Indasālaguhā untranslated

Indasālaguhā. A cave on the Vediya mountain, to the north of Ambasaṇḍā, which was a Brahmin village, east of Rājagaha. Once, when Gotama Buddha was staying there, Sakka visited him and asked him the questions recorded in the Sakkapañhasutta (DN.ii.263).

Buddhaghosa says (DNa.iii.697) that the cave lay between two overhanging rocks, with a large sāla-tree at the entrance. The village community had added walls with doors and windows and had ornamented it with polished plaster scroll-work and garlands and had presented it to the Buddha.

In Faxian’s time (Giles, 48f), it was still inhabited and he describes it as being one yojana north-east of Nālandā. Xuanzang, however, found it deserted. He calls it Indrakaśailagūhā (Beal-Xuan.ii.180-1).

Both pilgrims noticed marks on the rock; according to Faxian they were the answers to Sakka’s questions written by the Buddha with his finger, while Xuanzang says that both questions and answers were written on the stone.

The cave is identified with one about two miles to the south-west of the modern village of Giriyek. (CAGI.539ff; Stein, Ind.An. 1901, p.54).

It is said that on the occasion of the preaching of the Sakkapañhasutta, eight hundred million Devas realised the Truth (Mil.349).