Prakrit Proper Names (Agamic Index I) v2.c8.s4.631

v2.c8.s4.631

Vāṇiyagāma or Vaṇiyaggāma (Vāṇijagrāma) A suburb of Vesālī.¹ It had a park called Duīpalāsa. A shrine dedicated to Jakkha Suhamma(5) was situated in it.² That shrine is also called by the same name.³ It was often visited by Titthayara Mahāvīra⁴ who is said to have spent twelve rainy seasons at Vāṇiyagāma and Vesālī.⁵ Jiyasattu(6)⁶ and Mitta(3)⁷ reigned at Vāṇiyagāma. Merchants Āṇamda(11)⁸ ard Vijayamitta(2),⁹ Brahmin Somila(3)¹⁰ and courtezan Kāmajjhayā¹¹ belonged to it. Titthayara Mahāvīra met here monk Gamgeya(3) of the line of Titthayara Pāsa(1).¹² He initiated here merchant Piṭṭhimāia(2), Peḍhālaputta(4)¹³ Sudamsaṇa(13) and Puṇṇabhadda(2).¹⁴ Vāṇiyaggāma is identified with Baniya, a village near modern Basarh in Muzaffarpur Division.¹⁵