Ketumati (Ch'ih-t'ou)
is a legendary place in some
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
traditions viewed as the earthly paradise of the prophesied figure called
Maitreya, who is the future
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...
. Devotees of Maitreya believe that the kingdom is a
pure land where Maitreya and his future parents will preside upon his descent from the
Tusita Heaven to Earth.
They believe that he will also bring a utopian era upon his devotees. Ketumati is sometimes associated with the city of
Banaras in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It is referenced in the
Cakkavatti Sīhanāda Sutta.
Description
Ketumati is described as being a kingdom better than any cities of the gods. It will be seven
yojana
A yojana (Sanskrit: योजन; th, โยชน์; my, ယူဇနာ) is a measure of distance that was used in ancient India, Thailand and Myanmar. A yojana is about 12–15 km.
Edicts of Ashoka (3rd century BCE)
Ashoka, in his Major R ...
s wide and twelve yojanas long. Brilliant gardens full of trees will make the city radiant, and they, together with lakes and ponds, will be enough to keep its citizens happy. It will be encompassed by seven strong walls. One of them will be constructed from seven types of gems that will be so bright, people won't be able to tell if it is day or night. Others will be made from pure gold, lapis lazuli and another material called masaragalla. Between these walls, seven sets of palm trees composed of varies gems will appear. Four gem gates will be located at Ketumati's four direction points then brighten the entire city. In front of these gates, four
Kalpavriksha
Kalpavriksha () is a wish-fulfilling divine tree in Indian religions, like Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Its earliest descriptions are mentioned in Sanskrit literature. It is also a popular theme in Jain cosmology and Buddhism. ...
trees carrying goods that'll flourish for years to come, will sprout up from the Earth. No person will need to live inside huts built from wood as everyone in Ketumati will have palaces made from seven kinds of gems. In its time, the entire region of
Jambudvipa will not suffer from hunger or need any forms of cultivation as the world will be peaceful, but due to Ketumati's merits, all of its people will have safety, as those who inhabit it will be virtuous. The other kingdoms in Jambudvipa will be pleasant at this time as well and their men and women will bathe in ponds with banks of white sand. Ketumati's streets will be clean and there will be storied buildings and
pavilion
In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings:
* It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...
s above them. Their doors and windows will be made out of different types of jewels, covered by pearl nets. Outside Ketumati there will be a strong
Dragon King
The Dragon King, also known as the Dragon God, is a Chinese water and weather god. He is regarded as the dispenser of rain, commanding over all bodies of water. He is the collective personification of the ancient concept of the '' lóng'' in C ...
named Duo-luo-shi-qi, whose palace is located in a nearby pond. He used to shower at midnight, but after reaching Ketumati, he no longer needed to, as filth had disappeared. The ground of Ketumati will be composed of gold, with pillars made of pearl, which were granted to the people of Ketumati due to their good deeds, all of whom will be benevolent. In the ponds, gardens and groves of Ketumati the water will be pure, covered by blue, red, white, purple and multicolored lotus flowers. On the four sides of the ponds there are steps composed of four types of jewels. All types of birds will come to these ponds. Fruit trees and fragrant trees will cover the countryside of Ketumati, receiving rain timely. The citizens of Ketumati will not worry about calamities such as flooding, thievery, fires, wars, poison, old age or famine because at this time the world will be in a state of peace.
Disambiguations
* Ketumati is a river in India, that flows in between Vipula and the mount Nalika on the north of the stream.
* Ketumati (the
Pali
Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...
name for the Burmese city of
Taungoo
Taungoo (, ''Tauñngu myoú''; ; also spelled Toungoo) is a district-level city in the Bago Region of Myanmar, 220 km from Yangon, towards the north-eastern end of the division, with mountain ranges to the east and west. The main industry ...
) was the capital of the Jeyyavaddhana country, founded by king Mahasirijeyyasura around 1510 AD.
References
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Further reading
Ketumati (Buddhist legendary place)
Buddhist eschatology
Maitreya
Mythical utopias
Varanasi
Fictional kingdoms