________________ Vaisali in Ancient Literature 173 must be admitted that the results so far obtained by excavation are very meagre. If the site be properly excavated, we believe that we could get valuable materials for the reconstruction of the history of India. II. Vaisali in the itineraries of the Chinese pilgrims and in the Tibetan Works We now come to the accounts of the city left by the Chinese travellers. Fa-Hien visited Vaisali at the beginning of the 5th century A. D., i. e., about a thousand years after the time the Buddha lived and delivered his discourses. The Chinese pilgrim says that to the north of the city there existed a large forest having in it the double-galleried vihara where the Buddha dwelt and the tope over half the body of Ananda.1 Inside the city Amrapali the famous courtesan in Buddha's time built a vihara in honour of the Buddha, which she presented to him so that he might reside there. A tope was also built at the spot where the Buddha "took his last walk."2 F.-Hien also saw a tope situated three li to the north-west of the city called "Bows and weapons laid down." Another tope was also built at the place where the disciplinary rules in ten particulars were examined and collated. The story of the parinirvana of Ananda and the division of the remnants of the body has been told by Fa-Hien According to him when Ananda was going from Magadha to Vaisali, wishing his parinirvana to take place there, King Ajatasatru of Magadha being informed of this fact pursued him with a body of soldiers and reached the river. The Licchavis of Vaisali also heard that Ananda was coming to their city and they also came to 1 eet him. In this way they all arrived together at the river. Ananda considered that if he went forward the king would be angry, while if he went back, the Licchavis would resent his conduct. Therefore in the very middle of the river, he burnt his body in a fiery ecstasy of meditation and his parinirvana was attained. He divided his body into two parts, leaving the half of it on each bank. The king got one half as a sacred relic.4 Yuan Chwang who visited Vaisali in the 7th century A. D. relates that the foundation of the old city "Vaisali" was 60 or 70 li in circuit and the palace city (i. e., the walled part of the city) was 4 and 5 li in circuit.. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Legge, Travels of Fa-Hien, p. 72. Ibid., p. 73. Ibid., p. 75. Legge, Travels of Fa-Hien, pp. 75-77. Watters, On Yuan Chwang, II, p. 63.
