He was the son of a brahmin of Sāvatthi. When he came of age, he left the world, seeking “the Deathless,” and became a wanderer (paribbājaka). One day, on his travels, he came to the place where the Buddha was teaching and entered the Order, but because of the impurity of his morals he could not win his goal. Seeing other bhikkhus who had achieved their object, he asked the Buddha for a lesson in brief. The Buddha gave him a short lesson, which he used for his meditations. During these meditations he fell ill, but in his anxiety he put forth every effort and became an Arahant (Thag.v.30; ThagA.i.89 f).

In the time of Siddhattha Buddha he was a crocodile in the river Candabhāgā. One day, seeing the Buddha’s desire to cross to the other bank, the crocodile offered him its back to sit on and took him across.

Seven times he was king of the devas, and three times ruler of men (Ap.i.79-80). This Uttiya is evidently identical with the thera of the same name mentioned in the Saṃyuttanikāya. In one sutta (S.v.22) the Buddha explains to him, in answer to his question, the character of the five sensual elements and the necessity for their abandonment. Elsewhere (S.v.166) he is represented as asking the Buddha for a lesson in brief, which the Buddha gives him. Dwelling in solitude, he meditates on this and becomes an Arahant.

Perhaps he is also identical with Uttiya Paribbājaka, who is represented in the Aṅguttaranikāya (A.v.193 ff) as asking the Buddha various questions on the duration of the world, etc., and as being helped by Ānanda to understand the real import of the Buddha’s answers.