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Bimbisara, (558 BC—491 BC) was a king of the Magadha empire from 543 BC to his death and belonged to the Hariyanka dynasty.

e are many accounts of Bimbisara in the Jain texts and the Buddhist Jatakas, since he was a contemporary of Mahavira
Mahavira

Mahavira is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamana who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism....
 and Gautama Buddha
Gautama Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama was a Spirituality teacher in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is generally seen by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddhahood of our age....
. He acquired Anga
Anga

The earliest reference to 'Angas' occurs in the Atharvaveda where they find mention along with the Magadhan , Gandhara and the Mujavatas, all apparently as a despised people....
 after defeating Brahmadatta and placed it under the viceroyalty of his son Ajatashatru
Ajatashatru

Ajatashatru was a king of the Magadha empire that ruled north India.He has been referred to as Vedehi-putto-Ajatashatru in Pali texts . During the his father?s kingship he was a Viceroy at Champa,the capital of Anga, which was annexed to Magadha Kingdom....
, with its capital at Champa.






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Bimbisara, (558 BC—491 BC) was a king of the Magadha empire from 543 BC to his death and belonged to the Hariyanka dynasty.

Career

There are many accounts of Bimbisara in the Jain texts and the Buddhist Jatakas, since he was a contemporary of Mahavira
Mahavira

Mahavira is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamana who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism....
 and Gautama Buddha
Gautama Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama was a Spirituality teacher in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is generally seen by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddhahood of our age....
. He acquired Anga
Anga

The earliest reference to 'Angas' occurs in the Atharvaveda where they find mention along with the Magadhan , Gandhara and the Mujavatas, all apparently as a despised people....
 after defeating Brahmadatta and placed it under the viceroyalty of his son Ajatashatru
Ajatashatru

Ajatashatru was a king of the Magadha empire that ruled north India.He has been referred to as Vedehi-putto-Ajatashatru in Pali texts . During the his father?s kingship he was a Viceroy at Champa,the capital of Anga, which was annexed to Magadha Kingdom....
, with its capital at Champa. King Bimbisara met the Buddha for the first time prior to the Buddha's enlightenment, and later became an important disciple, according to the Buddhist scriptures. He is recorded to have attained sotapanna
Sotapanna

In Buddhism, a sotapanna , a stream-enterer or stream-winner, is a person, who has eradicated the first three Fetter s of the mind, that prevent freedom....
hood, a degree of enlightenment in Buddhist teachings. However, the Jain scriptures say he was a Jain.

As per Jainism
Jainism

Jainism is one of the oldest Indian religions that originated in India. Jains believe that every soul is divine and has the potential to achieve God-consciousness....
 texts, he is referred to as King Shrenik of Rajgrih (being the possessor of a large army). Bimbisar sent Jeewak to Ujjain for medical treatment of King Prodyot,the king of Avanti.

Marriage alliances

Bimbisara used marriage alliances to strengthen his position. His first wife was Kosala-devi, the daughter of Maha Kosala the king of Kosala
Kosala

Kosala was an ancient Indian region, corresponding roughly in area with the region of Oudh in the present day Uttar Pradesh state. According to the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya and the Jaina text, the Bhagavati Sutra, Kosala was one of the Solasa Mahajanapadas in 6th century BCE and its cultural and political strength earned...
, and a sister of Prasenjit
Pasenadi

Pasenadi was a dynasty ruler of Kosala. He succeeded his father . He was a prominent of Gautama Buddha, who built many Buddhist monasteries....
. His bride brought him Kashi
Varanasi

Varanasi , also commonly known as Benares or Banaras and Kashi , is a city situated on the left bank of the River Ganges River in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, regarded as holy by Hinduism, Buddhists and Jains, and is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities....
, which was then a mere village, as dowry. 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
Vaishali

Vaishali may refer to:*A colony in north west Delhi*Vaishali District, in Bihar state, India.*Vaishali , an ancient democratic city of India, currently located in Vaishali District, Bihar, India....
. His third wife, Kshema, was a daughter of the chief of the Madra
Madra

Madra or Madraka is the name of an ancient region and its inhabitants, located in the north-west division of the ancient Indian sub-continent....
 clan of Punjab.

Death

Tradition tells us that Bimbisara was imprisoned by his son Ajatashatru
Ajatashatru

Ajatashatru was a king of the Magadha empire that ruled north India.He has been referred to as Vedehi-putto-Ajatashatru in Pali texts . During the his father?s kingship he was a Viceroy at Champa,the capital of Anga, which was annexed to Magadha Kingdom....
 who is said to have starved him to death. This is reported to have taken place around 491 BC.