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 |
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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]
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[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)