________________ DR. VINCENT A. SMITH ON VAISALI As early as 1902 Dr. Vincent A. Smith, the eminent English historian, wrote a long article on Vaisali in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (pp. 267-283). The important portions of the article are reproduced below so that our readers may know that the great scholar had profound love for Vaikali and that he had devoted much time over its proper identification. He says: "I have no doubt whatever that Basar and the adjoining villager occupy the site of the city of Vaisali, and am further convinced that, while the limits of the city can even now be determined with a near approach to accuracy, a very moderate amount of local exploration, conducted under competent guidance, should result in the determination of the exact sites of many renowned monuments." With regard to the present situation of Vaisali, he says : "The village of Basa; ( TEC ) stands in about N. lat. 25deg 58' 20" and E. long. 85deg 11' 30", twenty-six or twenty-seven miles in a direct line a little to the west of north from Patna, the ancient Pasaliputra, and about twenty miles from Hajipur on the northern back of the Ganges opposite Patna. It is due north of the Digha Ghat railway station on: the Bengal and North-Western Railway." Dr. Vincent A. Smith now proceeds to prove the identity of Vaidali with Basar. His first reason is : "The great mound or 'fort' at the village is known as the Fort of Raja Bisal (Visal). The close correspondence of the name of this eponymous local chieftain with the city name of Vaigali or Vesali is obvious, and, although not by itself conclusive evidence of identity, is of great weight as corroboration of other evidence."
