A cave in Rājagaha, on the slope of Mount
Vebhāra. Once,
when the Buddha was staying there, he gave to Ananda the opportunity of asking
him to live for an eon, but Ananda, because of his un-mindfulness, failed to
take it (D.ii.116).
The cave was sometimes used as a residence for monks coming
from afar (E.g., Vin.ii.76; iii.159).
According to the Commentaries and the
Chronicle the First Council was held in a hall erected by
Ajātasattu outside the Sattapanniguhā.
S. i.9;
Sp.i.10;
Mhv.iii.19;
Dpv. iv.14; v.5;
ThagA.i.351;
This First Buddhist Council took place at the Sattapanni Rock Cave in
Rajagaha now Rajgir, India. 3 months after the Buddha's final Nibbana,
500 Arahants met here to recite the Dhamma and the Vinaya so that it could
be passed on to future generations exactly as spoken by the historical
Buddha Gotama and his disciples. This council was headed by Mahakassapa
Thera and it lasted 7 months. It established the original authentic
Tipitaka:
The 3 Baskets of Sacred Text = The Pali Canon:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/index.html
VIDEO: http://youtu.be/vNLtLcslKNQ

This crucial 1st council is described in detail in
the Mahavamsa:
The Great Chronicle of Ceylon pp: 14-19
http://what-buddha-said.net/library/pdfs/mahavamsa.geiger.pdf

Other links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Buddhist_council
http://dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=The_Sattapanni_Cave
http://what-buddha-said.net/drops/III/Nikini_Poya_Day.htm
http://dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=First_Buddhist_council
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/sa/sattapanniguha.htm
