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King of Uttarakuru.
- His royal residence
is Ālakamandā and his citadel Visāna.
- His messengers are Tatolā, Tattolā,
Tatotalā, Ojasi, Tejasi, Tatojasi, Sūra, Rāja, Arittha and Nemi.
- His lotus-lake
is called Dharanī.
- His sons are all called Inda (D.iii.201f).
- He rules over the northern clime and is lord of the Yakkhas, with a
splendid retinue (D.ii.257).
- He is a follower of the Buddha (Sn.v.379).
See Vessavana.
He was once a brahmin called Kuvera and
owned a sugar-cane farm, where he worked seven mills. The produce of one mill he
gave in charity, and when his profits increased he gave alms for twenty thousand
years. After death he was born as one of the
Cātummakārājika-devas (DA.iii.966;
SnA.i.369f).
In literature the name Kuvera signifies
the god of wealth, and his city, Ālakamandā, is said to embody all prosperity
(E.g., Cv.xxxvii.106; xxxix.5; lxxx.5).
He had nine treasures (Cv.lxxxvii.31;
see Hopkins' Epic Mythology, 142f).
The Yakkha Punnaka calls himself the
minister of Kuvera (J.vi.307, 325).
Kuvera is
mentioned in a list of those who reached heaven through generosity (J.vi.201).

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