Historical Geography of Ancient India c8.218

c8.218

*Gṛdhrakūṭaparvata (Pali Gijjhakūṭa)*.—It was one of the five hills that surrounded Girivraja which was the inner area of Rājagṛha. It was so called either because it had a vulture-like peak or because the vultures used to dwell on its peak. According to Fa-hien, about three li before reaching the top of the Gṛdhrakūṭa hill there is a cavern in the rock facing the south where the Buddha meditated. Thirty paces to the north-west stands another cavern where Ānanda sat in meditation. While he was meditating, Māra assuming the form of a large vulture took his seat in front of the cavern and frightened Ānanda. The Buddha by his supernatural power made a cleft in the rock, introduced his hand and struck Ānanda’s shoulder so that his fear might pass away at once. The footprints of the bird and cleft for the Buddha’s hand are still there, and hence the name of ‘the Hill of Vulture Cavern’ has come into vogue (Legge, *Travels of Fa-hien*, p. 83). It stood to the south of Vepulla. According to the *Vimānavatthu Commentary* (p. 82), it was a mountain in Magadha. It could be approached from the eastern gate of the city. This mountain is also known as the Giriyek hill or the Indasilāguhā of Hiuen Tsang, situated on the southern border of the district of Patna across the river Pañcānā which is the ancient Sappinī, having its source in the Gijjhakūṭa mountain. According to Cunningham, the Gijjhakūṭa hill is a part of the Śailagiri, the Vulture Peak of Fa-hien, and lies six miles to the south-west of Rājgir. Relying on the evidence of the Chinese sources Gṛdhrakūṭa may be sought for somewhere on Ratnagiri. (For a discussion on this point, vide L. Petech, *Northern India according to the Shui-Ching-Chu, Serie Orientale Roma*, II, pp. 45-46). From the top of this hill Devadatta tried to kill the Buddha by hurling a block of stone. The Kālaśilā on a side of Isigili (Ṛṣigiri, or ‘Hermit hill’) was situated in front of it. The Deer Park at Maddakucchi lay near about it. The Gṛdhrakūṭa hill was so called because the great sages attained the final beatitude by meditating on it. A Śiva-liṅga was installed on it. This hill bears also the footprints of Śiva. It contains a cave where the pilgrims offer oblations to the manes and a banyan tree. The *Vāyu Purāṇa* (108, 61-64) refers to a sanctified boundary for offering piṇḍas to enable the spirits of the departed fore-fathers to go to heaven. This Gṛdhrakūṭa stood near the old city of Gayā. Dr. Barua says that it is a mistake to think that the Gṛdhrakūṭa of the *Gayāmāhātmya* was one of the five hills encircling Girivraja or old Rājagṛha, the ancient capital of Magadha. (B. M. Barua, *Gayā and Buddha-Gayā*, p. 13).