Legends of Cities of Gem

The description of the New Jerusalem in the book of Revelations finds a curious parallel in the Hindu Puranas. Here we are told that the divine Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, took up his abode in the wonderful city Devaraka, and was visited there by the various orders of gods and geniuses. (Surindro Mohum Tagore, "Mani Mala," Pt. II, Calcutta, 1881.)

"Gods, Asuras, Gandharas, Kinnaras began to pour into Dwaraka, to see Krishna and Valarama.

Some descended from the sky, some from their cars-and alighting underneath the banyan tree, looked on Dwaraka, the matchless.

The city was square,-it measured a hundred yojonas, and over all, was decked in pearls, rubies, diamonds, and other gems.

The city was high,-it was ornamented with gems; and it was furnished with cupolas of rubies and diamonds,-with emerald pillars, and with court-yards of rubies. It contained endless temples. It had cross-roads decked with sapphires, and highways blazing with gems. It blazed like the meridian sun in summer."

As compared with the description in Revelations we cannot fail to note the lack of definiteness. Instead of the well-ordered scheme of color as represented by the twelve precious stones dedicated to the twelve tribes of Israel, the mystic Hindu city is simply a gorgeous mass of the most brilliant gems known in India.

The poetic description of the royal city Kusavati, given in the Maha Sudassana Suttanta, may perhaps have originated in some tradition regarding Ecbatana or Babylon. Seven ramparts surrounded Kusavati, the materials being respectively gold, silver, beryl, crystal, agate, coral and (for the last) "all kinds of gems." In these ramparts were four gates-one of gold, one of silver, one of crystal and one of jade-and at each gate seven pillars were fixed, each three or four times the height of a man and composed of the seven precious substances that constituted the ramparts. Beyond the ramparts were seven rows of palm trees, the fourth row having trunks of silver and leaves and fruit of gold; then followed palms of beryl, with leaves and fruit of beryl; agate palms, whose fruit and leaves were of coral, and coral palms, with leaves and fruit of agate; lastly, the palms whose trunks were composed of "all kinds of gems," had leaves and fruits of the same description, "and when these rows of palm trees were shaken by the wind, arose a sound sweet and pleasant, and charming and intoxicating." (Bhuddist Suttas, trans. from Pali by T. W. Rhys Davids; "Sacred Books of the East," vol. xi, Oxford, 1881.)