The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-24
ABOUT THE GREAT GAWD BUD

From the Louisville 'Courier-Journal
KY EW relics of Guatama Buddha have
IN been found in the dominions of
L his royal highness the Nizam of
Hydcrabad, in southern India. This time
the find consists in charred fragments of
the body of the Lord Buddha. The Bud
dhist world is ''agog' from balmy. palmy
Ceylon, where the breezes are spicy and
the prospects pleasing, to Burmah. where
the tinkly temple bells make musical re-
sponses to the caress of the zephyrs.
New joss sticks turn to scented smoke
the little sins of little folk at Kama
kura, in celebration of the discovery Of
more of the "remainders of Guatama.
The news will penetrate beyond the Him
alayas and into Tibet.
The remains OF a spledid temple having
been found, excavators set to work to
dig I'D its secrets A subterranean cham
Der was revealed, closed by stone slab.
In the chamber was found a stone sarco-
phagus. In the sarcophagus was found
wonderful crystal vase. Within the
vase was silver casket. Within the
silver casket was a cylinder wrapped in
gold leaf. Within the cylinder was a
brownish dust which was put under the
microscope and found to be the ashes of
a cremated body. Little images of Bud
dha were found in the vicinity OF the
tomb.
This discovery, which was made by the
archaeological department of the Indian
government. is of interest not only to
Buddhists but also to archaoologists and
to students of religions throughout the
west as well as the east. The Buddhist
tradition is that the body of the Prince
of Kapilavastu, who attained perfection
and passed into Nirvana, was cremated
and distributed among the nine sects OF
his disciples in India. This Is the second
discovery of supposed actual ashes of
Buddha by Indian archaeologists
Some of the relics of Buddha are clear
ly fraudulent. Upon the summit of
Adams peak in Ceylon there is foot
print made by Guatama, according to
the Buddhsts; by Adam, according to
Oriental Christians; by one of the numer-
Gus Hindu gods. according to Hindus,
and pilgrims holding diverse views climb
the peak and pray at the footprint. -Four
|
city of Handy as Christians do upon Je-
rusalem, and as Mohammedans look upon
Mecca. The pilgrims visit the 'Temple
of the Tooth" in which there is enshrined
a molar two inches long which could not
have belonged to human being. but
which is nevertheless worshiped as one OF
the eye teeth of Guatama, rescued from
the funeral pyre some 25 centuries ago.
The trifiing fact that the tooth originally
worshiped at Randy was captured by the
Portuguese and burned with great cere-
mony by the pious Archbishop OF Goa
nearly 400 years ago makes no difference
to the Buddhlsts who worship at the tenn
Pile in which the substitute is kept in
seven locked boxes In a windowless room
made sitting by the heavy perfume OF
countless flowers.
Buddha is the generic name for deiheo
teachers of Buddhism and the patronymic
of several personages connected WIN
Hindu Vedaism but Siddhartha, or Qua
tama, the reputed founder OF Buddhism,
seems to have been an actual human be-
ing who taught 1.-THE four sublime verb
ties Of the faith in India. II the arch
geological department of the Indian gov
eminent should succeed in discovering
some of the remaining seven burial places
of the ashes of Buddha great deal
would be added to the modern world S
knowledge of a personality now obscured
in legends some OF which ascribe to him
divine origin. The supposed relics found