SRAVASTI, in Pali Sawattlii or Sewet, a city in ancient Oudh, now called Sahet-Mahet. It is OD the Rapti, and is famous for Buddha's preach ing. lts position, though one of the most cele brated places in the annals of Buddhism, long puzzled the best scholars. The ruined city of Sahet-Mahet is situated between Akaona and I3alrampur, at 5 miles from the former and 12 miles front the latter, and at nearly equal distances from Bahraich and Gonda. Sravasti is said to have been built by Raja Sravasta, the SOD of Yuvanaswa of the Solar race, and the tenth in descent front Surya himself. Its foundation therefore reaches to the fabulous ages of Indian history long anterior to Rama.—Cunanyhcon's p. 408.
SRI, a name of Lakshtni, the goddess of pro sperity, the Ceres of the Latins, but is also very frequently used as an adjective, meaning illus trious. Sri is the Venus Aphroditus of the Indians, born like the Grecian Venus from the sea. Sri is often written Sree, and Shree. It is prefixed to the names of Hindu deities, Sri meta, Sri-swatni. All Hindu books are com menced with this word, written at the top of the first page, as an invocation to Ganesh, the god of learning, to favour the undertaking. It
is similar to the Greek and Roman invocation of Jupiter, the alif initial at the top of the first page by the Muhammadans, the Letts Deo of the Christians. Sri is now a Hindu honorific appellation, answering to Lord when applied to deity, and Mr. when used for man. Sri Rangapatnarn is the Hindu name of Sering apatam. In all letters to Hindus, Sri is prefixed as an honorary appellation ; and if the writer wish to be very respectful, he will repeat the word two or three times, as Sri, Sri! Jayaram. According to the Hindus, every city has its own Sri, its own fortune or prosperity, which in former titnes seems to have been epresented by an brine with a temple of its own. The practice runong,st the ancients of considering a city under the protection of a well-known divinity is more famihar to Euro peans, but an analogous superstition with that of the Hindus also prevailed amongst the polythei-ts of Europe. Thus in the SCVCD chiefs before Thebes, the Theban women seek their shrines of the gods who are the guardians of the city.— Hind, Theat. p. 64. See Krishna ; Laksinni.