According to Buddhist tradition, Anathapindika donated Jetavana to the Buddha’s community.
Anathapindika was a wealthy merchant and a major lay supporter of Gautama Buddha. Buddhist texts say he purchased Prince Jeta’s park near the city of Shravasti by covering the ground with gold coins. He then established a monastery there for the Buddha and the sangha.
Jetavana became one of the most important residences associated with the Buddha’s teaching career. Traditional accounts say that he spent many rainy seasons there and delivered a large number of discourses at the site.
The story illustrates the close relationship between lay donors and Buddhist monastic communities. Jetavana is not the same as Nalanda or Vikramashila, which became major Buddhist learning centers in later centuries. Its importance comes especially from its association with the historical Buddha and early Buddhist literature.