________________ Tradition of the Vaisali Rozion 217 Kausikas. These groups occupied a long belt of country, extending from Kailasa through East sub-Himalayas, North Bibar, South-west Bihar and Rewa, to Deccan, and thence to South India and Ceylon; the 'Kauveraka's comparatively associated more with the North, and their cousins more with the South. The Pulabas and Kratus were also counted as belonging to this general 'paulastya' group. (Vide Pargiter : AIHT, for details.) The Mahabharata, in counting the sixteen great kings and in tracing the 'descent of the Sword of Justice'. calls Dilipa (the Second, 'Khatvanga', father or grandfather of Raghu) the son or descendant of Ilavila ("Ailavila'); descendant' is better, for Dilapa's grandfather, VIddhasarman (a brahmanic' name), is also called 'Ailavila' in the dynastic lists; he may have been a brother of Visravas-Ailavila. That is to say, the line of Rama was derived from Ilavila (on the mother's side), equally with the contemporary lines of Pramati of Vaisali and the Iraivans of Laika, Rama being eighth in descent from this famous princess. This explains the close connexion between the Vaigravanas (Kauverakas and Raksasas) and Vaisalikas (Iksvakus) and the Iksvakus of Kosala in this age, and the absorption of all their domains within Rama's ultimately, Pramati is given as tenth in succession from Ilavila but it should probably be seventh or eighth, for in this interval are placed Hema-Candra (and Su-candra) and Dhumrasva who are by synchronisms made contemporary of Aviksita and of Nabbaga and Sudeva (of Kasi) respectively (as detailed above). So also Dhumrasva's libertine son, Nara or Nala, is placed much higher up in the lists (evidently by mistake of copyists). It seems therefore that the synchronism of Pramati and Rama, of Aviksita and Hemacandra, of Nabhaga and Dhumrasva and Nala, are all correct; and that Trnavindu's daughter, Ilavila, is to be counted as an ancestress of Rama, as also of the Vaisaleyas and Vaisravanas (as well as, collaterally, of the famous trio,-Marutta-Dusyanta-Bharata). The landing place on the north bank of the Ganga, whence Rama had a glimpse of the towers of Vaisali, seems to bave been the site of Hajipur (and the ferry seems to have started from Digha-'Dirgharanya Asrama' or from proto-'Patali', -mod. Fatva). This halting place of Rama is said to be marked by the present Rama temple to the west of Hajipur town; he is also said to have visited, for three nights, the Gajendra-moksa-tirtha' in Visala-ksetra, the site being now narked by the Sonepur Temple. 1. Prob. the old name of Hajipur wos 'Hasti-pura' (with ref. to the 'Hasti' legend): in medieval Tibetan texts the pame is 'Hatsi-pura'. 28
