240 fieport of the Arcliceological Swvey. [No. 4, 



306. With respect to the identification of Visakha with the Saketa 

 of the Hindus, I rest my proofs chiefly on the following points : 1st, 

 that Visakha, the most celebrated of all females in Buddhist history, 

 was a resident of Saketa before her marriage with Puruna Varddhana, 

 son of Mrigara, the rich merchant of Srdvasti ; — and 2nd, that Buddha 

 is recorded by Hwen Thsang to have spent 6 years at Visakha, while 

 by the Pali annals of Tumour he is stated to have lived 16 years at 

 Saketa. 



307. The story of the noble maiden Visakha is related at great 

 length in the Ceylonese books. According to Hardy, she erected a 

 Purvvdrdma at Srdvasti, which is also mentioned by Hwen Thsang. 

 Now, there was also a Purvvdrdma at Saketa, and it can hardly be 

 doubted that this monastery was likewise built by her. She was the 

 daughter of Dhananja, a rich merchant, who had emigrated from 

 Rajagriha to Saketa. Now, amongst the oldest inscribed coins 

 which have been discovered only at Ajudhya, we find some bearing 

 the names of Dhana Deva and Visakha- Datta. I mention this because 

 it seems to me to show the probability that the family of Dhananja 

 and Visakha was of great eminence in Saketa or Ayodhya ; and I 

 infer from the recurrence of their names, as well as from the great 

 celebrity of the lady, that the city may possibly have been called 

 Visakha after her name. 



308. The other proof which I derive from the years of Buddha's 

 residence is direct and convincing. According to the Ceylonese annals, 

 Buddha was 35 years of age when he attained Buddhahood ; he then 

 led a houseless life for 20 years, preaching in various places in Northern 

 India, all of which are detailed ; and of the remaining 25 years of his 

 life he spent 9 in the Jetavana monastery at Sravasti, and 16 in the 

 Pubhdrdmo monastery at Saketapura. Now, in the Burmese annals 

 these numbers are given as 19 years and 6 years, and in the last figure 

 we have the exact number recorded by Hwen Thsang. Nothing can 

 be more complete than this proof. There were only two places at 

 which Buddha resided for any length of time, namely, Srdvasti, at 

 which he lived either 9 or 19 years, and Saketa, at which he lived 

 either 6 or 16 years ; and as according to Hwen Thsang he lived for 6 

 years at Visakha, which is described as being at some distance to the 

 south of Sravasti, it follows of necessity that Visakha and Saketa were 

 one and the same place. 



