The Magadha empire was established very likely by semi-mythical king Jarasandha who was, as it stated in the Puranas, a son of Brihadratha, one of the descendants of eponymical Puru. Jarasandha appears in the Mahabharatha as the "Magadhan Emperor who rules all India" and meets with an unceremonious ending. His descendants, according to the Vayu Purana, ruled Magadha for 1000 years followed by the Pradyota dynasty which ruled for 138 years. However, no sufficient evidence to prove the historicity of this claim. However, these rulers are mentioned in the Hindu texts, Buddhist texts and Jaina texts.
King Bimbisara, also known as King Shrenik, ruled this kingdom from 543-491 BC and belonged to the Hariyanka dynasty.
| Outline of South Asian history History of Indian subcontinent |
|---|
Kings in the Vayu Purana[edit]
The list of legendary kings of Magadha according to the Vayu Purana are as follows
| Reign of Magadhan Kings (Pradyota Dynasty) | ||||||||||||
| Emperor | Reign start (According to Modern Historians)[citation needed] | Reign end (According to Modern Historians)[citation needed] | Reign start (According to Aryabhata)[citation needed] | Reign end (According to Aryabhata)[citation needed] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pradyota | 779 BC | 776 BC | 2122 BC | 2119 BC | ||||||||
| Palaka | 776 BC | 752 BC | 2119 BC | 2085 BC | ||||||||
| Visakhayupa | 752 BC | 702 BC | 2085 BC | 2035 BC | ||||||||
| Janaka | 702 BC | 681 BC | 2035 BC | 2014 BC | ||||||||
| Nandivardhdhana | 681 BC | 661 BC | 2014 BC | 1994 BC | ||||||||
Kings in the Matsya Purana[edit]
| Reign of Magadhan Kings (Pradyota Dynasty) | ||||||||||||
| Emperor | Reign start (According to Modern Historians)[citation needed] | Reign end (According to Modern Historians)[citation needed] | Reign start (According to Aryabhata)[citation needed] | Reign end (According to Aryabhata)[citation needed] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pradyota | 832 BC | 809 BC | 2122 BC | 2119 BC | ||||||||
| Palaka | 809 BC | 781 BC | 2119 BC | 2085 BC | ||||||||
| Visakhayupa | 781 BC | 728 BC | 2094 BC | 2041 BC | ||||||||
| Suryaka | 708 BC | 687 BC | 2041 BC | 2020 BC | ||||||||
| Nandivardhdhana | 687 BC | 667 BC | 2020 BC | 2000 BC | ||||||||
| Preceded by None | Magadha dynasties | Succeeded by Pradyota dynasty |
The Haryanka dynasty was the second ruling dynasty of Magadha, an ancient kingdom in India, which succeeded the Barhadratha dynasty. The reign of this dynasty probably began in 684 BCE. Initially, the capital was Rajagriha. Later, it was shifted to Pataliputra, near the present day Patna in India. This dynasty was succeeded by the Shishunaga dynasty.
The Shishunaga dynasty is believed to have been the third ruling dynasty of Magadha, a kingdom in ancient India. But according to the Puranas, this dynasty is the second ruling dynasty of Magadha, which succeeded the Barhadratha dynasty.[1]
Shishunaga, the founder of this dynasty was initially an amatya (minister) of the last Haryanka dynasty ruler Nagadasaka and ascended to the thone after a popular rebellion in c. 413 BCE.[2] The capital of this dynasty initially was Rajagriha, but later shifted to Pataliputra, near the present day Patna during the reign of Kakavarna. According to tradition, Kakavarna was succeeded by his ten sons.[3] This dynasty was succeeded by the Nanda dynasty in c.345 BCE.[4]
Contents
[hide]Shishunaga[edit]
Main article: Shishunaga
Shishunaga (also called King Sisunaka) was the founder of this dynasty, known as the Shishunaga or Shaishunaga dynasty. He established the Magadha empire in 413 BCE. This empire, with its original capital in Rajgriha, later shifted to Pataliputra (both currently in the Indian state of Bihar). Buddhist sources also indicate that he had a secondary capital at Vaishali,[5] formerly the capital of the Vajji mahajanapada, until it was conquered by Magadha. The Shishunaga dynasty in its time was the rulers of one of the largest empires of the Indian subcontinent.
Kakavarna Kalashoka[edit]
According to the Puranas, Shishunaga was succeeded by his son Kakavarna and according to the Sinhala chronicles by his son Kalashoka. On the basis of the evidence of the Ashokavadana, Hermann Jacobi, Wilhelm Geiger and Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar concluded that both are same. During Shishunaga's reign, he was the governor of Varanasi. Two most significant events of his reign are the Second Buddhist council at Vaishaliin 383BC and the final transfer of capital to Pataliputra.[6] According to the Harshacharita, he was killed by a dagger thrust in to his throat in the vicinity of his capital.[7]
Later rulers[edit]
According to tradition, ten sons of Kalashoka ruled simultaneously. The Mahabodhivamsa states their names as Bhadrasena, Korandavarna, Mangura, Sarvanjaha, Jalika, Ubhaka, Sanjaya, Koravya, Nandivardhana and Panchamaka. Only one of them mentioned in the Puranic lists, Nandivardhana.[3]Nandivardhana or Mahanandin was probably the last ruler of this dynasty, his empire was inherited by his illegitimate son Mahapadma Nanda.
Shishunaga dynasty rulers[edit]
- Shishunaga (413–395 BCE)
- Kakavarna Kalashoka (395–367 BCE)
- Mahanandin (367–345 BCE)
Notes[edit]
- ^ Raychaudhuri 1972, p. 103
- ^ Raychaudhuri 1972, pp. 193,201
- ^ a b Raychaudhuri 1972, p. 196
- ^ Raychaudhuri 1972, p. 201
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC&pg=PA272
- ^ Raychaudhuri 1972, pp. 195–6
- ^ Mahajan 1960, reprint 2007, p. 251
Contents
[hide]This dynasty rather than Shishunaga was the second in Magadha[edit]
According to ancient Hindu texts (the Puranas), the second ruling dynasty was the Shishunaga dynasty, but an earlier authority, Ashvagosha in hisBuddhacharita refers to Bimbisara, who is mentioned as a ruler of the Shaishunaga dynasty in the Puranas, as a scion of the Haryanka-kula.[1] According to another Buddhist text, the Mahavamsa, Bimbisara was not the founder of this dynasty, as he was anointed king by his father at the age of fifteen.[2] According toGeorge Turnour and N.L. Dey, the name of the father of Bimbisara was Bhatiya or Bhattiya, but the Puranas refer him as Hemajit, Kshemajit, Kshetroja or Ksetrauja and the Tibetan texts mention him as Mahapadma.[3]
Bimbisara[edit]
Main article: Bimbisara
The Haryanka king Bimbisara was responsible for expanding the boundaries of his kingdom through matrimonial alliances and conquest. The land of Kosala fell to Magadha in this way. He is referred to as King Shrenik in Jain scriptures.
Estimates place the territory ruled by this early dynasty at 300 leagues in diameter, and encompassing 80,000 small settlements.
Bimbsara was contemporary of Lord Mahavir and devout follower of Buddha. He remained a devout devotee and follower of Buddha throughout his life. Career King Bimbisara, depicted in Burmese art, offering his kingdom to the Buddha.
According to Buddhist scriptures, King Bimbisara met the Buddha for the first time prior to the Buddha's enlightenment, and later became an important disciple that featured prominently in certain Buddhist suttas. He is recorded to have attained sotapannahood, a degree of enlightenment in Buddhist teachings.
Jain scriptures, on the other hand, described King Bimbisara as a disciple of Mahavira who frequently sought his teachings. As per Jain texts, he is referred to as King Shrenika of Rajgriha (being the possessor of a large army). Bimbisara sent Jivaka to Ujjain for medical treatment of King Pradyata, the king of Avanti. He was Baldev in a previous life. Per scriptures, this soul is to become the first tirthankara of the next cycle. Marriage alliances Family tree showing Mahavira's relation to King Bimbisara
Bimbisara used marriage alliances to strengthen his position. His first wife was Kosala Devi, the daughter of Mahā Kosala the king of Kosala, and a sister of Prasenjit. His bride brought him Kashi, which was then a mere village, as dowry.[5] This marriage also ended the hostility between Magadha and Kosala and gave him a free hand in dealing with the other states. Bimbisara's second wife, Chellana, was a Lichchhavi princess from Vaishali. As per Indologist Hermann Jacobi, Mahavira (Vardhamana) was related to Queen Chellana who was daughter of King Chetaka, Mahaviras uncle. Bimbisara's third wife, Kshema, was a daughter of the chief of the Madra clan of Punjab.
Tradition tells us that Bimbisara was imprisoned by his son Ajatashatru who is said to have executed him; but he then realized what he had done and tried to reverse the orders but it was too late. This is reported to have taken place around 491 BC.
Ajatashatru[edit]
Main article: Ajatashatru
In some sources, Bimbisara was imprisoned and killed by his son and successor, Ajatasattu (or Ajatashatru), under whose rule the dynasty reached its largest extent.
Vaishali, ruled by the Licchavis, went to war with the kingdom of Magadha at some point, due to a border dispute involving gem mines.
He is thought to have ruled from 492 to 460 BC. Due to his expanding strategy, he incorporated kashi and vajji into his kingdom. Lord Buddha got nirvan in his eighth year of his rule[citation needed]. He built a stupa in Rajgirha on the Ashes of Lord Buddha. First Bodh sangati was held during his rule in Rajgirh in which Bodh education was scripted in two books named sutpatika and vinyapatika. He ruled 28 years according to Purana and according to Bodh he ruled 32 years. Udayin killed him and became the king of magadha.
Udayabhadra[edit]
The Mahavamsa text tells that Udayabhadra eventually succeeded his father, Ajatashatru, moving the capital of the Magadha kingdom to Pataliputra, which under the later Mauryan dynasty, would become the largest city in the world.
He is believed to have ruled for sixteen years.
Later rulers[edit]
The kingdom had a particularly bloody succession. Anuruddha eventually succeeded Udaybhadra through assassination, and his son Munda succeeded him in the same fashion, as did his son Nagadasaka.
Due in part to this bloody dynastic feuding, it is thought that a civil revolt led to the emergence of the Shishunaga dynasty.
Pradyota dynasty is an ancient Indian dynasty, which ruled over Avanti in the present-day Madhya Pradesh state, though most of the Puranas (except a manuscript of the Brahmanda Purana, preserved in the University of Dhaka) say that this dynasty succeeded the Barhadratha dynasty in Magadha.[1] According to the Vayu Purana, Pradyotas of Avanti annexed Magadha and ruled there for 138 years from 799–684 BCE. Palaka, the son of the Avanti king Pradyota, conquered Kaushambi, making the kingdom powerful.
According to both Buddhist texts and Jain texts, one of Pradyota tradition was that king's son would kill his father to become the successor. During their time, it is reported that crimes were commonplace in Magadha. Tired of the dynastic feuds and the crimes, the people of Magadha rose up in civil revolt and elected Haryanka to become the king in 684 BCE. This led to the emergence of the Haryanka dynastyin Magadha.
However, Pradyota dynasty continued to rule in Avanti until it was conquered by Shishunaga who defeated the last Pradyota king Nandivardhana and also destroyed the Haryanka dynasty of Magadha in 413 BCE.
Pradyota dynasty rulers[edit]
- Pradyota Mahasena
- Palaka
- Visakhayupa
- Ajaka or Aryaka
- Varttivarddhana or Nandivardhana
The Haryanka dynasty was the second ruling dynasty of Magadha, an ancient kingdom in India, which succeeded the Barhadratha dynasty. The reign of this dynasty probably began in 684 BCE. Initially, the capital was Rajagriha. Later, it was shifted to Pataliputra, near the present day Patna in India. This dynasty was succeeded by the Shishunaga dynasty.
Contents
[hide]This dynasty rather than Shishunaga was the second in Magadha[edit]
According to ancient Hindu texts (the Puranas), the second ruling dynasty was the Shishunaga dynasty, but an earlier authority, Ashvagosha in hisBuddhacharita refers to Bimbisara, who is mentioned as a ruler of the Shaishunaga dynasty in the Puranas, as a scion of the Haryanka-kula.[1] According to another Buddhist text, the Mahavamsa, Bimbisara was not the founder of this dynasty, as he was anointed king by his father at the age of fifteen.[2] According toGeorge Turnour and N.L. Dey, the name of the father of Bimbisara was Bhatiya or Bhattiya, but the Puranas refer him as Hemajit, Kshemajit, Kshetroja or Ksetrauja and the Tibetan texts mention him as Mahapadma.[3]
Bimbisara[edit]
Main article: Bimbisara
The Haryanka king Bimbisara was responsible for expanding the boundaries of his kingdom through matrimonial alliances and conquest. The land of Kosala fell to Magadha in this way. He is referred to as King Shrenik in Jain scriptures.
Estimates place the territory ruled by this early dynasty at 300 leagues in diameter, and encompassing 80,000 small settlements.
Bimbsara was contemporary of Lord Mahavir and devout follower of Buddha. He remained a devout devotee and follower of Buddha throughout his life. Career King Bimbisara, depicted in Burmese art, offering his kingdom to the Buddha.
According to Buddhist scriptures, King Bimbisara met the Buddha for the first time prior to the Buddha's enlightenment, and later became an important disciple that featured prominently in certain Buddhist suttas. He is recorded to have attained sotapannahood, a degree of enlightenment in Buddhist teachings.
Jain scriptures, on the other hand, described King Bimbisara as a disciple of Mahavira who frequently sought his teachings. As per Jain texts, he is referred to as King Shrenika of Rajgriha (being the possessor of a large army). Bimbisara sent Jivaka to Ujjain for medical treatment of King Pradyata, the king of Avanti. He was Baldev in a previous life. Per scriptures, this soul is to become the first tirthankara of the next cycle. Marriage alliances Family tree showing Mahavira's relation to King Bimbisara
Bimbisara used marriage alliances to strengthen his position. His first wife was Kosala Devi, the daughter of Mahā Kosala the king of Kosala, and a sister of Prasenjit. His bride brought him Kashi, which was then a mere village, as dowry.[5] This marriage also ended the hostility between Magadha and Kosala and gave him a free hand in dealing with the other states. Bimbisara's second wife, Chellana, was a Lichchhavi princess from Vaishali. As per Indologist Hermann Jacobi, Mahavira (Vardhamana) was related to Queen Chellana who was daughter of King Chetaka, Mahaviras uncle. Bimbisara's third wife, Kshema, was a daughter of the chief of the Madra clan of Punjab.
Tradition tells us that Bimbisara was imprisoned by his son Ajatashatru who is said to have executed him; but he then realized what he had done and tried to reverse the orders but it was too late. This is reported to have taken place around 491 BC.
Ajatashatru[edit]
Main article: Ajatashatru
In some sources, Bimbisara was imprisoned and killed by his son and successor, Ajatasattu (or Ajatashatru), under whose rule the dynasty reached its largest extent.
Vaishali, ruled by the Licchavis, went to war with the kingdom of Magadha at some point, due to a border dispute involving gem mines.
He is thought to have ruled from 492 to 460 BC. Due to his expanding strategy, he incorporated kashi and vajji into his kingdom. Lord Buddha got nirvan in his eighth year of his rule[citation needed]. He built a stupa in Rajgirha on the Ashes of Lord Buddha. First Bodh sangati was held during his rule in Rajgirh in which Bodh education was scripted in two books named sutpatika and vinyapatika. He ruled 28 years according to Purana and according to Bodh he ruled 32 years. Udayin killed him and became the king of magadha.
Udayabhadra[edit]
The Mahavamsa text tells that Udayabhadra eventually succeeded his father, Ajatashatru, moving the capital of the Magadha kingdom to Pataliputra, which under the later Mauryan dynasty, would become the largest city in the world.
He is believed to have ruled for sixteen years.
Later rulers[edit]
The kingdom had a particularly bloody succession. Anuruddha eventually succeeded Udaybhadra through assassination, and his son Munda succeeded him in the same fashion, as did his son Nagadasaka.
Due in part to this bloody dynastic feuding, it is thought that a civil revolt led to the emergence of the Shishunaga dynasty.
The Janapadas (Sanskrit: जनपद pronounced [dʒənəpəd̪ə]) were the major realms republics or kingdoms of Vedic (Iron Age) India from about 1200 BC to the 6th century BC, which were then divided into the sixteen classical Mahajanapadas.
The term janapada is a tatpurusha} compound term, composed of janas "people" or "subject" (cf. Latin cognate genus, English cognate kin) and pada "foot" (cf. Latin cognate pedis).[1][2] From its earliest attestation, the word has had a double meaning of "realm, territory" and "subject population". A janapadin is the ruler of a janapada. Janapada's were the earliest gathering places of men, merchants, artisans and craftsmen akin to marketplace or town surrounded by hamlets and villages.
Linguist George Dunkel compares the Greek andrapodon "slave", to PIE *pédom "fetters" (i.e. "what is attached to the feet"). Sanskrit padám, usually taken to mean "footprint, trail", diverges in accent from the PIE reconstruction. For the sense of "population of the land", padasya janas, the inverted padajana would be expected. A primary meaning of "place of the people", janasya padam, would not explain why the compound is of masculine gender. An original dvandva "land and people" is conceivable, but a dual inflection would be expected.[3]
Contents
[hide]Lists[edit]
Ancient Sanskrit texts like Ashtadhyayi (IV.4.168-175), Ramayana (IV/41-43), Mahabharata (VII/11/16-17; VIII/8/18-20)) and numerous Puranas (Bhuvanakosa list of countries) refer to many Janapadas of ancient times.
Pāṇini's Ashtadhyayi furnishes a list of fifteen Kshatriya monarchical Janapadas, viz., Salveya, Gandhari, Magadha, Kalinga, Surasena, Kosala, Ajada, Kuru, Salva, Pratyagratha, Kalakuta, Ashmaka,Kamboja, Avanti and Kunti. Besides, there were those following the republican constitutions.
In context of Krsna digvijay, the Mahabharata furnishes a key list of twenty-five ancient Janapadas, viz., Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Magadha, Kasi, Kosala, Vatsa, Garga, Karusha, Pundra, Avanti, Dakshinatya, Parvartaka, Dasherka, Kashmira, Ursa, Pishacha, Mudgala, Kamboja, Vatadhana, Chola, Pandya, Trigarta, Malava, and Darada (MBH 7/11/15-17). Besides, there were the Janapadas of Kurus andPanchalas also.
Ramayana (an earlier list) includes Janapadas of Andhras, Pundras, Cholas, Pandyas, Keralas, Mekhalas, Utkalas, Dasharnas, Abravantis, Avantis, Vidarbhas, Mlecchas, Pulindas, Surasenas, Prasthalas, Bharatas, Kurus, Madrakas, Kambojas, Daradas, Kiratas, Tangana, Yavanas, Sakas (from Saka-dvipa) Chinas, Maha-Chinas, Niharas etc.
The Bhuvanakosa Section of numerous Puranas divides the ancient Indian subcontinent into (1) the Dakshinapatha (Southern India), (2) the Madhyadesa (Mid India), (3) the Prachya (Eastern India), (4) the Aparanta (Western India), (5) the Udichya or north/north-west division, (6) the Vindyavasins, and (7) the Parvatashrayins, and in the detailed list of countries, it refers to many Janapadas of ancient times (See: Kirfel's list of the countries of Bhuvanakosha)
By about the sixth century BCE, many of these Janapadas further evolved into larger political entities by the process of merger and land grabbing which eventually led to the formation of bigger kingdoms known in Buddhist texts as the Mahajanapadas or the great nations (a karmadharaya of maha "great" and janapada "country").
Later Developments[edit]
The Thai language uses the derivative term ชนบท (chon-ná-bòt) to mean "countryside," or "the rural areas of Thailand."[4]
Kings of Magadha[edit]
Haryanka dynasty (c. 600 – 413 BC)[edit]
- Bhattiya or
- Bimbisara (543–491 BC)
- Ajatashatru (491–460 BC)
- Udayabhadra
- Anuruddha
- Munda
- Nagadasaka
Shishunaga dynasty (413–345 BC)[edit]
- Shishunaga (413–395 BC)
- Kakavarna Kalashoka (395–367 BC)
- Mahanandin (367–345 BC)
Nanda Dynasty (345–321 BCE)[edit]
- Mahapadma Nanda Ugrasena (from 345 BC), illegitimate son of Mahanandin, founded the Nanda Empire after inheriting Mahanandin's empire
- Pandhuka
- Panghupati
- Bhutapala
- Rashtrapala
- Govishanaka
- Dashasidkhaka
- Kaivarta
- Dhana Nanda (Agrammes, Xandrammes) (until 321 BC), overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya
Maurya Dynasty (324–184 BC)[edit]
- Chandragupta Maurya (Sandrakottos) (324–301 BC), the greatest emperor of ancient India, founded the Mauryan Empire after defeating both the Nanda Empire and the Macedonian Seleucid Empire
- Bindusara or Amritrochates (301–273 BC)
- Ashoka Vardhana (Ashoka the Great) (273–232 BC), considered the greatest ancient Indian emperor, first emperor to unify India (after conquering most of South Asia and Afghanistan), adoptBuddhism, grant animal rights and promote non-violence, a secular administrator,often called the emperor of all ages.
- Dasaratha (232–224 BC)
- Samprati (224–215 BC)
- Salisuka (215–202 BC)
- Devavarman (202–195 BC)
- Satadhanvan (195–187 BC), the Mauryan Empire had shrunk by the time of his reign
- Brihadrata (187–184 BC), assassinated by Pushyamitra Shunga
Shunga Dynasty (185–73 BC)[edit]
- Pushyamitra Shunga (185–149 BC), founded the dynasty after assassinating Brihadrata
- Agnimitra (149–141 BC), son and successor of Pushyamitra
- Vasujyeshtha (141–131 BC)
- Vasumitra (131–124 BC)
- Andhraka (124–122 BC)
- Pulindaka (122–119 BC)
- Ghosha
- Vajramitra
- Bhagabhadra, mentioned by the Puranas
- Devabhuti (83–73 BC), last Sunga king
Kanva Dynasty (73–26 BC)[edit]
- Vasudeva (c. 73 – c. 66 BCE)
- Bhumimitra (c. 66 – c. 52 BCE)
- Narayana (c. 52 – c. 40 BCE)
- Susarman (c. 40 – c. 26 BCE)
Gupta Dynasty (c. AD 240–550)[edit]
- Sri-Gupta I (c. 240–290)
- Ghatotkacha (290–305)
- Chandra Gupta I (305–335), founder of the Gupta Empire, which is often regarded as the golden age of Indian culture
- Samudra Gupta (335–370)
- Rama Gupta (370–375)
- Chandra Gupta II (Chandragupta Vikramaditya) (375–415), son of Samudra Gupta, the Gupta Empire achieved its zenith under his reign, the Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hsien describes Indian culture during his reign
- Kumara Gupta I (415–455)
- Skanda Gupta (455–467)
- Kumara Gupta II (467–477)
- Buddha Gupta (477–496)
- Chandra Gupta III (496–500)
- Vainya Gupta (500–515)
- Narasimha Gupta (510–530)
- Kumara Gupta III (530–540)
- Vishnu Gupta (c. 540–550)
| Bimbisara | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of the Magadha Empire | |
Bimbisara welcomes the Buddha
| |
| Reign | 543–491 BCE |
| Successor | Ajatasatru |
| Spouse | Kosala Devi Chellana Kshema |
| Issue | Ajatasatru |
| House | Haryanka dynasty |
| Born | 558 BCE |
| Died | 491 BCE |
| Religion | Buddhism/Jainism |
Bimbisara (558 BC –491 BC)[1][2] was a King, and later, Emperor of the Magadha empire from 542 BC till 492 BC[3] and belonged to the Haryanka dynasty.[4]His expansion of the kingdom, especially his annexation of the kingdom of Anga to the east, is considered to have laid the foundations for the later expansion of the Maurya Empire.[5]
He is also known for his cultural achievements and was a great friend and protector of the Buddha. Bimbisara built the city of Rajagriha, famous in Buddhist writings. He was succeeded on the throne by his son Ajatashatru.[5]
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[hide]Career[edit]
According to Buddhist scriptures, King Bimbisara met the Buddha for the first time prior to the Buddha's enlightenment, and later became an important disciple that featured prominently in certain Buddhist suttas. He is recorded to have attained sotapannahood, a degree of enlightenment in Buddhist teachings.
Jain scriptures, on the other hand, described Bimbisara as a disciple of Mahavira who frequently sought his teachings. As per Jain texts, he is referred to as King Shrenika of Rajgriha (being the possessor of a large army). Bimbisara sent Jivaka to Ujjain for medical treatment of King Pradyota, the king of Avanti. He was Baldev in a previous life. Per scriptures, this soul is to become the first tirthankara of the next cycle.
Marriage alliances[edit]
Bimbisara used marriage alliances to strengthen his position. His first wife was Kosala Devi, the daughter of Mahā Kosala the king of Kosala, and a sister ofPrasenjit. His bride brought him Kashi, which was then a mere village, as dowry.[6] This marriage also ended the hostility between Magadha and Kosala and gave him a free hand in dealing with the other states. Bimbisara's second wife, Chellana, was a Lichchhavi princess from Vaishali.[7] As per Indologist Hermann Jacobi, Mahavira (Vardhamana) was related to Queen Chellana who was daughter of King Chetaka, Mahavira's uncle. Bimbisara's third wife, Kshema, was a daughter of the chief of the Madra clan of Punjab.[8]
Although Bimbisara let the women in his palace visit Buddha in his monastery in the evenings; the women wanted a hair and nail stupa they could use to venerate the Buddha any time. After Bimbisara spoke with Buddha who complied with their request.[9]
Death[edit]
Tradition tells us that Bimbisara was imprisoned by his son Ajatashatru to ascend the throne of the kingdom Magadha;[10] but he then realized and at a later time he had ordered to release, after birth of Ajatashatru's first child, but it was too late Bimbisara had already died. This was reported to have taken place around 491 BC.[4]
See also[edit]
- Parikshit and Janamejaya
Notes[edit]
- ^ Rawlinson, Hugh George. (1950) A Concise History of the Indian People, Oxford University Press. p. 46.
- ^ Muller, F. Max. (2001) The Dhammapada And Sutta-nipata, Routledge (UK). p. xlvii. ISBN 0-7007-1548-7.
- ^ Indian History -APC - APC Publishers, India
- ^ a b Stearns, Peter N. (2001) The Encyclopedia of World History, Houghton Mifflin. pp. 76-78. ISBN 0-395-65237-5.
- ^ a b "Bimbisara". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
- ^ Eck, Diana. (1998) Banaras, Columbia University Press. p. 45. ISBN 0-231-11447-8.
- ^ Luniya, Bhanwarlal Nathuram. (1967) Evolution of Indian Culture, Lakshmi Narain Agarwal. p. 114.
- ^ Krishna, Narendra. (1944) History of India, A. Mukherjee & bros. p. 90.
- ^ John S. Strong (2007). Relics of the Buddha. p. 72.
- ^ Devadatta#Amit.C4.81yurdhy.C4.81na S.C5.ABtra
References[edit]
- G. P. Singh, "Early Indian Historical Tradition and Archaeology"; page 164
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by None | Emperor of Magadha 543–491 BCE | Succeeded by Ajatashatru |