Conquest And Marriage Alliances
Bimbisara was an able military general, but he was also aware of the limitations of his army. He knew his army would not be able to take down every other kingdom, so he sought marriage alliances with powerful kingdoms to increase the sphere of his influence. By marrying King Prasanjita’s sister of Kosla, he got their union and the city of Kashi in dowry. Kashi, one of Hinduism’s holiest places, became a great source of income for Magadha, strengthening the roots of Bimbasara and his kingdom.
Later on, he made alliances with many other kingdoms. He married the Licchavi princess, Chellana, who was the daughter of King Chetaka from the powerful confederation of Vrijjis. She was also the mother of Bimbisara’s successor, Ajatashatru. Bimbisara also married a princess from the Madri clan of middle Punjab. After making alliances with several powerful kingdoms, Bimbisara set his eye on winning the most powerful empire of that time- Avanti, with its capital at Ujjain. But even after fighting several wars against Avanti, neither Bimbisara nor the king of Avanti, King Pradyota, emerged victorious. This deadlock continued even during the reign of Ajatshatru. But, being a good strategist, Bimbisara soon formed a friendship with King Pradyota, which can also be found in the Buddhist text.
Bimbisara | Founder of Haryanka Dynasty
Bimbisara (545/544 BCE – 493/492 BCE) was the king of Magadha Kingdom and his father’s successor, King Bhattiya. Bimbisara belonged to the Haryanka dynasty, considered the second imperial dynasty of Magadha. According to historical evidence, before the Haryanka dynasty, the accounts of various Indian Kings were mythical and had no archaeological evidence.
Bimbisara | Founder of Haryanka Dynasty