BUDDHIST REMAINS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 23 March 1910, Page 5

BUDDHIST REMAINS.

AN INTERESTING DISCOVERY,

[Press Association—Copyright.]

CALCUTTA, Tuesday

Mr Conscns, Superintendent of Archaelogy at Bombay, explored mounds 40 miles east of Hyderabad, containing Buddhist monasteries. He excavated a shrine, and found a crystal bottle containing a silver casket enclosing a gold cylinder, wherein was a gold cup with fragments of human ash., evidently one of the nine portions of Gautama's cremated remains.

(Excavations under the direction (f Dr. D. 11. Spooncr. Superintendent of the Frontier Circle of the Indian Archaeological Survey, upon.two mounds outside Peshawar city recently yielded results of the most profound interest not only to archacilogists, but also to the many millions of Asia/ties who profess the Buddhist faith. The discovery referred to ; :i yesterday's cables is of a portion of the remains of the founder of hat faith, and owes its origin to suggestions made by the famous French archaeologist, M. Foucher } in the course of n scientific tour made through the India frontier a few years ago. With regard to the discoveiy alluded to to-day, it is a well-attested fact that on the death of Gauama Buddha his body was iburned, the relics were distributed among a number of contending claimants, and monumental tumuli were erected to preserve them. The recent gift by the Indian Government to the Burmese Buddhists may be explained by thp fact that of the 9% million Buddhists in the Indian Empire at the last census less than 300,000 were enumerated outside Burma.)