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Indasālaguhā

A cave on the Vediyaka mountain, to the north of Ambasaṇḍā, which was a brahmin village, east of Rājagaha. Once, when the Buddha was staying there, Sakka visited him and asked him the questions recorded in the Sakkapañha Sutta (D.ii.263).

Buddhaghosa says (DA.iii.697) that the cave lay between two overhanging rocks, with a large sāla-tree at the entrance. The village community had added walls with doors and windows and had ornamented it with polished plaster scroll-work and garlands and had presented it to the Buddha.

In Fa Hsien’s time (Giles, 48 f), it was still inhabited and he describes it as being one league north-east of Nāḷandā. Hiouen Thsang, however, found it deserted. He calls it Indraka-saila-gūhā (Beal ii.180‑1).

Both pilgrims noticed marks on the rock; according to Fa Hsien they were the answers to Sakka’s questions written by the Buddha with his finger, while Hiouen Thsang says that both questions and answers were written on the stone.

The cave is identified with one about two miles to the south-west of the modern village of Giriyek. (CAGI. 539 ff; Stein, Ind. Antiq. 1901, p.54).

It is said that on the occasion of the teaching of the Sakkapañha Sutta, eight hundred million devas realised the Truth (Mil.349).

See also Somanassa (3).