Indian Antiquary Vol 57

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 77

APRIL, 1928)
VEDIC STUDIES
(Prince Megha sees one day] “ Ugras, ugraputras, bhogas, bhogaputras, and likewise, persons born in royal families, Kshatriyas, Brahmaņas, king's servants, warriors, . ... who had bathed, ..... who were wearing garlands on their heads and necks and ornaments of gold and jewels, who were decked with håras, ardhaharas, trisarakas, pralambas 29 and katisútras, and other well-made brilliant ornaments, who were wearing very fine clothes and had their bodies anointed with sandal, some mounted on horses, some on elephants, chariots and palanquins, moving in Rajagrha in one direction, to one goal ", and calling one of his entourage, inquires "What, o beloved of the gods? Is there to-day in Rajagrha a festival (utsava) in honour of Indra or Skanda or Siva, Rudra, Vaisravaņa, or a någa, yaksha or bhůta, or a yatra to a river or pond or tree, temple, mountain, garden or hill, that the ugras, bhogas, etc., are going out in one direction, to one goal?"
The temples of Yakshas were known as yakshayalana (ep. Jñata., p. 528, surappiye påman jakkhayatane), yakshadevakula (ep. ibid., p. 409, jakkhadeulāņi ya), yakshagyha or yakshabhavana (op. Uttaradhyayanasůtra, comm. on p. 162, Rajagyhe Viraprabhodydne Marinayakasya yakshabhavane utlirnah), yakshaprásåda (cp. ibid., p. 347; Mandika-yakshaprasdda) or yaksha simply; (compare Jñata., p. 417, nágáni ya bhūyani ya jakkhani ya,"temples of nagas, bhutas, and yakshas '; Vipäkasútra, p. 176, Bhandire uyyâne Sudarisane jakkhe
Bhandira park; the yaksha-temple named Sudarisana ; ibid., p. 213, Soriya-jakkho 'the yaksha-temple known as Soriya'); and those of bhutas were known as bhůtagrha (cp. Jūâta., p. 409, thủyaghardni ya) or simply bhůta (cp. Jñata., p. 417, ndgani ya bhủydņi ya jakkhdņi ya cited above). The generic term caitya was used to denote either class of temples—those of yalishas or of bhūtas : compare Uttaradhyayanasútra, p. 162, antaran jikápuryam bhúta. grham caityam ; yakicha-cetiyani in Buddhaghosha's Sumangala vilasini on Jahá parinibbana. kutta, I. 4: and Abhayacandra's explanation of cailya as vyantara yatanam in his commen tary on the Jñata., p. 7. These caityas seem to have played a prominent part in the religious life of the city or town in which they were situated. In the Jaina-sútras specially, one finds that whenever the name of a town or city is mentioned, the name of the cailya situated in it is also almost invariably mentioned; see, for instance, Jñata., p. 1509, 1515ff, and Vipa. kasútra, pp. 241ff.30 The Buddhist Páli books too sometimes mention caityas in connection with towns; e.g., the Supatittha-cetiya in Rajagrha is mentioned in the Vinaya-pitaka, Mahavagga, I, 22, 1; and the Capala, Udena, Sattambaka, and Bahuputta cetiyas in Vesali arc mentioned in Digha., Mahaparinibbånasutta, 3, 1. So also do some Buddhist votive inscriptions 31 at Bharaut, Nasik and other places. They are occasionally mentioned in the Puranas,
29 These are different kinds of necklaces worn round the neck. A trisaraka is a necklace that has three strings.
30 The worship of yakshan and yakshinis still forms part of Jain religious observances. Read in this connection the introduction to the second edition of the "Śrc vana-Belgola Inscriptions" (Epigraphia Carnatica, Vol. II) with its frequent allusions to yakshas ; see also Plate 17 therein.
31 Nos. 693, 890, 987, 988, 1058, 1039, etc., in Lüders' List of Brahmi Inscriptions (Appondix to Epigraphia Tudica, Vol. X); ser) Index of Miscellaneous Terms given at the ond, s. v. chetiyaghara and following words. The words chetiyaghara and chuilya nro there explained by Lüders ng Buddhist building'. Consider ing however that among the Buddhist inscriptions are two-Ing. 1143 and 871—that record the gift of a yakoha and a yakshi (that is, of in agos of thom) and one (No. 1200) that seems to record the gift of a bhulayana (for bhita pata? stono-slab with the image of a bhita engraved on it ), it secms more natural to give the word chaitya its usual meaning and to understand in thcsc inscriptions a reference to temples of bhútas or yakshas. It is true that such teinples havo nothing to do with Buddhisin or with the life of Buddhists as we know of these from the books; but the gift of images of a yakshu and a yakahi referred to above shows clearly that their worship must have been prevalent #mongst Buddhists also at that time and this makes it probable that the word chaitya retains its meaning of 'templo dedicated to yaksha or bhuta ' in Buddhist inscriptions (and in Buddhist books *) also. It may, in passing, bo observed that the personal names also, contained in some of the inscriptions, as for instance, the names Naga, Någadatta, Nagading, Nagadeva, Nagasrt, Nagapêli ta ; Yakhadina, YakhadÀsi, Yakhi, Yakhila ; Bhuta, Bhutarakhita and Bhutapala (300 Index of Pordonal Namoa given at the end) bear witness to the prevalence of the worship of nigas, yakshas, and bhatar at that time.