Page:The Ancient Geography of India.djvu/444
394 THE ANCIENT GEOGRAPHY OF INDIA.
of the name of Kosdmhi mandala, or " Kingdom of
Kosambi," in an inscription over the gateway of the
fort of Khara^ seem to confirm the general belief,
although the south-west bearing from Prayaga, or
Allahabad, as recorded by Hwen Thsang, points un-
mistakably to the line of the Jumna. In January,
1861, Mr. Bayley informed me that he believed the
ancient Kosambi would be found in the old village of
Kosam, on the Jumna, about 30 miles above Allaha-
bad. In the following month I met Babu Siva Prasad,
of the educational department, who takes a deep and
intelligent interest in all archseological subjects, and
from him I learned that Kosam is still known as Ko-
sdmbi-iiaffar, that it is even now a great resort of the
Jains, and that only one century ago it was a large
and flourishing town. This information was quite
sufficient to satisfy me that Kosam was the actual site
of the once famous Kosambi. Still, however, there
was no direct evidence to show that the city was
situated on the Jumna ; but this missing link in the
chain of evidence I shortly afterwards found in the
curious legend of Bakkula, which is related at length
by Hardy.[1] The infant Bakkula was born at Ivosambi,
and while his mother was bathing in the Jumna, he
accidentally fell into the river, and being swallowed
by a fish, was carried to Benares. There the fish was
caught and sold to the wife of a nobleman, who on
opening it found the young child still alive inside, and
at once adopted it as her own. The true mother hearing
of this wonderful escape of the infant, proceeded to Be-
nares, and demanded the return of the child, which
was of course refused. The matter was then referred
- ↑ ' Manual of Buddhism,' p. 501.