Where and what Sravasti is
Sravasti (also written Shravasti, and Savatthi in Pali) was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kosala. Its remains are generally identified with the twin sites of Saheth and Maheth, in the Shravasti district of Uttar Pradesh in northern India, close to the Rapti river and not far from the Nepal border. Today the area is rural and quiet, with fields, a small town, and a scatter of temples and monasteries.
Sravasti is not one of the four main places traditionally associated with the Buddha’s life, which are Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar. It belongs instead to a wider group of sites linked with his long teaching career. Many pilgrims regard it as one of the most important of these, because so much of the Buddhist textual tradition is set here.
Why the rainy seasons matter
Early Buddhist monastic custom set aside the monsoon months as a period of retreat, often called the vassa. Wandering monks and nuns stayed in one place rather than travelling, partly to avoid harming crops and small creatures on flooded roads. Sravasti became a favoured base for this retreat.
A later tradition, found in commentarial literature rather than in the earliest texts, holds that the Buddha spent twenty-five rainy seasons here. Treat that number as traditional rather than as a precisely documented fact. What is well supported is that a very large number of discourses preserved in the Pali Canon are introduced with the words that the Buddha was staying at Savatthi, in the Jeta Grove, in the monastery of Anathapindika. Many other early collections preserved in other languages also place teachings here.
The Jetavana and its patrons
The Jetavana is the best-known setting. According to the texts, a wealthy merchant named Anathapindika, whose name is usually translated as “feeder of the helpless”, wished to offer a residence for the monastic community. He chose a grove belonging to Prince Jeta, and the well-known story says the price was as much gold as would cover the ground. The tale is told in Buddhist scripture and is better read as a devotional account of generosity than as a financial record. The full story of the merchant and the other lay supporters of the city is told in a separate piece on the story behind Sravasti.
Another famous benefactress was the laywoman Visakha, who is traditionally said to have built a second monastery on the eastern side of the city. Kings of Kosala also appear in the texts as acquaintances and sometimes patrons of the Buddha. For the wider setting of that period, it helps to know that Kosala’s neighbour and rival was Magadha, whose capital at Rajgir and ruler King Bimbisara appear in many of the same accounts.
Stories tied to the city
Several well-known episodes are traditionally located at Sravasti. These include the conversion of the feared bandit Angulimala, and a display of marvels that tradition calls the twin miracle, in which the Buddha is said to have answered a challenge from rival teachers. Details of these stories differ between sources and traditions, and some are developed more in Mahayana and later literature than in the earliest texts.
Pilgrims also hear of the Ananda Bodhi tree at Jetavana. Local tradition holds that it grew from a cutting of the original Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, and that the monk Ananda arranged its planting. Whatever one makes of the history of the particular tree, the idea behind it is that a living link to the place of awakening was kept at a place where the Buddha taught. The wider theme is explored in discussions of Bodhi tree lineage.
History after the Buddha
Sravasti remained a Buddhist centre for many centuries. Emperor Ashoka is traditionally said to have visited holy places in the third century BCE, and Buddhist monasteries are thought to have continued here into the first millennium CE. The Chinese pilgrim monks Faxian and Xuanzang, who travelled to India in the fifth and seventh centuries CE, both described the area. By the time of Xuanzang’s visit, accounts suggest that the city was largely deserted and many buildings were in ruins.
After that the site was gradually forgotten, and it was not until the nineteenth century that British-era surveyors worked to identify it with the mounds of Saheth and Maheth. What archaeologists found, and what remains uncertain, is covered in the article on Sravasti archaeology.
Sravasti as a place of pilgrimage today
The site is now looked after as an archaeological area, and around it Buddhist communities from several countries have built temples and monasteries in their own styles. Visitors can walk through the brick remains of old monastic buildings, sit quietly under trees, and see how the modern monasteries reflect Theravada, Mahayana and Tibetan practice. Customs differ from one community to the next, so it is wise to follow local guidance.
For travel advice, the practical points are covered separately in the guide to a Sravasti visit. Briefly, summer heat in this part of northern India can be intense, the monsoon brings heavy rain, and winter mornings are often foggy. Because these conditions affect travel in real ways, check monsoon travel considerations and heat on pilgrimage before planning, and consult current government travel advice. Opening times, entry rules and local conditions change, so rely on current official sources instead of older guidebooks.
Respectful behaviour is simple but important. Dress modestly, remove shoes where asked, speak quietly, ask before photographing people or images, and do not touch monks or sacred objects. A summary of what to wear is in the notes on temple dress code.
A note on how sources differ
The picture of Sravasti comes from several kinds of evidence: Buddhist texts, the accounts of Chinese travellers, inscriptions and archaeology. These do not always agree, and the texts were written down well after the events they describe. For that reason this site uses phrases like “according to tradition” where the evidence is devotional rather than documentary. Sravasti is best approached both as a historical place and as a place where generations of Buddhists have chosen to remember the teacher and his early community.