Seemingly the symbols or idols first sculptured were the chakra, or wheel of the law, the Bodhi Tree, and the dhagoba (Dhatugarbha), a cupola shaped structure intended to contain relics, and which, in the ancient sanctuaries, occupies exactly the place of the altar in churches of the Romish and episcopal forms. About the 4th century it was replaced generally by images of Buddha, but representations of him have been found on the coins of Kanishka, and his images were worshipped in the first century.—Barth, p. 128.
In Tibet Buddhism, relic-worship is not ex pressed either in their architecture or their religious forms. But it is a nation of priests ; their monas teries are innumerable, some with 2000 or 3000 lamas ; and, according to M. Hue, up to 15,000 at Sera, near Lhassa, where are long streets of cells, mostly surrounding courtyards, generally with a shrine or altar in its centre. That of Bouddha La is where the Delai Lama resides, outside of Lhassa. In its centre is a four-storeyed building, with a dome covered with plates of gold.—Fergusson, p. 312.
Buddhism prevailed in different parts of India partially for 1800 years. During this long period, Buddhism was swept from many provinces by great revivals of the Brahmanical creeds, generally brought about by migrations of Brahmans from Northern India, under whose teachings, and often with violence, Buddhism in British India became extinct. It had, however, triumphed throughout India from the time of B.b: 255, up till the 5th century A.D., trampling upon the whole ceremonial of Brahmanism, with all its sacri fices, penances, and castes, and asserting the paramount necessity for purity of mind and body, and a more elevated moral rule. Sacrifices of all kinds were especially excluded from the Buddhist ritual, the offerings of flowers to Bud dhas being alone permitted. In A.D. 400, when Fa llian visited India, Buddhism was still the dominant religion, but the Vaishnava sect were already rising into consequence. In the middle of the 7th century, although the pilgrim Iliwen Thsang found numerous temples of the Saiva sect, whose doctrines had been embraced by Skauda Gupta and the later princes of Patalipura, yet Buddhism was still the prevailing religion of the people. But the faith of Sakya was evidently on the decline ; and though it lingered about the holy cities of Benares and Gaya for two or three cen turies later, it was no longer the honoured religion of kings and princes, protected by the strong arm of power, but the persecuted heresy of a weaker party, who were forced to hide their images under ground, and were ultimately expelled from their monasteries by fire. In 1835, Major Cunningham excavated numerous Buddhist images at Sarnath, near Benares, all of which had evidently been purposely hidden under ground. He found quan
tities of ashes also, and there could be no doubt that the buildings had been destroyed by fire ; and Major Kittoe, who subsequently made further excavations, was of the same opinion. General Cunningham also dug up a colossal statue of Sakya in the Kosamba Kuti temple at Sravasti.
It was about the year A.D. 800 that there arose the great Brahmanical revival, which hasprevailed in India up to the present day, but Buddhism left its influence : the great sacrifices of antiquity have never been revived ; the Helmand Payasa, or ghi and food sacrifices, are exclusively offered by the Vaishnava sectarians, even by most of the Saivava ; and the sacrificing of buffaloes, goats, and fowls is chiefly practised amongst the un educated Sudra and non-Aryan races, to Durga, Kali, or the earth, under the form of the various local deities. The Vaishnava, who look for the coming of a tenth avatar, had been inclined to regard Sakya as the prophesied incarnation ; but when Buddhism was seated on the throne of Mag adha, and the old Vaishnava sect was persecuted, they fell away from Buddhism, and have ever since been apart, even more tender of animal life than any Buddhist, but in other doctrines dissimilar.
Amongst the Singhalese Buddhists, the term Buddha is understood to indicate beings who appear in the world at intervals, and are able to teach men the way to attain nirvana (Hardy), and they recognise Anomadassa as a Buddha prior to Gautama.—Ilardy, p. 433.
In Ceylon, this faith has not been subjected to much persecution. In the 16th century, the Tamil invaders made every effort to destroy the Buddhist books ; but the priests subsequently sent a mission to Siam, and properly ordained priests were imported from Amarapura in Burma. By the 18th century, Buddhism had regained its ascendency. In the 10th century, the priests have been actively diffusing a knowledge of their creed. They have printing presses, from which tracts, pamphlets, and serials issue in great numbers. They present some new arguments and inferences ; but the defiant and blasphemous expressions which they contain against the sacred name of Jehovah, are probably the most awful ever framed in human language. In Ceylon, on Adam's Peak, is a footmark which has been the object of pilgrimage for ages, which Buddhists ascribe to Buddha, but Mahomedans to Adam. There are models of feet in different parts of the island.— Yale, ii. 359, 368. The tooth of Buddha, Dalada, Dhata Dhata, HIND., is greatly reverenced. There are, in Ceylon, statues of Buddha of great height. One near Mehintala is 70 feet high, and one of Gautama. Raja at Carculla is 38 feet. At Anarajpura, in Ceylon, are several Buddhist dahgopas or dhagobas, the heights of which vary. They were built at from B.C. 307 to A.D. 276.