1636.] Notes on the Buddhas from Ceylonese authorities. 828 



sent by the king Kshema under charge of the priestess Ruchitananda 

 and the priest Mahadewa, and accompanied by numerous priests, 

 priestesses, and attendants ; they arrived safely, and the tree was 

 planted by the king Abhya according to the privilege ; and with the 

 ceremonies which had been usual on such fortunate occasions by 

 former monarchs of the island. The place selected for the tree was 

 near the plain Sirisamala, where the Buddha had once rested himself, 

 and which in after times became the site of the Lowa Maha Paya*. 

 Having preached from where the Thupa Ramaf afterwards stood, 

 and made innumerable converts ; Kakusanda bestowed his drinking 

 cup as a memorial to his followers ; appointed Ruchitananda chief 

 over 500 priestesses, and Mahadewa over 1000 priests, to maintain 

 religion ; then having seen the consecrated places of Ceylon, and 

 revisited Deviya Kuta, he departed to the continent of India. 



From these particulars it would not appear that the commencement 

 of the Mahd Bhadra Kalpa was marked by any general revolution in 

 the face of nature ; but the commencement of an era at that time may 

 be rationally accounted for, by the successful ministry of Kakusanda 

 Buddha; this would also account for the same era being styled 

 Kali yuga (age of vice) by the brahmans ; and Mahd Bhadra Kalpa 

 (the most auspicious age) by the Buddhists. 



In support of my opinion for fixing so remote a period as the 

 commencement of the Kali yuga B. C. 3101, as the era of this Buddha ; 

 I have the unanimous assertion of Buddhist writers, that he appeared 

 at the commencement of the present age, or Maha Bhadra Kalpa. 

 Sir William JonesJ writing on this subject says, " The best autho- 

 rity after all is the Bhdgawat itself, in the first chapter of which it 

 is expressly declared, that Buddha the son of Jina would appear at 

 Cicata§ for the purpose of confounding the demons, just at the 

 beginning of the Kali yuga." Again I quote from the same authority|| : 

 *• Bhrigu says, From this Menu named Swa yambhuva, ' or sprung 

 from the self-existing,' came six descendants, other Menus, or per- 

 fectly understanding the scriptures, each giving birth to a race of 

 his own all exalted in dignity, eminent in power — 



* At Anuraadhapura. In the remains of this building are still to be seen 

 (1600) rough stone pillars. 



f At Anuraadhapura. A Dagobah and Wihar£, now in ruins ; the slender, 

 but elegant columns of which, have not inaptly been compared to the Areka 

 tree. 



X Sir William Jones, Asiatic Researches, VII. 122. 



§ Bahar. 



|| Sir William Jones, Laws of Menu, Article on the Creation, Section 61. 



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