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f Entered according to Act of Congress, In the your 1378, by D. D. T. Moore, In tbo offlea of the Librarian of CongresB, »t Washington. ! 
A BUDDHIST GARDBN. 
VOL. XXVIII. No. 11. t 
WHOLE No. 1233. I 
Jimd'nrajic Orankium). I 
A BUEfcHIST GARDEN. 
The accompanying illustration is a repre¬ 
sentation of the surroundings of a Buddhist 
temple in Ceylon, and of the rich vegetation 
by which, suclx buildings are surrounded. 
They are generally situated in a well-wooded 
grove and in a neighborhood in which water 
is abundant; In But EmmeusON Tennent’s 
history of Ceylon, we find the following 
remarks in reference to Buddhism and horti¬ 
culture. 
One peculiarity in the Buddhist ceremonial 
served at all times to give a singular impulse 
to the progress of horticulture. Flowers and 
garlands are introduced in its religious rites 
to the utmost excess. The atmosphere of the 
wiliams and temples is rendered oppressive 
with the perfume of Champac and Jassa- 
mine, and the shrine of the deity, the pedes¬ 
tals of ins image, and the steps leading to the 
temple are strewn thickly with blossoms of 
the Nagaba and the Lotus, At an earlier 
period the profusion in which these beautiful 
emblems were employed in sacred decora¬ 
tions appears almost incredible ; the \fnhaw- 
anso relates that the Ruanwelle dagoba, 
which was 270 feet in hight, was on one 
occasion “ festooned with garlands from pe¬ 
destal to pinnacle till it resembled one uni¬ 
form bouquetand at another time, it and 
the lofty dagoba at Mihintala were buried 
under heaps of Jessamine from the ground 
to the summit. Fa IIian, in describing his 
visit to Auarajapoora in the fourth century, 
dwells with admiration and wonder on the 
perfumes and flowers lavished on their wor¬ 
ship by the Bingalese ; and the native histo¬ 
rians constantly allude as familiar incidents 
to the profusion in which they were em¬ 
ployed on ordinary occasions, and to the 
formation by successive kings of innumerable 
gardens for the floral requirements of the 
temples. 
The capital was surrounded on all sides by 
flower gardens, and these wore multiplied so 
extensively that, according to the Rajarat- 
rtacari, one was to be found wit hin a distance 
of four leagues in any part of Ceylon. Among 
» the regulations of the temple built at Dam- 
bedenla, in the thirteenth century, was 
“ every day an offering of 100,000 dowel's, 
and each day a different flower.” Another 
advantage conferred by Buddhism on the 
country was the planting of fruit trees and 
esculent vegetables for the gratuitous use of 
travelers in all the frequeuted parts of the 
island. The historical evidences of this are 
singularly corroborative of the genuineness 
of the Buddliist edicts engraved on various 
rocks and monuments in India, the decipher¬ 
ing of which was the grand achievement of 
PlUNSIP and liis learned coadjutors. 
On the pillars of Delhi, Allahabad, and 
other places, and on the rocks of Girhar and 
Dhaoli, there exist a number of Pali inscrip¬ 
tions purporting to be edicts of Anoka, (the 
Dliarmasoca of the Mnhnwanso), King of 
Mughada, in the third century before the 
Christian era, who, on his conversion to the 
religion of Buddha, commissioned Mahindo, 
his son, to undertake its establishment in 
Ceylon. In these edicts, which were promul¬ 
gated in the vernacular dialect, the king 
endeavored to impress both upon his sub¬ 
jects and allies, as well as those who, although 
aliens, were yet “united in the law” of 
Buddha, the divine precepts of their great 
teacher ; prominent among which are the 
prohibition against taking animal life, and 
the injunction that, “everywhere wholesome 
vegetables, roots, and fruit trees shall be 
cultivated, and that on the roads wells shall 
he dug and trees planted for the enjoyment 
of men and animals.” In apparent conform¬ 
ity with these edicts, one of the kings of 
Ceylon, Addagawuno, about the year 20 
A. D., is stated in .the Mafaawonao to have 
“caused to be planted throughout the island 
every description of fruit-bearing creepers, 
and interdicted the destruction of animal 
life,” and similar acts of pious henevolence, 
performed by command of various other 
sovereigns, are adverted to on numerous 
occasions. 
Our illustration shows a noble Talipot Palm 
{Cnryphu umbraelUifura), the leaves of which 
are used by the Buddhist monks—prepared 
in small, narrow strips—os books on which 
to record their sacred writings, &c. The 
history and poetical writings of Ceylon have 
been for ages past written on these narrow 
strips of Palm leaves, known to the natives 
by the term of Olas. The leaves of the 
Talipot Palm am also used as umbrella;- and 
sunshades, also for covering huts and making 
temporary tents. It is the noblest of the 
Palm family, growing often to the hight of 
100 foot. It only flowers once and then dies. 
Every temple must have its sacred “ Bo 
Tree' 1 ( Picas riliyiom), as shown In our draw¬ 
ing, taken from the ancient tree at Androja- 
poora, planted there by Buddha or his fol¬ 
lowers, and said to be one of the oldest trees 
I in the world; they are usually planted in t 
some conspicuous [dace fronting the t emple. 
NEW YORK, AND ROCHESTER, N. Y„ SEPT. 13, 1873. 
( PRICE SIX CENTS. 
1 $2.50 PER YEAR. 
