The Tham Vessantara-jAtaka - Khamkoo

Vessantara with his wife and children arrived at Mount GandhamAdana and spent a time
there that day. And then they set out facing to the north, they passed by the foot of
Mount Vipula and rested on the bank of the river KetumatI to eat the well cooked meat
and honey provided by a forester. After eating they presented him a golden needle, and
they took a bath and drank. Then with calmness of mind, they crossed the river and
rested there for a while at the foot of a banyan tree which stood on the top of the
mountain. Having eaten its fruit they left there and reached Mount NAlinka. They went
around it and reached the banks of the Lake Mucalinda to its north corner. From there
they entered the thick forest by footpath just wide enough for only one at a time.
Passing through that, they arrived at the square lotus pond laying at the east of the rivers
and hard territory of the mountains.
Tasmin khaBe sakkassa bhavanaM uBhA kAraM dase ti : At that moment, Sakka,
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king of gods, looked down and saw what was happening. Having a thought that at the
Great Being’s entering the HimAlaya Mountain he should have a place to live in, so he
gave order to Vissakamma to go and build a hermitage on a pleasant spot on the
mountain of Vamka. Tattha bhUmmim bhAge : Vissakamma went and built two
hermitages with two covered walks and places to live for night and day. One hermitage
was about twenty six feet long standing in the east. This was meant for the Great Being
to live and engage his ascetic practices. The other one was about thirty six feet, big and
clean standing beside the former on the south. This was meant for MaddI his wife and
their two children to live in. Alongside of the covered walks, he planted groves of
plantain with many kinds of flowers and made ready all things necessary for hermits.
And he wrote, “Should anyone wish to become a hermit, this is for him.” After driving
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