Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v2.c34.105

v2.c34.105

Laṭṭhivana, Laṭṭhivanuyyāna.—A grove to the south-west of Rājagaha. In it was the Supatiṭṭha-cetiya, where the Buddha stayed during his first visit to Rājagaha from Gayāsīsa, after the Enlightenment. There Bimbisāra visited him with twelve nahutas of followers, and Uruvela Kassapa dispelled their doubts by declaring his acceptance of the Buddha as his teacher. It was during this visit that Bimbisāra gifted Veḷuvana to the Buddha and his Order.¹ Eleven nahutas, with Bimbisāra at their head, became sotāpannas at the end of the Buddha’s sermon, which included the Mahānārada Kassapa Jātaka. The remaining nahuta was established in the Refuges.² The grove evidently received its name from its green liquorice creepers, hence its description as Laṭṭhimadhukavana.³ Hiouen Thsang⁴ calls it Yaṣṭivana and describes it as a grove of bamboos, giving accounts of its origin and various stories connected with it.