970 On the route of Fa -hi an through Behar. [Sept. 



had the opportunity ; but nothing short of excavating the mounds or 

 tumuli (an expensive operation) would with any probability of success 

 lead to satisfactory results. 



I must once more remark on the silence of Fa-Hian regarding the 

 places which we might suppose to have belonged to sects, perhaps 

 anti-Buddhist, he must have travelled past, such us Kundilpoor 

 (Burgoun) Barabur and its ancient caves — which, in Sakya's time, must 

 have been used by his followers, the inscriptions themselves point to 

 their having been excavated for Buddhist ascetics at a very early period. 



Inferences. 



From the foregoing we draw several useful inferences as regards this 

 country, at the close of the fourth century for instance, that a belief ex- 

 isted of four previous Buddhas, a point I believe to have been disputed ; 

 secondly, that several of the great events of Sakya's life, both probable 

 and improbable, were believed in at that early period of our era ; thirdly, 

 that up to the same time Buddhism was flourishing and its votaries 

 unmolested ; fourthly, that holy places now claimed by the Hindoos and 

 Jains, were in those days considered as sacred to Buddhism. These are 

 the leading points, no doubt that a careful examination of the whole 

 narrative would lead to a clearer view than has hitherto been had of the 

 state of India at the commencement of the Christian era. We must 

 however, be constantly at a loss in tracing places from the curious 

 orthography of the Chinese lauguage, — the same remark is applicable to 

 the Tibetan and Burmese volumes, and this is a sad obstacle. I 

 would fain hope, that some of our brethren in China may interest them- 

 selves in the search for works in that language concerning India, and 

 in preparing fair translations, which can alone be done by persons on 

 the spot ; and it is further to be hoped, that those who form the forth- 

 coming mission to Tibet, will not lose the opportunity of searching 

 for ancient Sanscrit works in the monasteries of that country, works 

 known to exist and which had Mr. Csoma Korosi been spared to us, we 

 should ere this have possessed in original or by copy ; but this is a 

 digression which my readers must pardon, and I herewith take leave of 

 the subject. 



