Ajatasatru's stupa in Rajgir, where his ashes were interred

Ajātashatru (Sanskrit अजातशत्रु; ruled 491-461 BCE) was a king of the Magadha empire that ruled north India. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 450 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1279 pixel, file size: 714 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 450 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1279 pixel, file size: 714 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... The Great Stupa at Sanchi. ... , Rajgir is a city and a notified area in Nalanda district in the Indian state of Bihar. ... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... Centuries: 6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC Decades: 540s BC 530s BC 520s BC 510s BC 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC 470s BC 460s BC 450s BC 440s BC Years: 496 BC 495 BC 494 BC 493 BC 492 BC - 491 BC - 490 BC 489 BC... Centuries: 6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC Decades: 510s BC 500s BC 490s BC 480s BC 470s BC - 460s BC - 450s BC 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC Years: 466 BC 465 BC 464 BC 463 BC 462 BC - 461 BC - 460 BC 459 BC... Magadha was one of the four main kingdoms of India at the time of Buddha, having risen to power during the reigns of Bimbisara (c. ...

There is not a great deal known about Ajatashatru. What is known is that he became a King of Magadha and the adjoining areas by murdering his father, Seniya/Bimbisara. Also, he was a contemporary of Buddha, was a patron of the then-new religion of Buddhism, and he let the Sangha function in his Kingdom. For other uses, see Monarch (disambiguation). ... Bimbisara (ruled 544-491 BCE) was a king of the Magadha empire. ... Media:Example. ... A silhouette of a Buddha statue at Ayutthaya, Thailand. ... Sangha (संघ saṃgha) is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as association or assembly or community. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups. ...

Some details of his life are given in the earliest Buddhist scriptures of the Pali Canon. In the Samaññaphala Sutta, Gautama Buddha said that if Ajatasattu hadn't killed his father, he would have attained sotapannahood, a degree of enlightenment. But because he had killed his father he could not attain it. Standard edition of the Thai Pali Canon The Pali Canon is the standard scripture collection of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. ... The Samaññaphala Sutta is the second discourse (Pali, sutta; Skt. ... Image:StandngBuddha. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Sotapatti. ...

According to Romila Thapar, Ajatashatru was responsible for building Pataliputra and strengthening the defences of the Magadhan capital, Rajagriha. The same historian reports that Ajatashatru murdered his father and predecessor Bimbisara in order to accede to the throne. This is also recorded in the Buddhist scripture, the Contemplation Sutra. Next, Ajatashatru, undertook the annexation of the kingdoms of Kosala and Kashi, and pursued a sixteen-year war against the Vriji confederacy of north Bihar and Nepal. Legends say that the one who masterminded Ajatashatru's usuring of the throne was the schismatic monk Devadatta. Romila Thapar speaking at the U.S. Library of Congress Romila Thapar (born 1931) is an Indian historian whose principal area of study is ancient India. ... Patna is the capital of the state of Bihar, in north-eastern India. ... , Rajgir is a city and a notified area in Nalanda district in the Indian state of Bihar. ... Bimbisara (ruled 544-491 BCE) was a king of the Magadha empire. ... The Contemplation Sutra is one of the three major Buddhist sutras found within the Pure Land branch of Buddhism. ... Kosala was an ancient Indian Aryan kingdom, corresponding roughly in area with the region of Oudh. ... , VārāasÄ« ( , Hindi: , IPA: ), also known as Benares, Banaras, or Benaras ( , Hindi: , , IPA: ), or Kashi or Kasi ( , Hindi: , ), is a famous Hindu holy city situated on the banks of the river Ganges (Ganga) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... Vajji (aka Briji) was a mahajanapada of ancient India. ... , Bihar (Hindi: बिहार, Urdu: بہار, IPA: ,  ) is a state of the Indian union situated in north India. ... Devadatta was a Buddhist monk recorded as having attempted to create a schism in the sangha, or monastic community, by putting forward a modified set of rules (vinaya) for monks to follow. ...

A fictionalized account of Ajatashatru appears in the Gore Vidal book Creation (novel). Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (born October 3, 1925) (pronounced , occasionally , , etc) is an American author of novels, stage plays, screenplays, and essays. ... Creation is an epic historical fiction novel by Gore Vidal which was published in 1981. ...

See also

• Samaññaphala Sutta

The Samaññaphala Sutta is the second discourse (Pali, sutta; Skt. ...

References

• Romila Thapar, 1996. A History of India (Volume One). Oxford University Press.

Romila Thapar speaking at the U.S. Library of Congress Romila Thapar (born 1931) is an Indian historian whose principal area of study is ancient India. ...

External links

Entry on Ajatasattu in the Buddhist Dictionary of Pali Proper Names