The Ancient Geography of India/Vajji
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24. Vriji.
[p.447]:From Vaisali, Hwen Thsang proceeded to the north-east for 500 li, or 83 miles, to Fo-li-shi, or Vriji, which has already been identified as the territory of the powerful tribe of Wajji, or Vriji.
In the time of Buddha, the Vrijis were divided into several clans, as the Lichhavis, the Vaidehis, the Tirabhuktis, and others, whose names are unknown. The exact number of their clans would appear to have been eight, as criminals were arraigned before the atthakulaka,[1] or " eight clans," which would appear to have been a jury composed of one member from each of the separate divisions of the tribe. Hwen Thsang mentions that the people of the north called them San-fa-shi, or Samvajji, that is the "United Vajjis," — and the same name is referred to in the long and interesting account of the people of Wajji, which is given by Turnour from the Pali chronicles of Ceylon,[2] The great monarch Ajatasatru, of Magadha, wishing to subdue the " great and powerful people of Wajji", sent his minister to consult Buddha as to the best means of accomplishing his object. The Raja is informed that so long as the people of Wajji remained "united," they would be invincible. The Raja, by a stratagem of his minister, in the course of three years, so completely disunited their rulers, one from another, that no two would walk the same road together," and they were accordingly subdued without making any resistance. According to Turnour, " the union of the Wajjian states consisted of a confederation of chiefs."[3] The name of
[p.448]: Sam-vrlji, or the "United Vrijis," was therefore a descriptive title of the whole nation of eight clans, who, as Buddha remarked, were accustomed to hold frequent meetings, to act in concert, and to uphold the ancient Wajjian, institutions. No king is mentioned, but the people are stated to have respected and obeyed the orders of their elders.
According to Hwen Thsang the country of the Vrijis was long from east to west, and narrow from north to south.[1] This description corresponds exactly with the tract of country lying between the Gandak and Mahanadi rivers, which is 300 miles in length by 100 miles in breadth. Within these limits there are several ancient cities, some of which may possibly have been the capitals of the eight different clans of the Vrijis. Of these Vaisali, Kesariya, and Janakpur have already been noticed; the others are Navandgarh, Simrun, Darbanga, Puraniya, and Motihari. The last three are still inhabited and are well known ; but Simrun has been deserted for upwards of 550 years, while Navandgarh has probably been abandoned for at least fifteen centuries. Simrun has been described by Mr. Hodgson,[2] but its ruins still require to be carefully surveyed before we can form an opinion as to its probable antiquity. I visited Navandgarh my-self in 1862, and found it one of the oldest and most interesting places in northern India.
Navandgarh or Naonadgarh is a ruined fort from 250 to 300 feet square at top and 80 feet in height. It is situated close to the large village of Lauriya, 15 miles to the north-north-west of Bettiah and 10 miles
[p.449]: from the nearest point of the Gandak river.[1] The ancient remains consist of a handsome stone pillar, surmounted by a lion and inscribed with Asoka's edicts, and of three rows of earthen barrows or conical mounds of earth, of which two rows lie from north to south, and the third from east to west. Now the stupas usually met with are built either of stone or of brick ; but the earliest stupas were mere mounds of earth, of which these are the most remarkable specimens that I have seen. I believe that they are the sepulchral monuments of the early kings of the country prior to the rise of Buddhism, and that their date may be assumed as ranging from 600 to 1500 B.C. Every one of these barrows is called simply bhisu, or "mound," but the whole are said to have been the kots or fortified dwellings of the ministers and nobles of Raja Uttanpat, while the fort of Navandgarh was the king's own residence. The word stupa meant originally only a "mound of earth," and this is the meaning given to it by Colebrooke, in his translation of the ' Amara Kosha.' I believe that these earthen stupas or chaityas of Navandgarh must form part of those alluded to by Buddha himself in his sixth question addressed to Ananda about the people of Vriji:[2] " Anando ! hast thou heard that the Wajjians, what-ever the number may be of the Wajjian chetiyani belonging to the Wajjian (rulers), whether situated within or without (the city), they maintain, respect, reverence, and make offerings to them ; and that they keep up without diminution the ancient offerings, the ancient observances, and the ancient sacrifices righteously
[p.450]: made?" Now these chetiyani could not have been Buddhist stupas, as Buddha himself put the question during his lifetime. Accordingly, the author of the Ceylonese ' Atthakatha ' explains that they are yakhatthanani, or edifices belonging to Yakha, or demon worship. The Yakhas, in Sanskrit Yaksha and Jaksha, were the attendants of Kuvera, the God of Riches, and the guardians of his treasures, and their chief residence was called Alakapura. Now somewhere in the neighbourhood of the Gandak there was a city named Alakappo inhabited by a people named Balaya or Buluka, who obtained a share of Buddha's relics. It is probable, therefore, that this city of Alakappo may have been connected with the early Yaksha worship, and that the pre-Buddhistical stupas of Navandgarh may bo some of the ancient chaityas of the Vrijis that were referred to by Buddha. If so, the Balayas or Bulukas of Alakappo must have been one of the eight clans of the Vrijis, a conclusion which is rendered still more probable by the vicinity of Alakappo to the Gandak river.
25. Nepal
From Vriji the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang visited Ni.po.lo, or Nepala, which he places to the north-west at 1400 or 1500 li, or 233 to 250 miles.[1] From Janakpur there are two routes to Nepal, one by the Kamala river, and the other by the Bhagmati or Bhagavati river ; but the distance is not more than 150 miles by either of them. The circuit of the country is said to be 4000 li, or 667 miles, which is much too small, unless the estimate refers to the district of Nepal Proper on
- ↑ Julien's 'Hiouen Thsang,' ii. 407.
[p.451]: the Sapta Kausiki, or seven streams of the Kosi river. But in this case the hill country on the Gandak river must have been a separate territory, which is very improbable. I would therefore assign to Nepal the basins of both rivers, and alter Hwen Thsang's esti-mate to 6000 li, or 1000 miles, which is about the actual size of the two valleys.
The Raja of Nepal was a Kshatriya of the race of Lichhavi named Ansu-Varmma, who is probably the Anghu Varmma of the native histories, as he belonged to the Newarit or Newar dynasty of conquerors. As a Lichhavi, Ansu Varmma must also have been a foreigner, that is one of the Vrijis of Vaisali. The dates likewise correspond, as Anghu Varmma is the fifteenth ruler prior to Raghava Deva, who established the Newar era in A.D. 880. Allowing seven-teen years to each reign, the accession of Anghu Varmma will be fixed in A.D. 625, and Hwen Thsang's visit in A.D. 637 will fall towards the end of his reign.
It is curious that the kings of Tibet and Ladak also trace their descent from the Lichhavis. But if their claims are well founded they must have been offshoots from the Nepal branch of the family. Now the Lichhavi conquest of Nepal is assigned to Newarit, who preceded Anghu Varmma by 37 reigns, which at 17 years each, will give a period of 629 years, equivalent to B.C. 4 for his accession. The Tibetan history begins with the accession of Nyah-khri-Tsanpo, whose date is roughly fixed at 500 years prior to Lha-Thothori in A.D. 407, or about 93 B.C. But as Lha-Thothori's fifth successor was born in A.D. 627, there must be an error of about one century and
[p.452]: a half in the date of 407. Applying this correction to the date of the first king, the Lichhavi conquest cannot be fixed earlier than A.D. 50, or about two generations after the conquest of Nepal.