Bimbisara

Overview on Bimbisara

The reign of Bimbisara flourished when Gautam Buddha (563 BCE – 483 BCE) and Mahavira Vardhimana (599 BCE – 527 BCE) were the respective founders of Buddhism and Jainism. Bimbisara ruled from Girivraja, also known as Rajagriha and modern-day Rajgir....

Bimbisara Rise To Power

During the reign of Bimbasar, the Indian subcontinent was divided into Mahjanpadas, 16, and Janpadas. The Mahajanpadas were a greater kingdom; some were monarchies and ruled by dynasties, while some were republic kingdoms and were ruled by a committee....

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....

Bimbisara Administration

Though Bimbisara was an excellent military general, his most outstanding achievement was the system of government and administration, which he established during his rule, and his administration was followed by many dynasties later on. Bimbisara set a chain of command of officials to ensure proper taxation and collection. Under the rule of Bimbisara, there were about 80,000 villages, and each village had a village headman to ensure the appropriate tax and collection; apart from this work, they were also responsible for running the proper administration. Bimbisara appointed high-ranking officials in military, financial, and judicial departments....

Relation With Buddhism And Jainism

During the reign of Bimbisara, many religions flourished in the Kingdom of Magadha other than Hinduism, like Buddhism, Jainism, Ajivikasim, etc. And as Magadha, unlike other north and northwest parts of India, was not only a Vedic religion supporter but also supported other religions, this always made Brahmins look down at Magadha in disdain....

Death And Legacy Of Bimbisara

Bimbisara’s son Ajatshatru was ambitious from a very young age, and Bimbisara never checked on him and trusted his son unquestioningly. Ajatshatru, who always wanted the throne at an early age, was ill-advised by the Gautam Buddha’s cousin Devadatta, who was jealous to see Gautam Buddha getting so much value in the Bimbisara kingdom and wanted the same for himself. He provoked Ajatshatru to dethrone his father, Bimbisara. Ajatshatru usurped the throne by executing his father; some believe that Bimbisara committed suicide when he was imprisoned....

FAQs on Bimbisara:

Why Ajatshatru killed Bimbisara?...