Saptaparni Cave

INDIA, Bihar, Rajgir

This cave is located on the north side of Vaibhara Hill in the city of Rajgir, Bihar. The name Saptaparni refers to the Saptaparni trees which grow outside the cave. This site is believed to be one of the places where the Buddha taught the Dharma, as well as the location of the First Buddhist Council. The cave is found below a cliff, hidden among thick vegetation. The interior is now damp, dark, and partially collapsed.
The Buddhist scriptures Mahisasaka Vinaya, Dharmagupta Vinaya, Sarvastivada Vinaya, and Mahasamghika Vinaya describe how, after the Buddha passed into parinirvana, the Five Hundred Arhats gathered at this cave. Mahakasyapa, foremost in ascetic practice, was given the responsibility of administering the First Buddhist Council, under the sponsorship of King Ajatasatru (reigned circa 491–459 BCE). Ananda, foremost in memorizing the Dharma, and Upali, foremost in upholding the precepts, spent three months reciting the entirety of the teachings and the precepts as taught by the Buddha throughout the course of his life.