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= Kukkutārāma Monastery = Kukkutarama Monastery was a Buddhist monastery situated near the old city Pataliputra in Bihar, India. The monastery is known to be one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries of the world with its history going back to the time of Gautama Buddha himself. The monastery was the home of many Buddhist monks from the early times of the religion, including many prominent monks like Mahadeva and Ananda.Historians believe that the monastery was rebuilt by the Mauryan king Ashoka. However, the monastery was destroyed by the Shunga King, Pushyamitra Shunga after the fall of the Maurya Dynasty.

Etymology
The Sanskrit translation of the word Kukkutarama literally means the cock foot park monastery as it’s is said to be located at Kukkutapadagiri or cock’s foothill. There is one more explanation which has been pointed out by scholars that the monastery was constructed under the orders of Kukkuta Setthi, a banker living in the eastern town of Kosambi and was thus, named after him. Nonetheless, there was a monastery with the same name in Kosambi and there is no proven evidence of who constructed these monasteries. Moreover, the site was re-constructed by King Ashoka, when he first visited Patliputra after converting to the religion. Due to Ashoka’s inclination and love towards the monastery, it was also called Asokārāma.

Location
Pataliputra was the capital of the Maurya Empire. The monastery of Kukkutārāma was located in the southeast of the city of Patliputra (near present day Patna) in Magadha. This information can be found in the works of Chinese traveller Hsuan Tsang, who during his visit to India in the 7th century AD, went in search of this famous monastery but was disappointed to find only the ruins of the foundation.

History
The history of the monastery is unknown as various sources give different stories. Nonetheless, the most prevalent assumption among historians is that the site of Kukkutārāma was always a ground of knowledge. Even before the majestic monastery being built by King Ashoka, many monks used to inhibit the place and thus, this place was always a significant institution for the Buddhist monks of ancient India. It is believed by many scholars the site is as old as the religion as even Gautama Buddha has been said to reside here at one moment in his life. Historian V. Mair in his work has indicated that the Kukkutārāma was an important center for learning and the monastery constituted of more than thousand monks. It was this place that the third Buddhist Council was held in c. 250 BCE. The Third Buddhist council is one of the biggest Buddhist meeting that were held during the ancient times which decided the discourse of the Buddhist religion. The third Buddhist council was supposedly held under the patronage of Emperor Ashoka. It is also indicated that Ashoka spent the last days of his life at this monastery.

Mahadeva, who later became the leader of the sangha is also known to have attained his ordination at this monastery.

Construction
Historians have pointed out that the site was first constructed during the time of Gautama Buddha by a wealthy banker, however there is no strong proof of who constructed the initial site and what was the main reason for choosing this location. Nevertheless, the site is said to be one of the earliest Buddhist construction that was built under the orders of Maurya King Ashoka, who converted to the religion after the conquest of Kalinga. "It was a sort of first-fruit and a pattern of majestic construction".

References in Ancient Texts
Ancient texts in Sanskrit and Pali, have indicated that there existed a monastery in the southeast corner of Pataliputra. Although, ancient Pali texts do not have much reference of the monastery, several Sanskrit text have pointed to the prominence of the monastery, during the early years of Buddhism. The major texts that tell the tale of Kukkutārāma monastery are related to King Ashoka. Sanskrit literature such as Ashokavadana and Avadanastaka provide information about the monastery. The manuscript of Ashokavadana is preserved in a later Sanskrit work called Divyāvadāna and also in a few contemporary Chinese works. The text is an ensemble of stories that depict the life of the Ashoka. According to historian, A.L. Basham, Ashokavadana was written at the Kukkutārāma monastery. The source gives information about the favoritism of King Ashoka regarding this place, which added to its grandeur and also gives the details about its destruction. The reference of the place is also found in the works of the Chinese travellers like Fa-hein, Hsuan Tsang and I-tsing.

Destruction
Evidences indicate that the site was destroyed by a Hindu ruler named Pushyamitra Shunga, the founder of the Shunga dynasty that overthrew the Mauryan rule in 185 BCE. The ancient Sanskrit text Ashokavadana points out that the Shunga king destroyed the monastery after the fall of the Maurya Empire in rage and anger towards the Maurya rule. Pushyamitra Shunga marched on Kukkutarama with a gigantic army and wrecked it. Shunga not only destroyed the site but also killed monks living in the monastery who he believed were heretics and were practicing false religion. The devastating destruction of the site gives evidence of the ongoing battle between a new religion and an old one. The site was extremely important for both Buddhism as well as the other religions, which can be observed through the actions of Shunga who destroyed it completely so that he could finish the growing prominence of the site as a learning centre.

Present Situation
In the chronicles of Chinese traveller Hsuan Tsang, it is mentioned that when he reached Paliputra in the search of the famous Kukkutārāma (cock) monastery he found only the ruins of the foundation at the prescribed location. I-tsing another Chinese traveller, who visited India forty years after Hsuan Tsang is also said to have visited the vestiges of the once magnificent monastery. Moreover, at present there is no evidence of the site, except for what remains in the text.