Search for:
Venuvana Vihara

Venuvana Vihara, also known as Venuvana Monastery. A monastery situated in the northern part of Rajagriha in Magadha, India. It was built by King Bimbisara as an offering to Shakyamuni Buddha. According to one account, it was Kalandaka, a wealthy man in Rajagriha, who built the monastery and donated it to the Buddha. According to another account, Kalandaka offered his bamboo grove, and Bimbisara built a monastery there. Bamboo Grove Monastery and Jetavana Monastery in Shravastiwere the two major centers of Shakyamuni’s propagation activities.

In the vicinity of Venuvana is a large pond with a Buddha image at the centre. This pond is believed to be the site of the “Karanda Tank” mentioned in Buddhist text as the ‘Karanda Kanivapa’.

Read More
The Vulture Peak

The Vulture Peak, also known as the Holy Eagle Peak or Gādhrakūta, was the Buddha’s favorite retreat in Rajagaha (now Rajgir/Rajagrih). It was the scene for many of his discourses. Rajgir is located in Bihar, India. It is so named because it resembles a sitting vulture with its wings folded.

Vulture Peak Mountain is, by tradition, one of several sites frequented by the Buddha and his community of disciples for both training and retreat. Its location is frequently mentioned in Buddhist texts in the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism and in the Mahayana sutras as the place where the Buddha gave certain sermons. Among the sermons are the Heart Sutra, the Lotus Sutra and the Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sūtra as well as many prajnaparamita sutras. It is explicitly mentioned in the Lotus Sutra, chapter 16, as the Buddha’s pure land:

Read More
error: