Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v1.c8.5

v1.c8.5

**Icchānaṅgala.**—A brahmin village in the **Kosala** country. It was while staying in the woodland thicket (*vanasaṇḍa*) there that the Buddha preached the *Ambaṭṭha Sutta*.¹ From this sutta, the village would seem to have been near Pokkharasādi’s domain of **Ukkaṭṭhā**. It was the residence of “Mahāsāla” brahmins. The *Sutta Nipāta*² (which spells the name as **Icchānaṅkala**) mentions several eminent brahmins who lived there, among them Caṅkī, Tārukkha, Pokkarasāti, Jānussoṇi and Todeyya. There were also two learned youths, **Vāseṭṭha** and **Bharadvāja** at Icchānaṅkala, who, finding it impossible to bring their discussion to a conclusion, sought the Buddha, then staying in the village. Their interview with the Buddha is recorded in the *Vāseṭṭha Sutta*.³ Buddhaghosa⁴ says that learned brahmins of Kosala, deeply versed in the Vedas, were in the habit of meeting together from time time⁵ at Icchānaṅgala in order to recite the Vedas and discuss their interpretation.⁶