Why the disciples appear at pilgrimage sites
The stories told at Buddhist sites rarely involve the Buddha alone. Monks, nuns and lay followers appear in the texts as companions, teachers, patrons and examples. Names are given here in their Pali form, with Sanskrit equivalents in brackets where they commonly differ. Accounts of their lives come from texts written down well after their time, and details differ between traditions, so the descriptions below are general and traditional.
Sariputta (Sariputra) and Moggallana (Maudgalyayana)
The two are usually named as the Buddha’s chief disciples. Tradition describes them as friends who left a wanderer’s group to follow him. Sariputta is known for his wisdom and skill in explaining the teachings, and is often shown on the Buddha’s right. Moggallana is known for his powers of concentration and is shown on the left. Mahayana texts, such as the Heart Sutra and Lotus Sutra, mention Sariputra, and the Abhidhamma is, in Theravada tradition, linked with Sariputta.
Relics said to belong to the two were found in a stupa at Sanchi in the 19th century. Inscriptions on the relic caskets name them, which is the basis for the identification. Some of the relics were taken abroad and later returned, and portions are now venerated at Sanchi and in other Buddhist countries. Their deaths are traditionally placed in the region of Magadha, with Sariputta’s linked to a village near Nalanda, though accounts vary.
Ananda
Ananda, the Buddha’s cousin in tradition, served as his attendant for many years and is remembered for his memory and kindness. According to the councils tradition, he recited the discourses at the first council after attaining arahantship. He is also associated in the texts with the request that women be allowed to join the order, a story told in different ways and understood differently by modern communities. Ananda appears at Kushinagar in the story of the Buddha’s final days, where he is said to have wept.
Mahakassapa (Mahakashyapa)
Mahakassapa is described as the monastic leader after the Buddha’s passing, presiding over the first council. He is known for ascetic practices. In Chan and Zen accounts he is the first patriarch in a line of transmission, based on the story of the Buddha holding up a flower. That story is not found in early Indian sources, and scholars regard it as a later development.
Other well-known monks
- Upali is remembered as the authority on monastic discipline, reciting the Vinaya at the first council.
- Subhuti is known for understanding emptiness in Mahayana sources and appears in the Diamond Sutra.
- Rahula, the Buddha’s son in tradition, is honoured as a young monk who trained under Sariputta.
- Maha Pajapati Gotami, the Buddha’s aunt and foster mother, is traditionally the first nun. Other nuns, such as Khema and Uppalavanna, are remembered for wisdom and powers.
- Devadatta appears as a cousin who opposed the Buddha. Traditions differ on his role and fate, and some Mahayana texts offer a more positive view.
Lay disciples
Lay followers are also remembered at the sites. Anathapindika, a wealthy merchant of Sravasti, is traditionally said to have donated the Jetavana grove. Visakha, a laywoman, is associated with generosity in Pali accounts. King Bimbisara of Magadha is linked with Rajgir and the Venuvana gift, and King Pasenadi of Kosala with Sravasti. The householders Tapussa and Bhallika are named in tradition as the first to offer food after the awakening.
Disciples in art and devotion
In East Asian temples, groups of arhats (luohan in Chinese, rakan in Japanese), sometimes eighteen, sixteen or five hundred, are depicted as protectors of the teaching. These are more developed in later tradition than the early disciples. In Tibetan settings the sixteen arhats are common subjects for painted scrolls. Statues of Sariputta and Moggallana flanking a buddha are common in Theravada countries.
How to approach these stories
Different traditions tell the stories differently, and modern historians generally see them as a mix of memory and later narrative. A guide at a site may tell the legend with confidence, so it can help to note that this is the traditional account. If you take part in a ceremony, follow local customs and be respectful; check current official sources for access.