Indian Antiquary Vol 52

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 493

MIY
131
MRI
The Aryans worshipped nature including the Sun (Mitra) before they emigrated to India
and other countries (comp. Rig Veda with the Avesta ; Bhavishya P., I, 139, 83 ff.). Miyulu-Same as Mithila. Mod&girl-Monghyr (Mbh., Sabha, ch. 29). Mohana-The southern portion of the Northern Circars, the coastlands situated between
the rivers Mahanadi and the Godavari (Mbh., Vana, ch. 252). Moharakapura-Moharpur in the district of Mirzapur, U.P. Seo Dharmara ya (3). Mouziris (of the Greeks)-Muyirikkodu or Muyirikotta (Kishan-kotta opposite to the site
of Cranganore) on the Malabar coast (Dr. Caldwell's Drav. Comp. Gram., p. 94 ; Dr. Bur. nell's 8. I. Pal., p. 51 noto; McCrindle's Ptolemy, VII, ch. 1, sec. 8 in Ind. Ant., vol. XIII, p. 228). The identification of Mouziris or Muziris, as it is also called, with Masura in the Ratnagiri district of the Bombay Presidency does not appear to be correct. It is most probably the Murachỉpattana of the Ramayana (Kish., ch. 42) and Brihat-Sanhita (ch, 14)
and the Muñijagrama of the Mbh., Sabha, ch. 30, conquered by Sahadeva. Mriga-Margiana, the country about Merv in Turkestan : see Såkadvipa (Rawlinson's Five
Great Monarchies, vol. IV, pp. 25, 26, note). Murg was the ancient name of Merv, which still exists in Murg-ab, the river of Merv. It is the Mourva of the Avesta and Margu of
the Achæmenian Inscriptions. Mrigadava-Sårnåth, six miles from Benares, the place where Buddha preached his first
sermon after the attainment of Buddhahood at Buddha Gaya (Dhamma-Chakka-ppavattana Sutta in the Sacred Books of the East, vol. XI). Mrigadåva was situated in Rishi. patana (Bhadrakalpa-Avadana in Dr. R. Mitra's Sans. Bud. Litr. of Nepal). Here Kaundinya, Asvajit, Váshpa, Mahânâ man and Bhadrika became his first disciples. The Buddhist temples and Viharas and stupas of Sârnâth were destroyed and burnt by the Sivaites in the eleventh century when Benares was annexed to the kingdom of Kanauj and Hinduism was restored. (See Saranganatha.) The exploration of 1905 has discovered a pillar of Asoka which marks the site where, according to Hiuen Tsiang, Buddha first "turned the wheel of law " The pillar is so well polished that it is still as "bright as Jade." The Dhamek Stupa, according to General Cunningham (Anc. Geo., p. 438). was the place where Buddha first turned the wheel of law. The Chaukhandi tower, or what is called Lari-kå-Jhânp, is the place where Buddha after his arrival met Kauņdinya, Asvajit, and the aforesaid three others, who were at first not inclined to show him any mark of respect, but were obliged to do so when he came near them. Akbar built a tower upon it to commemorate the visit of his father Humâyân. The place where the red sandstone statue of Bodhisattva of the time of Kanishka under an umbrella of the same material has been discovered, was the chankrama, mentioned by Itsing, where Buddha used to walk. Just to the south of the Asoka pillar, there is a hollow spot which has the appearance of a well and is pointed out as the bathing place of Buddha by ignorant men ; it is in reality the Asoka stupa mentioned by Hiuen Tsiang, the interior of which has be. come hollow by bricks being taken out of it by unscrupulous men. The base is now only a few feet above the ground, and there are still four staircases on its four sides each consisting of four or five steps and carved out of one piece of stone. The remains of a temple mentioned by Hiuen Tsiang may be identified with the ruins discovered with four porti. coes on the four sides on the southern sid of the excavated area. The three tanks referred to by Hiuen Tsiang have been identified by General Cunningham with the present tanks nained Chandratal, Saranga-tal, and Naya-tâl (Arch. S. Rep., vol. I, pp. 103-129). On the