Indian Antiquary Vol 48

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 296

ВЕТ
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· DBA
called Chetiya, Chetiyanagara, or Chetyagiri (Chaityagiri) in the Mahdvania. It was the ancient capital of Daśârna. Asoka married Devi, the daughter of the chieftain of this plače, on his way to Ujjayini, of which place, while a prince, he was nominated governor. By Devi, he had twin sons, Ujjeniya and Mahinda and a daughter Saighamitta. The two last named were sent by their father to introduce Buddhism into Ceylon with a branch of the Bodhi-tree of Buddha-Gayà. Asoka was the grandson of Chandragupta of Pâțaliputra, and reigned from 273 to 232 B.C. A column was discovered at Besna gar, which from the inscription appears to have been set up by Heliodorous of Taxila who was a devotee of Vishņu, as Garuda-dhvaja, in the reign of Antial kidas, a Bactrian king who reigned about 150 B.C.See Chetiyagiri. Bethadipa-It has not been correctly identified, but it seems to be the modern Bethia
to the east of Gorakhpur and south of Nepal. The Brahmins of Bethadipa obtained an eighth part of the relics of Buddha's body after his death (Mahaparinibbana Sutta, ch. vi). See Kusinagara. It seems that the extensive ruins consisting of three rows of eartben ba.rows or huge conical mounds of earth, about a mile to the north-east of Lauriya Navandgad (Lauriya Nandangad) and 15 miles to the north-west of Bethia in the district of Champaran, are the remains of the stúpa which had been built over the relics of Buddha by the Brahmins of Bethadipa. At a short distance from these ruins stands the lion pillar of Asoka containing his edicts. Dipa in Bethadipa is evidently a corruption of Dhapa, which again is a corruption of Dâga ba or Dhâtugarbha or Stapa containing Buddha's relics (cf. Mahâsthana, the ancient name of which (Sità-dhapa or Sita-dhâtugarbha) was changed into Sita-dîpa). The change of Dipa into Dia is an easy step.
Hence it is very probable that from Beha-dia comes Bethiâ. Betrayati-1. The river Betva in the kingdom of Bhopal, an affluent of the Jamuna (Megha.
data, Pt. I, 25), on which stands Bhilsa or the ancient Vidiśâ. 2. The river Vátrak, & branch of the Sabarmati in Gujarat (Padma P., Uttara, ch. 53, on which Kaira (ancient
Khețaka) is situated (JASB. (1838) p. 908 ). Same as Britragh nî and Bartraghni. Bhaddiys-It is also called Bhadiya and Bhadiyanagara in the Pali books. It may be
identified with Bhadaria, eight miles to the south of Bhagalpore (see my "Notes on Ancient Aiga" in J ASB., X, (1914), p. 337). Mahâvira, the last of the Jaina Tirtharkaras' visited this place and spent here two Pajjusanas (rainy season retirement). It was the birthplace of Visakha, the famous female disciple of Buddha (see Bråvasti). She was the daughter of Dhananjaya and grand-daughter of Mendaka, both of whom were treasurers to the king of Anga. Buddha visited Bhaddiya (Mahdvagga, V, 8, 3), when Visakhê wat seven years old and resided in the Jâtiyâyana for three months and converted Bhaddaji, son of a rich merchant (Mahavagga, V, 8; Maha-Panada-J dlaka (No. 264) in the Jatakas (Cam. Ed.), vol. II, p. 229). Visakha's father removed to a place called Saketa, 21 miles to the south of Srâvasti, where she was married to Pârnavarddbana or Punya vardhana, son of Migara, the treasurer of Prasenajit, king of Srâvasti. She caused Migårs, who was a follower of Nigrantha-Nathaputtra, to adopt the Buddhist faith, and hence she was called Migáramâta (Mahavagga, VIII, 51 ; Spence Hardy's Manual of Buddhism, 2nd ed., p. 226). It appears that at the time of Buddha, the kingdom of Auga had been annexed to the Magadha kingdom by Bimbigâra, as Bhaddiya is said to have been situated in that kingdom (Mahavagga, VI, 34; Spence Hardy's Manual of Buddhism, p. 166).