Vaishālī ［毘舎離］ (; Pali Vesālī;  Bishari): The capital city of the Licchavi tribe, a tribe belonging to the Vriji confederacy, one of the sixteen great states of ancient India. Vaishālī was one of the six major cities among the sixteen great states and prospered as a center of commerce. Shakyamuni Buddha visited the city on many occasions to preach, staying at Great Forest Monastery and elsewhere. Among the Buddha’s followers in Vaishālī was Ambapālī, a courtesan who donated a forest of mango trees to the Buddha. The lay believer Vimalakīrti also lived there. Toward the end of his life, Shakyamuni visited Vaishālī and spent his last rainy season nearby. The Second Buddhist Council was held in Vaishālī about a century after the Buddha’s death, and tradition has it that King Ashoka erected a stone pillar in Vaishālī in memory of the Buddha’s visit there. Vaishālī is also known as the birthplace of Mahāvīra, the founder of Jainism. Vaishālī is thought to have been located at present-day Basarh in northwestern Bihar state.