Kañcanaguhā untranslated

Kañcanaguhā. A cave in the region of the Himālaya, according to one description (Ja.ii.176; but see Ja.v.357, where it is said to be near Cittakūṭa) in the face of the Cittakūṭa pabbata. This cave was the abode of the Bodhisatta when he was born as a lion, as described in the Virocanajātaka (Ja.i.491f), and again in the Sigālajātaka (Ja.ii.6). Near by was the Rajatapabbata. This cave was also the dwelling-place of the geese mentioned in the Kacchapajātaka (Ja.ii.176), and in the cave grew the Abbhantaramba (Ja.ii.396), the property of Vessavaṇa. In the scholiast to the Hatthipālajātaka (Ja.iv.484), the Kañcanagūha is mentioned as the abode of the spider Unnābhi and the ninety-six thousand geese who took shelter in it, waiting for the rains to clear. Near the cave was the Chaddanta daha and the Buddha, when he was born as the elephant Chaddanta, made the cave his headquarters (Ja.v.37f). In this context the cave is described as being in the Suvaṇṇapabbata (probably another name for Kañcanapabbata) to the west of the Chaddanta lake, and is said to be twelve leagues in extent. There lived the elephant king with eight thousand companions. Nanda tāpasa once lived for seven days at the entrance to the cave, going to Uttarakuru for his food (Ja.v.316, 392).

The Pākahaṁsas of great power also lived in the cave (Ja.v.357, 368), once as many in number as ninety thousand (Ja.v.381).

In the Sudhābhojanajātaka (Ja.v.392), the cave is stated to have been on the top of Manosilātala.

The Kañcanagūha is mentioned in literature as the dwelling-place of maned lions (kesarasīhā) (e.g., Ud­a.71, 105).