Person

Mahakaccana

c. 5th century BCE · 5th century BCE · Also known as Mahakatyayana, Maha Kaccana

Mahakaccana was one of the leading disciples of the Buddha, praised in the Pali texts as foremost in explaining briefly stated teachings in detail. A native of Ujjain, he is said to have spread Buddhism in Avanti, and in the Madhura Sutta he teaches King Avantiputra of Surasena that caste confers no spiritual superiority. Later tradition linked him with the Abhidharma.

Mahakaccana
Image: Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Kingdom of AvantiSurasena

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Mahakaccana. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mahakaccana
MLA
“Mahakaccana.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mahakaccana. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Mahakaccana.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mahakaccana.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Mahakaccana’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mahakaccana (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻