Dr. HAMiLToy's Description of the Ruins of Buddha Gay a. 41 



placed many of the most remarkable and entire images ; and they have 

 put in the walls of the buildings raised for other purposes, a still greater 

 number, of both images and inscriptions. This, the mahanta says, was done 

 partly with a view to ornament, and partly with a view to preserve the 

 images from injury ; both of which views might have been unaccompanied 

 by religious awe : but that this last has had some effect, I am persuaded, 

 from several circumstances : 1st, the mahanta always spoke of Gautama by 

 the names of Muni, or Bhagavan, the former signifying holy, and the lat- 

 ter, deity. 2dly, he continued to harbour and support one of his sannydsis, 

 who had been converted by the messengers from Ava, and now altogether 

 rejects the doctrines of the orthodox. (This person accompanied me to 

 such of the places in the district as had been pointed out to him as holy by 

 tlie messengers from Ava, and told me what he recollected of their dis- 

 course.) 3dly, the mahanta gives an allowance to a family of Rajputs whicli 

 acts as pujdris to the temple ; and not only takes care of various small 

 buildings erected by his predecessors among the ruins, and of the sacred 

 tree, but offers flowers and water to Mahdmuni, and preserves the image from 

 injury. These Rajputs are orthodox, and reconcile their duty to their con- 

 sciences by having given orthodox names to all the images of which they 

 have charge, and by considering Mahdmuni as an incarnation of Vishnu. 



In my account of the religion of the Burmas,* it is mentioned that four 

 o-reat lawgivers, or gods of the sect of Buddha, have appeared on this earth ; 

 and, according to the Italian orthography of the missionary Sangermanno, 

 these persons are named Chauchaom, Gonagom, Gaopa, and Godama ; the 

 doctrine of the latter being alone followed in that country. In Ceylon tlie 

 same is the case ; and the names of the four lawgivers, according to Captain 

 Mahony's orthography,! are Kakoosandeh, Konagammeh, Kaserjeppe, and 

 Gautemeh. These names are, no doubt, the same with those given above, 

 only differently corrupted ; but the appellations assigned to tlie four law- 

 givers of the sect by the converted sannydsi are very different. He calls 

 them Mahdmuni, Chdndumuni, Sdlyamuni, and Gautamamuni ; all of whom 

 were Buddhas, that is, very holy persons : but there have been many other 

 such persons ; and he says that, as Buddha is merely a title common to 

 many, it is highly improper to speak of such a person as Buddha having been 

 born at such or such a time, or having performed certain actions ; and, in fact, 



• As. Res. vol. vi. p. 269. f Ibid. vol. vii. p. 32. 



Vol. II. G 



