Saptaparni Guha

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Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

Saptaparni cave

Saptaparniguha (सप्तपर्णिगुहा) or Saptparni Cave is a Buddhist cave site about 2 km southwest from Rajgir, Bihar, India. Author (Laxman Burdak) visited Rajgir on 12.11.2010 and has provided content and images here.

Origin

Variants

History

Saptparni Cave, also referred to as Saptaparni Guha (Skr.) or Sattapanni Guha (Pali), literally Seven (cognate with sapta, sept)-leaves-cave, is a Buddhist cave site about 2 km southwest from Rajgir, Bihar, India.[1][2] It is embedded in a hill.

The Saptaparni Cave is important in the Buddhist tradition, because many believe it to be the site in which Buddha spent some time before his death,[3] and where the first Buddhist council was held after Buddha died (paranirvana).[4][5] It is here that a council of few hundred monks decided to appoint Ananda (Buddha's cousin) and Upali, believed to have a good memory and who had accompanied the Buddha when he gave sermons in north India, to compose Buddha's teachings for the future generations. The Buddha never wrote down his teachings. After the Saptaparni Caves meeting, Ananda created an oral tradition of Buddha's teaching from his memory, prefacing it with "Thus have I heard on one occasion". Upali is credited with reciting the Vinaya (discipline), or "rules for the Bhikshus".[6] This tradition is found in Vinaya Pitaka II.284 through II.287 and Digha Nikaya II.154.[7]

In Mahavansa

Mahavansa/Chapter 3 mentions about The First Buddhist Council. ....When the repair of the vihara was finished they said to the king: `Now we will hold the council.' To the question, `What should be done?' they answered: `A place (should be provided) for the meetings.' When the king had asked: `Where (these were to be)?' and the place had been pointed out by them, he with all speed had a splendid hall built by the side of the Vebhära Rock by the entrance of the Sattapanni grotto, (and it was) like to the assembly-hall of the gods.

सप्तपर्णिगुहा

सप्तपर्णिगुहा (AS, p.933): महावंश 3, 19 में इसे राजगृह के निकट वैभार पर्वत की एक गुहा बताया गया है। यहीं पर बुद्ध के निर्वाण के पश्चात् प्रथम बौद्ध धर्म संगीति का अधिवेशन हुआ था, जिसमें 500 भिक्षुओं ने भाग लिया था। चीनी यात्री फाह्यान ने भी पिप्फलि गुहा से एक मील की दूरी पर सप्तपर्णि गुहा का उल्लेख किया है।[8]

External links

References

  1. Paul Gwynne (30 May 2017). World Religions in Practice: A Comparative Introduction. Wiley. pp. 51–52. ISBN 978-1-118-97228-1.
  2. Jules Barthélemy Saint-Hilaire (1914). The Buddha and His Religion. Trübner. pp. 376–377.
  3. Digha Nikaya 16, Maha-Parinibbana Sutta, Last Days of the Buddha, Buddhist Publication Society
  4. Paul Gwynne (30 May 2017). World Religions in Practice: A Comparative Introduction. Wiley. pp. 51–52. ISBN 978-1-118-97228-1.
  5. Kailash Chand Jain (1991). Lord Mahāvīra and His Times. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 66. ISBN 978-81-208-0805-8.
  6. Paul Gwynne (30 May 2017). World Religions in Practice: A Comparative Introduction. Wiley. pp. 51–52. ISBN 978-1-118-97228-1.
  7. Peter Harvey (2013). An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices. Cambridge University Press. pp. 88–89. ISBN 978-0-521-85942-4.
  8. Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.933