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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. X. 



Childers had the kindness to send me, and in which he 

 himself has taken the most prominent part. The other 

 gentlemen who have taken part in the discussion are 

 Professor Max Miiller, Mr. James Fergusson, and the Rev. 

 Samuel Beal [Appendix C]. 



In the Academy of November 21 last [1874] Professor Max 

 Miiller introduced the subject to public attention. In the 

 Academy of November 28 Professor Childers proposed 

 emendations of some of the readings of General Cunning- 

 ham. In that of December 5 is a further contribution from 

 Professor Childers, adducing a most important and interesting 

 extract from Buddhaghosa's Atthakathd on " Pansiya-panas- 

 Jataka" confirmatory of the emendations he has proposed, and 

 one from Mr. Beal expressing his views. In the Academy 

 of December 12 there is another letter on the subject from 

 Professor Childers, and one from Mr. James Fergusson,, 

 giving utterance to his views on some of the points at issue- 

 One of the most interesting of these legends is thus noticed 

 by General Cunningham in his Memorandum on his dis- 

 covery, published in the Proceedings of the Bengal Asiatic 

 Society for May, 1874, p. 115 [Appendix B] :— 



" A second bas-relief represents a Naga chief kneeling 

 before theBodhi tree, attended by a number of Naga followers. 

 This scene is named E'rapdto Naga Raja Bhagavatd 

 vandate, that is, ' E'rapdtra, the Naga Raja, worships 

 Buddha.' " 



With reference to the above legend Professor Childers 

 remarks : — " This rendering is quite inadmissible, first, 

 because Bhagavato is a genitive, while vandate governs an 

 accusative ; and, secondly, because the Bo tree which the 

 Naga king is worshipping can by no possibility be called 

 Bhagavat, which is the usual designation of a Buddha. All 

 becomes easy if we supply the word Bodhin, which has doubt- 

 less either become effaced, or escaped General Cunningham's 

 notice, and read Bhagavatd Bodliin vandate, 'worships 

 Buddha's Bo tree.' I have before me a photograph of this 

 bas-relief. It is executed with great spirit, and is of singular 



