Tribes in Ancient India c32.126

c32.126

References to the connection of the Buddha and his disciples with Sāvatthī are too numerous to be dealt with in full. Some famous names in the annals of Buddhism which are associated with the Kośalan capital are those of Nandaka,⁷ Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī,⁸ Sāriputta ⁹ and Ānanda.¹⁰ Sāvatthī contributed a fair number of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs to the Order. For instance, Mahāsuvaṇṇa, a banker of Sāvatthī, had two sons, the elder of whom became a bhikkhu under the Buddha and was known as Cakkhupāla.¹¹ Thullatissa, the Buddha’s cousin, lived at Sāvatthī as a bhikkhu.¹ Paṭācārā was the daughter of a rich banker of Sāvatthī. She afterwards became a bhikkhunī.² Kisāgotamī, also the daughter of a seṭṭhi of Sāvatthī, became a bhikkhunī after the death of her only child.³ Nanda, the son of Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī, was made a bhikkhu by the Buddha at Sāvatthī.⁴ Others who became bhikkhus were Anitthigandhakumāra,⁵ Vakkali,⁶ Kaṇhārevata,⁷ Vīra,⁸ Kuṇḍadhāna⁹ and Ajita.¹⁰ In the Therīgāthā we read that Sumanā was born at Sāvatthī as the sister of the king of Kośala. She heard the Master preach the doctrine to King Pasenadi. She put faith in the Buddha, entered the Order, and afterwards became an arahant.¹¹ In the Suttanipāta Commentary we read that there lived at Sāvatthī a paribbājaka named Pasura who was a great disputant. He held discussions with Sāriputta, Lāludāyi and the Buddha, and was finally converted to Buddhism.¹²