North India · Uttar Pradesh
Shravasti, Uttar Pradesh
Sources: wikimedia
Before you go
Where the Buddha spent many rainy-season retreats; one of the eight great Buddhist sites, quieter than Bodh Gaya.
About Shravasti
- Inland
Where it is
Shravasti is a Buddhist and Jain pilgrimage site in Shravasti district of north-eastern Uttar Pradesh, near the Rapti river on the plains close to the Nepal border, about 170 km north-east of Lucknow.
History
Shravasti was the capital of the kingdom of Kosala under King Prasenajit, and the Buddha spent more rainy-season retreats here than anywhere else, at the Jetavana monastery given by the merchant Anathapindika. Jains revere it as the birthplace of the tirthankara Sambhavanatha; the city later declined, and its ruins at Saheth-Maheth were identified in the 19th century.
People
The villages around Shravasti speak Awadhi and Hindi and grow rice, wheat and sugarcane, while monasteries built by Buddhists from Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and elsewhere host pilgrims. Buddha Purnima and the winter pilgrim season are the busiest times.
Known for
- The Jetavana monastery ruins
- The Anandabodhi tree
- The Saheth-Maheth excavations
- Thai, Sri Lankan, Myanmar and other monasteries
Did you know?
Buddhist legend says the merchant Anathapindika bought the Jetavana grove for the Buddha by covering its ground with gold coins.
Shrines and sites
- Jetavana monastery ruins and the Anandabodhi tree
- Saheth-Maheth excavations
- Thai, Burmese and Sri Lankan temples
Traditions
- Buddhist
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