Mod 4: Ajatashatru — Accession, the War with Kosala over Kashi, and the Threat from Avanti
Concept
6.7 Ajatashatru and the Kosala war
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Kashi, Prasenajit and Vajira
Ajatashatru (“one without an enemy born”, i.e. one whose enemy is not yet born; Pali Ajatasattu) ruled c. 492–460 BCE. Pali texts call him Vedehiputta (son of the Videhan lady) and Jain texts call him Kunika. He came to power by imprisoning his father, but he proved an able, aggressive ruler who made Magadha supreme in the middle Ganga valley.
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Reign | c. 492–460 BCE (32 years) |
| Names | Ajatasattu, Vedehiputta (Pali); Kunika (Jain) |
| Wars | Kosala (Kashi), Vajji confederacy (Vaishali), defence against Avanti |
| Building | Fort at Pataligrama; new fortifications at Rajagriha |
| Religion | Met the Buddha (Samannaphala Sutta); patron of the First Buddhist Council |
| Death | Killed by his son Udayin (Buddhist tradition) |
- Ajatashatru (492–460 BCE): Vedehiputta (Pali), Kunika (Jain).
- Kosala war over Kashi; captured by Prasenajit’s shakata-vyuha; peace by marriage with Vajira.
- Question: Whom did Ajatashatru marry from Kosala? Answer: Vajira, daughter of Prasenajit.
- Question: What is Ajatashatru’s Jain name? Answer: Kunika.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[School] Ajatashatru ruled Magadha approximately during:
[BPSC level] In Pali texts Ajatashatru is often called:
[UPSC level] The name “Ajatashatru” literally means:
[BPSC level] Ajatashatru fought a war with Kosala mainly over:
[BPSC level] Whom did Ajatashatru marry to end the war with Kosala?
[UPSC level] The Buddhist text describing the battles between Ajatashatru and Prasenajit is the:
[BSSC pattern] Prasenajit was the king of:
[BPSC level] Prasenajit captured Ajatashatru using a battle array shaped like a:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Whom did Ajatashatru marry from Kosala?
Vajira, daughter of Prasenajit.What is Ajatashatru’s Jain name?
Kunika.Concept
6.8 Kashi, Kosala and Avanti
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Marriage peace and the western threat
When Queen Kosala Devi died of grief after Bimbisara’s death, her brother Prasenajit of Kosala took back the Kashi village that had been her dowry. War followed. The Samyutta Nikaya says Ajatashatru won the first encounters; then Prasenajit, using a cart-shaped battle array (shakata-vyuha), captured him alive. Prasenajit spared his nephew, gave him his daughter Vajira in marriage, and returned Kashi as her dowry.
While Prasenajit was visiting the Buddha, his general Dirgha Karayana helped his son Vidudabha seize the throne. The old king fled to seek Ajatashatru’s help but died of exhaustion outside the gates of Rajagriha; Ajatashatru gave him a royal funeral. Vidudabha then massacred the Shakyas of Kapilavastu. Kosala was weakened and later absorbed into Magadha.
The Majjhima Nikaya (Gopaka-Moggallana Sutta) says Ajatashatru’s minister Vassakara was supervising the fortification of Rajagriha because the king feared an attack by Chanda Pradyota of Avanti. The newer fort of Rajgir is linked with this period.
- Vidudabha usurped Kosala, killed the Shakyas; Prasenajit died at Rajagriha.
- Rajagriha fortified by Vassakara against Pradyota of Avanti.
- Question: Who destroyed the Shakyas? Answer: Vidudabha of Kosala.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[UPSC level] Who usurped the throne of Kosala from Prasenajit?
[BPSC level] Prasenajit died outside the gates of:
[BSSC pattern] Which king massacred the Shakyas of Kapilavastu?
[UPSC level] According to the Majjhima Nikaya, Rajagriha was fortified because Ajatashatru feared:
[BPSC level] In Jain texts Ajatashatru is known as:
[School] Prasenajit was related to Ajatashatru as his:
[UPSC level] Who supervised the fortification of Rajagriha for Ajatashatru?
One-liners
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Who destroyed the Shakyas?
Vidudabha of Kosala.Concept
🎯 UPSC · BPSC · BSSC · State PSC level: PYQs, traps and mains
| Exam | What it asks from this module |
|---|---|
| UPSC | Contemporary rulers of the Buddha; Kosala–Magadha rivalry |
| BPSC | Ajatashatru’s names; Vajira; Kashi; Avanti threat |
| BSSC / SSC | Son of Bimbisara (SSC CGL 2019); reign dates |
Ajatashatru, a ruler of the Haryanka dynasty, was the son of: (a) Bimbisara (b) Naga-Dasak (c) Anurudha (d) Udayin
- Ajatashatru succeeded his father Bimbisara c. 492 BCE; Udayin was Ajatashatru’s son; Anuruddha and Nagadasaka came later.
- Vajira = Prasenajit’s daughter, married to Ajatashatru; Kosala Devi = Prasenajit’s sister, married to Bimbisara.
- Vidudabha (not Ajatashatru) destroyed the Shakyas.
- “Vedehiputta” does not mean he was born in Videha; it refers to his mother.
Model question: How did Ajatashatru expand the Magadhan state? Points: Kosala war and Kashi; marriage with Vajira; defence of Rajagriha against Avanti; Vajji war (next module); fort at Pataligrama; new weapons; use of ministers like Vassakara.
- Trap: Kosala Devi (Bimbisara’s queen) vs Vajira (Ajatashatru’s queen).
- Question: Which minister fortified Rajagriha? Answer: Vassakara.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] The Kosalan general who helped Vidudabha seize the throne was:
[UPSC level] Which pair is correctly matched?
[BSSC pattern] The Magadha–Kosala dispute was ended by:
[BPSC level] Kosala was finally absorbed into Magadha:
[UPSC level] Which statement about Ajatashatru is NOT correct?
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Which minister fortified Rajagriha?
Vassakara.