Mod 7: Udayin and the Founding of Pataliputra — Why the Capital Moved to the Ganga
Concept
6.13 Udayin builds Kusumapura
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Pataligrama becomes Pataliputra
Udayin (Udayabhadra, Udayi) succeeded Ajatashatru and ruled c. 460–444 BCE. Before becoming king he had served as viceroy at Champa. His great act was to build a new city, Kusumapura, beside his father’s fort at Pataligrama, on the south bank of the Ganga near its meeting with the Son, and to shift the capital there from Rajagriha. The Vayu Purana says he built Kusumapura in the fourth year of his reign.
| Reason | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Central position | After conquering Anga, Kashi and the Vajjis, Rajagriha was off-centre; Pataliputra lay in the middle of the new empire |
| River defence | Rivers on three sides made it a jaladurga |
| Trade and transport | Control of Ganga traffic, boats for armies, customs revenue |
| Watch on the north | Close to the newly conquered Vajji lands |
- Udayin (460–444 BCE) built Kusumapura near Pataligrama at the Ganga–Son confluence, in his 4th year (Vayu Purana).
- Reasons: centrality, river defence, Ganga trade, watch on Vajji lands.
- Question: Who shifted the capital to Pataliputra? Answer: Udayin.
- Question: What was the other name of Pataliputra? Answer: Kusumapura.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
Question 3: Which Magadhan monarch founded the city of Pataliputra at the confluence of the Ganga and Sone?
[School] Udayin shifted the capital of Magadha from Rajagriha to:
[BPSC level] Udayin was the son of:
[UPSC level] According to the Vayu Purana, Udayin built Kusumapura in which year of his reign?
[BPSC level] Udayin ruled approximately during:
[BSSC pattern] Before becoming king, Udayin served as viceroy at:
[UPSC level] Which was NOT a reason for shifting the capital to Pataliputra?
[BPSC level] Pataliputra stood on which bank of the Ganga?
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Who shifted the capital to Pataliputra?
Udayin.What was the other name of Pataliputra?
Kusumapura.Concept
6.14 Udayin, Jainism and the new capital
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Purana, Jain and Buddhist portraits
Jain tradition remembers Udayin warmly. Hemachandra’s Parishishtaparvan says Udayin was a devout Jain who built a Jain chaitya (shrine) in the centre of the new city and observed the fasts. It also says he was killed by an assassin sent by a hostile king, who entered the palace disguised as a Jain monk. Buddhist texts, by contrast, list him as the parricide who killed Ajatashatru.
| Source | Udayin’s portrait |
|---|---|
| Vayu Purana | Built Kusumapura on the south bank of the Ganga in his 4th year |
| Gargi Samhita (Yuga Purana) | Names Udayin as builder of Kusumapura |
| Jain Parishishtaparvan | Devout Jain; built a Jain shrine; killed by an assassin |
| Buddhist Mahavamsa | Udayabhadda, killed his father; ruled 16 years |
From Udayin’s time Pataliputra remained the capital of Magadha (except briefly under Shishunaga) for about a thousand years — of the Nandas, Mauryas, Shungas and Guptas. Megasthenes described it under Chandragupta Maurya; Ashoka held the Third Buddhist Council there; Fa-hien admired its Mauryan palace ruins in the 5th century CE.
- Jain: Udayin built a Jain chaitya; killed by an assassin disguised as a monk.
- Buddhist: Udayabhadda the parricide.
- Pataliputra remained capital for about a thousand years.
- Question: Which Jain text praises Udayin? Answer: Hemachandra’s Parishishtaparvan.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[UPSC level] Hemachandra’s Parishishtaparvan says Udayin built in the new city a:
[BPSC level] According to Jain tradition, Udayin died:
[School] Another name of Pataliputra in Udayin’s time was:
[UPSC level] For roughly how long did Pataliputra serve as an imperial capital after Udayin?
[BSSC pattern] Udayin of Magadha must not be confused with Udayana, king of:
[BPSC level] The Gargi Samhita (Yuga Purana) credits the building of Kusumapura to:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Which Jain text praises Udayin?
Hemachandra’s Parishishtaparvan.Concept
🎯 UPSC · BPSC · BSSC · State PSC level: PYQs, traps and mains
| Exam | What it asks from this module |
|---|---|
| UPSC | Shift of capital; Pataliputra’s strategic location |
| BPSC | Founder of Pataliputra (Udayin); Kusumapura; confluence of Ganga and Son |
| BSSC / SSC | Udayin son of Ajatashatru; capital shifted from Rajagriha |
Who founded the city of Pataliputra (Kusumapura) and made it the capital of Magadha? (a) Bimbisara (b) Ajatashatru (c) Udayin (d) Shishunaga
- Ajatashatru built only a fort at Pataligrama; Udayin built the city and moved the capital. Shishunaga later moved the capital briefly to Vaishali.
- Fort at Pataligrama = Ajatashatru; city/capital = Udayin.
- Udayin is a Jain hero in Jain texts but a parricide in the Mahavamsa.
- Do not confuse Udayin of Magadha with Udayana of Vatsa (Kaushambi).
Model question: Explain the strategic and economic reasons behind the shift of the Magadhan capital from Rajagriha to Pataliputra. Points: expanding frontiers; centrality; river defence; trade and revenue; control over the Vajji territory; long-term success of Pataliputra.
- Fort = Ajatashatru; city & capital = Udayin; Udayin ≠ Udayana of Vatsa.
- Question: Who built the first fort at Pataligrama? Answer: Ajatashatru (through Sunidha and Vassakara).
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] Who founded Pataliputra and made it the capital of Magadha?
[UPSC level] Which pair about the birth of Pataliputra is correctly matched?
[BSSC pattern] Pataliputra was strategically placed near the meeting of the Ganga and the:
[UPSC level] Which statement about Udayin in the Mahavamsa is correct?
[BPSC level] Fa-hien, visiting Pataliputra in the 5th century CE, admired the ruins of:
[School] Why was Pataliputra called a water fort?
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Who built the first fort at Pataligrama?
Ajatashatru (through Sunidha and Vassakara).