Re: Kaccaayanava.n.naa colophon

>Abhayagiri may nevertheless indicate the temple (not a mountain): "Nago"
>could here be used in the sense of "nagara" (fortress, etc.) --a very apt
>description for the temple in question (i.e., if it is the one in Sri Lanka
> --a tall brick tower, with a fortified appearance).  The epithet "like a
>hoisted banner" would also describe this tower itself fairly well --in any
>case, it seems to apply more naturally to the tower than to a (literal)
>mountain.  Obversely, we could simply take "nago" as an exaggeration for the
>stupa/mound situated underneath the tower.
>
>Jim, take a look: it really does have a fortress-like quality (and the mound
>is fairly impressive, if not quite a mountain in scale):
>http://www.mysrilanka.com/travel/history/abayagiri.htm
>EM
> 
>
Dear Eisel,

This is a picture of the ruins of the Abhayagiri Cetiya. The tower you
are referring to is the spire of the Cetiya. The Stupa and Spire used to
be completely white, like the Ruvanvaelisa Cetiya is nowadays. It is not
possible to mistake an intact Cetiya and spire for a fortress. I did a
bit more research and if my source, Anuradha Seneviratna,  is correct
then Abhayagiri is the name of the stuupa that King Va.t.tagama.ni
Abhaya built on the place of the hermitage of the Jain ascetic named
Giri, i.e., the monastery is named after the Abhayagiri Cetiya.There are
more big Cetiyas around Anuradhapura and elsewhere in Sri Lanka but none
are called giri as far as I know.
In the Saasanava.msa it is also said that Vijitaavii was sitting on the
Abhayagiri and one can not sit on cetiyas...
Best wishes,
                        Bh. Nyanatusita


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