Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v2.c37.32

v2.c37.32

Hattanna.—A village near Nālanda, in Ceylon, mentioned in the account of the wars of Parakkamabāhu I.¹ 1. Hatthaka, called Āḷavaka.—An eminent lay disciple of the Buddha declared foremost among those who gather a following by means of the four bases of sympathy (*catūhi vatthūhi parisam saṅgaṇhantānam*).¹ He was the son of the king of Āḷavī (hence his name Āḷavaka), and the Buddha saved him from being eaten by the Yakkha Āḷavaka (*q.v.*). He was given the name of Hatthaka because he was handed to the Buddha by the Yakkha, after the latter’s conversion, and by the Buddha to the king’s messengers. He was thus “handed” from one to another (*hatthato hattham gatattā*).²