________________ History and Archaeology of Vaisali 439 (cir. 120 A. D) who carried off to Gandhara the famous alms-bowl of Buddha. It was visited by Fa Hian during his pilgrimage through India in the beginning of the Sth century A. D., but it is not until the visit of Hiuen Tsiang about 635 A. D. that we find any detailed account of the country. He describes the kingdom of Vaisali as about 1,000 miles (5,000 li) in circuit; the soil was rich and fertile, and flowers and fruit were produced in abundance, the mango and plantain being especially plentiful. The climate was agreeable and temperate, the manners of the people were pure and honest, and they loved religioa and highly esteemed learning. To the north-east of Vaisali was the Vrijjian kingdom, some 800 miles (4.000 li) in circuit, stretching away from eat to west in a long narrow strip. The capital, Chansuna (Janakpur ?), was in ruins, and the inhabitants, who were of a quick and hasty temper, were mostly heretics who did not follow the law of Buddha. Hiuen Tsiang's account of Vaisali shows that even there Buddhism was on the decline. Heretics and believers were living together, and he found the remains of hundreds of Buddhist monasteries, but only three or four were inhabited, and those sheltered but a few monks. The Jains were numerous, as might be expected in the birthplace of their religion; and Brahmapical Hindus worshipped at more than a score of shrines. The city of Vaisali itself was about 12 miles (60 or 70 li) in circuit, the citadel, or palace precincts, alone extending over nearly a mile, but it was to a great extent in ruins. The buildings were in an advanced state of decay, the forests had been uprooted, and the numerous lakes and ponds had sbrank into offensive swamps. "At every step", he wrote, commanding sites and old foundations are seen, which the succession of seasons and lapse of years have entirely destroyed."* Medieval Period [17] From the time of Hiuen Tsiang there is practically no historical information regarding North Bihar until the ascendancy of the Pala dynasty (800-1200 A. D.). At the time of Hiuen Tsiang's visit Muzaffarpur must have formed part of the dominions of Harsha, the powerful ruler of Northern India between 606 and 648 A.D., who exercised a certain amount of control as suzerain over the whole of Bengal as far cast as Assam, and possessed full sovereign power over Western and Central Bengal. But after his death, the local Rajas no doubt asserted their * Bcal's Buddhist Records of the Western World, Vol. II, pp. 66-80.
