Mejjha
A king and his country. The sixteen thousand brahmins who had enjoyed the patronage of Maṇá¸avya (q.v.), after they had lost caste through having eaten the leavings of MÄtanga, went to live in Meghiyaraá¹á¹ha, and MÄtaá¹…ga himself proceeded thither that he might humble their pride. The brahmins saw him and reported to the king that MÄtaá¹…ga was a juggler and a mountebank. The king, therefore, sent messengers to seize him. They found him sitting on a bench eating, and, approaching him from behind, struck him dead with their swords. The gods were enraged, and pouring down hot ashes on the kingdom utterly destroyed it (J.iv.388f; MA.ii.613ff). The country became a wilderness known as MejjhÄrañña (e.g., M.i.378; J.v.114, 267; Mil.130).
The scene of the VighÄsa JÄtaka is said to have been in MejjhÄrañña (J.iii.310). The wilderness was also known as MÄtaá¹…gÄrañña, being connected with MÄtaá¹…ga. MA.ii.615.
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