Palibothra
Palibothra was the famed capital of the powerful kingdom of the Prasii about which many ancient writers have left their accounts. Megasthenes (350-290 BCE), in his book Indika wrote that the city of Palibothra was situated on the confluence of the rivers Ganges and Erannoboas (Hiranyabahu), identified by Sir William Jones with the Son River, and was 9 miles long and 1.75 miles wide.
Palibothra is usually identified with Pataliputra in modern day Patna (24° 19’N, 80° 04’E), and although parts of the city have been excavated, it is thought that much of it is still buried beneath modern Patna.[1] Hence A. Ghosh states that 'Facts about Pataliputra are mainly known from non-arcaheological sources".[2]
According to Sir Mortimer Wheeler the urbanisation of Patna does not go beyond the fourth century B.C.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Keown, Damien. (2003). A Dictionary of Buddhism, p. 213. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-860560-9.
- ^ A. Ghosh, "The City in Early Historical India", Shimla, 1972, p.76
