In the Buddhist history of Nepal too, the Asokan period is very important. Emperor Asoka was the first person to inscribe and erect stone pillars which are important to the history of Buddhism. Three Asokan pillars were found (four pieces) in present-day Nepalese territory. Among them, two have inscriptions. The pillar inscription in Lumbini reads as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Because Buddha, the sakya sage, was born here, the Beloved\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 gods,\u00a0 King\u00a0 Priyadarsin,\u00a0 (when)\u00a0 crowned twenty years,\u00a0 himself\u00a0 came\u00a0 and\u00a0\u00a0 worshipped\u00a0 (here),\u00a0 (and)\u00a0 a\u00a0 stone\u00a0 made railing was caused to be built (here by him), and a stone-pillar was erected.<\/strong> Because the Blessed One was born here, the Lumbini\u00a0\u00a0 village is made tree of taxes, and paying an eighth share (of\u00a0 the product)\u201d.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The inscription\u00a0 of Lumbini\u00a0 was admired by pilgrims and copied\u00a0 as momentous and kept sakes for a long period. Hany\u00a0 Flak\u00a0 discusses\u00a0 two such kinds of spurious Asokan records. The other Asokan pillar with an inscription was found near Niglisagara,\u00a0 Kapilavastu\u00a0\u00a0 District\u00a0\u00a0 of\u00a0\u00a0 Nepal.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u00a0\u00a0 gives\u00a0\u00a0 evidence\u00a0\u00a0 of\u00a0\u00a0 a Buddhist belief that there are predecessor Buddhas. The inscription reads as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Beloved of the\u00a0 gods,\u00a0 King\u00a0 Priyadarsin,\u00a0 (when) crowned fourteen years, enlarged the Stupa of\u00a0 Buddha Kanakamuni (Konagamana)\u00a0 to double\u00a0 (its\u00a0 former size),\u00a0 and\u00a0 (when) crowned\u00a0\u00a0 (twenty)\u00a0\u00a0 years,\u00a0 himself\u00a0\u00a0 came\u00a0 (here),\u00a0 worshipped,\u00a0 (and a stone-pillar) was erected.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sir John Marshall and Alfred Foucher have discovered substantial evidence on Emperor Asoka\u2019s Cultural Messengers.\u00a0 The gist of which is as follows: A few casket inscriptions are found on stupa II at Sanchi (Sonari Stupa). It relates names of the Sapurisa or saint Kasapagota, Majhima, Haritiputa, Mahavanaya, Apagira, Kodiniputa (Kosikiputa), Kosikiputa, Gotiputa, Mogaliputa and Vachiya-Suvijayita\u00a0 Of these the first and the last names were appeared in the inscription found on the stone box in\u00a0 which\u00a0 those caskets\u00a0 were contained. The first three names are inscribed in a single casket. The Vachiya-Suvijayita appears on the second; the Kodiniputa, Mahavanaya and Apagira appear on the third. The remaining names are appear on the fourth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The\u00a0\u00a0 saints(Sapurisa)\u00a0\u00a0 Kasapagota, Majhima Kosikiputa and Gotiputa appear on the Sonari caskets while those of Gotiputa, Haritiputa and Mogaliputa occurred on the three other caskets from Andher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Dudubhisara is identified with Dundubhisara mentioned in the Dipavamsa (VIII\u00a0\u00a0 10)\u00a0\u00a0 as one\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 five\u00a0 cultural\u00a0 messengers\u00a0 sent\u00a0 by the Venerable Tissa to the Himalayan country after the conclusion of the Third Council in the reign of\u00a0 Asoka.\u00a0 The four other cultural\u00a0 messengers were Mulakadeva, Sahadeva, Kassapagotta and Majhinma. The Kasapagota\u00a0 is\u00a0 referred\u00a0\u00a0 to\u00a0 in\u00a0 these\u00a0 caskets\u00a0 as\u00a0 SAVA-HEMAVATA – ACARIYA which translates as the teacher\u00a0 of\u00a0 all\u00a0 the\u00a0 Himavanta (Himalayan) region or, of all the people of Himavata. This confirms the legendary Ceylonese accounts (Mahavamsa and Dipavamsa) of dispatching cultural messengers to the Himalayas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hemavata was also the name of a branch of the Theravada school. The expression SAVA-HEMAVATA-ACARIY thus may yield another\u00a0 meaning\u00a0\u00a0 that\u00a0 being,\u00a0\u00a0 the\u00a0 teacher\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 whole\u00a0 Himavata school. It\u00a0 probably indicates that this sect arose in theHimavata region under\u00a0 the inspiration of the five teachers of\u00a0 Himavata.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Modern Nepal was known as the Mighty Himalayan region from the ancient time. The area which we call Nepal today at that time was called Himavata Padesa or Himavatakhanda. There is clear evidence showing that the cultural messengers of Emperor Asoka also came to Himalayas, including the Nepal Valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Nepalese chronicles claim that not only Emperor Asoka’s cultural messengers but the king himself\u00a0 came\u00a0 with\u00a0 his daughter Carumati, together retinues to the Kathmandu Valley. Princess Carumati married the prince of the Nepal Valley and in her old age became a Bhikkhuni\u00a0 (Buddhist\u00a0 nun)\u00a0 staying\u00a0 at Carumati Vihara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Sanchi casket inscriptions are sufficient epigraphic evidence to support the Nepalese and Ceylonese chronicles concerning the Himavata Region which includes the Kathmandu valley. This shows the possibility that Emperor Ashokas cultural messengers to Kathmandu were Emperor Asoka’s very own kinsmen. Another possibility is that the cultural messengers may have been inhabitants of Sanchi itself. Detailed records may not have yet been found or were simply never kept. All the same, we can not turn blind eyes from the evidence of the Emperor Asoka\u2019s religious messengers to Nepal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the Buddhist history of Nepal too, the Asokan period is very important. 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