Gadua village is the stronghold of the Pala Kings. Huen Tsang went to Gadua village from Mathokhar Duh or the pidgeon monastery. Gadua is important as it is the original name of the Tibetan mis-pronounced Gauda which was supposed to be the first capitol of the Pala Kings. Bengal is claiming a village called Gauda as the place. According to Tibetan sources there were three Pala Capitols by the name of Gauda, Zahor and Ramavat. They also say the Palas belonged to a sub cast of Brahmins called Bharduaji's. Gauda is simply Gadua village which is in Sheikhpura district of Bihar while Zahor is a mispronunciation of Sahur which is in Lakhisarai District. Ramavat is either Rampur or Ramchandarpur villages. All these villages are populated by the Bharduaj sub cast of Brahmins just as the Tibetans sources state. Huen Tsang came here because there was a small sanghramma for 50 bhikshus who studied the little vehicle. According to him the Buddha preached here for seven days for the sake of Brahmdevas. Below is the report I have given to the Archaeological survey of India. And below that is the link to the youtube video of Gadua village.
(47)Gadua: (Si-Yu-Ki page 184) Southeast from the lonely mountain
or Mathokhar hill Huen Tsang goes 40 Li’s or 7 miles to a Sanghdharma with
fifty priests who study the teachings of the little vehicle. I will quote the
second paragraph of page 184 of his journal Si-Yu-Ki. He says, “Going south
east from this shrine on the solitary mountain about 40 li, we come to a
convent with about 50 priests, who study the teaching of the little vehicle.
Before the sanghdharma is a great stupa where many miracles are displayed. The
Buddha stayed here for seven days and taught for Brahma Devas sake and others.”
Before the Sanghdharma is a stupa where the four previous Buddhas sat and many
miracles took place. This is the village of Gadua in Sheikhpura district which
is populated by the Bhumihar Brahmin cast belonging to the Bharduaj gotra. My
cast and my gotra. Huen Tsangs 40 li takes us to this village. My ancestors
came from this village. I suspect that Brahma Deva is an Indian to Chinese
mispronunciation and a Chinese to English mispronunciation by Samuel Beal of
the word Bharduaj. Brahma Deva sounds very similar to Bharduaj which is the
gotra of that village. There is a stupa called Garh in the middle of the
village while most of the homes are on the sanghdharma. Near the Sanghdharma
ruins there is a parapet where Lord Mahavira sat and preached. On the parapet
is a small cemented stupa four feet high. It was previously made of mud. But
the mud would slide away due to rains so the villagers cemented it. This is proof
that this is the Sanghdharma Huen Tsang spoke of because Lord Mahavira was a
contemporary of the Buddha and preached where the latter preached. Cunningham
does guess work here too and identifies the sanghdharma with Aphsar village. I
will quote the first line in page 11 of his report” A tour in Bihar and Bengal
in 1879 and 1880.” He writes, “In the position indicated there are no remains
of any kind. It seems probable therefore we should read 4 li instead of forty,
which should take us to the high conical mound of Aphsar, where there are both
Buddhist and Brahmanical remains.” Cunningham has conveniently reduced 36 li’s
from 40 li to suit his find. This is why all the sites the orientalists
identified are wrong. The video is available in my youtube channel “Buddha
Exhumed.”
The link to the youtube video of Gadua:
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