MAHĀPRAJĀPATĪ GAUTAMĪ & 500 SĀKYAN WOMEN –
THE RENUNCIATION TRAIL
Commemoration of the Renunciation Journey of Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī and 500 Sākyans:
One of the lesser-known yet inspiring stories in the history of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Saṅgha is the tale of Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī and her journey with 500 Sākyan women to Vaiśālī to persuade the Buddha to admit them into the Saṅgha. This 300 kms epic journey of Mahāprajāpatī and 500 Sākyan women in the 6th BCE from Kapilavastu (Tilaurakot) to Vaiśālī is a legacy of the World. This epic journey of conviction, grit, and courage has profoundly shaped human history.
Dates: 17th- 24th December, 2025
The Renunciation Journey and the Route:
The sacred geography where the Buddha wandered was discovered after the travelogues of Buddhist monks Faxian (Fa-Hien, 5th century CE) and Xuanzang (Hsüan-tsang, 7th century CE) were translated from Chinese into oriental languages in the mid-19th century. Buddhist literature mentions that Bodhisattva Siddhārtha, upon renunciation, left Kapilavastu and arrived at Rājagṛiha (Rājagaha), passing through Rāmā, the Anomā River, Anupiya, and Vaiśālī. We are immensely grateful to both pilgrims for revealing that this 300 km route, connecting the Kapilavastu palace city (Tilaurākot) and Vaiśālī, was an ancient route passing through present-day Rāmagrāma (Parasai, Nepal), the River Gandak, Valmiki Nagar, and the Ashokan pillar sites of Lauriyā Nandangaḍh, Arerāj, and Kesariyā.
Footsteps of Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī: Honouring Women in Dhamma Commemorating the Renunciation Trail of Mahāprajāpatī and 500 Śākyan Women
Background:
Mahāprajāpatī and Mahāmāyā were sisters from the Koliyā republican clan in the Himalayan foothills. Both sisters were married to King Suddhodana of Kapilavastu, the Sākyan king. Like Koliyā, Kapilavastu was situated in the Himalayan foothills, separated from Koliyā by the Rohinī River. When Mahāmāyā died, seven days after giving birth to Siddhārtha, the future Buddha, Mahāprajāpatī raised the infant prince. At twenty-nine, the crown prince Siddhārtha left palace life to seek the truth.
After six years of intense spiritual pursuit, Bodhisattva Siddhārtha attained enlightenment under the Bodhī tree at Uruvelā (now Bodhgayā). One year into his enlightenment, the Buddha visited Kapilavastu at his father’s invitation, King Suddhodana. During his stay, he preached dhamma to the Sākyans. Mahāprajāpatī also participated in these teachings and attained the first stage of the Arahant Path, becoming a sotāpanna (‘stream-enterer’).
Four years later, the Buddha returned to Kapilavastu to resolve a dispute over water sharing between the Koliyās and the Sākyas. Mahāprajāpatī had continued her dedicated practice in his absence. This visit gave her the chance to express her desire to join the saṅgha, hoping the Buddha would see her commitment to monastic life and admit her. When he declined, she was deeply considerate; he, along with 500 newly ordained Sākyan men, left for Vaiśālī.
Now, Mahāprajāpatī was not alone in her quest. The 500 Sākyan women, wives of the newly ordained men, also wished to leave worldly life and dedicate themselves to dhamma practice. Led by Mahāprajāpatī, they shaved their heads, donned monastic robes, and embarked barefoot on a 200-mile journey to Vaiśālī, where the Buddha was residing during his vassā.