Indian Antiquary Vol 52

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

Page 498

NAL
138
NAL
Nalanda-Bargaon, which lies seven miles to the north-west of Rajgir in the district of
Patna, the celebrated seat of Buddhist learning up to the thirteenth century A.D. Bargầon is a corruption of Vibâragrâma. Nalanda was a "great city" in which were many horges, elephants, and men. The great monastery, which no longer exists, has been traced by General Cunningham by the square patches of oultivation amongst a long mass of brick ruins 1,600 feet by 400 feet. These open spaces show the position of the courtyard of the six smaller monasteries, which are described by Hiuen Tsiang as being situated within one enclosure forming altogether eight courts (Cunningham's Anc. Geo., p. 470; Mahd-parinibbana-sutta in the Sacred Books of the East, Vol. XI, p. 12). The whole establishment was surrounded by a brick wall which enclosed the entire convent from without, one gate opening into the great college (Beal's Life of Hiuen Telang, p. ix). It was the birth-place of Sariputra, the famous disciple of Buddha (Bigandet's Life of Caudama; Legge's Fa Hian, p. 81). But according to Hiuen Tsiang. Såriputra was born at Kalapinaka, four miles to the south-east of Nalanda. According to the Bhadra-kalpa Avadana; (Dr. R. Mitra's Sanskrit Buddhist Literature of Nepal, p. 45), Sariputra was born at Naradagrâma near Rajagriha; he was the last of the seven sons of Dharmapati by his wife Sari; but according to the Mandvastu-avadana (Sans. Bud. Liter. of Nepal, p. 148), the birthplace of Sariputra is located at Alanda which was four miles from Rajagriha. Naradagrâma and Alanda appear to be variations of Nalanda. Sariputra also died at Nalanda (Jataka, Cam. Ed., Vol. V, p. 64, but see Vol. I, p. 230). Sařkara and Mudgaragâminin, two brothers, built the celebrated monastery on the birth-place of Sariputra (Dr. R. L. Mitra's Buddha-Gaya, pp. 238, 242). But according to Hiuen Tsiang, the monastery was built by king Sakraditya (Beal's RWC., Vol. II, p. 168). The celebrated Nagarjuna, who introduced the Mahayana system of Buddhism in the first oentury, resided at the monastery of NÅlandâ, making it a seat of Mahayana'school of Central India (800 KosalaDakshina). Many Chinese pilgrims, including Hiuen Tsiang, studied at this monastery in the seventh century. The great temple at Nålandâ, which resembled the great temple at Buddha-Gaya, was built by Baladitya who lived at the end of the first century after Christ (Dr. R. L. Mitra's Buddha-Gaya, p. 247). Cunningham identifies it with the third mound from the north on the right side of the road. According to some authorities, it was built over the spot where Sariputra's body was burnt (Legge's Fa Hian, p. 81). It was situated to the north-west of the Nålandâ monastery containing a big image of Buddha. According to Hiuen Teiang, ten thousand priests, and according to I-tsing, over three thousand priests resided in the six large buildings within the same compound forming together one great monastic establishment, and the structure was one of the most splendid buildings in India (I-tsing's Records of the Buddhist Religion, p. 65). Hiuen Tsiang and I-tsing resided and studied at the Nalanda inonastery for many years. There are many high mounds and masses of briok ruins on both sides of the road running from north to south within the villages called Bargaon, Begumpur, Mustaphâpur, Kapatiah, and Anandpur, collectively called Bargaon. These high mounds are the remains of the temples attached to the great Nalandâ monastery. In an enclosure near a very big inound on the north side of these ruins is a very large and beautiful image of Buddha which is very similar to that at Buddha-Gaya. The image was, as stated before, enshrined at Baláditya's temple which is the third mound to the south from Bålåditya's Vihdra identified by Cunningham with the mound situated at a short distance to the north-west of this enclosure. Bargaon contains many sculptures of more beautiful design and artistic value than those