Indian History

First Buddhist Council If tradition is to be believed, soon after the Buddha’s death the first Buddhist Council ( sangiti ) was held at Sattapanni cave near the Magadhan capital of Rajagriha, to compile the dhamma (religious doctrines) and the vinaya (monastic code). Rajagriha, which once served the capital of Bimbisara of Magadhan Empire, is sixty miles to the south-east of the modern Patna, the capital of Bihar. The council was participated in by five hundred monks. At the council, Upali , one of the Buddha’s chief disciples, recited the vinaya pitaka , or Rules of the Order, while another important disciple Ananada recited the sutta pitaka , the collection of the Buddha’s sermons on matters of doctrine and ethics. Second Buddhist Council A century later Vaishali became the venue for the second Buddhist council which was convened to settle a serious dispute over the 'ten points’. It is at Vaishali council where schism raised its head. Since either of the parties did no

                                                                                               Western Chalukya Empire / Image Source Karka II , the last ruler of the Rashtrakuta dynasty of Manyakheta (modern Malkhed in Gulbarga (modern Kalaburagi) district in Karnataka), was overthrown in AD 974 by Tailapa or Taila II , who started a new line of Chalukyas known as the Chalukyas of Kalyani. The dynasty produced some of the greatest rulers though the genealogy of the rulers of the Chalukyas of Kalyani is still in the realm of debate. The kingdom established by Tailapa, with its capital at Kalyani (Karnataka) is known as later Chalukya or the Chalukyas of Kalyani (The earlier Chalukyas being the Chalukyas of Badami ). There were many Chalukya dynasties. Of them, the four most important were: the Chalukyas of Badami or Vatapi (also known as early western Chalukyas), the Chalukyas of Vengi (also known as eastern Chalukyas), the Chalukyas of Kalyani (also known as western Chalukyas )

India, the cradle of Buddhism, is home to many sacred shrines of Buddhism. Lumbini (in Nepal), Bodh Gaya in Bihar, Sarnath and Kusinagar in Uttar Pradesh, where the four key events of the Buddha’s life, namely birth, attainment of enlightenment, deliverance of the first sermon and death took place respectively, are looked upon with great reverence. To these are added four other places which were also intimately associated with the Buddha’s life. These are Srasvasti , Sankasya , Rajagriha and Vaishali . These eight places have all along been considered as the eight holy places ( ashtamahasthanas ) and are well-known pilgrimage destinations. In addition to the eight sacred shrines, some of the other important Buddhist sites of ancient India are: Nagarjunakonda and Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh; Nalanda and Vikramshila in Bihar; Junagarh and Valabhi in Gujarat; Snachi and Bharhut in Madhya Pradesh; Ajanta - Ellora in Maharashtra; Udayagiri, Lalitgiri and Dhaulagiri in Or