Buddhism
गृध्रकूट
Vulture Peak
“On the vulture-shaped peak, a seat of teaching kept through the ages”
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Photo: Sumitsurai · CC BY-SA 4.0
Scenes
Meaning
You climb the steep stone steps to where the vulture-shaped crag rises, and far below, the plains of Magadha stretch into the haze.
Rajgir was the ancient capital of Magadha, where the Buddha is said to have spent many rainy-season retreats teaching. Vulture Peak (Gridhrakuta) is revered as the setting of several important discourses, and the nearby Bamboo Grove monastery is remembered as the first place the sangha stayed through the rains.
Field notes
- Location
- Rajgir · Bihar · N25.0° · E85.4°
- Best time
- Early morning, when first light touches the peak.
- Getting there
- From Rajgir, ascend by ropeway or up the stone steps.
- Etiquette
- Pilgrims sit in meditation here; quiet is appreciated.
Sources
- · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- · 현장 『대당서역기』 (전거)
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