1836.] Tumour's Hist, of Ceylon^ and Trans, of the Mahawanso. 395 



correctly Ujjaini) was, to the best of the writer's knowledge, quite im- 

 penetrable. In Brahmanical annals and fables, we find that a king was 

 reigning there, whose daughter was married to a Brahman, whence pro- 

 ceeded the famous Vicramaditya, who shines a splendid meteor of some 

 duration, but emerging from darkness, and leaving behind a darkness 

 almost as great as before. Of the period succeeding him some account 

 has been, and something more yet can be, given ; but as to the ante- 

 cedent period, what Ujjaini was, or how it arose, we knew not. 



The Mahawanso enables us to perceive that it was originally a princi- 

 pality appertaining to the great Mdgadha kingdom ; and one of so much 

 consequence as to be confided to the heir apparent of Mdgadha : in 

 order also to remove him from the temptation of dethroning and mur- 

 dering his father. Besides, the clear and definitive tracing of Baudd- 

 hism to Mdgadha, is something; considering the great influence of that 

 form of religion on vast portions of the great family of mankind. The 

 Writer of this notice, from indications afforded by some papers in the 

 Asiatic Researches, heretofore traced the origin of that system through 

 Calinga, as he supposed, and up to Mdgadha, as its primary seat ; with 

 some remaining doubt whether Benares might not have participated ; 

 but doubt is now removed, and Mdgadha plainly appears to claim this 

 distinction, such as it is. Further, in the account of the different 

 journeys, undertaken to spread the Baaddha system among surrounding 

 nations, we find satisfactory statements as to its rise in Cashmir, Nepal, 

 Birmah, Ceylon, and lastly, Banavasi, on the western coast of India, 

 The writer of this notice heretofore took the libertj^, with some diffi- 

 dence and hesitation, to question the truth of the hypothesis very confi- 

 dently maintained by some authors, that the Jaina religion and that of 

 Buddha were different. Having been led, by such information as he 

 then possessed, to believe that Bauddhism came to Ceylon by way of 

 Calinga and Siam, it was his opinion that the differences existing 

 (attended with a commanding similarity) between the Jaina and 

 Bauddha divisions, arose chiefly from the mode of transit : the former 

 travelling down the continent of India, and possibly meeting with 

 modifications in its progress. The opinion, formed on imperfect and 

 only approximating data, is much strengthened by information in the 

 Mahawanso that a deputation went from Mdgadha to what is conceived 

 to be the northern Concan and Khattiwar, while another division of 

 teachers went to Banavasi, a capital of repute on the western coast 

 of India; whence it may be presumed it spread to Talcad, the ancient 

 capital of the Conga country, or modern Coimbatore, and to probably 

 another Talcad above the ghauts, the capital of the Haysdla kingdom, 

 in the now so called country of Mysore. At this latter place the J aina 

 faith was once seated on the throne. Thus we may trace the Jaina 



