Indian Antiquary Vol 48

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

Page 310

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remains of two great rivers. It is now situated on the river Karatoya (Hunter's Statistical Account of Bengal, vol. VIII, p. 196). The Kálidaha Sågar, a large lake outside the rampart of Mahisthana fort is the Kálidaha of the story (JASB., 1878, p. 94 (Beveridge)]. But Chand Nadagar's residence is also pointed out at Champanagara near Bhagalpur, where a fair is held every year in honour of Behula and Nakhindhara. See, however,
Ujāni. 2. Same as Champapuri. Champapuri-Same as Champa. Champanagara, situated at a distance of about four miles
to the west of Bhagalpur. It was also called Malini and Champa-malini (Matsya P., ch. 48 : Lemakosha). It was the capital of ancient Aiga, of which the king was Raja Romapida or Loma pada who adopted Dasaratha's daughter Santa (Ramayana, Adi, ch. 10). Lomapada's great-grandson Champa is said to have founded the town of Champânagara which was formerly called Mâlins, but it is mentioned in the Mahabharata (Vana P., ch. 112) that Champi was the capital of Lomapäda. At the time of the Mahabharata it was the capital of Karņa, the ally of Duryodhana. It is also described as, a place of pilgrimage in the Mahabharata (Vana P., ch. 85). The Karnagad which is included in Champanagara, contains the remains of a fort which is pointed out as the fort of Karga, who was brought up at this place. But it has been thought by some that Karnagad in Champónagara and Karmachanda in Monghir have been named after Karnasena, king of Karmapuvarna, who had conquered Auga and Baiga. There is a temple of Mahadeva called Manaskamananátha, which is said to have been set up by Rajá Karpa, but which appears to have been built on the site of an ancient Buddhist temple. Just outside the temple on the southern side there are many Buddhist statues. The vestiges of the ramparts of the fort on all sides still exist. Champanagara was visited by Hiuen Triang in the seventh century as a Buddhist place of pilgrimage. Champa was the birth-place of "Biraja Jina," the author of the celebrated Buddhist work Lankaratara Sútra (ch. 10), and also that of Pålakåpya Muni, the author of the Hastyayurveda (a treatise on the disenges of elephante). Sona Kola visa, the author of one of the Theragathis was a resident of Champà (Mahavagga, V., 1). Many Buddhist statues and remains of ancient pulars are still found scattered over the town. The remains of the mound, on which the surrounding wall of the town was situated, as mentioned by Hiuen Tsiang, may still be seen close to the Nathnagar Railway Station. Spence Hardy, on the authority of Csoma Körösi, states that a king of Aiga (Brahmadatta), whose capital was Champå, had conquered Magadha before the birth of Buddha, but when Bimbisára, then a princo, grew up, he invaded Anga and caused the king to be slain : after which he resided at Champå till the death of his father Kshatrañjas, when he returned to Rajagriha (Hardy's Manual of Buddhism, p. 166, second ed., Duff's Chronicle, p. 5). Since that time, Anga remained subject to Magadha. Champ&puri is also a very sacred place to the Jainas, inasmuch as it was visited by Mahavira, the last Tirthavkara who spent here three Parjjusanas (rainy season retirement) (Kalpasitra, ch. vi), and it is the birth-place and the place of death of Båsupůjya, the twelfth Tirthaikara, whose symbol is the buffalo. He was the son of Basupujya and Jaya (Buchanan's Observations on the Jainas : Asial. Res., IX, 30). The temple of Basupájya was erected by a Jaipur chief, Sungree Siree Dhata and his wife Sungvin Siree Surjaiee in the Yudhishthira era 2559 (see the Inscription in Major Francklin's Site of Ancient Palibothra, pp. 16. 17: Yudhishthira Era 2559 corresponds to 541 B.c.). At Nathnagar, which is a quarter (mahalla) of Champânagara exists this beautiful temple of the Digambara sect, which is dedicated to Bâsupůjya, who is said to have lived and died at the site of this