Suddenly one day, when by
the side of this image of jade, he saw a merchant presenting as his
offering a fan of white silk; [2] and the tears of sorrow involuntarily
filled his eyes and fell down.
A former king of the country had sent to Central India and got a slip of
the patra tree, which he planted by the side of the hall of Buddha,
where a tree grew up to the height of about two hundred cubits. As it
bent on one side towards the southeast, the king, fearing it would fall,
propped it with a post eight or nine spans around. The tree began to
grow at the very heart of the prop, where it met the trunk; a shoot
pierced through the post, and went down to the ground, where it entered
and formed roots, that rose to the surface and were about four spans
round. Although the post was split in the middle, the outer portions
kept hold of the shoot, and people did not remove them. Beneath the tree
there has been built a vihara, in which there is an image of Buddha
seated, which the monks and commonalty reverence and look up to without
ever becoming wearied. In the city there has been reared also the vihara
of Buddha's tooth, in which, as well as on the other, the seven precious
substances have been employed.
The king practises the Brahmanical purifications, and the sincerity of
the faith and reverence of the population inside the city are also
great.
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