Saptparni Cave, also referred to as Sapta parni guha (Sanskrit) or sattapaṇṇi guhā (Pali), literally Seven-leaves-cave (cognate with sapta, sept), is a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

cave site about southwest from Rajgir,

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

, India. It is embedded in a hill. The Saptaparni Cave is important in the Buddhist tradition, because many believe it to be the site in which Buddha spent some time before his death, and where the first Buddhist council was held after

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

died ( paranirvana). It is here that a council of few hundred monks decided to appoint Ananda, Buddha's cousin, and Upali, who had accompanied the Buddha when he gave sermons in north India, to compose Buddha's teachings for the future generations. This was of special importance because the Buddha never wrote down his teachings. After the meeting in Saptaparni Cave, Ananda created an

oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...

of Buddha's teaching from his memory, prefacing it with " Thus have I heard on one occasion". Upali is credited with reciting the ''

Vinaya The Vinaya (Pali and Sanskrit: विनय) refers to numerous monastic rules and ethical precepts for fully ordained monks and nuns of Buddhist Sanghas (community of like-minded ''sramanas''). These sets of ethical rules and guidelines devel ...

'' (discipline), or "rules for the Bhikshus". This tradition is found in '' Vinaya Pitaka'' II.284 through II.287 and ''Digha Nikaya'' II.154. Saptaparni cave

References

Caves of Bihar Buddhist caves in India Buddhist sites in Bihar Caves containing pictograms in India Maurya Empire History of Bihar Rock-cut architecture of India Nalanda district Archaeological sites in Bihar Buddhist monasteries in India Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India 5th century BC in India 4th century BC in India 4th-century BC establishments in India Former populated places in India Tourist attractions in Nalanda district {{Bihar-geo-stub