Trapusa and Bahalika

Summary

Trapusa and Bahalika are traditionally regarded as the first disciples of the Buddha. The first account of Trapusa and Bahalika appears in the Vinaya section of the Tripiṭaka where they offer the Buddha his first meal after enlightenment, take refuge in the Dharma, and become the Buddha's first disciples. According to the Pali canon, they were caravan drivers from Puṣkalāvatī, in ukkalapada on way to Uttarapatha. Alternatively, they have been said to have come from Orissa or from Burma, i.e. modern Myanmar. Xuanzang (玄奘) says that Buddhism was brought to Central Asia by Trapusa and Bahalika.