hither come all poor or helpless patients, orphans, widowers, and cripples. They are well taken care of, a doctor attends them, food and medicine being supplied according to their needs. They are all made quite comfortable, and when they are cured they go away.

When Asôka destroyed the seven pagodas, with a view to building eighty-four thousand others, the very first large pagoda he built was at a distance of over three li to the south of the city. In front of this there is a foot-print of Buddha's, over which a shrine has been raised, with its entrance facing north.

To the south of the pagoda there is a stone pillar, fourteen or fifteen feet in girth and over thirty feet in height. On it there is an inscription as follows:-"King Asôka bestowed the inhabited portion of the world on the priesthood of all quarters, and then bought it back from them with money; he did this three times."

Three to four hundred paces to the north of the pagoda is the place where Asôka built the city of Ni-li (unidentified), in the middle of which is a stone pillar, also over thirty feet in height. On the top of it there is a lion, and on the pillar there is an inscription recording the origin of the city of Ni-li, with the year, month, and day on which the inscription was written.

From this point travelling nine yôjanas to the south-east, the pilgrims arrived at a small orphanrock hill (near Giryek), on the top of which was

a stone chamber, facing south, in which Buddha sat when Indra, God of Heaven, brought the divine musician, Pancha, to play upon the psaltery for Buddha's enjoyment. Indra then put questions on forty-two subjects, to each of which Buddha wrote an answer with his finger on the rock. Traces of this writing still exist, and here also there is a monastery. One yôjana on to the south-west, they came to Nâlanda (Baragong), the village where Sâriputra was born and whither he returned to pass away. Here a pagoda was raised, which is still in existence.

From this place travelling one yôjana to the west, they came to the new city of Râjagriha, built by king Ajâtasatru, and containing two monasteries. Three hundred paces outside the west gate of the city there is a lofty and beautiful pagoda which king Ajâtasatru raised over the share he had obtained of Buddha's remains. Four li from the south of the city, bearing southward, a valley leads to a space among five hills which completely surround it and give it the appearance of the walls of a fortified city. It is in fact the site of the old city of king Bimbasâra, which measured from east to west some five to six li and from north to south seven to eight li.

The following spots are still known:-Where Sâriputra and Mugalan first saw Asvajit (one of the first five of Buddha's disciples); where Srîgupta, an ascetic, made a fire-pit and poisoned

the food which he offered to Buddha; where Ajâtasatru made a black elephant drunk, wishing to injure Buddha; where, at the north-east corner of the city, at a bend in the road, Jîvaka, son of king Bimbasâra, built a shrine in the garden of Amradârikâ, his mother, and having invited Buddha with twelve hundred and fifty disciples, made offerings to them. The city itself is a waste, without any inhabitants.

Entering the valley and bearing round the mountains to the south-west on a rising gradient for fifteen li, the pilgrims arrived at the Vulture Mountain. Three li from the summit there is a cave in the rock, facing south, where Buddha sat in meditation. Thirty paces to the north-west there is another such cave, in which Ânanda was sitting in meditation when the celestial Devil-god of Lust (Mâra Pisuma) changed himself into a vulture and stood before the cave in order to frighten Ananda; but Buddha by his divine power pierced the rock, and stretching out his hand stroked Ananda's shoulder, so that his fear was allayed. The tracks of the bird and the hole for Buddha's hand are both still to be seen; hence the name Vulture-cave Mountain.

In front of the cave is the place where the four Buddhas sat down, and also the caves where each of the Lo-han sat in meditation, several hundred in all. Also, the place where Buddha was pacing up and down, east and west, in front of his cave when Dêvadatta from among the

crags to the north of the mountain wickedly threw a rock at him and wounded him on the toe. The rock is still to be seen. The hall in which Buddha preached the Faith has been destroyed; nothing of it remains save the foundations of the brick walls.

The peaks of this mountain, which is the highest of the five mountains, are picturesque and imposing. In the New City Fa-hsien bought incense, flowers, oil, and lamps, and hired two religious mendicants, who knew the way, to carry them. He then went up the Vulture Mountain, made offerings of flowers and incense and kept lamps alight until dawn. His feelings overcame him, but he restrained his tears and said, "Buddha formerly lived here and delivered the Sûrângama sûtra. I, Fa-hsien, born at a time when too late to meet the Buddha, can only gaze upon his traces and his dwelling-place." Thereupon he chanted the above sûtra in front of the cave, and after remaining one night returned to the New City.

At a distance of over three hundred paces north from the Old City, on the west side of the road, the travellers arrived at the shrine in the Karanda Garden; it is still there, and is swept and sprinkled by priests.

Two or three li to the north of this is the Smasânam, which in Chinese means "a field of tombs into which dead people are cast."

Rounding the southern mountain and going

three hundred paces to the west, there is a rock chamber called the Peepul (fig-tree) Cave, where Buddha used to sit in meditation after his meals.

Five to six li further west, on the north and shaded side of the mountain, there is a rock chamber, called Sataparna, where, after the passing of Buddha, five hundred Lo-han compiled the Sûtras. When the Sûtras were brought out, three vacant seats had been prepared and very handsomely decorated, the one on the left being for Sâriputra, and that on the right for Mugalan. Of the five hundred Lo-han, one was wanting; and when the great Kâsyapa had taken his seat as chairman, it turned out that Ânanda was outside the door and unable to enter. A pagoda was built on the spot, and is still in

existence.

Round the mountain there are a great many rock caves where the Lo-han sat in meditation. Issuing from the north of the Old City and going down for three li to the east, there is Dêvadatta's rock cave; and fifty paces from this, there is a large square black rock. Formerly, a religious mendicant, pacing backwards and forwards on it, reflected as follows:-"This body of mine suffers the bitterness of impermanency; in vain do I attain to an outlook which is not pure. I loathe this body!" Thereupon he seized a knife, meaning to kill himself; but once more he reflected: "The World-Honoured One has set his canon against self-slaughter." Then he