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	{{Suttas\|Vesali\|varanasi\|mn/mn.105.than.html#vesali Sunakkhatta Sutta - To Sunakkhatta\|mn/mn.012.ntbb.html#vesali Maha-sihanada Sutta - The Great Discourse on the Lion's Roar}}		{{Suttas\|Vesali\|varanasi\|mn/mn.105.than.html#vesali Sunakkhatta Sutta - To Sunakkhatta\|mn/mn.012.ntbb.html#vesali Maha-sihanada Sutta - The Great Discourse on the Lion's Roar}}
	{{Vaishali district topics }}		{{Vaishali district topics }}
			{{Buddhist sites in Bihar}}
	{{Buddhism topics}}		{{Buddhism topics}}
	{{Tirhut Division topics}}		{{Tirhut Division topics}}

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{{short description|Historical city in Bihar, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Vaishali
| other_name = Licchavi
| native_name = Vaiśālī
| nickname =
| settlement_type = [[City]]
| image_skyline = {{Photomontage
| photo1a = Vaishali, Bihar.JPG
| photo2a = N-BR-68 Relic Stupa Vaishali (2).jpg
| photo3a = Kolhua ashok pillar.jpg
| spacing = 4
| color_border = Black
| color = Black
| size = 270
}}
| image_alt =
| image_caption = [[Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum and Memorial Stupa|Buddha Stupa]], [[Relics associated with Buddha|Relic Stupa]], [[Pillars of Ashoka|Ashok Pillar]]
| pushpin_map = India Bihar#India
| pushpin_relief = yes
| pushpin_label_position = left
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption =
| coordinates = {{coord|25.99|N|85.13|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Bihar]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of regions of India|Region]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Mithila (region)|Mithila]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Vaishali district|Vaishali]]
| established_title = Established
| established_date = 599 BCE
| founder =
| named_for =
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| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
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| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
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{{BuddhasHolySites}}
'''Vaishali''', '''Vesali''' or '''Vaiśālī''' was a city in present-day [[Bihar]], India, and is now an archaeological site. It is a part of the [[Tirhut Division]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tirhut-muzaffarpur.bih.nic.in/Default.htm|title=Tirhut Division|website=tirhut-muzaffarpur.bih.nic.in|access-date=26 December 2019|archive-date=16 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316011819/http://tirhut-muzaffarpur.bih.nic.in/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

It was the capital city of the [[Vajjika League]] of Vrijji [[mahajanapada]], considered one of the first examples of a [[republic]] around the 6th century BCE. [[Gautama Buddha]] preached his last sermon before his death in {{Circa|483 BCE}}, then in 383 BCE the [[Second Buddhist council]] was convened here by King Kalasoka, making it an important place in both [[Jain]] and [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] religions.<ref>{{cite book|title=Students' Britannica India, Volumes 1-5|last=Hoiberg|first=Dale|author2=Indu Ramchandani|year=2000|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=0-85229-760-2|page=208|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DPP7O3nb3g0C&q=Vaishali&pg=PA208|access-date=28 June 2021|archive-date=4 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504210844/https://books.google.com/books?id=DPP7O3nb3g0C&q=Vaishali&pg=PA208|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=A history of India|last=Kulke|first=Hermann|author2=Dietmar Rothermund|year=2004|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-32919-1|page=57|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TPVq3ykHyH4C&q=Vaishali&pg=PA57|access-date=28 June 2021|archive-date=28 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628154435/https://books.google.com/books?id=TPVq3ykHyH4C&q=Vaishali&pg=PA57|url-status=live}}</ref> It contains one of the best-preserved of the [[Pillars of Ashoka]], topped by a single [[Asiatic lion]].

Vaishali is also home to possibly the earliest known example of a [[stupa]], the Buddha relic stupa which is said to contain the ashes of the Buddha.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fogelin |first1=Lars |title=An Archaeological History of Indian Buddhism |date=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199948239 |page=85}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Lahiri |first1=Nayanjot |title=Ashoka in Ancient India |date=2015 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=9780674057777 |pages=246–247}}</ref>

The city finds mention in the travel accounts of Chinese explorers, [[Faxian]] (4th century CE) and [[Xuanzang]] (7th century CE), which were later used in 1861 by British archaeologist [[Alexander Cunningham]] to first identify Vaiśālī with the present village of [[Basarh]] in [[Vaishali District]], [[Bihar]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Janice Leoshko |title=Sacred Traces: British Explorations of Buddhism in South Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gS4rDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA74 |year=2017 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-351-55030-7 |page=74 |access-date=28 June 2021 |archive-date=27 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627185240/https://books.google.com/books?id=gS4rDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA74 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Dilip Kumar |title=Archaeology of Vaishali |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zLq1AAAAIAAJ |year=1986 |publisher=Ramanand Vidya Bhawan |oclc=18520132 |page=36 |isbn=9788185205083 |access-date=28 June 2021 |archive-date=27 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627185215/https://books.google.com/books?id=zLq1AAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Etymology==
Vaishali derives its name from [[King Vishal]] of the [[Mahabharata]] age.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vaishali |url=https://tourism.bihar.gov.in/en/destinations/vaishali |website=tourism.bihar.gov.in |access-date=6 February 2021 |language=en |archive-date=18 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118022159/https://tourism.bihar.gov.in/en/destinations/vaishali |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Shanti Stupa @ Vaishali - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Stupa at vaishali]]

==History==
[[File:Mahajanapadas (c. 500 BCE).png|left|thumb|200px|The [[Vajjika League|Vajji]] or Vrijji [[Mahajanapada]], 600 BCE.]]
[[File:Ablution bath, Vaishali.jpg|left|thumb|200px|''Abhishek Pushkarini'', the coronation tank, near Buddha Relic Stupa, Vaishali]]
Even before the advent of [[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]], Vaiśālī was the capital of the [[republic]]an [[Licchavi (tribe)|Licchavi state]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bstdc.bih.nic.in/Vaishali.htm|title=BSTDC|website=BSTDC|access-date=26 December 2019|archive-date=22 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722044101/http://bstdc.bih.nic.in/Vaishali.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[https://www.britannica.com/place/Vaishali Vaishali] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613195634/https://www.britannica.com/place/Vaishali |date=13 June 2021 }} – [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]</ref> In that period, Vaiśālī was an ancient [[metropolis]] and the [[capital city]] of the [[republic]] of the Vaiśālī state, which covered most of [[Himalayas|the Himalayan]] [[Ganges|Gangetic]] region of present-day [[Bihar]] state, India. However, very little is known about the early history of Vaiśālī. The [[Vishnu Purana]] records 34 [[monarch|king]]s of Vaiśālī, the first being ''Nabhaga'', who is believed to have [[abdication|abdicated]] his [[throne]] over a matter of [[human rights]] and believed to have declared: "I am now a free tiller of the soil, king over my acre." The last among the 34 was ''Sumati'', who is considered a contemporary of [[Dasaratha]], father of the [[Hindu]] god, [[Lord Rama]].

Vaiśālī is also renowned as the land of [[Amrapali]], the great Indian [[courtesan]], who appears in many [[Folklore|folktale]]s, as well as in [[Buddhist]] [[literature]]. Amrapali became a disciple of [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]]. Manudev was a famous king of the illustrious Lichchavi clan of the confederacy, who desired to possess [[Amrapali]] after he saw her dance performance in Vaishali.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/features/Amrapali-was-more-than-a-luscious-courtesan/articleshow/12517919.cms|title=Amrapali was more than a luscious courtesan - Times of India|website=The Times of India|date=31 January 2013 |access-date=26 December 2019|archive-date=19 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519121433/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/features/Amrapali-was-more-than-a-luscious-courtesan/articleshow/12517919.cms|url-status=live}}</ref>

A kilometer away is ''Abhishek Pushkarini'', the coronation tank. The [[sacred waters]] of the tank anointed the elected representatives of Vaiśālī. Next to it stands the Japanese temple and the Vishwa Shanti Stupa (World Peace Pagoda) built by the [[Nipponzan Myohoji]] sect of Japan. A small part of the Buddha's relics found in Vaiśālī have been enshrined in the foundation and in the ''chhatra'' of the Stupa.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}

Near the coronation tank is Stupa 1 or the Relic Stupa. Here the Lichchavis reverentially encased one of the eight portions of the Master's relics, which they received after the Mahaparinirvana. After his last discourse the Awakened One set out for [[Kushinagar]], but the [[Licchavi (tribe)|Licchavi]]s kept following him. Buddha gave them his alms bowl but they still refused to return. The Master created an illusion of a river in [[In spate|spate]] which compelled them to go back. This site can be identified with Deora in modern [[Kesariya]] village, where [[Ashoka]] later built a stupa. [[Ananda|Ānanda]], the personal attendant of the Buddha, attained Nirvana in the midst of the Ganges outside Vaiśālī.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}

By the time [[Xuanzang]] visited Vaiśālī in the early 7th century, it was on the decline: he wrote of it that "the capital is ruined" and "it may be called a village or town" (as opposed to a city).<ref name="Chattopadhyaya 1994">{{cite book |last1=Chattopadhyaya |first1=Brajadulal |author-link=Brajadulal Chattopadhyaya |title=The Making of Early Medieval India |date=1994 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New Delhi |isbn=0-19-564076-4 |url=https://ia801503.us.archive.org/28/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.117938/2015.117938.The-Making-Of-Early-Medieval-India.pdf |access-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>{{rp|150}}

==Visits of the Buddha to Vaiśālī==

[[File:Buddhist Altar, Vaishali.jpg|left|220px|thumb|A Buddhist shrine amidst the Vihara, Vaiśālī]]
Vaishali is well known for its close association with the Buddha. After leaving Kapilavastu for renunciation, Prince Siddhartha came to Vaishali first and undertook his initial spiritual training from [[Uddaka Rāmaputta]] (Rāmaputra Udraka) and [[Āḷāra Kālāma]]. After the Enlightenment the Buddha frequently visited Vaishali. He organized the [[sangha]] on the pattern of Vaishalian democracy. It was here that he first allowed females to join the sangha, initiating his maternal aunt [[Mahaprajapati]] Gautami into the order. His last [[vassa|Varshavasa]] (rainy season resort) was here and he announced his approaching [[Mahaparinirvana]] (the final departure from the world) just three months in advance. Before leaving for Kusinagara, where he died, he left his alms-bowl (Bhiksha-Patra) here with the people of Vaishali.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Brown |first1=Robert |title=Telling the Story in Art of the Monkey's Gift of Honey to the Buddha |journal=Bulletin of the Asia Institute |date=2009 |volume=23 |pages=43–52 |jstor=24049422 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24049422}}</ref>

==Jainism at Vaishali==
[[File:Kundpur_seal.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Prince Vardhaman (Lord Mahavira) used this seal after the Judgement]]
The [[Svetambara]]s state that the final [[Tirthankara]], [[Mahavira|Lord Mahavira]], was born and raised in Kshatriyakund district, Vaiśālī to King [[Siddhartha of Kundagrama|Siddhartha]]. and [[Queen consort|Queen]] [[Trishala]]. According to [[Jain text]] ''[[Uttarapurāṇa]]'',
[[King Chetaka]] ruled as a [[Republic]]an [[President (government title)|President]] in Vaishali and was a famous and complaisant king. He is mentioned as a staunch follower of [[Jainism]].{{sfn|Pannalal Jain|2015|p=482}} According to the text, Chetaka had ten sons and seven daughters. His sister Priyakarini (also known as [[Trishala]]) was married to [[Siddhartha of Kundagrama|Siddhartha]].{{sfn|Pannalal Jain|2015|p=482}} His daughter Chellana married [[Shrenik]] (also known as [[Bimbisara]]).{{sfn|Pannalal Jain|2015|p=484}} As per Indologist [[Hermann Jacobi]], [[Mahavira|Vardhaman Mahavira's]] mother Trishala was sister of [[King Chetaka]].{{sfn|Sunavala|1934|p=52}}
Vaiśālī was also the residence of Kandaramasuka and Pātikaputta.

==Notable Buddhist sites in Vaishali==
{|
|[[File:Ashoka pillar at Vaishali, Bihar, India.jpg|thumb|200px|Kutagarasala Vihara]]
|[[File:Anandastupa.jpg|200px|thumb|Ānanda Stupa, with an [[Asokan pillar]] at Kolhua, Vaiśālī]]
|[[File:Buddha's ashes Stupa, Vaishali, Bihar.jpg|200px|thumb|Buddha's ashes Stupa built by the ''[[Licchavi (tribe)|Licchavis]]'', Vaiśālī]]
|}

===Relic stupa===
Near the coronation tank is Stupa 1 or the Relic Stupa. Here the [[Licchavi (tribe)|Licchavi]]s reverentially encased one of the eight portions of the Master's relics, which they received after the Mahaparinirvana. After his last discourse the Buddha set out for [[Kushinagar]], but the Licchavis kept following him. The Buddha gave them his alms bowl but they still refused to return. He then created an illusion of a river in spate which compelled them to go back. This site can be identified with Deora in modern [[Kesariya]] village, where [[Ashoka]] later built a stupa.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Roy |first1=Sita Ran |title=A Note on Ancient Architecture of Vaisali |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |date=1968 |volume=30 |pages=49–52 |jstor=44141446 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44141446}}</ref>

As per recent research, the relic stupa is potentially one of the earliest archaeologically known stupas.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fogelin |first1=Lars |title=An Archaeological History of Indian Buddhism |date=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199948239 |page=85}}</ref>

===Kutagarasala Vihara===
Kutagarasala Vihara is the monastery where Buddha most frequently stayed while visiting Vaiśālī. It is located 3 kilometres from the relic Stupa, and on its ground can be found the [[Ananda Stupa|Ānanda Stupa]], with an [[Asokan pillar]] in very good condition (perhaps the only complete Asokan pillar left standing), and an ancient pond.<ref name="Fogelin2015">{{cite book|author=Lars Fogelin|title=An Archaeological History of Indian Buddhism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yPZzBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA84|year=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-994823-9|pages=84–90}}</ref>

===Coronation Tank===
A few hundred [[metres]] from the Relic Stupa is [[Abhishek Pushkarini]], the coronation tank. The sacred waters of the tank anointed the elected representatives of Vaiśālī.

===World Peace Pagoda===
[[File:Visva santi stupa, vaishali bihar.jpg|thumb|150px|Visva Santi Stupa]]
Next to the coronation tank stands the Japanese temple and the ''Viśvā Śānti Stūpa'' ([[Peace Pagoda|World Peace Pagoda]]) built by the Japanese [[Nichiren Buddhism|Nichiren Buddhist]] sect [[Nipponzan-Myōhōji]]. A small part of the Buddha's relics found in Vaiśālī have been enshrined in the foundation and in the chhatra of the Stupa.

The Vaishali Museum was established in 1971 by the Archaeological Survey of India to preserve and display the antiquities found during the exploration of sites around ancient Vaishali.

==Recent development==
*In February 2019, Chief Minister of [[Bihar]] [[Nitish Kumar]] laid the foundation stone of [[Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum and Memorial Stupa]] to house [[Buddha]] relics.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kumar |first1=Madan |title=Nitish Kumar launches work for Buddha museum and stupa in Vaishali {{!}} Patna News - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/nitish-launches-work-for-buddha-museum-and-stupa-in-vaishali/articleshow/68068848.cms?from=mdr |access-date=26 December 2019 |work=The Times of India |date=20 February 2019 |language=en |archive-date=28 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628154508/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/nitish-launches-work-for-buddha-museum-and-stupa-in-vaishali/articleshow/68068848.cms?from=mdr |url-status=live }}</ref>
*In September 2020, [[Prime Minister of India]] [[Narendra Modi]] inaugurated the Vaishali Railway station. This rail line now connects the city with [[Hajipur]] and [[Patna]].<ref>[https://www.constructionweekonline.in/15094-pm-modi-inaugurates-kosi-rail-mega-bridge-and-12-railway-projects-in-bihar PM inaugurates 12 railway projects in Bihar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628154445/https://www.constructionweekonline.in/15094-pm-modi-inaugurates-kosi-rail-mega-bridge-and-12-railway-projects-in-bihar |date=28 June 2021 }} constructionweekonline.in</ref>

==Historical figures from Vaishali==

[[File:Vimalakirti debating Manjusri, Tang Dynasty.jpg|200 px|thumbnail|Vimalakirti, 8th century wall painting, [[Dunhuang]]]]

* [[Mahavira]], the 24th [[Tirthankara]] of Jainism. Born into a royal [[kshatriya]] family in what is now [[Vaishali district]] of Bihar. He abandoned all worldly possessions at the age of 30 and became an ascetic. He is considered a slightly older contemporary of the Buddha.<ref name="Dutt2013">{{cite book|author=Romesh Chunder Dutt|title=A History of Civilisation in Ancient India: Based on Sanscrit Literature: Volume I|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=udv7AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA382|date=5 November 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-38189-8|pages=382–383}}</ref>

* [[Chetaka]], King and ruler of the [[Vajjika League]] which had its capital in Vaishali.<ref name="Singh2008">{{cite book|author=Upinder Singh|title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pq2iCwAAQBAJ|year=2008|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=978-81-317-1677-9|pages=260–263}}</ref>

* [[Vimalakirti]], the central figure of the [[Vimalakirti Sutra]] and a lay practitioner of Buddhism.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Holy Teaching of Vimalakīrti: A Mahāyāna Scripture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n4K7p6XSpSYC&pg=PA146-IA2|year=1991|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|isbn=978-81-208-0874-4|page=20}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|India}}
*[[Mithila (region)]]
*[[Pillars of Ashoka]]
*[[Chaumukhi Mahadev|Chaumukhi Mahadev Mandir]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |title=Archaeology of Vaishali|last=Kumar|first=Dilip|year=1986|publisher=Ramanand Vidya Bhawan}}
* {{cite book |title=Vaishali and the Indianization of Arakan|last=Singer |first=Noel.F. |year=2008|publisher=APH Publishing|isbn=978-81-313-0405-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LXw9pgWvFxUC&q=Vaishali&pg=PA28 }}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=yes|d=Q1509463}}
{{ppn|vy/vesaali.htm|Vesali}}
{{RBK|25|Vaisali}}
{{Suttas|Vesali|varanasi|mn/mn.105.than.html#vesali Sunakkhatta Sutta - To Sunakkhatta|mn/mn.012.ntbb.html#vesali Maha-sihanada Sutta - The Great Discourse on the Lion's Roar}}
{{Vaishali district topics }}
{{Buddhism topics}}
{{Tirhut Division topics}}
{{Tourist sites in Bihar}}

__FORCETOC__

[[Category:Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India]]
[[Category:Ancient Indian cities]]
[[Category:Former populated places in India]]
[[Category:History of Bihar]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Bihar]]
[[Category:Former capital cities in India]]
[[Category:Buddhist sites in Bihar]]
[[Category:Jain temples in Bihar]]
[[Category:Hindu pilgrimage sites in India]]
[[Category:Hindu holy cities]]
[[Category:Mauryan art]]
[[Category:Edicts of Ashoka]]
[[Category:Indo-Aryan archaeological sites]]
[[Category:Vaishali district]]

Vaishali (ancient city) - Revision history

Nandini Gowda KL: fix structure further and updated info

Kamal Guha: Bihar Buddhist sites template added

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article