Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-10-08
WHERE BUDDHA is BURIED.
Tomb of the Great Teacher Found at
the Foot of the HimaIayas.

the Foot of the HimaIayas.
According to London advices, Prof.
Rhys Davids, the well-know Sanskrit
scholar, has located the tomb of
Buddha in the district at the foot of
the Nepalese Himalaya, where the
founder of religion that now num-
bers 35O,OOO,OOO believers moved and
lived and died. Buddha was born eth
er in 566 or $50 B. c., and died in eth
er 4S2 or 472 B. G. There is some
vids has been working for some time
in the region of the the Basti district,
on the west of Gorakhpur, in India,
which is the district intimately asso-
ciated with incidents in the life of
Buddha and the Sakya tribe, from
which he came. Here there are several
of the stone frontier pillars erected by
the great Asoka, recording his visits
to the shrines. The most important of
these is the one erected at Padaria,
bearing the inscription written by
Asoka about 253 B. c., recording the
fact that the pillar marks the site of
the garden where Buddha was born.
The neighboring ruins of Kapilavas-
tn, Buddha's native town, are on the
banks of the Banganga river, which
descends from the Himalayas and
flows through a rich plain. The plain
belongs chiefly to Europeans and has
within the last half century been
transformed from primeyal forest and
jungle into rich and well-cultivated
fields. All this region is described by
Prof. Davids as covered with small
mounds, marking in most cases ''stu-
pas" or Buddhist burial places Among
the largest of these is one situated
near the village of Piprahwa, from
which it derives it's name. This stupa
is on the land of the Birdpur grant,
which was in charge of w. Pope, who
was associated with Prof Davids in
making the excavations. The mound
rises to a height of about 81 feet
above the plain and is about 116 feet
in diameter at the base.
Excavations were commenced in
January, 1898, and at the lowest depth
a steatite vase, filled with small orna-
ments and beads of crystal, gold, anne
thyst and small objects of gold leaf
was found. The stupa is composed of
solid brick work, but down the center
is a curious pipe-like drain, the object
of which is obscure. At the depth of
eighteen feet below the surface a cur
ious discovery was made in the form
of large stone slab about four feet
by two feet, evidently covering some
receptacle.
Removing this cover, a stone chest
was seen, in which were found three
urns, box of steatite and a crystal
bowl. These objects were most beau
tifully finished and polished and pre-
sented all the appearance of glass. It
was evident that the Golfer concealed
some precious relics. The urns con-
tanned ornaments in gold, gold beads
and curious impressions of a womans
figure, the upper part of the body nude,
resembling Parthian work.
Some OF these gold-leaf fragments
bore figures of elephants and lions and
scroll ornaments and were evidently
taken from engraved gems or tokens.
There were also pieces decorated with
the "sayastika" or Buddhist cross.
Among what at one time were evil
IDENTIFY personal ornaments pearls of
considerable size were conspicuous, a
few fragments of wire found show that
these, with beads of many kinds, had
once formed necklaces.
To whom was this ancient shrine
erected? Manifestly to some person OF
note. One of the vases is inscribed in
Pail letters Of an archaic type and, ac-
cording to Professor Rhys Davids,
reads as follows: