enclosure was 90 feet square, and the walls were built due north and south, and east and west.

5. A shaft was sunk in the centre of this Tope, and after a few hours' labour we came to a large slab upwards of 5 feet in length, lying in a direction from north to south. On raising this slab we saw two large stone boxes each bearing a short inscription on its lid. That to the south bore Sáriputasa, " (relics) of SÁRIPUTRA"; that to the north bore Mahá Mogalánasa," (relics) of MAHÁ MOGALÁNA." Each box was a cube of 1 foot, with a lid 6 inches thick, The position of the relics was on the same level as the terrace outside.

6. In Sáriputra's box we found a large steatite casket, upwards of 6 inches broad and 3 inches in height, covered by a very thin saucer of black earthenware 9 inches in diameter with a depth of 2 inches. The saucer was broken, and the upper surface had peeled off, but the colour of the inside was still lustrous. Close to the steatite casket were two pieces of sandal-wood, one 4 inches in length, and the other 2 inches. The only other thing in this box was a live spider.

7. The relic-casket is of white steatite. It has been turned on a lathe; and its surface is now hard and polished. In Plate XXII. I have given a half-size sketch of this antique casket, which contained only one small fragment of bone, scarcely an inch in length, and seven beads of different kinds. These are no doubt the "seven precious things" which

were usually deposited with the holiest relics; as with the skull of Buddha* at Hilo near Jalálábád. There were two distinct sets of the seven precious things, the one containing the precious metals as well as precious stones, the other precious stones only.

8. According to the Chinese the first series consisted of

Chinese.

1. Su-fa-lo....

2. A-lu-pa..

3. Lieu-li.

Sanscrit.

Suvarna......

......Gold. Rupya ....Silver. Vaidurya....Lapis lazuli.

4. Se-pho-ti-kia........Sphatika ....Rock-crystal.

7. Po-ma-lo-kia ....... Padmarága ..Ruby.

9. The second series consisted of

2. A-chy-ma-kie-pho... Asmagarbha(?)Amber.

Chinese.

Sanscrit.

1. Po-lo-so.....

.....Prabála .....Coral.

6. Mo-lo-kia-pho ...... Marakata....Emerald.

10. The seven precious things found with Sáriputra's relics differ somewhat from both of these series; but the correspondence is still very striking.

Fo-kwe-ki, c. xiii.

1st, a flat piece of pearl; 2nd, 3rd, two small seed pearls; 4th, a garnet bead; 5th, a star-shaped bead of lapis-lazuli; 6th, a crystal bead; 7th, an oblong bead of pale amethyst. The same custom still prevails amongst the Buddhists of Ladák, who usually place with the ashes of a chief, or the dead body of a Lama, bits of gold, silver, copper, and iron; pearls, garnets, and turquoises; grains of wheat, barley, and rice; specimens of red and white sandal-wood; and of the holy Shúkpá, or pencil cedar (Juniperus excelsa).

11. In the northern stone box we found another steatite casket, somewhat smaller than that of Sáriputra. It is apparently of a softer substance; for the surface when first seen was white and powdery like chalk; but this has now nearly disappeared, and the colour is almost the same as that of Sáriputra's casket. Inside we found only two minute fragments of bone, of which the larger was rather less than half an inch in length.

12. On the inner surface of the lid of each casket there is a single ink letter, half an inch in height. In Sáriputra's casket the letter is sá, and in that of Maha Mogalana's it is ma; these being the initial letters of their respective names.

13. The relative position of these relics has its significance for in their religious ceremonies the ancient Indians always sat facing the east, which therefore they named the front, para; while the south and north were respectively the "right,"

dakshina, and the "left," váma. The west was called

66

apara, "behind." Now Sáriputra and Maha Mogalana were the principal followers of Buddha, and were usually styled his right and left hand disciples. Their ashes thus preserved after death the same positions to the right and left of Buddha which they had themselves occupied in life.

14. Sáriputra was the son of the Brahman Tishya, and of the beautiful-eyed Sári or Sáriká, who received her name from the resemblance of her eyes to those of a Sáras or Cyrus bird. Sáriputra, or son of Sári, is his most common name; but he is also known by the patronymic of Upatishya. The Tibetans call him Shá-ri-hi-bu, or Sári's son. Tishya was the most learned of all the Brahmans at the court of Rájagriha. Sáriká herself was a proficient in the four Vedas, and had overcome her brother in disputation. But her son excelled them both; and was much celebrated for his wisdom. His talents, which were attributed to his moral and religious merit in former births,* were so great, that Sakya himself proclaimed† that the "profoundly wise Sáriputra was competent to spread abroad the wisdom of Buddha;" and his fellow-disciple Káchháyano declared that "excepting the Saviour of the world, there are no others in existtence whose wisdom is equal to one sixteenth part of the profundity of Sáriputra."

* Csoma de Koros in Asiatic Society's Researches, vol. xx.,

p. 52.

+ Turnour, Introduction to Mahawanso, p. xxvii.

15. According to the Japanese chronology, this wisest of the disciples of Buddha embraced a monastic life, four years after Sákya's attainment of Buddhahood, that is in 584 B. C. He, and his fellow-student Maudgalyayana, had attended all the philosophical schools of the day without obtaining conviction, until they heard the preaching of Buddha, when they gave up all and followed him.

It is soon

16. In a Mongolian work translated from the Sanskrit, and entitled Uligerün dalai (the Sea of Parables), we read,* "When SÁRIPUTRA learnt that Buddha was bent on entering nirvána, he experienced profound sorrow, and said to himself, indeed, and contrary to all expectation, that the Tathágata hath resolved upon entering nirvana; who after him will be the protector and shield of souls and of beings enveloped in darkness?' He then said to Buddha, 'It is impossible for me to witness the nirvána of Buddha.' Thrice he repeated these words, when Buddha replied, If thou believe thy time come, then do thy will, like all the Khutukhtu (in Sanskrit, Nirmmánkáya, incarnations), who enter the Nirvána of tranquillity.' Sáriputra, having heard these words of Buddha, arranged his dress; and, having a hundred times walked round Buddha, he repeated a great number of verses in praise of him. He then embraced the feet of the latter, placed them thrice upon his head, and joining the palms of his hands, said, 'I have been found worthy to ap

* Fo-kwe-ki, c. xxviii., note 7, Laidlay's translation.