Short Description |
Mahakappina was a great teacher, a thera, and is highly praised in Pali literature. He was king of the border country named Kukkuta, which has been identified here with Kuluta, the existing Kullu. Once, there came traders from Savatthi, where there also lived the Buddha. They told the king about the Buddha, and the king renounced his kingdom. Then they all went to the banks of the river Chandrabhaga, where there was also the Buddha, and he ordained Mahakappina. There, they all worked among the people. In Pali literature, the people living on the banks of the Chandrabhaga River are designated as Kinnara. According to Rahul Sankrityayan, the Kinnaras lived on the western part of the Himalaya, and the Kiratas lived on the eastern. Kiras are important Himalayan people, but little is known about them. There were also other indigenous people in the Himalaya. |