Definition
An important capital at the time of the Buddha.
Vesālī was the capital city of the Licchavis at the time of the Buddha, and the Buddhist texts mention it as an opulent (iddhā), prosperous (phitā), populous (bahujanā, ākiṇṇamanussā), and well-fed (subhikkhā) river port ([1], Vol. i, p. 268) with many highways, byways, and crossroads ([1], Vol. iv, p. 187). It was encompassed by three walls at a distance of one gāvuta (league) from one another, and the walls had three gates with watchtowers ([2], Vol. i, p. 504). According to the Samantapāsādikā, Vesālī got its name from the fact that of being viśāla (extensive) ([3], Vol. ii, p. 393). It was connected to Rājagaha by a high road ([1], Vol. i, p. 287f). There were many pre-Buddhist cetiyas (Sk, caityas) at Vesālī, such as Bahuputta, Sārādada, Gotamaka, Udena, Bahupatta, Sattamba, and Cāpāla ([4], Vol. ii, pp. 102–103, 118; [5], Vol. i, p. 276; Vol. iv, pp. 18, 309; [6], Vol. v, pp. 159, 258–259. See...
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Sarao, K.T.S. (2017). Vesālī. In: Sarao, K.T.S., Long, J.D. (eds) Buddhism and Jainism. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0852-2_400
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