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CULTURAL DATA IN TILAKAMANJARI
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were fond of good work. This city was stocked with good crops and enjoyed an equable climate. Uttara Kośala was the kingdom of Raghu and his successors.' It was called Kośala by Kālidāsa in the Raghuvamsa”. The northern frontier of Kośala must have been in the hills in what is now Nepal; its southern boundary was the Ganges and its eastern boundary was the eastern limit of the Sākya territory. The Kośalas were the ruling clan in the kingdom whose capital was Śrāvasti.
In an earlier context Dr. Law has remarked that the ancient Kosala kingdom was divided into two divisions, the river Sarayū serving as the wedge between the two; that to the north called the Uttarakośala and the one to the south was called Dakşiņa Kośala. The capital cities of Kośala were Śrāvasti and Sāketa. According to the Epics and some Buddhist works Ayodhyā seems to have been its earliest capital and Sāketa the next. In the Buddha's time Ayodhyā became an unimportant town, but Sāketa and Śrāvasti were two of the six great cities of India. Some think that Säketa and Ayodhyā' were identical."
Dhanapāla has referred to Ayodhyā a town of appropriate appellation, in the Uttar Košalas, where association of the precincts was made by the stream named Sarayū.”
He also refers to it as the town chief among all the towns, the lineal capital of kings such as Raghu, Dalīpa, Daśartha and others, the crest jewel of the whole of Bhāratavarsa.
In most of the later references Dhanapāla has substituted the word Sāketa for Ayodhyā proving thereby the fact that he deems the two names identical meant for one and the same city. He has invariably alternated the words Ayodhyā and Sāketa while referring to the Capital of Meghavāhana as for example
"शक्रावतारचैत्यागारपरिचिताय साकेतनगराधिपतये17
1. Ragh. V. V. 31; XIII 61, 71; XIV 29; XVI 11-29; XVII 30. 2. IV 70; IX 17. 3. Raghu. XIII. 61. P. 421. XIV. 29. P. 438. XVI. 11-29. pp. 498-505 GRNE MLBD,
1971 4. HGAI pp. 52-53. 5. Hai medlem oglufte... 3TR looptezifa 22721ff4TETI F I TM pp. 4, 55
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RETHITEZTETH-1 YET 491 TAHTM Vol. I p. 194. 7. TM Sm. ed. p. 411.