Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v1.c23.945

v1.c23.945

1. Devadaha.—A township (nigama) of the Sākyans. The Buddha stayed there during his tours and preached to the monks on various topics.¹ According to the Commentaries² it was the city of the birth of the Buddha’s mother and of Pajāpatigotamī and of their companions, who married the Sākyans of Kapilavatthu. The Lumbinīvana, where the Buddha was born, was near Devadaha. The name was originally that of a lake, so called either because kings held their sports in it (*deva vuccanti rājāno tesam maṅgaladaho*), or because it came into existence without human intervention, hence divine (*sayañjāto vā so daho, tasmā pi Devadaho*). The name was later transferred to the village near by.³ Devadaha was the residence of Devadaha Sakka⁴ and of Pakkha Thera.⁵