________________ 448. Homage to Vaisali In 1958 the Government of Bihar published what we may justifiably regard as the second Gazetteer of the Muzaffarpur district (because of its territory having remained intact from 1875 to 1972)', under the title Bihar District Gazetteers : Muza ffarpur (Gazetteer of the Muzaffarpur District) with P: C. Roy Chaudhury as its author/editor. It has 301 pages of text and 7 pages of Index. We are not reproducing anything from this (e. g., Chapter XII : History, pp. 142-146 and Chapter XVI : Directory, pp. 221, 229-30, 237-241), as it would entail only repetition, and also because better and more analytical material is already available to our readers through the present publication. However, the concluding portion of the entry "Vaisali (Modern Basarb)' covering pages 240-241 is reproduced here which we believe would be read with interest, Ed. Vaisali (Modern Basarh) 1240] In 1945 Shri J. C. Mathur, I. C. S., Subdivisional Officer, Hajipur took the initiative and with the help of others founded the Vaisali Sangh with a view to bringing into prominence the ruins of Vaisali and to redeem it from the neglect. Every year on the birth-day of Mababir (i. e., Chait Sudi 13) the Vaisali festival is held under the auspices of the Vaisali Sangh. The Sangh also intended to establish the Vaisali Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Prakrit and Jainology, to provide facilities for higher studies and original researches in Prakrit and Jain learning in all their branches and to prepare and publish critical editions and translations of the hitherto unpublished Prakrit and Jain literature.2 The Superintendent, Archaeological Department, Bihar Circle, had made excavations in 1950 which led to important finds. Sri S. A. Shere, Curator of Patna Museum, writes as follows:--"The vessels found at Vaisali are mostly red wares with red slip. Fragments having leaf design showing admixture of mica flakes and decorated with "rain drop" pattern are interesting specimens of this collection. The use of mica in earthenwares to import lustrous surface may be [241] common in those days as articles found in Pataliputra and Patna also show the same characteristic. Some of the fragments have been found to be ornamented and decorated in high relief. There are specimens which are decorated with incised lines and geometrical design. There are also some yellow, green, brown, grey and 1. 2. The district of Muzaffarpur was trifurcated into Muzaffarpur, Vaisbali and Sitamarbi in 1972-73. Ed. The state bas since sponsored an Institute for these objects at Vaisali. [P. C. Roy Chaudhury!
