Five years after the Enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, Lord Buddha came to Vaishali, the capital of one of the first republican states in the world.

Situated on the northern banks of the Ganga, Vaishali is bound by the hills of Nepal on the north and the river Gandak on the west. The Lichchavi nobility came to receive the Enlightened One with a cavalcade of elephants and chariots bedecked with gold. As the Lord set foot on the soil of Vaishali, loud thunder followed by a heavy downpour purged the plague-infected city.

The Buddha preached the Ratna Sutra to those assembled, and eightyfour thousand people embraced the new faith. In Vaishali for the first time women were ordained into the Sangha. The Buddha's foster mother, Mahaprajapati Gautami, along with 500 Sakyan women made a pilgrimage by foot from Kapilavastu to Vaishali, seeking to join the Order. Three times the Lord refused their entreaties. Ultimately they shaved their heads, donned the orange robes and beseeched the Lord once again. The Enlightened One was finally persuaded to admit the women as bhikshunis or nuns.

How to get there

Air :- Vaishali is linked to Patna, 60 kms. away, by the 5.5 kms. long Mahatma Gandhi Bridge across the Ganga.

Rail :- Nearest Railway Station is Hajpur, 35 kms. away.

Road :- It is linked by good all weather roads to Gorakhpur and other towns of UP.