1. Uttará.-A therí. She was born in Kapilavatthu in a Sákyan family. She became a lady of the Bodhisatta's court and later renounced the world with Pajápatí Gotamí. When she was developing insight, the Buddha appeared before her to encourage her and she became an arahant. Thig.v.15; ThigA.21f.
2. Uttará.-She was the daughter of a clansman's family in Sávatthi. Having heard Patácará preach, she entered the Order and became an arahant.
The Therígáthá contains seven verses uttered by her after becoming an arahant, the result of her determination not to leave the sitting posture till she had won emancipation. Later she repeated these verses to Patácárá. Thig.vv.175-81; ThigA.161-2.
3. Uttará.-In the Theragáthá two verses (Thag.vv.1020-1) are attributed to Ananda, as having been spoken by him in admonition to an upásiká named Uttará, who was filled with the idea of her own beauty. Some say, however, that these verses were spoken in admonition to those who lost their heads at the sight of Ambapáli. ThagA.ii.129.
4. Uttará Nandamátá.-Chief of the lay-women disciples who waited on the Buddha (Bu.xxvi.20). In the Anguttara Nikáya (i.26), she is described as the best of women disciples in meditative power (jháyínam), but this may refer to another Uttará. She is again mentioned (A.iv.347; AA.ii.791) in a list of eminent lay-women disciples, who observed the fast (uposatha) of the eight precepts.
According to the Anguttara Commentary (i.240ff), she was the daughter of Punnasíha (Punnaka) (q.v.), a servitor of Sumana-setthi of Rájagaha. Later, when Punnasíha was made dhana-setthi because of the immense wealth he gained by virtue of a meal given to Sáriputta, he held an almsgiving for the Buddha and his monks for seven days. On the seventh day, at the end of the Buddha's sermon of thanksgiving, Punnasíha, his wife and daughter, all became Sotápanna.
When Sumana-setthi asked for Uttará's hand for his son, his request was refused because Sumana's family did not belong to the Buddha's faith. Punna sent word to Sumana that Uttará was the Buddha's disciple and daily offered flowers to the Buddha, costing a kahápana. Later, however, when Sumana promised that Uttará should be given flowers worth two kahápanas, Punna agreed and Uttará was married. After several unsuccessful attempts to obtain her husband's permission to keep the fast, as she had done in her parents' house, she got from her father fifteen thousand kahápanas and with these she purchased the services of a prostitute named Sirimá, to look after her husband for a fortnight, and with his consent she entered on a fortnight's uposatha. On the last day of the fast, while Uttará was busy preparing alms for the Buddha, her husband, walking along with Sirimá, saw her working hard and smiled, thinking what a fool she was not to enjoy her wealth. Uttará, seeing him, smiled at the thought of his folly in not making proper use of his wealth. Sirimá, thinking that husband and wife were smiling at each other, regardless of her presence, flew into a fury and, seizing a pot of boiling oil, threw it at Uttará's head. But Uttará was at that time full of compassion for Sirimá, and the oil, therefore, did not hurt her at all. Sirimá, realising her grievous folly, begged forgiveness of Uttará, who took her to the Buddha and related the whole story, asking that he should forgive her. The Buddha preached to Sirimá and she became a Sotápanna.
The Vimánavatthu Commentary (pp.631ff; Vv.11f) and the Dhammapada Commentary (iii.302ff; see also iii.104) give the above story with several variations in detail. According to these versions, at the end of the Buddha's sermon to Sirimá, Uttará became a Sakadágámí and her husband and father-in-law Sotápannas.
After death Uttará was born in Távatimsa in a vimána. Moggallána saw her in one of his visits to Távatimsa and, having learnt her story, repeated it to the Buddha.
It is curious that Nanda is not mentioned in either account. It has been suggested (E.g., Brethren 41, n.1) that Uttará Nandamátá may be identical with Velukantakí-Nanda-mátá, but I do not think that the identification is justified. Uttará's story is given in the Visuddhi-Magga (p.313) to prove that fire cannot burn the body of a person who lives in love, and again (p.380-1; also Ps.ii.212; PsA.497), as an instance of psychic power being diffused by concentration.
5. Uttará. Wife of Punnasíha (Punnaka) and mother of Uttará (4). (VvA.63; DhA.iii.302).
For her story see Punnasíha.
6. Uttará.-Daughter of Nandaka, general of Pingala, king of Surattha (PvA.241f). For her story see Nandaka.
7. Uttará.-A little yakkhiní, sister of Punabbasu. For her story see Uttaramátá (2).
8. Uttará.-Mother of Mangala Buddha. Bu.iv.18; J.i.34.
9. Uttará.-A brahmin lady, mother of Konágamana Buddha, and also his Aggasáviká. J.i.43; D.ii.7; Bu.xxiv.17, 23.
10. Uttará. Aggasáviká of Nárada Buddha. J.i.37; Bu.x.24.
11. Uttará.-Wife of Paduma Buddha in his last lay life. Bu.ix.18.
12. Uttará.-One of the chief women supporters of Vipassí Buddha. Bu.xx.30.
13. Uttará.-Daughter of the banker Uttara. She gave a meal of milk-rice to Mangala Buddha just before his Enlightenment (BuA.116).