Geography of Early Buddhism

Middle Country - 43
The Mahābhārata seems to record that Girivraja was also called
Bārhadrathapura (II, 24 44) as well as Māgadhapura (II, 20, 30) and
that Māgadhapura was a well-fortified city being protected by five
hills (puram durādharshaṁ samantataḥ). Other names recorded in
the Mahābhārata are Varāha, Vrishabha, Rishigiri, and Caityaka. 36
There is, however, another name, Bimbisārapurī, by which Indian
Buddhist Writers designated the city. 37
The Life of Yuan Chwang (p. 113) mentions still another name,
Kusāgārapura. 38
The statement of the Mahābhārata that Girivraja was protected by
five hills is strikingly confirmed by the Vimānavatthu Commentary
(p. 82) in which we read that the city of Giribbaja was encircled by
the mountains Isigili, Vepulla, Vebhara, Paṇḍava and Gijjhakūṭa.
The Vinaya Piṭaka (Vol. I, p. 29) tells us that Magadha comprised
eighty thousand villages all of which were under the sway of King
36 PHAI, p. 70.
37 B. C. Law, The Life and Work of Buddhaghosa, p. 87 n.
38 Rg. Veda mentions a territory called Kīkaṭa ruled by a chieftain named
Pramaganda. In later works Kīkaṭa has been alluded to as identical with
Magadha (Cf. Abhidhāna-Chintāmanī, ‘Kīkatā Magadhāh vayah’ also
Bhāgavata Purānaḥ, I. 3, 24; and Śrīdhara, ‘Kikataḥ Gayā pradeśah’). In
Vedic, Brāhmaṇa and Sūtra periods, Magadha was considered to have
been outside the pale of Aryan and Brahmanical culture and was,
therefore, looked down upon by Brahmanical writers. But Magadha was
the Buddhist holy land, and has always been included in the
Madhyadeśa.