Indian Antiquary Vol 48

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

Page 308

BRI
BYA
of the raid of Aurangzeb. The splendid and magnificent Pyramidal old temple of Govindaji with its elegant carvings and sculptures was built by Man Singh in the thirty-fourth year of Akbar's reign (Growse's Mathurd and Brahmavawarita P., ch. 17 and Bhagarata P., X, ch. i2). The Nidhuvada and Nikuñjavana, the celebrated howers of love, Pulina, the place of the risamandala, the Bastraharana-ghê, the Kaliya-daha-ghat-all situated in Brindâvana were the scenes of Kțishna's love and adventures. Brindavana appears to have attained celebrity at the time of Kalidasa (Raghuvamsa, VI, 50). Brindavana was visited by the poet Bilhanå who composed his Bikramankadeva-charita about A.D. 1085 (see canto XVIII, v. 87). The cenotaph of Harilâs is situated in his hermitage, whence Akbar in his visit to Brindabana took away his disciple, the celebrated musician Tanasena to his court. The predominance of the Buldhist religion for several centuries served to efface all traces of the sacred localities of Bșind&vana, but were again restored by the explorations of Rûpa and Sanktana, the celebrated followers of Chaitanya. But the identification of modern Brindában with the Brindavana of the Purauas is extremely doubtful for the following reasons: (1) Modern Brindaban is six miles from Mathuri, whereas it took Akrura the whole day from sunrise to sunset to drive from Brindavana to Mathura in a car drawn by swift horses (Vishnu P.. Pt. V, ch. 18, vs. 12 and 33, and ch. 19, v. 9, Bhagavata P., Pt. X, ch. 39, v. 30, and ch.41, v. 4). (2) Nanda, the foster-father of Krishna, removed from Gokula, which is six miles from Mathurâ, across the Jamuna to Brindāvana to escape molestations from the myrmidons of Kamsa, king of Mathuri (Vishnu P., Pt. V, ch. vi, vs. 23, 25, and Bhagavata P., Pt. X, ch. xi, vs. 10-14). It is therefore not likely that he should select for his sojourn modern Bộindavana which is also six miles from Mathura and on the same side of the Jamun a, leaving the natural barrier of a river. (3) Brindavan does not contain any mountain, whereas ancient Brindavana is described as mountainous (Bhagarata P., Pt. X,
ch. xi, v. 14). (4) Ancient Brindavana and Mathura scem to have been situated on the opposite sides of the Yamuna (Vishnu P., Part V, ch. 18, v. 33, and Bhagarata P..
Pt. X, ch. 39, v. 34). Brlshabhanupura-Same as Barshana. Britraghnt -The Vâtrak, a tributary of the Sabarmati in Gujarat (Padma P., Uttara,
oh, 60; Márkand P., ch. 57). Same as Betravati (2) and Bartraghni (cf. Padma P., Uttara.
chs. 53 and 60). Buddhavana--Budhain, about six miles north of Tapovan in the district of Gaya. Bukephala Jalalpur in the Punjab (Cunningham's Anc. Geo., 176, 177). This was the
place where Alexander the Great's favourite horse was interred. For Alexander's ronto to India, see JASB., X (1842), "Note on the Passes to Hindoostan from the West and North-west" by H. T. Prinsep; JASB., XXI (1852), p. 214. By&ghrapura-1. Same as Kcli (MB.. p. 139). 2. Same as Bedagarbhapur (8kanda P..
Sâta-Sa'yhita, IV, Yajña kh., ch. 24). Byghrasara-Baxar in the district of Shahabad. See Bodagarbhapurî, ByAsa-abrama-Manal, a village near Badrinath in Garwal in the Himalayas. It was the hermitage of Rishi Vyasa, the author of the Mahabharata, and the reputed author of
the Puranas. . Byasa-kasi-Ramnagar, opposite to Benares across the Ganges. The temple dedicated
to Vyasa Rishi is situated within the precincts of the palace of the Mahâråjå of Benares (landa P., Kåsi-kh).