distances from Vaisali and Banaras.[1] Unfortunately, Hwen Thsang, contrary to his usual custom, has omitted to note the distance, and simply states that he travelled in a north-east direction for a long time through a vast forest, full of wild bulls and wild elephants, and infested with brigands. A portion of this forest still exists to the north and east of Sahankat, and wild elephants still abound in the Tarai forests to the north of Gorakhpur. Wilson first pr posed Kasia as the site of Kusinagara, and the suggestion has since been generally adopted. The village is situated exactly 35 miles to the east of Gorakhpur, at the crossing of two great thoroughfares.[2]
[p.431]: It is 28 miles to the north-east of Sahankat in a direct line measured on the map, or about 35 miles by road. The distance is therefore only 5 yojanas, instead of 12, as noted by Fa-Hian. It cannot be placed further to the north-east without increasing its distance from Banaras, and lessening its distance from Vaisali. Now the former is limited by Hwen Thsang to 700 li, or 117 miles, and the latter is fixed by Fa-Hian himself at 25 yojanas, or 175 miles ; and as both estimates agree very closely with the actual position of Kasia, I am satisfied that Fa-Hian's 12 yojanas must be a mistake. Anrudhwa, near Kasia, is exactly 111 miles to the north-north-east of Banaras, measured in a direct line on the map, and cannot, therefore, be less than 120 miles by road. The distance between Kasia and Vaisali, by the route which I marched, is just 140 miles ; but this was along the new straight lines which have been laid out by the British authorities. By the old winding native tracks the distance would have been much greater, or certainly not less than 160 miles.
At the time of Hwen Thsang's visit the walls of Kusinagara were in ruins, and the place was almost deserted ; but the brick foundations of the old capital occupied a circuit of about 12 li, or 2 miles. The existing ruins between Anrudhwa and Kasia are scattered over a much larger space ; but some of these were certainly outside the city, and it is now quite impossible to ascertain its exact limits. It most probably occupied the site of the mound of ruins to the north-east of the village of Anrudhwa. The spot where Buddha obtained Nirvana would then correspond with the site of the stupa and ruins now called
[p.432]: Matha-kuar-ka-kot, or the "fort of the Dead Prince," and the spot -where his body was burned would correspond with the site of the great stupa now called Devisthan. The former lies to the north-west of Anrudhwa, and to the west of the old channel of the Chota Gandak, or Hiranyavati river, which is still occasionally filled after heavy rain. The latter lies to the north-east of Anrudhwa, and to the east of the old channel of the Hirana, or Chota Gandak.
The only name now associated with the ruins near Kasia is that of Matha Kuar, or the " Dead Prince." Mr. Listen gives the name as Mata, but a Brahman of the neighbouring village of Bishanpur, who wrote the name for me, spelt it as I have given it, Matha. As this spelling points to the derivation of the word from Matha or Matha, " to kill," I have translated Matha Kuar as the " Dead Prince," which I refer to Buddha himself after his death, or, in the language of the Buddhists, after his obtainment of Nirvana. Hwen Thsang, when speaking of Sakya's assumption of the mendicant's dress, calls him Kumara 'Raja, or the " Royal Prince ; " but although this title was never, I believe, applied to him by the learned after his assumption of Buddhahood, it does not seem at all improbable that it may have remained in common use amongst the people. We know from Hwen Thsang that on the spot where Buddha died there was a brick vihar, or temple monastery, in which was enshrined a recumbent statue of Buddha on his death-bed, with his head towards the north. Now this statue would naturally have been the principal object of veneration at Kusinagara, and although amongst the learned it might have been called the " statue of the Nirvana".
[p.433]: yet I can readily believe that its more popular name amongst all classes would have been the " statue of the Dead Prince." I am therefore of opinion that the name of Matha Kuar, which still clings to the ruins of Kasia, has a direct reference to the death of Buddha, which, according to his followers, took place at Kusinagara, on the full moon of the Vaisakh, 543 B.C. The continuance of this name down to the present day is a strong argument in favour of the identification of Kasia as the " death-place " of Buddha.
Khukhundo - Kahaon
On leaving Kusinagara, Hwen Thsang directed his steps towards Banaras, and after having travelled about 200 li, or 33 miles, to the south-west, he reached a large town where lived a Brahman who was devoted to Buddhism.[1] If we adhere rigidly to the south-west bearing, we must identify this large town with Sahankat, near Rudrapur. But this place has already been identified with Pippalavana, and is not upon the high-road to Banaras. As Hwen Thsang specially mentions the Brahman's hospitality to travellers going and coming, it is certain that the large town must have been on the high-road between Kusinagara and Banaras. Now the high-road could never have passed through Rudrapur, as it would have en-tailed the passage of the Rapti in addition to that of the Ghagra, while Rudrapur itself is not on the direct line to Banaras. It is quite clear that the high-road must have crossed the Ghagra somewhere below the junction of the Rapti. According to the people, the old passage of- the Ghagra was at Mahili, 4 miles to
- ↑ Julien's 'Hiouen Thsang,' ii. 349.
[p.434]: the south of Kahaon, and 7 miles below the confluence of the two rivers. From Kasia to the Mahili Ghat the route would have passed through the ancient towns of Khuhkundo and Kahaon, both of which still possess many remains of antiquity. But the former is only 28 miles from Kasia, while the latter is 35 miles. Both are undoubtedly Brahmanical ; but while the ruins at Khukhundo are nearly all of middle age, those at Kahaon are at least as old as the time of Skanda Gupta, who lived several centuries before the time of Hwen Thsang. I am inclined, therefore, to prefer the claim of Kahaon as the representative of Hwen Thsang' s ancient city, partly on account of its undoubted antiquity, and partly because its distance from Kasia agrees better with the pilgrim's estimate than that of the larger town of Khukhundo.[1]
Pawa or Padraona
In the Ceylonese chronicles the town of Pawa is mentioned as the last halting-place of Buddha before reaching Kusinagara, where he died. After his death it is again mentioned in the account of Kasyapa's journey to Kusinagara to attend at the cremation of Buddha's corpse. Pawa was also famous as one of the eight cities which obtained a share of the relics of Buddha. In the Ceylonese chronicles it is noted as being only 12 miles from Kusinagara,[2] towards the Gandak river. Now 12 miles to the north-north-east of Kasia there is a considerable village named Padaraona, or Padara-vana, with a large mound covered with broken bricks, in which several statues of
[p.435]: Buddha have been found. The name of Padara-vana, or Padarban, might easily be shortened to Parian, Paban, and Pawa. In the Tibetan ' Kohgyur '[1] this town is called Digpachan, but as the meaning of the name is not given, it is impossible to say whether it is an original Indian name or a Tibetan translation. Between Pawa and Kusinagara there was a stream called Kuhuttha, or Kakukha[2] at which Buddha stopped to bathe and drink. This must be the present Badhi, or Barhi, or Bandhi Nala, which, after a course of 36 miles, joins the Chota Gandak, or Hirana river on its left bank, 8 miles below Kasia.