Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v2.c35.2056

v2.c35.2056

1. Veḷuvana.—A park near Rājagaha, the pleasure garden of Bimbisāra. When the Buddha first visited Rājagaha, after his Enlightenment, he stayed at the Laṭṭhivanuyyāna.¹ The day after his arrival, he accepted the king's invitation to a meal at the palace, at the end of which the king, seeking a place for the Buddha to live—"not too far from the town, not too near, suitable for coming and going, easily accessible to all people, by day not too crowded, by night not exposed to noise and clamour, clean of the smell of people, hidden from men and well fitted to seclusion"—decided on Veḷuvana, and bestowed it on the Buddha and the fraternity. This was the first ārāma accepted by the Buddha, and a rule was passed allowing monks to accept such an ārāma.² The Buddha at once went to stay there, and it was during this stay that Sāriputta and Moggallāna joined the Order.³