The disciples of Buddha included both the monks as well as the lay followers. His simple religious principles had won over the hearts of many people and they followed the way shown by him. A disciple literally means a `hearer` in Pali. In Buddhist canon the word Sravaka is also being used. Most of the early disciples of Buddha achieved enlightenment and at a later stage they successfully attained nirvana. There are two chief disciples of Buddha. They are Sariputra and Mahamogallana. Besides them there were many great disciples and numerous lay followers.

Sariputta: Hailed as one of the chief disciples of Buddha, Sariputta attained arahantship in merely two weeks. Buddha called him the `General of Dhamma` because of his belief in the faith and the zeal with which he propagated it. He is also believed to be the exponent of Abhidhamma. Sariputta was a close friend of Mahamogallana.

Mahamoggallana: The other chief disciple of Buddha. He is believed to supernatural powers and knew tantras. Although Buddha discouraged the practice of tantra he never discouraged Mahamoggallana. He used his tantric powers to preach Dhamma. In the Mahayana tradition the Ulambana festival is devoted to him.

Mahakasyapa: Born as a Brahmin, Mahakasyapa became a devout Buddhist and went on to become one of the greatest disciples of Buddha. He presided over the First Buddhist Council and is considered a peer of Ananda. He is often seen standing beside Buddha along with Ananda. He is also the one who would hand over the robe of Buddha and his bowl to the Maitreya.

Ananda: He is the Chief Attendant of Buddha. However he was more popularly seen as the greatest of all disciples. He was also the cousin of Buddha. He had a fantastic memory and as a result he could recite fluently most of the suttas. Ananda was Buddha`s cousin and was often hailed as the Guardian of Dhamma.

Aniruddha: Anuruddha or Aniruddha was also a cousin of Buddha. He is seen considered as a loyal and affectionate Bhikku who served Gautama Buddha with complete division. It is said that he gained enlightenment and divine vision. He is one of the five chief disciples of Buddha. In the Jatakas tales Anuruddha is the person who describes the previous incarnations of Buddha.

Purna: He became one of the chief disciples of Buddha because of his dedication. He was one of the greatest orators in Buddhist history. As a result he could easily deliver Buddhist sermons among the common people. He was thus one of the greatest arahants and he attained nirvana too.

Upali: He was the royal barber who successfully passed all the stages of jhana and was ordained by Buddha even before the princes. Upali`s joining the Buddha marga is of great importance as he belonged to a lower caste. However after ordination he became an arahant and preached the Buddhist principles.

Devadatta: He was the brother-in-law of Gautama Buddha and an evil monk. He always searched for an opportunity to kill Buddha. For his atrocious crimes he had to suffer a painful death.