Dr. Hamilton's Descriptmi of the Ruins of Buddha Gay a. 49 



chamber has a throne, but the image has been removed ; and if there ever 

 was an image of gold, this was probably its place. 



The terrace enlarges behind the temple, towards the west, and forms an 

 area, on which is growing the pippal tree, which the orthodox suppose to 

 have been planted by Brahma. The worshippers of Gautama, on the 

 contrary, assert that it is placed exactly in the centre of this earth, and 

 call it Bodhidruma. They say that it was planted by Dugdha-Camini, 

 king of Singhal-dwip (Ceylon), 2,225 years before A.D. 1811 ; that is, 

 according to them, 125 years before the building of the temple. The tree 

 is in full vigour, and cannot, in all probability, exceed a hundred years in 

 age ; but a similar one may have existed in the same place when the tem- 

 ple was entire. Around its root has been lately raised a circular elevation 

 of brick and mortar in various concentric stages ; and on one of these 

 has been placed a confused multitude of images and carved fragments of 

 stone, taken from the ruins. On the pedestal of one of these images, 

 representing a man with a woman sitting on his knee, which is one of the 

 most usual figures in the district, the messengers from Ava carved an 

 account of their visit, of which a copy is given,* and which must render us 

 cautious in admitting the inscriptions on the various images in this district 

 to have any connexion with their worship or erection. 



The number of images at Buddha Gdya is very great ; and there is 

 scarcely any one form of those that are scattered so numerously about 

 the whole country, for eight or ten coss in all directions, which may not 

 be found in its immediate neighbourhood belonging to the great temple. 

 This also seems to me to have been the quarry, as it were, from which 

 almost the whole of those, for eight or ten coss round, have been carried. 

 Many which are now worshipped by the orthodox, and no doubt have a 

 strong resemblance to, and many attributes of, the gods of the present 

 Hindus, seem to me to have had tlie same origin. It is evident, indeed, 

 that the people are totally careless in this respect, worshipping males by 

 tlie names of females, and female images for male deities. Nay, some of 

 the images which they worship are actually Buddhas in the most unequi- 

 vocal forms ; while on, or over the lieads of others there are representations 

 of these lawgivers, as testifying their superiority. Another mark, by which 

 most of these images may be known to have belonged to the Buddhas, is 



• East-India Company's Museum, No. 109. 



Vol. II. II 



