- Ajatashatru
Ajātashatru (
Sanskrit अजातशत्रु; ruled 491-461 BCE) was a king of theMagadha empire that ruled northIndia .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 theSangha function in his Kingdom.Some details of his life are given in the earliest Buddhist scriptures of the
Pali Canon . In theSamaññaphala Sutta ,Gautama Buddha said that if Ajatasattu hadn't killed his father, he would have attainedsotapanna hood, a degree of enlightenment. But because he had killed his father he could not attain it.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 predecessorBimbisara in order to accede to the throne. This is also recorded in the Buddhist scripture, theContemplation Sutra . Next, Ajatashatru, undertook the annexation of the kingdoms ofKosala and Kashi, and pursued a sixteen-year war against theVriji confederacy of what is today northBihar andNepal . Legends say that the one who masterminded Ajatashatru's usurping of the throne was the schismatic monkDevadatta , the reasons being that Ajatashatru was said to have been convinced by Devadatta to help fund his schismaticsangha .A fictionalized account of Ajatashatru - depicted as a physically gross and tyrannous figure - appears in
Gore Vidal 's novel "Creation".The
scythed chariot The scythed chariot was invented by
Ajatashatru , the King ofMagadha inAncient India , in "circa" 475 BC, who used these chariots against theLicchavi s.Thescythe d chariot was a modified war chariot with a blade(s) mounted on both ends of theaxle .ee also
*
Samaññaphala Sutta References
*
Romila Thapar , 1996. "A History of India (Volume One)". Oxford University Press.External links
* [http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/am/ajatasattu.htm Entry on Ajatasattu in the Buddhist Dictionary of Pali Proper Names]
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