Indian History

After the Buddha's death, Buddhist councils were convened over the period of time to recite approved texts of scriptures and to settle  doctrinal and disciplinary  disputes.  First Buddhist Council Soon after the Buddha’s death in the fifth century BC the first Buddhist Council ( sangiti ) was held at  Sattapanni  cave near the Magadhan capital of Rajagriha (modern Rajgir, Bihar state of India). It was convened 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.  This council was held under the patronage of the king Ajatashatru with the monk Mahakasyapa, who  presided over the assembly. 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 Dragon Palace Temple is a Buddhist temple at Kamptee in Nagpur. 2024 marks the  25th anniversary of Dragon Palace Temple.  Built in 1999 by the contribution from the Japan-based Ogawa Society, Dragon Palace Temple is a pilgrimage site for the Buddhists. 

White Horse Temple In Luoyang, China / Image Credit In the 1st century AD, Buddhism was introduced to China by Kasyapa Matanga , an Indian Buddhist monk who traveled  from India to Luoyang in Imperial China with another Indian monk, Dharmaratna or Gobharana.  Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty constructed the White Horse Temple or Bai Ma Temple in 68 CE in the Han capital Luoyang in honour of these two Indian monks. White Horse Temple is reputed as the first Buddhist temple in China. These two monks learned Chinese and translated several Buddhist books, the first of which was the Sutra of 42 Sections Spoken by Buddha.

Six Heretical Teachers / Image Credit  A contemporary of the Buddha in the 6th century BC, Ajita Kesakambalin (“Ajita of the Hair-blanket)  is one of the Six Heretical Teachers who were opposed to his teachings. The other five were Pūraṇa Kassapa, Makkhali Gosāla, Pakudha Kaccāyana, Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaputta and Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta).  According to Buddhism, Ajita Kesakambalin was a heretic whose beliefs were challenged and refuted by the Buddha who is said to have performed feats of levitation and other miracles (known as the Twin Miracle) due to challenge from these rivals.  Ajita Kesakambalin is the earliest known proponent of complete materialism. He taught that pleasure is the chief end of life. According to him, “When the body dies both fool and wise alike are cut-off and perish. They don’t survive after death.” According to Buddhist sources, Ajita founded a sect of monks. He is depicted as an ascetic dressed in human hair. Hence the name 'Ajita Kesakambalin' It is n...

Located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Kushinagar is one of the world's most sacred sites of Buddhism. Kushinagar’s claim to fame lies in being the place where Buddha breathed his last, the event known in the Buddhist tradition as paranibbana (Mahaparinirvana) which is considered to have taken place in 483 BC.  Kushinagar has an antiquity of centuries. Buddha himself declared Kushinagar as one of the four most sacred places. However, unlike Sravasti, Champa, Rajagraha, Saketa, Kausambi and Varanasi, Kusinagar was not an important city during Buddha’s time. This can be ascertained form Buddha’s disciple Ananda’s regret that his master chose to die in so small town as Kusinagar. Kusinagar was visited by the Buddha several times before his death.  Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana came at the age of eighty. After spending the last rainy season of life near the city of Vaishali, he and his followers reached the town of Pava where he took a meal at the house of his lay disciple, Cunda. Soo...