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

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.

Reign Period	c.544 – c.491 BCE, or c.457- c.405 BCE
Clan	Haryanka Dynasty
Predecessor	Bhattiya
Successor	Ajatshatru
Born	558 BCE or 472 BCE
Died	491 BCE or 405 BCE
Religion	Buddhism and Jainism

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.

During the time of the Haryanka dynasty, due to the rise of four great kingdoms- Kosla, Avanti, Vatsa, and Magadha, the main focus in the Indian subcontinent was shifted from northwest to eastern and central zone of India. The ancient Kosla kingdom corresponds to present-day Uttar Pradesh, the Avanti kingdom corresponds to central India and Madhya Pradesh, and the Vatsa kingdom was also part of present-day Uttar Pradesh. The Magadha Empire forms the major part of present-day Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Nepal, and some portions of West Bengal, Bangladesh, and Uttar Pradesh.

When Bimbisara came to power at the early age of 15, he took revenge for the death of his father, Brahmadatta. Bimbisara was strategically intelligent and knew his limits. He was motivated to attack and take control over Anga due to its commercial potential and geographical location near the Bay of Bengal. He easily defeated Anga, took over the rule, and made his son Ajatashatru the governor of Anga. From Anga, he flourished his overseas trade due to the sea route.

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 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.

Apart from the foresight of Bimbisara, Magadha flourished for several reasons; firstly, the land of Magadha was rich in natural minerals and iron ores, and the area was covered mainly through wooded forest. Secondly, the fertile Gangetic plains had always been great for farming. Bimbisara also maintained the four divisions of the army – infantry, cavalry, chariots, and elephants.

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.

According to Buddhist scholars, Bimbisara was a follower of Buddha, while Jain sources also made similar claims. But as it is known in history, Buddha probably visited Girivraja during his rule, where he received a lot of assistance from Bimbisara, who hosted Buddha and his disciples.

Bimbisara was a supporter of every religion and supported monks who visited him. He constructed many hermitages for the monks and also made many services accessible for them, such as ferry service, as in Magadha river transport was a vital route because of its geographical location. Buddhism had a significant impact on the kingdom of Magadh, and according to some Buddhist chronicles, his son Ajatshatru also became a follower of Buddha later in his life.

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.

Bimbisara, no doubt, was one of the greatest kings of Magadha and sowed the foundations for great dynasties to follow. He was farsighted and always used his strategic mind to uplift his kingdom and make his dynasty one of the strongest in history. He was a supporter of craft and encouraged religion. He established a solid administration service, followed by other dynasties as well.

FAQs on Bimbisara:

Why Ajatshatru killed Bimbisara?

Ajatshatru was an ambitious person from a very young age. After being ill-advised by Gautam Buddha’s cousin Devadatta, he became more ambitious to claim the throne of his father and thus executed him.

Who is considered to be the founder of the Magadha Empire?

Magadha Empire is considered the modern-day Bihar and was crucial for the growth of Buddhism and Jainism. Bimbisara is considered to be the founder of Magadha Empire.

Why the rule of Bimbisara was so prominent?

Bimbisara was the main founder of the Haryanka dynasty. He was the most powerful ruler of the Magadha. His administration, marriage alliances, and support for every religion in the Magadha gave rise to one of the most flourishing kingdoms in history.