Vaishali (ancient city)
Vaishali
Vaiśālī Licchavi | |
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UTC+5:30 (IST ) |
Buddha's Holy Sites |
Vaishali, Vesali or Vaiśālī was a city in present-day
It was the capital city of the
Vaishali is also home to possibly the earliest known example of a stupa, the Buddha relic stupa which is said to contain the ashes of the Buddha.[4][5]
The city finds mention in the travel accounts of Chinese explorers,
Etymology
Vaishali derives its name from
History
Even before the advent of
Vaiśālī is also renowned as the land of
A kilometer away is Abhishek Pushkarini, the coronation tank. The
Near the coronation tank is Stupa 1 or the Relic Stupa. Here the Lichchavis reverentially encased one of the eight portions of the Master's relics, which they received after the Mahaparinirvana. After his last discourse the Awakened One set out for
By the time Xuanzang visited Vaiśālī in the early 7th century, it was on the decline: he wrote of it that "the capital is ruined" and "it may be called a village or town" (as opposed to a city).[12]: 150
Visits of the Buddha to Vaiśālī
Vaishali is well known for its close association with the Buddha. After leaving Kapilavastu for renunciation, Prince Siddhartha came to Vaishali first and undertook his initial spiritual training from
Jainism at Vaishali
The
Notable Buddhist sites in Vaishali
Relic stupa
Near the coronation tank is Stupa 1 or the Relic Stupa. Here the
As per recent research, the relic stupa is potentially one of the earliest archaeologically known stupas.[18]
Kutagarasala Vihara
Kutagarasala Vihara is the monastery where Buddha most frequently stayed while visiting Vaiśālī. It is located 3 kilometres from the relic Stupa, and on its ground can be found the
Coronation Tank
A few hundred
World Peace Pagoda
Next to the coronation tank stands the Japanese temple and the Viśvā Śānti Stūpa (
The Vaishali Museum was established in 1971 by the Archaeological Survey of India to preserve and display the antiquities found during the exploration of sites around ancient Vaishali.
Recent development
- In February 2019, Chief Minister of Bihar Buddha relics.[20]
- In September 2020, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi inaugurated the Vaishali Railway station. This rail line now connects the city with Hajipur and Patna.[21]
Historical figures from Vaishali
- Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism. Born into a royal kshatriya family in what is now Vaishali district of Bihar. He abandoned all worldly possessions at the age of 30 and became an ascetic. He is considered a slightly older contemporary of the Buddha.[22]
- Chetaka, King and ruler of the Vajjika League which had its capital in Vaishali.[23]
- Vimalakirti, the central figure of the Vimalakirti Sutra and a lay practitioner of Buddhism.[24]
See also
References
- ^ "Tirhut Division". tirhut-muzaffarpur.bih.nic.in. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ISBN 0-85229-760-2. Archivedfrom the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ISBN 0-415-32919-1. Archivedfrom the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ISBN 9780199948239.
- ISBN 9780674057777.
- ISBN 978-1-351-55030-7. Archivedfrom the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ "Vaishali". tourism.bihar.gov.in. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "BSTDC". BSTDC. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ Vaishali Archived 13 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine – Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ "Amrapali was more than a luscious courtesan - Times of India". The Times of India. 31 January 2013. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ISBN 0-19-564076-4. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- JSTOR 24049422.
- ^ a b Pannalal Jain 2015, p. 482.
- ^ Pannalal Jain 2015, p. 484.
- JSTOR 44141446.
- ISBN 9780199948239.
- ISBN 978-0-19-994823-9.
- ^ Kumar, Madan (20 February 2019). "Nitish Kumar launches work for Buddha museum and stupa in Vaishali | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ PM inaugurates 12 railway projects in Bihar Archived 28 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine constructionweekonline.in
- ISBN 978-1-136-38189-8.
- ISBN 978-81-317-1677-9.
- ISBN 978-81-208-0874-4.
Further reading
- Kumar, Dilip (1986). Archaeology of Vaishali. Ramanand Vidya Bhawan.
- Singer, Noel.F. (2008). Vaishali and the Indianization of Arakan. APH Publishing. ISBN 978-81-313-0405-1.
External links
- Description of Vaisali by the Chinese pilgrim monk Faxian (399-414 AC)
- Gautama Buddha concerning Vesali: (more)