Seven days' journey from this to the east brought the travellers to the
kingdom of Takshasila, which means "the severed head" in the language of
China. Here, when Buddha was a Bodhisattva, he gave away his head to a
man; and from this circumstance the kingdom got its name.

Going on further for two days to the east, they came to the place where
the Bodhisattva threw down his body to feed a starving tigress. In these
two places also large topes have been built, both adorned with layers of
all the precious substances. The kings, ministers, and peoples of the
kingdoms around vie with one another in making offerings at them. The
trains of those who come to scatter flowers and light lamps at them
never cease. The nations of those quarters call those and the other two
mentioned before "the four great topes."

CHAPTER XII

~Buddha's Alms-bowl--Death of Hwuy-king~

Going southwards from Gandhara, the travellers in four days arrived at
the kingdom of Purushapura. [1] Formerly, when Buddha was travelling in
this country with his disciples, he said to Ananda, [2] "After my
pari-nirvana, [3] there will be a king named Kanishka, who shall on this
spot build a tope."

This Kanishka was afterwards born into the world; and once, when he had
gone forth to look about him, Sakra, Ruler of Devas, wishing to excite
the idea in his mind, assumed the appearance of a little herd-boy, and
was making a tope right in the way of the king, who asked what sort of a
thing he was making. The boy said, "I am making a tope for Buddha." The
king said, "Very good;" and immediately, right over the boy's tope, he
proceeded to rear another, which was more than four hundred cubits high,
and adorned with layers of all the precious substances. Of all the topes
and temples which the travellers saw in their journeyings, there was not
one comparable to this in solemn beauty and majestic grandeur. There is
a current saying that this is the finest tope in Jambudvipa [4]. When
the king's tope was completed, the little tope of the boy came out from
its side on the south, rather more than three cubits in height.

Buddha's alms-bowl is in this country. Formerly, a king of Yueeh-she
raised a large force and invaded this country, wishing to carry the bowl
away. Having subdued the kingdom, as he and his captains were sincere
believers in the Law of Buddha, and wished to carry off the bowl, they
proceeded to present their offerings on a great scale. When they