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Life of Lord Mahāvira
cations; by the geographical bearings taken from Patna and other places; by the topographical details compared with description recorded by Yuan Chwang, the Chinese pilgrim in the seventh century and by the finding on the spot of sealings of letters inscribed with the name Vaisālī1.
37
The identification of ancient Vaiśālī and Kuṇḍagāma or Kundapura with Basaṛh and Basukunda respectively has been supported by several other scholars such as T. BLOCH2, S. STEVENSON, N. L. DEY4 and B. C. LAW5. Some of these scholars consider Kundapura, Vāṇiyagāma, Kollaga Sanniveśa and Karmāragrāma to be the suburbs of Vaiśālī. This view does not seem to be correct. These were independent villages which may be identified with the modern villages of Basukuṇḍa, Baniya, Kolua and Kūmana Chhaparāgachhi respectively. Brāhmaṇakunda and Kshatriyakunda were the two wards of Kuṇḍapura, and between them was situated Bahuśāla Chaitya. Vaiśālī and Kundapura were situated on the eastern bank of the Gandaki river, while Karmāragrāma, Kollaga Sannivesa, Vanijyagrāma and Dvipalāśa Chaitya on the west.
CHILDHOOD
There are scriptural anecdotes, myths and miracles connected with the childhood of Mahavira. It is stated in them that his birth was celebrated alike by gods and men, and it was received by his parents with the loftiest expectations. On the day of his birth, the prisoners in Kundapura were released. Festivals kept the whole town bound in mirth and joy for ten days after which many offerings were made to the gods. His parents named him 'Vardhamana's or the 'Prosper
1. V.A. SMITH: Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, Vol. XII (New York, 1921), pp. 567-68.
2. ASI, 1903-4, p. 82.
3
SSHл, pp. 21-22.
4. NDGDAMI, p. 107.
5. LMLT, p. 19.
6. A F.R HOERNLE and H. JACOBI interpreted Sannirese in the sense of ward and suburb respectively but it was also used in the sense of grima. See VTм, I, p. 98.
7. Kalpa, 97-105.
8. Ibid., 91, 106-107; Acha, II, 15, 15.
