|
Ajatashatru
Ajatasattu (Pāli: ) or Ajatashatru (Sanskrit: ) in the Buddhist tradition, or Kunika () and Kuniya () in the Jain tradition (reigned c. 492 to 460 BCE, or c. 405 to 373 BCE), was one of the most important kings of the Haryanka dynasty of Magadha in East India. He was the son of King Bimbisara and was a contemporary of both Mahavira and Gautama Buddha. He forcefully took over the kingdom of Magadha from his father and imprisoned him. He fought a war against the Vajjika League, led by the Licchavis, and conquered the republic of Vaishali. The city of Pataliputra was formed by fortification of a village by Ajatashatru. Ajatashatru followed policies of conquest and expansion. He defeated his neighbouring rivals including the king of Kosala; his brothers, at odds with him, went to Kashi, which had been given to Bimbisara as dowry and led to a war between Magadha and Kosala. Ajatashatru occupied Kashi and captured the smaller kingdoms. Magadha under Ajatashatru became the mos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Udayin
Udayin (reigned -444 BCE or 373-357 BCE) also known as Udayabhadra was a king of Magadha in ancient India. According to the Buddhist and Jain accounts, he was the son and successor of the Haryanka king Ajatashatru. Udayin laid the foundation of the city of Pataliputra at the confluence of two rivers, the Son and the Ganges. He shifted his capital from Rajagriha to Pataliputra due to the latter's central location in the empire. Ancestry According to the Buddhist accounts, the successors of the Magadha ruler Bimbisara were Ajatashatru, Udayabhadra (Udayin), Anuruddha, Munda and Nagadasaka. The Jain tradition mentions Udayin as the son and successor of Ajatashatru. Kings Bimbisara (), Ajatashatru (–460 BCE), and Udayin (–440 BCE) of the Haryanka dynasty were patrons of Jainism. However, the Puranas name the successors of Bimbisara as Ajatashatru, Darshaka, Udayin, Nandivardhana and Mahanandin. The '' Matsya Purana'' names Vamsaka as the successor of Ajatashatru. Since t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was born in Lumbini, in what is now Nepal, to royal parents of the Shakya clan, but Great Renunciation, renounced his Householder (Buddhism), home life to live as a wandering ascetic. After leading a life of mendicancy, asceticism, and meditation, he attained Nirvana (Buddhism), nirvana at Bodh Gaya, Bodh Gayā in what is now India. The Buddha then wandered through the lower Indo-Gangetic Plain, teaching and building a Sangha, monastic order. Buddhist tradition holds he died in Kushinagar and reached ''parinirvana'' ("final release from conditioned existence"). According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and severe asceticism, leading to Vimutti, freedom from Avidyā (Buddhism), ignora ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haryanka Dynasty
The Haryanka dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Magadha, according to the Buddhist text Mahavamsa between 544 BC and 413 BC though some scholars favour a later chronology (5th century BCE to first half of 4th century BCE). Initially, the capital was Rajagriha. Later, it was shifted to Pataliputra, near present-day Patna in India during the reign of Udayin. Bimbisara is considered to be the founder of the dynasty. According to the Mahavamsa, Bimbisara was appointed king by his father, Bhattiya, at the age of fifteen. This dynasty was succeeded by the Shaishunaga dynasty. Governance The governance structure of Haryanka dynasty is mentioned in ancient texts. They mention ''gramakas'' (village headmen) who headed village assemblies and ''mahamatras'' (high-ranking officials) who had executive, judicial and military functions. Historically, this period coincided with the Achaemenid conquest of the Indus Valley during the rule of Darius I from about 517/516 BCE. Rulers Bimb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Princess Vajira
Vajira (also called Vajirakumari) was queen consort of Magadha as the principal consort of King Ajatashatru. She was the mother of her husband's successor, King Udayibhadra. Vajira was born a princess of the Kingdom of Kosala and was the daughter of King Pasenadi and Queen Mallika. She was also the niece of her mother-in-law, Queen Kosala Devi, the first wife and chief consort of King Bimbisara and the sister of King Pasenadi. Life Birth Vajira or Vajirakumari was born to Pasenadi's chief queen, Mallika. According to Pali tradition, her mother was a beautiful daughter of the chief garland maker of Kosala. When the princess was born, her father was apparently disappointed on hearing the child was a girl, but Buddha assured him that some women were wiser than men. Marriage The events which led to her betrothal and eventual marriage to Ajatashatru Ajatasattu (Pāli: ) or Ajatashatru (Sanskrit: ) in the Buddhist tradition, or Kunika () and Kuniya () in the Jain traditi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bimbisara
Bimbisāra (in Buddhist tradition) or Shrenika () and Seniya () in the Jain histories ( or ) was the King of Magadha (V. K. Agnihotri (ed.), ''Indian History''. Allied Publishers, New Delhi 262010p. 166f. or ) and belonged to the Haryanka dynasty.Peter N. Stearns (2001), ''The Encyclopedia of World History''. Houghton Mifflin, p. 76 ff. . He was the son of Bhattiya. 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 Mauryan Empire. According to Jain Tradition, he is said to be the first Tirthankara (''will be named as Padmanabha / Mahapadma'') out of 24th Tirthankara of the future cosmic age. He frequently visited Samavasarana of Lord Mahavira seeking answers to his queries. According to Buddhist Tradition, he is also known for his cultural achievements and was a great friend and protector of the Buddha. According to the 7th century Chinese monk Xuanzang, Bim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magadha (Mahajanapada)
Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period. The region was ruled by several dynasties, which overshadowed, conquered, and incorporated the other Mahajanapadas. Magadha played an important role in the development of Jainism and Buddhism and formed the core of the Maurya Empire (ca. 320–185 BCE). Geography The territory of the Magadha kingdom proper before its expansion was bounded to the north, west, and east respectively by the Gaṅgā, Son, and Campā rivers, and the eastern spurs of the Vindhya mountains formed its southern border. The territory of the initial Magadha kingdom thus corresponded to the modern-day Patna and Gaya districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The region of Greater Magadha also included neighbouring regions in the eastern Gangetic plains and had a distinct culture and belief. History Vedic period (semi-legendary) (ca. 170 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kosala Devi
Kosala Devī was Queen consort of Magadha as the first wife of King Bimbisara (558–491 BC). She was born a princess of Kashi and was the sister of King Prasenajit. Her first name is Bhadra-śrī. Life Kosala Devī was born to the King of Kosala, Maha-Kosala. She was the sister of King Prasenajit who succeeded her father as the ruler of Kosala. She was married to King Bimbisara, and brought the city of Kashi as dowry in the marriage. She became his principal queen. Buddhist tradition makes Ajatashatru a son of hers; the Jain tradition make him a son of her husband's second wife, Chellana. Her niece, Princess Vajira Vajira (also called Vajirakumari) was queen consort of Magadha as the principal consort of King Ajatashatru. She was the mother of her husband's successor, King Udayibhadra. Vajira was born a princess of the Kingdom of Kosala and was the daug ..., the daughter of Pasenadi (Prasenjit) was given in marriage to Ajatashatru. When her husband Bimbisara died ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pataliputra
Pataliputra (IAST: ), adjacent to modern-day Patna, Bihar, was a city in ancient India, originally built by Magadha ruler Ajatashatru in 490 BCE, as a small fort () near the Ganges river.. Udayin laid the foundation of the city of Pataliputra at the confluence of two rivers, the Son and the Ganges. He shifted his capital from Rajgriha to Pataliputra due to the latter's central location in the empire. It became the capital of major powers in ancient India, such as the Shishunaga Empire (–345 BCE), Nanda Empire (), the Maurya Empire (–180 BCE), and the Pala Empire (–1200 CE). During the Maurya period (see below), it became one of the largest cities in the world. As per the Greek diplomat, traveler and historian Megasthenes, during the Mauryan Empire (–180 BCE) it was among the first cities in the world to have a highly efficient form of local self government. The location of the site was first identified in modern times in 1892 by Laurence Waddell, published a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vajjika League
The Vajjika (Pāli: ) or Vrijika () League, Confederacy, or Sangha, also called simply Vajji (Pāli: ) or Vriji (), was an ancient Indo-Aryan league which existed during the later Iron Age period in the north-eastern Indian subcontinent. Name The Vajjika League was named after one of its constituent tribes, the Vajjikas proper, who had once been the most powerful tribe in the region of the league's capital of Vesālī. According to Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, the name , meaning "united Vajjis," was given by the peoples of northern South Asia to the Vajjika League. The larger region of the former Mahā-Videha kingdom in which the Vajjika League was located was in turn named after the confederacy. Constituent tribes The Vajjika League was a league of republican tribal states under the leadership of the Licchavikas centred around the city of Vesālī. The other members of the league were the Vaidehas in the Mithila region, the Nāyikas (Skt. *Jñātrika) of Kuṇḍapura, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kosala
Kosala, sometimes referred to as Uttara Kosala () was one of the Mahajanapadas of ancient India. It emerged as a small state during the Late Vedic period and became (along with Magadha) one of the earliest states to transition from a lineage-based society to a monarchy. By the 6th century BCE, it had consolidated into one of the four great powers of ancient northern India, along with Magadha, Vatsa, and Avanti. Kosala belonged to the Northern Black Polished Ware culture (c. 700–300 BCE) and was culturally distinct from the Painted Grey Ware culture of the neighboring Kuru- Panchala region, following independent development toward urbanisation and the use of iron. The presence of the lineage of Ikshvaku—described as a raja in the Ṛgveda and an ancient hero in the Atharvaveda—to which Rama, Mahavira, and the Buddha are all thought to have belonged—characterized the Kosalan realm. One of India's two great epics, Ramayana is set in the "Kosala- Videha" realm i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Licchavi (tribe)
The Licchavis of Vaishali ( Māgadhī Prakrit: ; Pāli: ; Sanskrit: ऋक्षवी ''Ṛkṣavī''; English: "Bear Clan") were an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe and dynasty of north-eastern Indian subcontinent whose existence is attested from the Iron Age to the Classical Age. The population of Licchavi, the Licchavikas, were organised into a (an aristocratic oligarchic republic), presently referred to as the Licchavi Republic, which was the leading state of the larger Vajjika League. Following their eventual subjugation in the Magadha-Vajji war, the Licchavis continued to reside in the region of Vaishali. The fourth century A.D. Gupta Emperor, Samudragupta was the son of a Licchavi princess and referred to himself as a ''Licchavi-Dauhitra''. Location The Licchavikas lived in the southwest part of the Vajjika League, which was itself bounded to the north, east, south, and west, respectively, by the Himālaya mountains, and the Mahānadī, Gaṅgā, and Sadānirā rive ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahavira
Mahavira (Devanagari: महावीर, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: वर्धमान, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his life are uncertain and varies by sect, historians generally consider that he lived during the 6th or 5th century BCE, reviving and reforming a proto-Jain community (which had possibly been founded by Pārśvanātha), and that he was an older contemporary of Gautama Buddha. Jains regard him as the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''Tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. According to traditional legends and hagiographies, Mahavira was born in the early 6th century BCE to a royal Kshatriya Jain family of ancient India. His mother's name was Trishala and his father's name was Siddhartha. According to the second chapter of the Śvētāmbara Ācārāṅga Sūtra, Siddhartha and his family were devotees of Parshvanatha. Mahavira abandoned all worldly p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
