Heres the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7F8goMxZxw
Huen Tsang comes east to Koiriya Tola from Lauriya Nandangarh which has the Buddhas ashes stupa in Pakri Mariha. He comes via the Bhaisa Loten area. Historians have misplaced the Mahaparinirvana stupa in Kasia Bazar and renamed it Khushinagar. I will start my report of the Mahaparinirvana stupa and the stupas around the Mahaparinirvana area with the village of Koiriya Tola which was the country in Huen Tsangs time.
(7) Kiu-se-na-kie-lo/Koiriya Tola: (Si-Yu-Ki page 31 to 41) From Lauriya Nandangarh Huen Tsang goes northwest to Kiu-sie-na-kie-lo which Samuel Beal wrongly deciphered as Khushinagar and which I have identified as the border village of ‘Koiriya Tola’ next to Raxaul town on the northern tip of Bihar.
(zd) Kie-se-kie-na-lo/Koiriya Tola: From Lalparsa Dhumni Tola the Buddha and his group travel to what the world calls Khushinagar or Kusinara. Actually Khushinagar is a word concocted by Samuel Beal who translated Huen Tsangs book into English. The place is Koiriya Tola which is a part of Raxaul town. It is definitely Huen Tsangs ‘Kiu-sie-na-kie-lo’. I will quote page 31 second last para.“After this going north east through a great forest, along a dangerous and difficult road, where wild oxen and herds of elephants, and robbers and hunters cause incessant trouble to travelers. After leaving the forest we come to the kingdom of ‘Kiu-shi-na-kie-lo.” Huen Tsang tells us that the place where the Buddha died was north east to Lauriya Nandangarh. Koiriya Tola is directly north east to Lauriya Nandangarh. The wild jungle infested with wild and dangerous oxen and elephant’s and robbers that Huen Tsang describes, is the Bhaisa Loten jungle of Bettiah district. Even today it is wild and lawless. The name Bhaisa Loten means wild oxen lolling in mud so the name tallies with Huen Tsangs description. It is still a highly criminalized zone and highly dangerous. Today it is part of Valmiki tiger reserve. Samuel Beal took Huen Tsangs ‘Kiu-se-na-kie-lo’ at face value and translated it as Khushinagar. Actually ‘Kiu-shie-na-kie-lo is a Chinamans attempt to pronounce Koiriya Tola. The latter sounds verbally similar to Huen Tsangs Kiu-se-na-kie-lo’. Finding ‘Koiriya Tola’ was tough because here Huen Tsang fails to give mileage or distance and only states the north easterly direction. And the village was hidden in Raxaul Bazar. So it took me three whole days to study the entire area north east of Lauriya Nandangarh and choose ‘Koiriya Tola’ as Huen Tsangs “Kiu-se-na-kie-lo.” I did this by finding names of places connected to the Buddha’s nirvana and realized Huen Tsangs Kiu-shie-na-kie-lo was nothing else but Koiriya Tola. Huen Tsang says the capitol was 10 li in circuit. Ten Li’s is approximately 2 kilomteres in circuit. British historians took Samuel Beals mis deciphered and concocted ‘Khushinagar’ and started a wild goose search for a similar name. Its clear Samuel Beal never visited any place of the names he created which is why none of the holy Buddhist spots were discovered. British historians identified Kasia Bazar as Khushinagar or Huen Tsangs ‘Kiu-shi-na-kie-lo’ simply on the basis of a sleeping Buddha statue found in a stupa. They removed the name of Kasia bazaar and re-christened the place Khushinagar. So Khushinagar is a concocted word by British historians who thought that was what Huen Tsang meant. The reader will realize Huen Tsang goes nowhere near present day Khushinagar. Sirsiya Kala is definitely the real Khushinagar where the Buddha went for his Maha Parinirvana. The main proof for Koiriya Tola being Huen Tsangs Kiu-se-na-kie-lo is the temple of Baba Trilokinath. Huen Tsang states in the northeastern angle of the city is an Ashokan stupa identifying the house of ‘Chun-to’. I realized Chun-to was none other than Trilokinath. I will quote the first paragraph of page thirty two. Huen Tsang writes. “The brick foundation walls of the old capitol are about 10 li in circuit. There are few inhabitants, and the avenues of the town are deserted and waste. At the north-east angle of the city gate is a stupa which was built by Ashoka Raja. This is the old house of Chunda (Chun-to); in the middle of which is a well which was dug in the middle while he was making an offering. Although it has overflowed for years and months, the water is still pure and sweet.” Folks, Trilokinath has been definitely mispronounced as Chun-to. This and other stupas prove that Koiriya Tola is definitely Huen Tsangs ‘Kiu-se-na-kie-lo’. Noted historian L.A. Wadell wrote in his report that the Maha Parinirvana stupa was most probably north of Ramgarhwa. The latter is exactly south of Koiriya Tola and Bada Pareuwa.
(ze) Harannavati river/Sirsiya river (locally pronounced Surasiya river): North of Koiriya Tola or the mispronounced Kusinara the Buddha tells Anand let us cross the Hirannavati river to the north and rest in the Mallas Sala grove. Huen Tsang calls this river ‘O-shi-to-fa-ti’. I have identified the Hirannavati or Huen Tsangs ‘O-shi-to-fa-ti’ river as the Sirsiya river dividing the twin towns of Raxaul and Birgunj. The river also travels down the eastern edge of these towns. In the second paragraph of page 32 Huen Tsang writes, “To the northwest of the city 3 or 4 li, crossing the Ajitavati (O-shi-to-fa-ti) river), on the western bank, not far, we come to a grove of Sal trees.” I have identified Bara Pareuwa as the sal grove of the Mallas in the vicinity of Koiriya Tola.
(zf) Bada Pareuwa/Sirsiya river: Bada Pareuwa is to the west of Raxaul is certainly the place where the Buddha breathed his last. In page 32 second para first line Huen Tsang states, “To the north west of the city three or four Li, crossing the ‘O-shi-to-fa-ti’ river (Samuel Beal translates it as Oshitofati) river, on the western bank not far, we come to a grove of Sal Trees.” The ‘O-shi-to-fa-ti’ river is the Sirsiya river flowing down the eastern border of Birgunj town to Raxaul. The spelling of the rivers name is written Sirsiya, but the locals pronounce the word as Saurasiya. Saurasia sounds very similar to Huen Tsangs ‘O-shi-to-fa-ti’. Bada Pareuwa is certainly the place where the Buddha breathed his last. It was the Mallas Sal grove. Bada is big and Pareuwa can be divided into two words. They are Pare-uwa. Pare means to lie on the ground and ‘uwa’ means northwards. Pareuwa means Lying with head to the north. When the Buddha breathed his last, he lay with his head to the north. Buddhists have mispronounced Bada Pareuwa as Maha Parinirvana. You can see the similarities between the two words. Bada has been substituted with Maha. They both have the same meaning. Parinirvana is simply a Buddhist mispronunciation of Pareuwa. Bada Pareuwa is certainly the Maha Parinirvana stupa. Today it is a village mostly populated by Muslims. In the third last line of page 32 second para, Huen Tsang writes, “In this wood there are four trees of unusual height, which indicate the place where Tathagat died.” So we understand the Buddha died between Sal trees in Bada Pareuwa stupa. The biggest proof of Bada Pareuwa being the Maha Parinirvana stupa is the distance between it and Koiriya Tola which I have identified with Huen Tsangs mispronounced ‘Kiu-se-na-kie-lo’. I will quote the second paragraph of page thirty two. Huen Tsang writes. “To the north-west of the city 3 or 4 Li, crossing the Ajitavati (O-shi-to-fa-ti) river, on the western bank, not far, we come to a grove of Sala trees. The Sala tree, is like the Huh tree, with a greenish white bark with leaves very glistening and smooth. In this wood are four trees of an unusual height, which indicate the place where Tathagat died.” Four li equals to one kilometer. Bada Pareuwa is exactly one kilometer north east of Koiriya Tola. This tallies with Huen Tsangs bearings. So this is definite proof that Bada Pareuwa is the Buddha’s Maha Parinirvana stupa. The clinching proof that Bada Pareuwa is the Maha Parinirvana stupa is the pronunciations of different Buddhist countries countries. In Pali it is Parinibbana. In Burmese its Parinibbaran, in Chinese its Boniepan. In Thai the reclining Buddha is ‘Parang phra phut ta roupe’. Parang seems a mispronunciation of Bara. Phra seems to be a mispronunciation of Pare of Pareuwa. And ‘Phut ta roupe’ is a mispronunciation of ‘reuwa’ of Pareuwa which itself is a tongue twister. It’s a clear cut case that Pareuwa is the original of all these foreign mispronounced words. The Maha of Maha Parinirvana cannot be found in other countries other than Sri Lanka. Noted historian L.A Wadell states the Maha Parinirvana stupa is most probably somewhere north of Ramgarhwa. The latter is south of Bara Pareuwa so tallies with L.A.Wadell’s statement.
(zg)Chota Pareuwa: In the last paragraph of page 32 Huen Tsang writes, “There is here a great brick vihara in which is a figure of the nirvana of Tathagat. He is lying with hius head to the north as if asleep.” This is definitely Chota Pareuwa. The statue mentioned in the quote will most probably be buried somewhere here.
(zh) (1) Vishwa Hillock: Vishwa hillock is a fifty foot high mud stupa to the north east of Gah Hawa Mai temple in Maisthan chowk. This stupa is definitely an Ashokan stupa. Huen Tsang says King Ashoka constructed this stupa to mark the spot the Buddha died. Huen Tsang writes. “By the side of this vihara is a stupa built by Ashoka Raja: although in a ruinous state, yet it is some two hundred feet in height.” The stupa marking the spot near where the Buddha died is definitely the Vishwa hillock in Birgunj. It suits the description Huen Tsang gives as it is next to the Gah Hawa Mai temple. Vishwa hillock is a perfect example of a big Ashokan mud stupa. Unfortunately the mud has been pilfered reducing the stupas size to about fifty feet. Locals say the stupa was previously much higher. I have noticed where ever Ashoka makes a stupa to mark a certain incident, it is a couple of kilometers away from the stupa it represented.
(zh) Chhapkaiya: In the last paragraph and last line of page 32 Huen Tsang writes, “Before it is a stone pillar to record the nirvana of Tathagat; although there is an inscription on it, yet there is no date as to the year or month.” This is certainly the stupa of Chapkaiya. Chapkaiya means to have something written or engraved on something. So Chapkaiya is definitely the name of the pillar with something written on it which didn’t have the Buddhas date of death. The statement, “Before it is a stone pillar,” Huen Tsang means before Vishwa hillock. Chapkaiya is between Bada Pareuwa and Vishwa hillock as Huen Tsang seems to have approached the hillock from the direction of Bada Pareuwa. He reaches Chapkaiya before reaching Vishwa hillock.
(f) Kaurihar: This village strengthens my claim that ‘Bada Pareuwa’ is the Buddhists Maha Parinirvana stupa and Koiriya Tola is Huen Tsangs ‘Kiu-se-na-kie-lo’ and not Khushinagar. In page 33 third para Huen Tsang writes, “By the side of the vihara and not far from it, is a stupa. This denotes the place where the Bodhisatva, when practicing a religious life, was born as a king of a flock of pheasants. And caused a fire to be put out. Formerly there was in this place a great and shady forest, where beasts and birds congregated and built their nests and dwelt in caves. Suddenly a fierce wind burst from every quarter, and a violent conflagration spread on every side. At this time there was a pheasant, who moved with pity and tenderness, hastened to plunge itself in a stream of pure water, and then flying up in the air shook the drops from his feathers (on the flames), whereupon Sakra king of Devas coming down said (to the bird). Why are you so foolish as to tire yourself, thus fluttering your wings? A great fire is raging, it is burning down the forest trees and the desert grass; what can such a tiny creature as you do to put it out? The bird said, “and who are you?” He replied, “I am Sakra king of Devas.” The bird replied. “Now Sakra king of Devas has great powers of religious merit; and every wish he has he can gratify; to deliver from this calamity and avert the evil would be as easy as opening and shutting his hand. There can be no propriety in permitting this clamity to last. But the fire is burning fiercely on every side, there is no time for words.” And so saying he flew away again and sprinkled the water from his wings. Then the king of the Devas to the water in the hollow of his hand, and pored it out on the forest and extinguished the fire; the smoke was cleared away and the living creatures saved.”
In the above quote Huen Tsang tells of a forest fire that goes out of control. Animals are trapped in the fire. The bird king which is a pheasant feels sorry for them so dives into a river, flies up and flutters its wings so that the water from the wings sprays over the fire dousing a small bit. Sakra king of Devas sees the pheasant doing this so makes fun of it. The latter however continues wetting itself and spraying the fire with water from its wings. He tells Sakra that it was his job but since he, Sakra, wasn’t doing it, he was. Sakra then douses the fire with water. The stupa now has a village settled on it which has taken the stupas name. So you now have a stupa cum village by the name of Kaurihar. Kaurihar means to lose to the crow. ‘Cowa’ or ‘Koa’ in Bihari means crow and ‘har’ means to lose a competition. Put together the word Kaurihar means the crow that beat the bush and won the verbal Duel with Sakra king of Devas. The word Kaurihar fits perectly to Huen Tsangs story of sacra king of Devas losing to the crow. Sakra king of Devas is a Buddhist mispronounciation of Shankar Mahadev. Sakra seems to be a mispronounciation of Shankar and Mahadev means King of Devas when translated to English.
(f) Dhangarwa: This is another proof that Koiriya Tola is Huen Tsangs ‘Kiu-se-na-kie-lo’. In page 34 second para Huen Tsang writes, “By the side of this, not far off, is a stupa. On this spot Boddhisattva, when practicing a religious life, being at that time a deer, saved living creatures. In very remote times this was a great forest; a fire burst out in the wild grass that grew in it. The birds and beasts were sorely distressed. Before them was the barrier of a swiftly flowing river. Behind them the calamity of a raging fire which barred their escape. There was no help for it but to plunge into the water, and there drowned, they perished. This deer, moved by pity, placed his body across the stream, which lashed his sides and broke his bones, whilst he strove with all his strength to rewscue the drowning creatures. A worn out hare coming to the bank, the deer with patience bearing his fatigue, got him safely across, but his strength now being worn out, he was engulfed in the water and died. The Devas collected his bones and raised this stupa.” In the story a forest fire rages and the animals are trapped between the fire and the river which was in spate. To save the animals the deer King lies down across the stream blocking the stream water. Strong currents break his bones but he persists and bears the pain. The animals use his body to cross the river. The last animal to cross is the hare. The stupas name is Dhangarwa. As usual a village has perched itself on the stupa and has taken the stupas name. So you now have the village of Dhangarwa. The name fits into Huen Tsangs story. Dhangna in the local language means to beat something up. In the above story the strong river current beat the deers body breaking all his bones till it dies. Dhangarwa is certainly the place where the deer kings story took place. People collected the bones and raised this stupa.
(g) Subhadras
nirvana stupa (1) Jokhiyari Village: In the first paragraph of page 35 Huen
Tsang writes, “To the west of this place,
not far off, is a stupa. This is where Subhadra died.” This means to thje
west of Dhangarwa a person called Subhadra died. He was the last person to
become a disciple. He is the hare the Buddha saved in the Dhangarwa or deer
king story narrated earlier. He was the last to be converted. The latter
questions the Buddha on how to become an arhat in short cut as the Buddha was
going to attain Mahaparinirvana. The Buddha gives him arahathood. Subhadra is
grateful to become an Arhat but cannot bear the pain of the Buddhas death. So
the same night of the Buddhas Mahaparinirvana, Subhadra attains his Mahaparinirvana.
He is the hare, that is, the last animal to escape over the deers broken body
because he is the last disciple to attain knowledge. He is also the first
disciple to die. This is Johiyari village. I will quote the last paragraph of
page thirty six. Huen Tsang writes, “Then
Subhadra, leaving his home immediately, took full orders as a priest.Then
applying himself with all diligence, he vigorously disciplined bothe body and
mind, and so being freed from all doubt, in the middle of the night (of the
Buddhas nirvana), not long after the interview, he obtained the fruit and
became a arhat without imperfection. Being thus perfected in purity, he could
not await Buddhas death (great nirvana), but in the midst of the congregation,
entering the Samadhi of “fire limit”(agni dhatu), and after displaying his
spiritual capabilities, he first entered nirvana. He was thus the very last
convert of Tathagat, and the first to enter nirvana. This is the same as the
hare who was last saved in the story that has just been told.
From the above paragraph we realize Subhadra attained nirvana west of Dhangarwa stupa cum village. West of Dhangarwa is Jokhiyari. From the last quote we realize that Subhadra commited suicide by entering the Samadhi of the fire limit. He was in the middle of a crowd when he entered the fire. We can break up Jokhiyari into two words. They are Jokhna and kiyari. Jokhna in the rural language means to enter the fire. And Kiyari means the boundaries. Put together Jokhiyari means to enter the fire limit. This tallie’s with Huen Tsangs statement, “entering the Samadhi of fire limit.” Jokhiyari village is certainly settled on Jokhiyari stupa which marks the spot where Subhadra attained nirvana.
@) Subhadras doubt-Bhakuwa Brahm: In the third line of page 35 Huen Tsang writes. “Subhadra was originally a Brahmin teacher. He was 120 years of age; being so old, he had asquired in consequence much wisdom. Hearing that Buddha was about to die, he came to the two Sala trees, and asked Anand, saying, “The lord is about to die; pray let me ask him regarding some doubts I have, which still hamper me.” Anand replied, “The Lord is about to die, pray do not trouble him.” He said, “I hear Buddha is difficult to meet in this world, and that the true law is difficult to hear. I have some grave doubts; there is no grounds for fear.” On being invited Subhadra at once entered and asked Buddha.”
From the above quote we realize that an old Brahmin called Subhadra had a doubt which he wanted the Buddha to dispel. He requests Anand to allow him to question the Buddha at which Anand refuses as the Buddha was dying. But the Buddha hears of Subhadra and tells Anand to allow Subhadra to come and question him. This interaction took place in what is now called Bhakuwa Brahm stupa cum village. This stupa is on the banks of Surasiya river. This is certainly the spot where the interaction between Anand and Subhadra took place. Subhadra was a roamer which in the local language is called Bhakuwa. And Brahm means doubt. Put together Bhakuwa Brahm means the doubt of the roamer, which refers to Subhadras doubt. Nearby there is a stupa cum village called Tumariya Tola. This most probably was the site where the Sanghramma incharge of Bhakuwa Brahm stupas upkeep was. This was where pilgrims stayed.
(G) Chikni village: Huen Tsang goes on to write, “Beside the stupa of Subhadras nirvana is a stupa. This is the place where the Vajrapani (Ching-kin-kang) fell fainting to the earth. The great merciful lord of the earth, having according to the conditions of the persons concerned, finished his work of converting the world, entered on the joy of the nirvana between the two sal trees; with his head to the north, he there lay asleep. The mallas with their diamond maces and divine but secret characteristics, seeing Buddha about to die were deeply affected with pity, and cried, “ Tathagat is leaving us and entering the great nirvana; thus are we without any refuge or protection to defend us; the poisonous arrow has deeply penetrated our vitals, and the fire of sorrow burns us up without remedy!” Then letting go their diamond clubs, they fell prostrate on the earth, and so remained for a long time. Then rising again, and deeply affected with compassion and love, they thus spoke together. “Who shall now provide us a boat to cross over the great sea of birth and death? Who shall light a lamp to guide us through the long night of ignorance.”
Two kilometers north of Jokhiyari stupa cum village is Chikni stupa cum village. This matches Huen Tsangs Chinese mispronounciation. His mispronounced ‘Ching-kin-kang’ sounds very similar to Chikni (Chi-ka-ni). Huen Tsang is describing a particular area with a cluster of stupas close to each other. Chikni’s position close to Jokhiyari tallies with Huen Tsangs statement, “Beside the stupa of Subhadras nirvana is a stupa,” and the fact that the word Chikni sounds similar to Huen Tsangs mispronounced “Ching-kin-kang” proves that Chikni stupa cum village is the spot where the diamond mace holders fell to the ground. It must be noted that the landed aristocracy owning most of the agricultural land in this area are Bhumihar Brahmins of the Bharduaj gotra and the Amalya sub gotra. Amalya sounds similar to Malla so they are the elusive “Mallas of Khushinagar.” Huen Tsang calls them the diamond mace holders. Bharduaj means just that. ‘Bhar’ means heavy or expensive and ‘dhauj’ means a mace or a flag. Bharduaj means heavy and expensive mace which tallies with Huen Tsangs diamond mace holders. This is the clinching proof that Bada Pareuwa is the place where the Buddha breathed his last.
(zg) Raxaul/
where the Buddha’s body was detained for seven days: In the last paragraph of
page 35 Huen Tsang writes, “By the side
where the diamond mace holders fell to the ground is a stupa. This is the place
where for seven days after the Buddha had died they offered religious
offerings. When Tathagat was about to die, a brilliant light shone everywhere;
men and Devas were assembled, and together showed their sorrow as they spake
thus one to the other, “Now the great Buddha, lord of the world, is about to
die, the happiness of the world is gone, the men have no reliance.” Then
Tathagat reposing on his right side upon the lion bed, addressed the great
congregation thus, “Say not Tathagat has gone forever (perished) because he
die; the body of the law endures forever: unchangeable is this: put away all
idleness, and without delay, seek for emancipation (from the world).”
“The bhikshus sobbing and sighing with
piteous grief, Aniruddha bade the bhikshus wait. “Grieve not thus,” he said,
“least the Devas should deride.” Then all the Mallas (Mo-la), having offered
their offerings, desired to raise the golden coffin and bring it to the place
of cremation. Then Aniruddha addressed them all, and bade them stop, for the Devas
desired to offer their worship for seven days.”
In the Maha Parinirvana story it is clearly stated that the Buddha’s dead body was carried a short distance, but stopped at peoples request; and the body was kept for seven days for people to pay homage. It was kept between Sal trees. This is exactly what Raxaul means. To decipher Raxaul we can divide the word in two. They are ‘Rakh-Sal’. ‘Rakh’ means to keep something at a particular spot. Sal which is the second half of Raxaul is simply the Sal tree. Put together ‘Rakh-Sal’ or Raxaul simply means to keep between Sal trees. It seems the coffin was carried east from Bada Pareuwa and stopped at what is present day Raxaul. It was kept there for seven days. Today Raxaul is a bustling business town on the Indian border with Nepal with Birgunj town on the Nepal side. There is an Ashokan stupa in this town near the railway crossing which certainly is the spot where the Buddha’s dead body was detained for seven days. Today the top of the stupa has been annexed by a rich market with a cluster of jewelry shops. Basically I realize Raxaul is the stupas name. There are a couple of more stupas in the residential area of the town. Unfortunately they are nameless as the name Raxaul has dwarfed the entire town. To find the stupa names I will have to check land records of the town.
(2) Gah Hawa Mai temple/Maisthan Chowk: In the fourth paragraph of page 38 Huen
Tsang writes, “By the side of the place where the coffin was detained is a stupa;
this is where the queen Mahamaya wept for the Buddha.
Tathagat having departed, and his body
having been laid in the coffin, then Aniruddha ascending to the heavenly
mansions, addressed the queen Maya and said, “The suprememely holy Lord of
religion has now died!”
Maya having heard of it suppressed her sobs,
and with the body of Devas came to the two Sal trees. Seeing the sanghati robe,
and the patra and the religious staff, she embraced them as she recognized
each, and then ceased awhile to act, till once again with loud accents she
cried. “The happiness of men and Gods is done! The worlds eyes put out! All
things are desert, without a guide!”
From the above quote we realize that it was here the Buddhas dead body sat up and preached the law to his dead mother. Mahayana Buddhism states there was a stupa where the Buddha’s dead mother came like the wind and cried over her son’s dead body. The Buddha’s body sat up and preached to her. This is Gah Hawa Mai temple in Maisthan Chowk. Gah Hawa means the wind. And Mai is the Buddha’s mother Maya. Put together Gah Hawa Mai means the mother that came like the wind. This hints at a ghostly appearance because in Bihar people don’t call a ghost a ghost. They call it ‘Hawa’ which simply means ‘the wind’. It’s important to note, Theravada Buddhists don’t believe in this story. So this stupa isn’t important for them. The temple is on a stupa. That will be the ‘Gah Hawa Mai’ stupa. The area is called Maisthan which literally means the area of the mother.
(zj) Prasauni: (1) Prasauni village is definitely the spot where the Buddha’s dead body was cremated: In page 39 third para Huen Tsang writes, “To the north of the city after crossing the river, and going 300 paces or so, there is a stupa. This is the place where they burnt the body of Tathagat. The earth is now of a blackish yellow from a mixture of earth and charcoal. Whoever with true faith seeks and prays is sure to find relics of Tathagata.” This stupa is north east of Birgunj and, has a village who took the stupas name Prasouni, on the stupa. The Dhaurani river passes 700 feet east of the stupa or Prasauni village just as Huen Tsang describes in his quote. Prasauni is an Ashokan stupa and like other Ashokan stupas it is simply a low mud mound. And like most other Ashokan stupas an entire village has settled on it. Prasauni village accurately suits the above quote. Huen Tsang says the burning site is, “To the north of the city.” The city is Koiriya Tola village and Prasauni village is slightly north east of Koiriya Tola. Huen Tsang further states the burning site was 300 paces from the river. That is approximately 700 feet. This is the exact distance of Prasauni village from the Dhaurani river. And the name Prasauni means someone fast asleep on something. That is the Buddha fast asleep on a funeral pyre. It is regarded as bad manners to bluntly say someone is dead, especially for a person of the stature of the Buddha. Fast asleep is a perfectly respectable word used to name the stupa. Prasauni village is definitely the stupa where the Buddha’s body was burnt. ‘Pari’ of Parinirvana is certainly a mispronunciation of Prasauni. The next stupa that goes by the name of Khutwajabdi strengthens my claim that Prasauni is the spot where the Buddha’s dead body was cremated.
(zk)
Khutwajabdi/Mukutabhandana: In the Maha Parinirwana story Khutwajabdi has been
mispronounced as Mukutabandhana. The two words are similar phonetically and one
is a mispronunciation of the other. Khutwajabdi village on a stupa certainly
strengthens my claim that Prasauni was the place where the Buddha’s dead body
was burnt. I will quote the last line of page 39. Huen Tsang writes, “By the side of the place of cremation is a
stupa; here Tathagat for Kasyapa’s sake revealed his feet. When Tathagat was in his golden coffin, and
the oil poured on it and the wood piled up, the fire would not enkindle, and
all the beholders were filled with fear and doubt, then Anirudh spoke, “We must
await for Kasyapa. At this time Kasyapa,
with 500 followers, from out of the forest came to Kusinagara, and asked Anand
saying, “Can I behold Tathagats body?” Anand said, swathed in a thousand
napkins, enclosed within a heavy coffin, with scented wood piled up, we are
about to burn it.”
At this time the Buddha caused his feet to come
out of the coffin, above or on the wheel sign lo! There were different colored
marks. Addressing Anand then he said, “And what are these?” Answering he said,
“When first he died the tears of men and Gods, moved by pity, falling upon his
feet left this mark.”
This is certainly the village of Khutwajabdi next to Prasauni village. Khutwajabdi is half a kilometer north of Prasauni. It’s on a stupa no doubt which carried the name Khutwajabdi. We are lucky the stupas name Khutwajabdi was kept alive by villagers. The village is called Khutwajabdi. The road passes over the stupa and has flattened it. I chose this spot as the place where the Buddha revealed his feet forcibly for Kasyapa because the name Khutwajabdi fits into the tale Huen Tsang tells. According to him the body was brought here for cremation. It was tied and covered with napkins and put on a funeral pyre. Anand tries to light the fire but fails so he waits for the arrival of Kashyap. The latter requests Anand to open the napkins so that he can pay obeisance to the dead body one last time. Anand refuses as it would be tough untying the napkins and tying them again. We must remember that the Buddha died seven days before his cremation. That was enough time for the body to decompose which is why Anand was hesitant to open the napkins as requested by Kasyapa. So the Buddha forcibly takes out a feet so that Kashyap can see it and pay obeisance to it. This is what Khutwajabdi means. Khutwa in the rural Bihari language means feet and ‘Jabdi’ means by force. Khutwajabdi means to show ones feet by force. In the story the Buddha showed his feet by force. Basically Prasauni and Khutwajabdi strengthen my claim that these are the stupas mentioned by Huen Tsang because they are just a stone’s throw away from each other.
(zy) Nautan village- Relic dividing stupa next to Khutwajabdi: In the second last paragraph of page 40, Huen Tsang writes, “By the side of the place where he showed his feet is a stupa built by Ashoka Raja. This is the place where the eight kings shared the relics. In front is built a stone pillar on which is written an account of this event.”
When Buddha died and after his cremation,
the kings of the eight countries with their troops (four kinds of troops) sent
a right minded Brahmin (Drona) to address the Mallas of Kusinagara, and asked
saying, “The guide of men and Gods has died in this country; we have come from
far to request a share of his relics.” The Mallas said, “Tathagat has
condescended to come to this land; the guide of the world is dead! The loving
father of all that lives is gone! We ought to adore the relics of Buddha; your
journey here has been in vain, you will not gain your end.” Then the great
kings having sought humbly for them and failed, sent a second messenger saying,
“As you will not accede to our request our troops are near.” Then the Brahmin
addressing them said, “Reflect how the Lord, the great merciful, prepared
religious merit by practicing patience; through successive ages his renown will
last. Your desire now to try force is not right. Divide then the relics into
eight portions, so that all may worship them. Why resort to arms?” The Mallas
obedient to these words divided the relics into eight parts.”
West of Khutwajabdi stupa is a bigger stupa with a village settled on it. This is a village called Nautan. Nautan can be divided into two words. They are ‘Nau-tan’. Nau means eight (I realized this anomaly in number in Gab Kund Jharna in the Rajgir section of my exploration where for eight water bodies the word Naudiha was used. It clearly meant that the present day Hindi number of ‘Nau’ represented the number eight in ancient times) and Tan means to be rigid. We know that eight rigid kings had divided the relics amongst themselves. Even if we treat Nau as the modern number nine, then we can say there were eight kings and one Brahmin which makes a total of nine people who divided the relics. The kings divided the relics at a short distance from Prasauni and Khutwajabdi. Nautan is certainly the spot the eight kings divided the relics.
(8) Bettiah-(Si-Yu-Ki page 42 to 43). From the relic dividing stupa near Kiu-se-na-kie-lo or Raxaul/Birgunj, Huen Tsang goes 200 li’s south west to Bettiah. Here he doesn’t name the place but narrates a story concerning the Buddhas son. Since Bettiah is exactly 53 kilometers or 200 li’s as the crow flies from Khutwajabdi where the relic dividing stupa is, I concluded this was the place Huen Tsang had visited. I will quote page 42 first para first line of his book Si-Yu-Ki where he writes, “To the south west of the relic dividing stupa, going 200 li or so, we come to a great village; here lived a Brahmin of eminent wealth and celebrity, deeply learned in all pure literature, versed in the five vidya’s, aquainted with the three treasures. By the side of his home he had built a priests house and had used all his wealth to adorn it with magnificence.” The Brahmin would entertain and respect all holy men, even Buddhist Bhikshus. Those days bhikshus were on the run to escape the wrath of the Hindu king Shashank. It seems the bhikshus took refuge in the jungles around Bettiah. One day the Brahmin saw an extremely old Bhikshu with long eye lashes so he took him into his guest house. In the morning he gave the Bhikshu some rice milk or kheer. The Bhikshu took a mouthful, sighed, and returned the rice milk to his begging bowl. The Brahmin then asked if the kheer wasn’t good enough. The old Bhikshu replied that he would explain when he finished his food. But when he finished, he got up to go.The Brahmin stopped him and reminded him that he had promised to chat after he ate. The old Bhikshu replied that the present circumstance made it irksome to tell his story. His story would sound doubtful. But he would tell the Brahmin since the latter insisted. The truth was he hadn’t tasted such good food for the last few hundred years. But the food wasn’t as good as the water of old days. He then goes on to say he lived with the Buddha in Venuvan in Ho-li-shi-ki-li-hi (wrongly translated as Rajgir by Samuel Beal). He washed the Buddhas clothes and cooked his food. The Brahmin was surprised as it was a few hundred years since the Buddha had died. He asked the old Bhikshu if he meant he had seen the Buddha. The old Bhikshu replied (page 43), “have you never heard of Rahul, Buddhas own son? I am he! Because I desired to protect the law I have not yet entered nirvana.” The reader will realize it was because of this story I accepted Bettiah town as the Brahmins village Huen Tsang wrote about. Bettiah sounds similar to Bettwa which means son. The entire Brahmins story is about the last sighting of Rahul who was the Buddhas son. Huen Tsang goes on to further tell us that the old man (Rahul) suddenly disappeared so the Brahmin swept and washed the spot and installed a statue in likeness of the old man. I will quote the second last para second line of page 43 of the report. He writes, “Then the Brahmin swept and watered the chamber he had used, and placed there a figure of him, which he revered as though he was present.” The last statement “WHICH HE REVERED AS THOUGH HE WAS PRESENT.” This statement was pivotal in helping me find the Brahmins abode in Bettiah as the phrase directly means servant which in Hindi is ‘Das’. It is now a Ram Temple called ‘Santawan Das Mutt’. I went and told the priest that it was ‘Santaan Das mutt’ and not ‘Santawan Das Mutt’. Within a span of 2300 years it was natural there was a slight change in name which I corrected. “Santaan” means son and ‘Das’ means servant. The name of the temple itself suits Huen Tsangs last phrase, “which he revered as though he was present.” That is the work of a ‘Das’ or a servant.
This is all that Huen Tsang describes in
the Mahaparinirvana area around the Mahaparinirvana stupa which I identified as
Bada Pareuwa. But there are more stupas connected to the Buddhas Mahaparinirvana
which Huen Tsang seems to omit. Amongst them are Koiriya Tola’s (note: not
Khushinagar) Buddha relic stupas and Subhadra’s relic stupa.
(g) Bakurahiya Village: Bhakurahiya is definitely the relic stupa of Subhadra who was the Buddhas last disciple to be ordained an arhat by the Buddha himself. As stated earlier he attained nirvana by fire in Jokhiyari. He went down in Buddhist folklore and Buddhist history as the last disciple to be converted by Buddha and the first to attain nirvana. He definitely deserved and attained the stature of having his relics enshrined in a stupa. This is Bhakurahiya stupa which now has a village settled on it keeping the name alive. Subhadra was a roamer and Baukhna means to roam. His nickname was Bhakuwa because he was a roamer. Bakurahiya can be divided into two parts. They are Baku-rahiya. Baku means roamer and rahiya means ‘he stays here’. Put together Bakurahiya means the roamer stays here. This hints at his relics staying/enshrined in Bakurahiya stupa. All relic stupas were places of homage and worship. They certainly had a sanghramma nearby for the monks incharge of the stupa to reside in and for pilgrims to stay. A stones throw from Bakurahiya stupa cum village is Harpur. This is definitely the sanghramma connected to Bakurahiya stupa.
(G) Sirsiya Mal (small): There are two Sirsiya Mal villages. One is small and the other is big. For some reason Huen Tsang omits mentioning Koiriya Tolas (the real Khushinagar) Buddha relic stupa made to enshrine the share of this countries Buddha relics. Both Subhadra (Bhakuwa) and the Buddha attained nirvana the same night. So it was natural the Buddhas relic stupa and Subhadras relic stupa were in the same area close to each other. One kilometer to the west of Bakurahiya is Sirsiya Mal village on a stupa. Mal means relics and Sir of Sirsiya means the head. Put together it means relics of the head. It seems when the relics were divided the Mallas of the area took the head portion of the Buddhas relics. After all they had acceded to the Brahmins advice to divide the relics. They must have exerted their influence as the giver to get the head portion of the relics. Sirsiya Mal should have the head relic enshrined in it. This is the Mallas original Buddha relic stupa so is one of the the ten Buddha relic stupas.
(G) Sirsiya Mal (big)/ Buddha Relic stupa: We all know that King Ashoka opened the original Buddha relic stupas and confiscated the relic leaving only a chink. And near the old stupa he made a bigger and better one. This stupa was more majestic than the old one. There is a second Sirsiya Mal village south of the small Sirsiya Mal. I have explained the meaning of Sirsiya Mal. The big Sirsiya Mal is definitely Ashokas Buddha relic stupa in which he enshrined a chink of the relics. And the fact it is next to Bakurahiya and Harpur village means this area had both the Mallas and Ashokas Buddha relic stupa including the Bakurahiya relic stupa. So it was a total of three relic stupas in an area of three kilometers in radius.
(h) Harpur village: Sanghramma incharge of the upkeep of Bakurahiya relic stupa and the Buddha’s relic stupa. The reason I chose Harpur as the sanghramma is because of its close proximity to the three relic stupas. There is a pattern to the names given to places. I have noticed the word Harpur or Harraiya or another similar word is used near a stupa where a self inflicted nirvana occurred. Har means to lose. Basically those who attained self inflicted nirvana lost the desire to live so quietly passed away. There are two more villages with the name Sirsiya. They are Sirsiya Kalan and Sirsiya Khurd. These were also sanghrammas connected to the Buddhas relic stupas.
(h) ‘Noneya Dih’ village near Raxaul: Huen Tsang doesn’t mention where the eight kings put up. They must have stayed somewhere. This wasn’t important for Huen Tsang. The number eight in ancient times was pronounced as ‘Naw’. I realized this in Huen Tsangs description of ‘Gab Kund Jharna’ lake near Sohari and Jethian villages in Rajgir. Huen Tsang says the water in the lake has eight pure bodies. On the banks of the lake is a village on a stupa called Nawdiha. Today ‘Naw’ in Hindi means the number nine and ‘diha’ means body. But Huen Tsang describes eight water bodies. I concluded in ancient times ‘Naw’ was the number 8. Due to this I dissected the village name ‘No-nea-dih’ in three parts. They are ‘Naw-nyay-dih’. ‘Naw’ means the number eight , and ‘nyay’ means justice or the giver of justice which is usually a king, and ‘dih’ means residence. Put together Noneadih means residence of eight kings. Noneadih is certainly the place where the eight kings resided. The next stupa cum village will strengthen my claim that Noneadih is the place where the 8 kings who came to receive the Buddhas relics resided.
(i) Nakardei village on a stupa: In page 41 Huen Tsang tells how eight kings of eight countries come to take their share of relics. They send a Brahmin by the name of Drone to put forward their claim. The Mallas, whom I have identified with the Amarya sub gotra (sometimes pronounced as Amalya. They are certainly the Mallas Huen Tsang describes) of the Bharduaj Bhumihar Brahmins residing in Mahdeva and Sahdeva villages who own the land around this area, refused to part with the relics. I will quote the fifth line of page 41 of ‘Si-Yu-Ki’. Huen Tsang writes, “Tathagat has condescended to come to this land; the guide of the world is dead: The loving father of all that lives is gone: we ought to adore the relics of Buddha; your journey here has been in vain, you will not gain your end.” From this quote we realize the Mallas refused to part with the relics. This is exactly what the village name ‘Nakardei’ means. I will divide the name in two as ‘Na-kardei’. ‘Na’ simply means ‘no’ and ‘kardei’ simply is the Bihari word ‘kar-delkey’ which means to say or do something. Put together ‘Nakardei’ clearly means to say no to something requested. Nakardei is on a big stupa and the village strengthens my claim that the eight kings resided in ‘Noneya Dih’.
(j) Murli Chowk Birgunj: In the Maha Parinirvana story the people decide to take the coffin and dead body of the Buddha towards the south to Raxaul or the mispronounced Kusinara to cremate it there. But the coffin is too heavy to lift. When the people fail to lift it they decide to take it northwards. The coffin allows itself to be lifted. The coffin bearers accompanied by a crowd march northwards, and once outside the city gates, they turn east to the spot where they cremated it. Where they turned east is today called Murli Chowk. The road on which ‘Ga Hawa Mai’ temple is situated is today the Tribhuvan highway which goes through the middle of Birgunj town. North of ‘Gah Hawa Mai’ temple is a cross road named ‘Murli Chowk’. Murli means ‘turn here’. A road branches east from ‘Murli Chowk’ and travels north east straight to ‘Khutwajabdi’ and Prasauni where Huen Tsang claims the dead body was prepared for cremation and later cremated. This is exactly as it is described in the Maha Parinrvana story. The coffin is taken north, and once out of the city gates, it turns east to the cremation place. Huen Tsang states that the cremation spot is 5 kilometers north east to ‘Gah Hawa Mai’ temple where the Buddha died. Basically Huen Tsang and the Maha Parinirvana narrative agree with each other. Murli Chowk is actually a direction to pilgrims following on the Buddha’s trail, to turn here and go east to Khutwajabdi and Prasauni. It’s proof that in ancient times pilgrims would flow in causing the concerned people to name a crossroad with the simple meaning ‘turn’.
I have finished describing the miscellaneous stupas which Huen Tsang
seems to have omitted. Now in this section I will point out some stupas which
are important to prove that Bada Pareuwa is the Mahaparinirvana stupa where the
Buddha breathed his last and Parsauni is the Parinirvana stupa where his body
was cremated. This extract from the Mahaparinirvana story is the route the
Buddha took to Bada Pareuwa.
(u) Parsa village/Pava: From Dhumnagar, mispronounced as Bhognagara, in Motihari town, the Buddha goes to the country of Pava which I have identified with Parsa village. There he stays in Cunda the blacksmiths Mango grove. According to Huen Tsang the Mallas were the rulers who lived in Pava/Parsa. I have identified the Mallas with the Mall’s which are a sub cast of the Kashyapa gotra of Bhumihar Brahmins who live in this village. I have identified the mango grove as (i) the bazaar of ‘Sugauli’ and (2) Sagauli which is the name of the railway station that has a slightly different name from ’Sugauli’. This area is definitely Cundas mango grove because it is here that the Buddha eats pig meat and his disciples eat spinach locally known as Saag which is why the railway stations name is Sagauli.
(v) Malla’s of Pava (Parsa village): I will
quote Wikipedia, “Malla was one of the
solasa (16) Mahajanapads of ancient India mentioned in the Anguttara Nikaya. It
was named after the ruling clan of the same name. The Mahabharata mentions the
territory as the Mallarashtra (Malla state). The Malla Mahajanapada was situated
north of Magadh. It was a small Mahajanapada. The Mahajanapada was divided into
two main parts and the river Kakutta (present day Kuku) was probably the
dividing line. The capitol of these two parts were Kusavati (modern Kasia near
Gorakhpur) and Pava, modern Fazlinagar twelve miles from Kasia.” The reader will realize that
historians are doing guess work as till date they still haven’t discovered
where the real Malla country is and who the Mallas were. Parsa village is
inhabited with the Bhumihar Brahmin community of the ‘Kashyapa gotra’. For
those who don’t understand Brahmanism and Gotra, the Brahmins are divided into
various sub casts called Gotras, one of which is ‘Kashyap’. The Kashyaps are
again divided into various sub casts of which one is ‘Mall’. The Bhumihar
Brahmins who live in Parsa village belong to the Kashyapa Mall sub cast. So you
have your ‘Mallas of Pava’ which is a direct mispronunciation of “Mall Bhumihar
Brahmins of Parsa village’. Wikipedia states the Malla janapada was situated north
of Magadh. This is Wikipedia’s only accurate description in the Parinirvana
story because Parsa, Sugauli and Raxaul (mispronounced as Kusavati), which I
and Huen Tsang claim is the country of the Mallas, are bang north of Rajgir and
Gaya which was once central Magadh just as Wikipedia says and just as Buddhist
scriptures suggest. Historians claim the name Pava disappeared and was replaced
by Fazlinagar in the state of UP and Kusavati disappeared and was replaced by
‘Kasia’ which is a colony of Khushinagar. Khushinagar itself is a British
historian concocted word and not the original name. This is pure guess work as
Fazlinagar is a Muslim name. Fazlinagar and Kasia bazaar in Khushinagar are
situated in the extreme northwest of Gaya and Rajgir which is the central part
of Magadh. This is directly opposite to what Buddhist scriptures say. Buddhist
scriptures state clearly the Malla country was north of Magadh. The report on
the Parinirvana in Wikipedia states a report by LA Wadell in the section
“Location of Gautam Buddha’s death and Parinirvana” which I will quote. “It has been suggested by Wadell that the
site of the death and Parinirvana of Gautam Buddha was in the region of
Rampurva. “I believe that Kusinagara, where the Buddha died, may be ultimately
found to the north of Bettiah, and in the line of the Ashoka pillars which lead
hither from Patna (Pataliputra) in Bihar. It still awaits proper archaeological
excavation.” Khutwajabdi, which is north east of Birgunj town where the
Buddha died is exactly 56 kilometers as the crow flies north east of Bettiah
town. This tallies with Wadells statement. From this quote the reader will
realize that amongst the British colonial historians, Wadell was honest and
accurate and most everywhere he agrees with Huen Tsangs bearings. We can finally conclude that Parsa village is
the country of Pava. It is the Malla country divided by the Burhi Gandak river,
which in this area is called ‘Sikrauna. This is mispronounced in Buddhist scriptures
as the Kukkuta river.
(w) Cundas house/
‘Parsa Tola Arazi Chakwa’: In the vicinity of Parsa village is a satellite
village of the former by the name of ‘Parsa Tola Arazi Chakw’. ‘Parsa Tola’
means a colony or part of Parsa village. ‘Arazi’ means plot owned by someone,
in this case plot owned by Chakw. Put together ‘Parsa Tola Arazi Chakw clearly
means “a colony of Parsa village owned by Chakw.” The reader will realize Chakw
is the Buddhist scriptures mispronounced ‘Cunda’, the man who fed the Buddha
with pig meat. So the area near ‘Parsa Tola Arazi Chakw’ is clearly the mango
grove of Cunda/Chakw where the Buddha ate his last meal. This is clearly
Sugauli and Sagauli. ‘Parsa Tola Arazi Chakw’ is clearly Cundas house.
(1) Sugauli: Sugauli can be easily divided into two separate words. They are ‘Su’ and ‘gauli’. ‘Suga’ is certainly a short form of ‘sugar’ pronounced as soogar which means pig. In the Maha Parinirvana story it is clearly stated that the Buddha ordered meat of a pig to be fed to him that had died naturally. The last four latter’s of Sugauli, namely ‘gauli’ can be easily deciphered as ‘Khauli’ which means to eat. Put together Sugauli is easily deciphered as ‘Soogar Khauli’ which means to eat pig meat. After eating the meal the Buddha forbids Cunda from feeding it to the disciples and orders Cunda to bury the left over’s. The reader may not know why the Buddha gave the order to bury the leftover meat. In India the guru is extremely revered and it is regarded as a pleasure and blessing to eat the left over’s of a guru’s meal. The Buddha had ordered meat of a dead pig knowing full well it would most probably be rotten and poisonous. The Buddha had prepared himself to die. He made sure his disciples didn’t eat the meat.
(2) Sagauli: The Sugauli railway station goes by the name of Sagauli. Sagauli can be broken up into ‘Sag’, pronounced as ‘Saag’, and ‘gauli’. Saag is a common spinach the locals of Bihar eat and relish. It is simply leaves fried in a minimum of oil and grounded on the fire till it is cooked. A bit of salt is added. “Gauli’ is clearly deciphered as ‘khauli’ which in the local language means to eat. Put together Sagauli is easily deciphered as ‘Saag Khauli’ which means to eat Saag or spinach. In the Maha Parinirvana story the Buddha and his disciples sit down to eat. It doesn’t state where they sat to eat other than Cundas house. Ground reality is that there is a distance of 600 meters between Sagauli (railway station) and Sugauli bazaar. In Bihar it is a strict rule that vegetarians don’t eat food in the same place or in the vicinity of non vegetarian food. It is a sort of holy law which I trace to the Buddhism left in us. So when the Buddha ate pig meat it was impossible for his disciples to be seated next to him while they also ate. IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE AND UNTHINKABLE. So the distance of 600 meters between the two places where the Buddha and the disciples ate fits in with the local custom of a sworn vegetarian avoiding a non vegetarian. If the disciples were present next to the Buddha on the same spot where he ate the rotten meat, it would be regarded as though they had also eaten it. For Buddhists and today for rural north Indians this is taboo. We can end the pig and spinach eating episode with the fact that there is a 600 meters distance between the two fits in with the local behavioral pattern of vegetarians. Today the railway station is called Sagauli so I have concluded the Britishers who constructed the station did so because the stupa there provided them with high ground and saved money on mud filling. So basically the stupa marking the spot where the disciples ate spinach will have been submerged by the railway tracks and station platform.
(x) Patkhaulia/Ubbhataka: According to Wikipedia’s definition and proof of Pava or Parsa as the country of the Malla’s, it should have a preaching hall which the Buddha inaugurated. I will quote the Pava section of Wikipedia. “According to the Sangitti Sutta, at the time the Buddha was staying at Pava, the Mallas had just completed their new Mote hall, Ubbhataka, and, at their invitation, the Buddha consecrated it by first occupying it and then preaching in it. After the Buddha had finished speaking, Sariputta recited the Sangiti Sutta to the assembled monks.” From this quote we realize that the country of Pava or Parsa must have a preaching hall which the Buddha inaugurated. Buddhist scriptures mention the name of the preaching hall is ‘Ubbhataka’ which again is a foreign Buddhist mispronunciation of the Indian name. Five hundred meters south west of ‘Parsa Tola Arazi Chakw’, which is Cunda or Chakw’s house, is a hamlet on a mud mound called ‘Patkhaulia’ which sounds similar to the mispronounced Buddhist word ‘Ubbhataka’. Patkhualia, in the local language, simply means to open the doors of a temple so that people can pay homage to it. It also means to inaugurate a temple. ‘Pat’ is the door of the sanctum sanctorum of a temple which is opened and closed at fixed times of the day. ‘Khaulia’ means to open or to inaugurate. So ‘Patkhaulia’ means to inaugurate a holy spot which is exactly what the Buddha did. So Patkhaulia or the mispronounced Ubbhataka is another spot which the Indian historians never found because they identified Pava with the wrong place. Pathkhaulia definitely strengthens my claim that Parsa village and the area surrounding it including Patkhaulia, Sugauli, Sagauli, and ‘Parsa Tola Arazi Chakw’ is the country of the Mallas of Pava.
(y) Nimuee Belaith: Nimuee most probably is the ancient rendering of the rural word ‘nimuha’ which means speechless or mouth less. It also means speechless with a dry mouth. Belaith is most probably the ancient rendering of the rural word ‘Bilatna’ which literally means to squirm with pain. Put together ‘Nimuee Belaith’ clearly means “a speechless man with a parched mouth squirming in pain”. The name of this place clearly describes the condition and predicament of the Buddha according to the Maha Parinirvana story in Theravada sources. After a severe bout of diarrhea, from Cundas mango grove, the Buddha continues moving northwestwards on his way to his nirvana. But he is badly affected by diarrhea and decides to rest under a tree on the side of the road. This is in Nimuee village slightly two kilometers north west of Sugauli and Sagauli. According to the Maha Parinirvana story the Buddha was tired and extremely thirsty. He was desperate to drink water so he asks Anand to fetch water from a nearby shallow rivulet. Anand goes to the rivulet and realizes 500 bullock carts have just crossed it muddying the water. Anand comes back and informs the Buddha about the muddy water. But the Buddha is desperate to drink so he forces Anand to go back. Anand comes back saying it is still muddy and undrinkable. He advices the Buddha that the Kukkuta river (Kukkuta is once again mispronounced. It is the Burhi Gandak river locally known as Sikrana river. Kukkuta seems to be a mispronunciation of ‘Sikrana’) is close by. The river was just three quarters of a kilometer away from Nimuee Belaith where the Buddha was begging Anand for water. Nimuee is situated on the banks of that muddy rivulet which flows for three quarters of a kilometer into the Burhi Gandak river known locally as the Sikrana river.
(z) Kohra rivulet: The Kohra rivulet is the thin river next to Nimuee Belaith hamlet. It is near the road where the Buddha rested and begged Anand for water next to Nimuee village. Kohra in the local rural language means misty or muddy. The name of the river clearly states it was named Kohra after the incident when the Buddha was squirming in pain and was desperate to drink water even after 500 carts had crossed the rivulet and muddied it. The name of the river is according to the Maha Parinirvana story and clearly states that incident took place on the banks of this river. The rivulet flows for three quarters of a kilometer and empties into the Burhi Gandak river which in this area is called the Sikrana river and which Buddhist scriptures mispronounce as Kukkuta river. Kohra river is another proof of Parsa being the Malla country of Pava.
(za) Burhi Gandak river/Sikrana river/ Kukkuta river: The Kohra rivulet flows into the Burhi Gandak river which Buddhist scriptures call the Kukkuta river. Kukkuta is actually a foreign Buddhist mispronunciation of Sikrana. It is interesting to note that this river is known as Narayani in Nepal, Burhi Gandak in India, and Sikrana in this particular stretch of the river. Sikrana means to grow thin to such an extent as to look grotesque. The Buddha forded the river after drinking water from it and bathing in it. We must remember his condition in Nimuee Belaith. The place was named to express the extremely painful condition of the Buddha. Sikrana or Sikurna in the local rural language means to shrivel down to such an extent as to look grotesque. Basically the reader will realize that this was the condition of the Buddha when he forded this river. He had become thin and frail. This is why the river in this area is called Sikrana.
(zb) Gudra/Cundaka: When the Buddha crosses the Sikrana river he rests in Cundakas mango grove. On the opposite side of the river from Nimuhee Belaith is the village of Gudra. The position of this village half a kilometer from the river states the Buddha must have come here. Like the rest of the mispronounced Buddhists words Cundaka is also mispronounced. It sounds similar to Gudra and certainly is a mispronunciation of that word. The gist of the Buddha’s stay at Cundaka’s mango grove is ‘he asks Cundaka to fold his robe in four’. There are two possible meanings of ‘Gudra’. Gundri is a Bihari word for a robe made out of patches from different pieces of cloth. This is usually used by the poor who can’t afford whole cloth. They scavenge patches and stitch them together. The Buddha was a bhikshu so most probably his robe was a ‘Gundri’. The fact that the Buddha asked Cundaka to fold his robe in four and lay it down in the mango grove could mean the village was named ‘Gudra’ after the robe. “Gudra’ could be an ancient rendition of the present day word Gundri. (b) The second meaning of Gudra is it is simply a mispronunciation of Cundaka. The area is still a mango grove. Gudra village is inhabited by poor people of the Jadav cast. What is special about this village is the temples in this village, which are ancient, are too big and expensive for the people of this village, or their ancestors, to afford to make. They were certainly made by rich people long time ago. The people pray to a local deity by the name of ‘Goraiya Baba’. I have noticed this in several other places where the Buddha visited and which was populated by the Jadav community. They are the Goraiya sub cast of Jadavs who pray to statues of a pair of feet. Basically I came to the conclusion the feet belong to the Buddha. Huen Tsang says about these people that, “they follow the Sammatiya school of Buddhism.” In the rural local language feet are called ‘Gor’ so it seems that this sub clan of Yadavs pray to the Buddha’s Gor. I came across the same thing in Mathokhar Duh which Huen Tsang mispronounced as Kapotika which he calls the pigeon monastery. I have happily come to the conclusion Cundaka is a foreign mis-pronunciation of Gudra who belonged to the Jadav community, and who prayed to the Buddha’s feet. I mean the Buddha’s ‘Gor’. He was a Goraiya Jadav. Moreover, at a certain period of the year Goraiya Yadavs angrily sacrifice a pig. The date they sacrifice a pig is most probably the date the Buddha ate pig meat.
(zc) Lal Parsa Dhumni Tola/Pukkusa: In the Maha Parinirvana story, before crossing the Kukkuta River the Buddha sits at the base (root) of a tree when ‘Pukusa’ the son of a Malla comes and sits near him. He tells the Buddha about Alara Kalama and his ability to meditate even when 500 bullock carts passed by him so close that the dust from their wheels fell on Alara Kalama. The Buddha then tells Pukkusa about his own concentration during meditation. Once he was meditating when a storm struck with thunder and lightning. The lightning struck so close that two people and some oxen died. But the Buddha was deep in meditation and didn’t notice it. Pukkusa is overwhelmed by this story and decides to replace Alara Kalama with the Buddha as the perfect guru. He then presents the Buddha and Anand with golden robes and goes on his way. When Anand drapes it on the Buddha, the latter’s body is so radiant, that the golden robe looks dull. I realize the name ‘Lal Parsa Dhumni Tola’ fits this story well. Pukkusa is certainly a mispronunciation of Parsa. Lal means son. Pukkusa is the son of the Mallas. He is mentioned in that manner. This is exactly what Lal means. It means son. Even today parents lovingly call their son Lal. Lal Parsa definitely means Parsa the son of the Mallas. Dhumni of ‘Lal Parsa Dhumni Tola’ seems to be the ancient rendering of ‘Dhoom’ which means faded or dull. We must remember that when the Buddha wore the golden robe it looked faded on his bright body. The word ‘Dhumni’ is referring to, the golden robe looking faded, episode in the Maha Parinrvana story. ‘Lal Parsa Dhumni Tola’ is certainly the spot where Pukkusa the Mallas son discoursed with the Buddha and became the latter’s follower. It was in Dhumni Tola that Pukkusa gave the golden robe to the Buddha and Anand and when the Buddha wore it looked pale like Dhoom or mist. There is a hitch. According to the Theravada Maha Parinirvana sources this interaction takes place before the Buddha crosses the Kukkuta/Sikrana River. I mean three quarters of a kilometer to the south of the Kukkuta/Sikrana river. ‘Lal Parsa Dhumni Tola’ village is on the other side of the river which is to the north of it. It means the Buddha crossed the river and stayed in Cundas grove after which he carried on his journey. He soon got and rested under a tree. It was here that the ‘Pukkusa son of the Malla’ story took place. Basically ground reality says the sequence of events in the Maha Parinirvana sutta is flawed. According to the Maha Parinrvana sutta the Buddha is sitting under a tree when ‘Pukusa son of the Malla’ sees him and sits near him discoursing with him. After Pukusa leaves, the Buddha goes to the Kukkuta, I mean the Sikrana River, and crosses it to rest in Cundakas mango grove. Ground reality is between ‘Nimuee Belaith’ where an exhausted and parched Buddha pestered Anand for water, and the Kukkuta/Sikrana river there is no village or place with which could carry ‘Pukusa the Malla’s sons’ name. The reader will notice each and every incident has a village dedicated to it. ‘Lal Parsa’ village means ‘the son Parsa’ is on the other side of the river. We must remember the story is 2400 years old and has been coming down the ages from mouth to mouth so changes in the narration could have taken place.
(zd) Kie-se-kie-na-lo/Koiriya Tola: From Lalparsa Dhumni Tola the Buddha and his group travel to what the world calls Khushinagar or Kusinara. Actually Khushinagar is a word concocted by Samuel Beal who translated Huen Tsangs book into English. The place is Koiriya Tola which is a part of Raxaul town. It is definitely Huen Tsangs ‘Kiu-sie-na-kie-lo’. I will quote page 31 second last para.“After this going north east through a great forest, along a dangerous and difficult road, where wild oxen and herds of elephants, and robbers and hunters cause incessant trouble to travelers. After leaving the forest we come to the kingdom of ‘Kiu-shi-na-kie-lo.” Huen Tsang tells us that the place where the Buddha died was north east to Lauriya Nandangarh. Koiriya Tola is directly north east to Lauriya Nandangarh. The wild jungle infested with wild and dangerous oxen and elephant’s and robbers that Huen Tsang describes, is the Bhaisa Loten jungle of Bettiah district. Even today it is wild and lawless. The name Bhaisa Loten means wild oxen lolling in mud so the name tallies with Huen Tsangs description. It is still a highly criminalized zone and highly dangerous. Today it is part of Valmiki tiger reserve. Samuel Beal took Huen Tsangs ‘Kiu-se-na-kie-lo’ at face value and translated it as Khushinagar. Actually ‘Kiu-shie-na-kie-lo is a Chinamans attempt to pronounce Koiriya Tola. The latter sounds verbally similar to Huen Tsangs Kiu-se-na-kie-lo’. Finding ‘Koiriya Tola’ was tough because here Huen Tsang fails to give mileage or distance and only states the north easterly direction. And the village was hidden in Raxaul Bazar. So it took me three whole days to study the entire area north east of Lauriya Nandangarh and choose ‘Koiriya Tola’ as Huen Tsangs “Kiu-se-na-kie-lo.” I did this by finding names of places connected to the Buddha’s nirvana and realized Huen Tsangs Kiu-shie-na-kie-lo was nothing else but Koiriya Tola. Huen Tsang says the capitol was 10 li in circuit. Ten Li’s is approximately 2 kilomteres in circuit. British historians took Samuel Beals mis deciphered and concocted ‘Khushinagar’ and started a wild goose search for a similar name. Its clear Samuel Beal never visited any place of the names he created which is why none of the holy Buddhist spots were discovered. British historians identified Kasia Bazar as Khushinagar or Huen Tsangs ‘Kiu-shi-na-kie-lo’ simply on the basis of a sleeping Buddha statue found in a stupa. They removed the name of Kasia bazaar and re-christened the place Khushinagar. So Khushinagar is a concocted word by British historians who thought that was what Huen Tsang meant. The reader will realize Huen Tsang goes nowhere near present day Khushinagar. Sirsiya Kala is definitely the real Khushinagar where the Buddha went for his Maha Parinirvana. The main proof for Koiriya Tola being Huen Tsangs Kiu-se-na-kie-lo is the temple of Baba Trilokinath. Huen Tsang states in the northeastern angle of the city is an Ashokan stupa identifying the house of ‘Chun-to’. I realized Chun-to was none other than Trilokinath. I will quote the first paragraph of page thirty two. Huen Tsang writes. “The brick foundation walls of the old capitol are about 10 li in circuit. There are few inhabitants, and the avenues of the town are deserted and waste. At the north-east angle of the city gate is a stupa which was built by Ashoka Raja. This is the old house of Chunda (Chun-to); in the middle of which is a well which was dug in the middle while he was making an offering. Although it has overflowed for years and months, the water is still pure and sweet.” Folks, Trilokinath has been definitely mispronounced as Chun-to. This and other stupas prove that Koiriya Tola is definitely Huen Tsangs ‘Kiu-se-na-kie-lo’.
(ze) Harannavati river/Sirsiya river (locally pronounced Surasiya river): In Sirsiya Kala or the mispronounced Kusinara the Buddha tells Anand let us cross the Hirannavati river to the north and rest in the Mallas Sala grove. Huen Tsang calls this river ‘O-shi-to-fa-ti’. I have identified the Hirannavati or Huen Tsangs ‘O-shi-to-fa-ti’ river as the Sirsiya river dividing the twin towns of Raxaul and Birgunj. The river also travels down the eastern edge of these towns. I have identified Raxaul as the sal grove of the Mallas in the vicinity of Sirsiya Kala. There is a huge stupa in the middle of the town which has a bustling market on it. The Buddha and his group cross this river and reach the Mallas Sal grove. I have identified the Mallas. They are a sub cast of the Bhumihar Brahmin cast of the Bharduaj Gotra. Their sub Gotra is Amarya sometimes pronounced as Amalya. They are definitely the Mallas as Amalya sounds similar to Malla.
(zf) Bada Pareuwa/Sirsiya river: Bada Pareuwa to the west of Raxaul is certainly the place where the Buddha breathed his last. In page 32 second para first line Huen Tsang states, “To the north west of the city three or four Li, crossing the ‘O-shi-to-fa-ti’ river (Samuel Beal translates it as Oshitofati) river, on the western bank not far, we come to a grove of Sal Trees.” The ‘O-shi-to-fa-ti’ river is the Sirsiya river flowing down the eastern border of Birgunj town to Raxaul. The spelling of the rivers name is written Sirsiya, but the locals pronounce the word as Saurasiya. Saurasia sounds very similar to Huen Tsangs ‘O-shi-to-fa-ti’. Bada Pareuwa is certainly the place where the Buddha breathed his last. It was the Mallas Sal grove. Bada is big and Pareuwa can be divided into two words. They are Pare-uwa. Pare means to lie on the ground and ‘uwa’ means northwards. Together Bada Pareuwa means Lying with head to the north. When the Buddha breathed his last, he lay with his head to the north. Buddhists have mispronounced Bada Pareuwa as Maha Parinirvana. You can see the similarities between the two words. Bada has been substituted with Maha. They both have the same meaning. Parinirvana is simply a Buddhist mispronunciation of Pareuwa. Bada Pareuwa is certainly the Maha Parinirvana stupa. Today it is a village mostly populated by Muslims. In the third last line of page 32 second para, Huen Tsang writes, “In this wood there are four trees of unusual height, which indicate the place where Tathagat died.” So we understand the Buddha died between Sal trees in Bada Pareuwa stupa. The biggest proof of Bada Pareuwa being the Maha Parinirvana stupa is the distance between it and Koiriya Tola which I have identified with Huen Tsangs mispronounced ‘Kiu-se-na-kie-lo’. I will quote the second paragraph of page thirty two. Huen Tsang writes. “To the north-west of the city 3 or 4 Li, crossing the Ajitavati (O-shi-to-fa-ti) river, on the western bank, not far, we come to a grove of Sala trees. The Sala tree, is like the Huh tree, with a greenish white bark with leaves very glistening and smooth. In this wood are four trees of an unusual height, which indicate the place where Tathagat died.” Four li equals to one kilometer. Bada Pareuwa is exactly one kilometer north east of Koiriya Tola. This tallies with Huen Tsangs bearings. So this is definite proof that Bada Pareuwa is the Buddha’s Maha Parinirvana stupa. The clinching proof that Bada Pareuwa is the Maha Parinirvana stupa is the pronunciations of different Buddhist countries countries In Pali it is Parinibbana. In Burmese its Parinibbaran, in Chinese its Boniepan. In Thai the reclining Buddha is ‘Parang phra phut ta roupe. Parang seems a mispronunciation of Parang. Phra seems to be a mispronunciation of Pare of Pareuwa. And ‘Phut ta roupe’ is a mispronunciation of ‘reuwa’ of Pareuwa which itself is a tongue twister. It’s a clear cut case that Pareuwa is the original of all these foreign mispronounced words.
Thanking you. Please view the video of which I have supplied the link. And please get back to me with your views.
Thanking You
Ashok Kumar Singh
