Uttar Pradesh, India | |
 Elephant capital at Sankissa, one of thePillars of Ashoka, 3rd century BCE  Detail of the abacus. | |
  Shown within India Show map of India Sankissa (Uttar Pradesh) Show map of Uttar Pradesh | |
| Location | Farrukhabad district, Uttar Pradesh, India. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 27°20′02″N79°16′16″E / 27.33389°N 79.27111°E /27.33389; 79.27111 |
| Type | Settlement |
| Pilgrimage to |
| Buddha's Holy Sites |
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 |
The Four Main Sites |
Sankissa (alsoSankasia,Sankassa andSankasya) is an ancient city in India renown for the descent ofGautama Buddha from theTushita heavens where he taught his mother before landing at Sankissa. Considered among the eight great pilgrimage sites, it was thirty leagues fromSravasti.[1] Around 300 years after the Gautama Buddha'sMahaparinirvana, kingAshoka visited and built aPillar of Ashoka of which the elephant capital survives. He also built astupa and a temple commemorating the Buddha's descent from the heavens. The ruins of the stupa are still present, as is a temple of Vishari Devi and an ancient staircase.[2]
Sankissa has ruins of ancient Buddhist monasteries, and other monuments from Buddhist and Hindu traditions. The Briton Alexander Cunningham explored the site in 1842.
Sankissa is now identified with Sankisa Basantapura on the north bank of theIkkhumati river (Kalinadi), betweenKampil andKannauj. It is twenty-three miles west ofFatehgarh, twenty-five south ofKaimganj and forty-five north ofKannauj, in theFarrukhabad district of theUttar Pradesh state of India.
Events at Sankissa are recorded in theTipitaka. It was at Sankissa that theBuddha returned to earth, after preaching theAbhidhamma Pitaka inTavatimsa heaven to his mother and to the gods, following his performance of theTwin miracle atSravasti. As the time approached for the Buddha to leave Távatimsa after his three month stay, his discipleMoggallana (Anuruddha, according to Sutta Nipāta Commentary ii 570[4]) announced his coming return to the multitude who had been waiting at Sravasti. They had been fed by Culla Anathapindika as Moggallana taught theDhamma. They all then made their way to Sankissa to meet the Buddha at his return.
The descent of the Buddha took place on the day of the Mahapavarana festival. The king of the godsIndra built three ladders for the Buddha's descent fromMount Meru to the earth with his retinue: On the right was a ladder of gold for the gods; on the left a silver ladder forMaha Brahma and his retinue; and in the middle a ladder of jewels for the Buddha. The assembled people covered the earth for thirty leagues round. At the top of the ladder, there was a clear view of the nine Brahma worlds above and of theAvicihell below. The Buddha was accompanied by many beings including Pañcasikha, Mátali, Mahá Brahmá and Suyáma. His discipleSariputta was the first to welcome him, followed byUppalavanna.[5]
On this occasion theParosahassa Jataka was taught to proclaim to the multitude the unparalleled wisdom of Sariputta.[1][5] It is also written that the Buddha's descent at Sankissa had provided opportunities for Moggallana to show his eminence iniddhi (supranormal knowledge),Anuruddha in dibbacakkhu (ability to see far), andPunna in his skills inteaching, while the Buddha wished to giveSariputta a chance of showing his profound wisdom.[1][5][6][7]
The location of the city gate of Sankissa is said to be at one of the "unchangeable" spots of the world, oravijahitatthanam, where all of the Buddhas descend to the human world after preaching theAbhidhamma to their mothers in the Heavens.[8][9] From Sankissa, the Buddha went toJetavana grove.[10]
A shrine was erected on the spot where the Buddha's right foot first touched the ground at Sankissa.[11] When the Chinese pilgrims,Xuanzang andFaxian, visited the place, they found three ladders, which had been built of brick and stone by the ancients, to commemorate the Buddha's descent, but the ladders were nearly sunk in the earth.[12][13]
There was, in the Buddha's time, a deer park at Sankissa whereSuhemanta Thera heard the Buddha preach.[14] During theVajjiputta controversy,Revata Thera, on his way fromSoreyya toSahajati, went through Sankissa. The road he took passed through Sankissa,Kannakujja,Udumbara andAggalapura.[15] The excavations carried out in the place did not reveal any artifacts of importance.
An elephant capital from the period of theMauryas was found at the site.[16]
Sankissa is about 250 km and is a 4 hours 30 minutes' drive fromKanpur Airport.
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