480 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [September, 1910. 



(Maharaja-Kanika-lekha, verse 46). 



* 



* Do thou like thy ancestors rule the earth by righteous- 

 ness ; and do thou advance the religious observances in tem- 

 ples like unto thy ancestors." 



Regarding Kanika we further read : 



"Again, at that time there was a king towards the west — 

 Delhi and Palwa * — called Kanika, who opened 28 mines of 

 precious metals and worshipped more than 30,000 priests of 

 the Mahay ana sect. He invited A6vaghosa, who being too old 

 could not go, but sent a letter through his disciple Jiiana- 



yaSas."* 



Kanika who was king of Delhi and Palwa must be distin- 

 guished from Kaniska who reigned in Jalandhara, though both 

 were descended from the Ku6ana race. It was during the 

 reign of Kaniska that the third 3 Buddhist Council was held 

 in the Kusana's monastery at Jalandhara. So we read : 



" Hearing that he held the third Buddhist Council in the 

 Kundalavana Vihara : the Kasmirians tell this 3tory. But the 

 general belief is that there assembled in the monastery of 

 Ku&ana in Jalandhara 500 Arhats above the rank of Srota- 

 panna arid about 5000 ordinary monks. The teachings of 

 Buddha, as prophesied in Krki's dream, were arranged. The 

 last council was held. The Tripitakas, particularly the Vinaya 

 which was formerly not put in writing, were now codified, and 

 such scriptures as were formerly in writing were now revised-" 4 



Kaniska's son too, in his palace called Rgas-ldan, main- 

 tained 10,000 monks headed by 100 venerables for 5 years, and 

 helped in the preparation of many volumes of the Buddhist 

 scripture. 5 



Kukana — The Kusana race to which both Kanika and 



Kaniska belonged is the same as Kwei- 

 shwang, a branch of the Yuechi stock. Th< 

 Kwei-shwangs were also called Tukharas or 

 Turuskas,* as for instance, Kaniska the 



1 Palwa is the same as Palhava. Mr. Thomas has Malwa (vide 

 Ind. Ant. for September 1903, p. 348). 



* Pag-sam jon zang, p. 91. 



3 According to Lama Taranatha too, Kanika is different from 

 Kaniska, as is noticed by Mr. Thomas himself. According to the Tibe- 

 tans there were only two councils up to the time of A*oka. 



* Pag sam jon-zang, p. 83. 



* Pag-sam-jon-zang, p. 83. 



6 Beal's Buddhist Records of the Western World, Vol. I, p. 36 n. : 



