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THE SITE OF KAUSAMBI.
127 an impossible thing. But lo! what a miracle was there! When the Blessed One entered the street where Chandana has living, her entire body was beautified with splendid clothes and shining ornaments. The fetters fell away from her legs of their own accord. The earthen bowl was metamorphosed into one made of gold. Pure and agreeable food fit to be given to the Lord was found in the bɔwl. Her hairs became decked with charming fresh flowers and there was fragrance about her. She was extremely happy at this unexpected miraculous change in her situation. Straightway she came out to the street, bowed before Lord Mahavira who was just then coming in front of her house and offered Him the food out of the golden bowl. Five wonders were experienced at that time, Celestial music sounded in the air, flowers and jewels rained on the spot, there was cool zephyr blowing and the devas shouted Jai! Jai! Satanika and Mrigavati, the king and queen of the place who also caine there to pay their obeisance to the Blessed Tirthankara met Chandana and took her home."
Kausambi is described as a very big and populous city in the Jaina books. In Perungathai an ancient classical poem in Tamil giving the history of Udayana, the son of Satanika, Kausambi is described as the capital of Vatsa-desa and as being a fortificd city with massive walls and ramparts adorned with flags. Traders from different countries gathered there. The city was rich with many varieties of wealth. Outside the city. there was a beautiful garden where foreign princes and ambassadors waited to see the lord of Kausambi. The city seems to have been on the banks of the river Jumna. (4 $iC#Te Su Qissui 400T U W (4 or 1405, siu Y SETi).
The location of the site of Kausambi was for a long time a contested fact among archaeologists. Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni, of the Archaeological Survey of India, writes as follows about his discovery of the site of Kausambi.
"An important task to which the Archaelogical Department has addressed itself ever since its establishment in 1861, with Sir Alexander Cunningham, as the first Archaeological Surveyor to
the Government of India, has been the elucidation of the ancient Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
