Jain Journal 1967 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 66

APRIL, 1967
193
The town Alavi is familiar to Buddhist literature with the story of the yakşa Alavaka, residing there and converted by Buddha. V.A. Smith 32 points out that A-le (in Legge's transcription) must be either Bangarmau or Jogi Kot, four and a half miles east of Newal. While from A-le to Sha-che in south-eastern direction are ten yojanas, the Corean text has only three. For our purpose it is irrelevant whether the distance is ten or three yojanas, it is sufficient to know that A-le must be located near Shache and Sravasti. A proof for this view is Cullavagga (VI, 17, 1); the Buddha comes from Kitagiri 33 to Alavi and goes from here to Rajagrha (VI, 21, 1). That is the argument mentioned above (p. 35. f.) that all the towns, Sha-che, Alavi and Bhadrika, must be placed in the northern portion of the triangle, formed by Rajagrha, Benares and Sravasti.
According to Fa-Hien (p. 54 in Legge's translation) A-le is situated three yojanas south from the northern bank of the Ganges, near Kanauj. From here three yojanas to south-east he reached Sha-che and Sha-che lay eight yojanas south-east34 from Sravasti. There is no question that the text is wrong declaring Sha-che in a northern direction from Sravasti ; we have, I think, one proof for this emendation in the passage of the Dhammapada Commentary (I, 384), where Sha-che (Saketa) is located at a distance of seven yojanas south from Pasenadi's capital Sravasti, and a second in Majjhima Nikāya (I, 149); here king Pasenadi uses, staying in Savatthi, and going to Saketa, seven rathavinitas, that is to say, seven relay-posts, an institution known from Persia (cf. Sitzungsberichete der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien 191, 5 p. 21, 323 f.). In this region, south or south-east we must look for Bhaddiya, in the northern corner of Bihar35. But who is to reconcile such a result with the statement that Bhaddiya lay in the Anga kingdom ?
32 JRAS, 1898, p. 520 f. ; cf. also N. Dey, Ind. Ant. XLIX (1920), Suppl. s. v. Alavi, p. 3, who gives Airwa.
38 The situation of Kitagiri is generally clear from Culavagga I, 13, 1 ff. The followers of Assaji and Punabbasu are dwelling in Kitagiri. A bhikkhu arrives at this place, coming from Kasi, and goes on to visit the Buddha, then staying at Sravasti. Kitagiri must therefore be placed on the way from Benares to Sravasti. I, 13, 5 the bhikkhu declares to have arrived from the land of Kasi, after dressing in the morning, at Kitagiri ; whether the same day, is uncertain, but it seems so.
34 V. A. Smith assumes, JRAS, 1898, p. 523, eighteen or nineteen. There is a difference in Dhammapada Commentary I, p. 387 in comparison with Sp. Hardy, Manual, p. 221, where the king says, his city is only seven yojanas in size and Dhananjaya thinks it therefore too small for his retenue. That Saketa was on the way to Savatthi is also evident from Mahavagga I, 66, 1 ; 67, 1 ; VI, 1, 1f. ; cf. W. Vest, JRAS 1905, p. 437 ff., esp. p. 440-445.
85 Could the modern Bottiah be the ancient Bhaddiya, Bhadrika ?