Tribes in Ancient India c63.34

c63.34

Many are the stories that are told of Mahākaccāyana. He was born at Ujjayinī in the family of the chaplain of King Caṇḍapajjota. He learnt the three Vedas, and, on his father's death, succeeded him in the chaplainship. Subsequently, both Mahākaccāyana and the king his master were converted by the Buddha, and Mahākaccāyana devoted himself to furthering the Dhamma in his native province.⁹ One of his most celebrated converts was Sono Kuṭikaṇṇo (so called because he used to wear ear-jewellery worth a crore). Kuṭikaṇṇo, the son of a wealthy councillor of Avanti, became a land-owner, but asked Mahākaccāyana to ordain him, after hearing him preach.¹⁰ Isidatta was another of Mahākaccāyana’s converts. He was born at Veḷugāma as the son of a guide to caravans.¹¹