Chapter XIII

Going west 16 yojanas, (Fa-hian) reached the country of Na-kie (Nagarahara). On the borders, in the city of Hi-lo, is the vihara of the skull-bone of Buddha; it is gilded throughout and adorned with the seven precious substances.

The king of the country profoundly reverences the skull-bone. Fearing lest some one should steal it, he appoints eight men of the first families of the country, each man having a seal to seal (the door) for its safe keeping. In the morning, the eight men having come, each one inspects his seal, and then they open the door. The door being opened, using scented water, they wash their hands and bring out the skull-bone of Buddha. They place it outside the vihdra on a high throne; taking a circular stand of the seven precious substances, the stand is placed below (it), and a glass bell as a cover over it. All these are adorned ndth pearls and gems. The hone is of a yellowish-white colour, four inches across and raised in the middle. Each day after its exit men of the at once mount a high tower, beat a large drum, blow the conch, and sound the cymbal. Hearing these, the king goes to the vihara to offer flowers and incense. The offerings finished, each one in order puts it on his head (worships it) and departs. Entering by the east door and leaving by the west, the king every morning thus offers and 'worships, after which he attends to state affairs. Householders and eldermen also first offer worship and then attend to family affairs. Every day thus begins, without neglect from idleness. The offerings being all done, they take back the skull-bone. In the vihara there is a final-emancipation tower (a tower shaped like a dagaba) which opens and shuts, made of the seven precious substances, more than five feet high, to receive it.

Before the gate of the vihara every morning regularly, there are sellers of flowers and incense; all who wish to make offerings may buy of every sort. The kings of the countries round also regularly send deputies to make offerings. The site of the v is forty paces square. Though heaven should quake and the earth open, this spot would not move.

Going from this one yojana north, we come to the capital of Nagarahara. This is the place where Bodhisattva, in one of his births, gave money in exchange for five flowers to offer to Dipankara Buddha. In the city there is, moreover, a Buddha-tooth tower, to which religious offerings are made in the same way as to the skull-bone.

North-east of the city one yojana we come to the opening of a valley in which is Buddha’s religious staff, where they have built a vihara for making offerings to it. The staff is made of ox-head sandal-wood; its length is a chang and six or seven tenths; it is enclosed in a wooden sheath, from which a hundred or a thousand men could not move it. Entering the valley and going west four days, there is the vihara of Buddha’s sanghati, to which they make religious offerings. When there is a drought in that country, the magistrates and people of the country, coming together, bring out the robe for worship and offerings, then Heaven gives abundant rain. Half a yojana to the south of the city of Nagarahara there is a cavern (stone dwelling); it is on the south-west side of a high mountain. Buddha left his shadow here. At a distance of ten paces or so we see it, like the true form of Buddha, of a gold colour, with the marks and signs perfectly clear and shining. On going nearer to it or farther off, it becomes less and less like the reality. The kings of the bordering countries have sent able artists to copy the likeness, but they have not been able (to do so). Moreover, those people have a tradition according to which the thousand Buddhas will here leave their shadows. About five hundred paces to the west of the shadow, when Buddha was alone, he cut his hair and pared his nails. Then Buddha himself with his disciples together built a tower about seven or eight chang high, as a model for all towers of the future. It still exists. Beside it is a temple; in the temple are 700 priests or so. In this district there are as many as a thousand towers in honour of Arhats and Pratyeka Buddhas.