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The people are very well off, with- out poll tax or official restrictions; only those who till the royal lands return a portion of profit of the land. If they desire to go, they go ; if they like to stop, they stop. # The kings govern without corporal punishment ; criminals are fined according to circum- stances, lightly or heavily. Even in cases of repeated rebellion, they only cut off the right hand. The king's personal attendants who guard him on the right and left have fixed salaries. Throughout the country the people kill no living thing, nor drink wine, nor do they eat garlic or onions, with the exception of Chandalas only. * * In this country they do not keep swine nor fowls, and do not deal in cattle ; they have no sham- bles or wine shops in their market places. In selling they use cowrie-shells. The Chandalas only hunt and sell flesh. Down from the time of Buddha's Nirvana the kings of these countries, the chief men and house- holders have raised Viharas, and provided for their • It is abundantly proved by the literature of the Hindus, and by the testimony of Greek and Chinese travellers, that the system of agricultural slavery, such as prevailed in Europe in the middle ages, was never known in India. Digitized by Google 74 BUDDHIST PERIOD. [BOOK IV. support by bestowing on them fields, houses and gardens with men and oxen. Engraved title deeds were pre- pared and handed down from one reign to another ; no one has ventured to withdraw them, so that till now there has been no interruption. All the resident priests having chambers (in these Viharas), have their beds, mats, food, drink, and clothes provided without stint ; in all places this is the case." Our traveller passed through Sank&sya and came to KANOUJ. Our readers will remember that Kanouj was at this time a flourishing capital of the Gupta emperors, — but unfortunately Fa Hian has little to say about the city except its two Sangharamas ! Passing through Shachi, Fa Hian came to Kosala and its ancient capital Srdvasti. But that great city had declined since the days of Buddha, and the Chinese pilgrim saw very few inhabitants in the city, altogether perhaps about 200 families. But Jetavana in which Buddha had often preached had not lost its natural beauty, and the Vihara there was now ornamented with clear tanks, luxuriant groves and numberless flowers of variegated hues. The monks of the Vihara on learning- that Fa Hian and his companion had travelled from China exclaimed, "Wonderful! to think that men from the frontiers of the earth should come so far as this from a desire to search for the law." KAPILAVASTU, the birth-place of Gautama, was no more in its glory. " In this city there is neither king Digitized by Google CHAP. VI.] FA HIAN'S ACCOUNT. 75 nor people ; it is like a great desert. There is simply a congregation of priests, and about ten families of lay people." Kushinagara, too, where Gautama had died was no longer a town. There were but few inhabi- tants, and such families as there were, were connected with the resident congregation of priests. Fa Hian then came to VaiSaLI, once the proud capital of the Lichchavis, and the spot where Gautama had accepted the hospitality of the courtezan Amba- pali. Here, too, was held the Second Council, and Fa Hian alludes to it: "One hundred years after the- Nirvana of Buddha there were at Vaisali certain Bhik- shus who broke the rules of the Vinaya in ten parti- culars, saying that Buddha had said it was so ; at which time the Arhats and the orthodox Bhikshus making an assembly of 700 ecclesiastics compared and collected the Vinaya Pitaka afresh." Crossing the Ganges our traveller came to PAtali- PUTRA or Patna, first built by Ajdtasatru to check his northern foes, and afterwards the capital of Asoka the Great. " In the city is the royal palace, the different parts of which he (Asoka) commissioned the genii to construct by piling up the stones. The walls, door- ways, and the sculptured designs are no human work. The ruins still exist" By the tower of Asoka was an imposing and elegant Sangharama and temple with 600 or 700 monks. The great Brahman teacher Man- jusri himself lived in the Buddhist Sangharama, and Digitized by Google 7 6 BUDDHIST PERIOD. [BOOK IV. was esteemed by Buddhist Srdmans. We have also here an account of the pomp and circumstance with which Buddhist rites were now celebrated. "Every year on the eighth day of the second month there is a procession of images. On this occasion they construct a four-wheeled car and erect upon it a tower of five stages, composed of bamboos lashed together, the whole being supported by a centre post, resembling a spear with three points, in height 22 feet and more. So it looks like a pagoda. They then cover it over with fine white linen, which they afterwards paint with gaudy colours. Having made figure of the Devas, and decorated them with gold, silver and glass, they place them under canopies of embroider- ed silk. Then at the four corners (of the car) they construct niches (shrines) in which they place figures of Buddha in a sitting posture with a Bodhisattva standing in attendance. There are perhaps 20 cars thus prepared and differently decorated. During the day of the procession both priests and laymen assem- ble in great numbers. There are games and music, whilst they offer flowers and incense. The Brahmachiris come forth to offer their invitations. The Buddhas then one after the other enter the city. After coming into the town again they halt. Then all night long they burn lamps, indulge in games and music, and make religious offerings. Such is the custom of all those who assemble on this occasion from the different countries Digitized by Google CHAP. VI.] FA HIAN'S ACCOUNT. 77 round about." This is a valuable account from an eye- witness of the system of idolatory to which Buddhism had declined by the 5th century A. D. Many writers are of opinion that later Hinduism owes its proces- sions and idolatory to Buddhism. More interesting to us is the account of the chari- table dispensaries of the town of Pataliputra. " The nobles and householders of this country have founded hospitals within the city to which the poor of all coun- tries, the destitute, cripple, and the diseased, may repair. They receive every kind of requisite help gratuitously. Physicians inspect their diseases, and according to their cases order them food and drink, medicine or decoc- tions, everything in fact that may contribute to their ease. When cured, they depart at their convenience." Fa Hian then visited RaJAGRIHA, the new town built by Ajatasatru, as well as the old town of Bimbisara. The traveller here alludes to the first Buddhist Council which was held immediately after the death of Buddha to compile the sacred texts. " There is a stone cave situa- ted in the northern shade of the mountain and called Cheti. This is the place where 500 Arhats assembled after the Nirvana of Buddha to arrange the collection of sacred books." At GaYa Fa Hian found everything desolate and like a desert He visited the famous Bo-tree and all the other places connected with Buddha's penances and attaining supreme wisdom, and tells legends which had Digitized 78 BUDDHIST PERIOD. [BOOK IV. grown up since Gautama's time. He then arrived at the country of Kasi and the city of Benares where he visited the deer park where Gautama had first pro- claimed the truth. Two Sangh^ramas had been built here. Thence he went to the ancient town of Kau- sambi where Gautama had often preached. From Benares, Fa Hian returned to Pdtaliputra. The purpose of Fa Hian was to seek for copies of the Vinaya Pitaka ; but "throughout the whole of Nor- thern India the various masters trusted to tradition only for their knowledge of the precepts, and had no originals to copy from. Wherefore Fa Hian had come even so far as Mid-India.* But here in the Sanghd- rama of the great vehicle he obtained one collection of the precepts." Proceedingdown the course of the river Ganges, the pil- grim came to Champa on the southern shore of the river. We have already said before, that Champd was the capi- tal of Anga or East Behar, and was situated near modern Bhagalpur. Going further eastward and southward, Fa Hian came to Tamralipti which was then the great sea-port at the mouth of the Ganges. There were 24 Sangharamas in this country ; all of them had resident priests, and the law of Buddha was generally iespected. Fa Hian remained here for two years, writ- ing out copies of the sacred books, and drawing image- , , \ : ; — ■ — r— 1 ~ * The whole tract of country from Malwa to Magadha seems to have been called Middle India. " : Digitized by Google CHAP. VI.] FA HIAN'S ACCOUNT. 79 pictures. He then shipped himself on board a great mer- chant vessel. Putting to sea, they proceeded in a south- westerly direction, catching the first fair wind of the winter season. They sailed for fourteen days and nights, and arrived at the " country of the lions" (Stnhala Ceylon). CEYLON, our traveller says, had originally no inha- bitants, but merchants came in great numbers and gradually settled here, and so a great kingdom rose. Then the Buddhists came, (Fa Hian says, Bhuddha came), and converted the people. The climate of Cey- lon was agreeable, and the vegetation verdant, and to the north of the royal city was a great tower 479 ft. in height, with a Sanghir^ma containing 5000 monks. But amid these pleasing scenes, the heart of the tra- veller sickened for his home from which he was now separated for many years, and when on one occasion the present of a fan of Chinese manufacture by a merchant, to a jasper figure of Buddha 22 ft.