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Lord Mahāvīra and His Times
transactions through land routes with distant lands like Gandhāra, Kamboja, Sind and Kashmir. Not only merchants but also warriors and saints traversed these routes.
There were several minor routes in Eastern India connecting towns and cities. As Rāagsha was the capital of Magadha at this time, it was connected with Kapilavastu, Śrāvastī, Mithila, Champā, and Kalinga by scparate routes as is apparent from Buddhist literature. From the itinerary of Mahāvira also, it seems that Rājagļha was linked separately with Kuņdagrāma, Alabhiyā, Śrāvasti, Vaiśālī, and Champā. I Besides, there were three distant routes which started from Rājagrha to far off places. . RĀJGRHA-PUSHKALĀVATI ROUTE OR THE UTTARĀPATHA
This route connected Rājagļha with Takshasilā and Pushkalāvati which were great trade centres of North-west India. Takshasilā became an international trade centre because it is through this place that India established trade relations with the West. This route has been referred to as Uttarapatha by Pāṇini? and was known to the Greeks as 'Northern Route'. It seems to have passed through Pataliputra,. Vārānasí, Kausâmbi, Mathurā, Indraprastha, and Sakala. From Pushkalavatı, it probably branched off to Kashmir tothe North-East and to Bactria to the North-West. It is only by this route that students from various parts of Eastern India, such as Rājagriha,3 Vaiśālī, Mithila, 4 and Vārāṇasī, used to go. to Takshasilā, the famous seat of learning. RĀJAGRIHA-PRATISHȚHĀNA ROUTE
According to Pāṇini, this route was known as Kāntārapatha' because it passed through a forest region. It is the same as the above route (Kājagộiha-Pushkalāvati) upto Kaušāmbi, from where it passed through Vansahvaya, Vedisa, Gonaddha, Ujjeni, Mahissati, and then Patitthāna. Caravans going to 1. Based on the authority of the Kalpa. 2. Pa. V. 1.77. 3. Darimukha Ja, No. 378; Nigrodha Jā, No. 445. 4. Suruchi Ja, No. 499; Vinilaka Jā. No. 160. 5. AGRAVALA : India as known to Pānini, p. 242. 0. Su. Ni. V 1. 36.
