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URA
212
URJ
According to Dr. Caldwell, however, Uraiyur, called also Kori, is almost identical with the modern town of Trichinopoly; it was the capital of the Cholas who reached the zenith of their power in the 11th century and ruled over the whole Tamil country, including the country of the Pandyas, south Travancore (Dravidian Com. Grammar, pp. 13, 14). In the Pavanadûta (v. 8), it is placed on the river Tamraparni. It is also called there Bhujaganagara (v. 10).
Uralyur-Same as Uragapura. At present a suburb of Trichinopoly (Arch. S. Rep., 1907-8, p. 232; Caldwell's Drav. Com. Gram., p. 13).
Uranjira The Vipâsâ, the modern Bias; it is perhaps the Saranjes of Arrian. Urasa-The Hazara country, between the Bidaspes (Jhelam) and the Indus on the west of Kasmir; it is the Arsa of Ptolemy and Wu-la-shi of Hiuen Tsiang (Dr. Stein's Rajatarangini, i, p. 180). Prof. Wilson identifies it with the valley of Gureiss or Gurez, three days' march from Kasmir, but Dr. Stein identifies Gurez with Daratpuri, the capital of Darada (see Darada). Darada and Urasa are mentioned as separate countries in the Matsya Purana (ch. 120, v. 46). General Cunningham identifies it with the district of Rash just to the west of Mozafarabad which is on the north-east of Kasmir (JASB., XVII, p. 485).
Uravilva-Buddha-Gaya, six miles to the south of Gaya. It was here that Buddha attained Buddhahood at the age of thirty-six in 522 B. c. in the sixteenth year of the reign of Bimbisâra, below the celebrated Pipal tree (Ficus religiosa) called also the Bodhi tree (MahaBodha tree of the Agni Purana, ch. 115, v. 37), immediately on the west of the great temple. Fergusson supposes that the great temple was built in the sixth century by Amara Deva (the author of the Amara-kosha), one of the nine gems in the court of Vikramaditya who reigned in Malwa from 515 to 550 A.D. (History of Indian and Eastern Architecture, p. 69). But Dr. Rajendralal Mitra says that the theory about Amara Deva's having built the temple in the sixth century is founded on Mr. Wilmot's inscription (Asiatic Researches, vol. 1), which was a myth, and never had any tangible existence. In his opinion the temple was built in the first century, B.C. on the site of Aśoka's vihara, by two Brahmin brothers whom he supposes to be Saukara and Mudgaragâmini, the founders of the celebrated monastery at Nalanda (Buddha-Gaya, pp. 238, 242). The Muchilinda tank, now called Buddha-kunda, is situated to the south of the temple, but Dr. Rajendralal identifies it with Muchirim to the south-west of the temple. The place where Buddha walked up and down after attaining Buddhahood is marked by a plastered parapet now called Jagamohan (anciently called Chaikrama: see I-Teing by Takakusu, p. 114), situated almost immediately to the north side of the temple. The rail to the south of the temple is one of the most ancient sculptured monuments in India, being built at the time of Asoka. The temple is now in charge of a Hindu Mohant, who resides in a monastery near the great temple, which was built by a Mohant named Mahadeva in the early part of the eighteenth century. The circular slab of chlorite carved in a complicated mystic pattern, now lying in the front room of the temple of Bâgiswari originally an image of Vajrapâni is supposed to be the Vajrasana (the diamond throne), on which Buddha sat when he entered into meditation below the Bodhi tree. The temple of Târâ Devi, which is really an image of Padmapâni, the son of the Dhyani Buddha Amitabha (see Udandapura) is situated close to the great temple (Dr. Mitra's Buddha-Gaya). Meghavarana, the Buddhist king of Ceylon, built a monastery to the north of the Bodhi tree at Buddha-Gaya with the permission of Samudra Gupta about the middle of fourth century A.D. (Smith's Early History of India, p. 287). Urjagunda-1. The country of the Urjagundas, who lived near the Daradas, was in the upper part of the Kishenganga valley in Kasmir, and their capital seems to have been at Gurez (Gares of the Atlas) which appears to be a corruption of Urjagunda (Matsya P.,
