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The name 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 is an abbreviation of the word S膩ra峁単n膩th, the lord of the deer. It may be implied both to the 艢颈惫补 and the Buddha, both had close connections to 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨-厂腻谤苍腻迟丑region. 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨is known for its affiliation to 艢颈惫补and the meaning of the name 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑is also linked to 艢颈惫补. This 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨鈥摮�腻谤苍腻迟�� axis was actually joined by a number of smaller settlements, catering both the sites.^[1] Explorations along the palaeo channel of the Varu峁嘺 have brought out some interesting facts regarding 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨鈥摮�腻谤苍腻迟�� relation. Six sites from pre NBPW times were found in these palaeo channels of the Varu峁嚹� and its tributaries. The number rose to 45 in the NBPW times and 89 in the 碍耻峁Ｄ佱箛补 times. These sites were small satellite settlements of 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨 with their earliest antiquity dated back to the BRW/BSW levels. Interestingly, the most celebrated cultural satellite site of 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨 was the celebrated Buddhist pilgrim site of 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 was located on a palaeo channel of Varu峁嚹� too. Narokhar Nala that flows by

厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 was probably a remnant of the old palaeo channel of the Varu峁嚹�.^[2] So 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨鈥摮�腻谤苍腻迟�� needs to be viewed as a composite region or 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 constituted an integral part of the ancient city of 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨.^[3] It was not the populous part of the city but formed the fringes鈥揹esolate, forested, with a teeming animal population and low human density. The other name M峁沢adava means a deer park is suggestive of the nature of the place. The Buddhist text Mah膩vastu furnished a fanciful story of how this place was ruled by a deer king Rohaka and a thousand deer living in this forest under him. He had two sons Nyagrodha and Vi艣膩kh膩, each in charge of five hundred deer. The king of 碍腻艣墨, Brahmadatta was fond of pleasure hunting and flesh of deer. His pleasure pursuits killed and wounded many deer. Then they decided every day one deer will go to the royal kitchen and this way they can avoid the king鈥檚 wrath. One it was aturn of a pregnant doe and she refused to sacrifice the lives of her twin babies for herself. Everyone agreed to her view but none wanted to go to the royal kitchen instead of her. Now that doe belonged to Vi艣膩kh膩鈥檚 herd and no one in her team wanted to die in her place. Then she implored to Nyagrodha and in his team too no one volunteered death for her. Finding no other way, Nyagrodha himself went to the 碍腻艣墨king to keep the promise of sending each day a deer tothe king鈥檚 kitchen. Being asked by the king Brahmadatta he explained the whole reason for his coming. Seeing his magnanimity, altruism the king was so impressed that he granted immunity not only to Nyagrodha, but the whole of deer population and hence the place came to be known as M峁沢adava or M峁沢adaya or grace to the deer. So it was converted into a sanctuary. The same story was repeated in the Nigrodhamiga 闯腻迟补办补.^[4] Here the leader of the 500 deer Nyagrodha or Nigrodha was Bodhisatva or a previous incarnation of the Buddha. So the Buddhist texts establish a Buddhist link to 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 even before the actual spread of Buddhism by the Buddha himself. The Buddhist legend links 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 and the Buddha and his sect. 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 was central to early Buddhism and it was only natural that the Buddha chose this place for preaching his first sermon. The location of the deer park to the north of the archaeological remains of 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 monastic complex only confirms the deer legend of the Buddhist sources.

Naturally it comes to mind that why the Buddha chose 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 as the place to deliver his first sermon. It was already a stronghold of hermitage tradition and from this derived its name 峁氠梗墨pattana or the settlement of the sages. 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨 and 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 seem to be inseparable parts of the total settlement of 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨. The forested tract of 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑, free from the noise and pollution of the city yet not too far from the amenities of city life was a favourite choice of hermits. The same Mah膩vastu speaks of a great wood one and a half yojana from Banaras (evidently 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑) where lived 500 sages or Pratyekabuddhas. When they knew that the Buddha has been conceived sacrificed their lives. They threw themselves up in the air while chanting their own verse and fell on the earth. Hence from their falling the place was named 峁氠梗墨pattana.^[5] These stories and anecdotes help to find out the ancient character of the place. With an already existing tradition of hermitage and far from the disturbances of 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨 the Buddha naturally halted at 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑. There he could peacefully pursue his meditation yet had a fairly large and rich population of 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨 close at hand to spread his message. During the Buddha鈥檚 time 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨 ranked very high among the cities and therefore having the people of 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨 as receptors of Buddhist ideas had been helpful for infant Buddhism and perhaps that鈥檚 why the Buddha chose 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 to roll the wheel of Buddhism. That is how 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 witnessed the great historical event of the Dharmacakrapravartana.

The first occupational layer of 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨 was held to be 800 BCE though even earlier archaeological levels were found in the locality. In the later portions of the Atharva Veda only 碍腻艣墨 and not even 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨 was mentioned. But 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 was neither mentioned in such early texts nor are reported any other archaeological evidences other than the monastic ruins. So there is no corresponding information about 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 of the period to which the earliest occupational level of 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨 belonged. As gradually 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨 took a turn towards urbanisation and appeared in different literary texts as an important urban and commercial centre, 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 was still absent. So we have almost no idea of the earliest period of 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑. Only a few NBPW sherds scattered around the area of 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 points to the presence of some rural communities much before the Mauryan times.^[6] Even pre-NBPW pottery pieces were recovered from the surrounding localities. 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨 was a famous place of Br膩hm峁噄cal learning and associated rituals were practised on a regular basis and normally. This has been attested by the discovery of small items of socio-religious importance. Terracotta figurines bearing some symbols, decorated terracotta discs, pottery discs from pre-NBPW (1100- 700 BCE), Vedic, Br膩hma峁噄cal level have been found in the neighbouring sites. Vidula Jayaswal in her work on 膧ktha, a small and satellite settlement of 痴腻谤腻峁嘺蝉墨 near 厂腻谤苍腻迟丑 has identified these small pottery discs as Kap膩la which were recovered in large numbers from 膧ktha and other small sites of the region including 膧nai.^[7] These kap膩las were meant for offering oblations to the dead. Presence of these Kap膩las in large number at Anai from the BSW, the earliest stage of occupation at Anai suggested that in the pre-Buddhist time the site had some Br膩hma峁噄cal affiliations. It might have been true about many sites of the region.^[8]

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Vidula Jayaswal, Ancient Varanasi: An Archaeological Perspective (Excavations at Aktha), Aryan Books International, New Delhi, 2009, p.3.

[2]:

Vibhat Tripathi, Prabhakar Upadhyay, Excavations of Anai, A rural settlement of ancient Varanasi, Sharada publishing House, Delhi, 2013, pp.3-5.

[3]:

Bhagwati Sharan Singh, Varanasi, 1988 New Delhi, p.23

[4]:

E. B. Cowell ed. and translated by Robert Chalmers, The 闯腻迟补办补 or Stories of the Buddha鈥檚 Former Births, Vol. I, Delhi, Motilal Banarasidass Pvt. Ltd.,1990, The Nigrodhamiga 闯腻迟补办补, pp.36-42.

[5]:

Translated from the Buddhist Sanskrit by J.J. Jones, The Mah膩vastu, Vol.I, Luzac and Company Ltd, London, 1949, pp.301-11.

[6]:

Meera Sharma, Ancient Varanasi Versus Sarnath: A Study in Interrelationship in Rakesh Tewari ed., 笔谤腻驳诲丑腻谤腻, no.8, 1997- 98, Lucknow, 1998, p.188.

[7]:

Vidula Jayaswal, Ancient Varanasi, An Archaeological perspective, Excavation at Aktha, New Delhi, Aryan Books International, 2009, pp.26-30.

[8]:

Vibhat Tripathi, Prabhakar Upadhyay, Excavations of Anai, A Rural Settlement of ancient Varanasi, Delhi, Sharada publishing House, 2013, p.168.