1.
Bindusara
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Bindusara was the second Mauryan emperor of India. He was the son of the dynastys founder Chandragupta, and the father of its most famous ruler Ashoka. Bindusaras life is not documented as well as the lives of two kings, much of the information about him comes from legendary accounts written several hundred years after his death. Bindusara consolidated the empire created by his father, ancient and medieval sources have not documented Bindusaras life in detail. Much of the information about him comes from Jain legends focused on Chandragupta, the Jain legends, such as Hemachandras Parishishta-Parvan were written more than a thousand years after his death. Most of the Buddhist legends about Ashokas early life also appear to have composed by Buddhist writers who lived several hundred years after Ashokas death. While these legends can be used to make inferences about Bindusaras reign. Buddhist sources that provide information about Bindusara include Divyavadana, Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa, Vamsatthappakasini, Samantapasadika, the Jain sources include the 12th century Parishishta-Parvan by Hemachandra and the 19th century Rajavali-Katha by Devachandra. The Hindu Puranas also mention Bindusara in their genealogies of Mauryan rulers, some Greek sources also mention him by the name Amitrochates or its variations. Bindusara was born to Chandragupta, the founder of the Mauryan Empire and this is attested by several sources, including the various Puranas and the Mahavamsa. The Dipavamsa, on the hand, names Bindusara as the son of the king Shushunaga. The prose version of Ashokavadana states that Bindusara was the son of Nanda, like Dipavamsa, it omits Chandraguptas name altogether. The metrical version of Ashokavadana contains a similar genealogy with some variations, Chandragupta had a marriage alliance with the Seleucids, which has led to speculation that Bindusaras mother might have been Greek or Macedonian. However, there is no evidence of this, according to the 12th century Jain writer Hemachandras Parishishta-Parvan, the name of Bindusaras mother was Durdhara. Other Puranas name give different names for Chandraguptas successor, these appear to be clerical errors, for example, the various recensions of Bhagavata Purana mention him as Varisara or Varikara. The different versions of Vayu Purana call him Bhadrasara or Nandasara, the Mahabhashya names Chandraguptas son as Amitra-ghata. The Greek writers Strabo and Athenaeus call him Allitrochades and Amitrochates respectively, in addition, Bindusara was given the title Deva-nampriya, which was also applied to his successor Ashoka. The Jain work Rajavali-Katha states that his name was Simhasena
2.
Haryanka dynasty
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The Haryanka dynasty was the second ruling dynasty of Magadha, an ancient kingdom in India, which succeeded the Barhadratha dynasty. The reign of this dynasty probably began in the middle of 6th century BCE, later, it was shifted to Pataliputra, near the present day Patna in India. The founder of dynasty was either Bimbisara himself or his father Bhattiya. According to the Buddhist text, the Mahavamsa, Bimbisara was anointed king by his father at the age of fifteen and this dynasty was succeeded by the Shishunaga dynasty. The Haryanka king Bimbisara was responsible for expanding the boundaries of his kingdom through matrimonial alliances, the land of Kosala fell to Magadha in this way. He is referred to as King Shrenik in Jain scriptures, estimates place the territory ruled by this early dynasty at 300 leagues in diameter, and encompassing 80,000 small settlements. In some sources, Bimbisara was imprisoned and killed by his son and successor, Ajatashatru, Ajatashatru was contemporary with Mahavira and Gautama Buddha. Ajatashatru fought a war against Vajji, ruled by the Lichhavis, Ajatashatru followed policies of conquest and expansion. He defeated his neighbors including the king of Kosala, his brothers, when at odds with him, went to Kashi and this led to a war between Magadha and Kosala. Ajatashatru occupied Kashi and captured the smaller kingdoms, Magadha under Ajatashatru became the most powerful kingdom in North India. He is believed to have ruled for sixteen years, the kingdom had a particularly bloody succession. Anuruddha eventually succeeded Udaybhadra through assassination, and his son Munda succeeded him in the same fashion, due in part to this bloody dynastic feuding, it is thought that a civil revolt led to the emergence of the Shishunaga dynasty. Legendary kings of Magadha Pradyota dynasty Raychaudhuri, H. C, political History of Ancient India, Calcutta, University of Calcutta Bhargava, P. L
3.
Ajatashatru
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Ajatashatru was a king of the Haryanka dynasty of Magadha in North India. He was the son of King Bimbisara and was a contemporary of both Mahavira and Gautama Buddha and he forcefully took over the kingdom of Magadha from his father and imprisoned him. He fought a war against Vajji, ruled by the Lichchhavis, Ajatashatru followed policies of conquest and expansion. He defeated his neighbours including the king of Kosala, his brothers, when at odds with him, went to Kashi and this led to a war between Magadha and Kosala. Ajatashatru occupied Kashi and captured the smaller kingdoms, Magadha under Ajatashatru became the most powerful kingdom in North India. Ajatashatru, also known as Kunika, was the son of Bimbisara, the ancient inscription in Government Museum, Mathura refers to him as vaidehi putra Ajatashatru Kunika Ajatashatru Kunika, the son of Vaidehi. The story of Ajatashatru is found in the Tripiṭaka of Buddhism, the account of Ajatashatrus birth is more or less similar in both the traditions. According to Jainism, Ajatashatru was born to King Bimbisara and Queen Chelna, Buddhist tradition records Ajatashatru being born to Bimbisara and it is worthwhile to note that both the queens were called Vaidehi in both the traditions. Thus Ajatashatru being called Vaidehiputra in the inscription at the Mathura museum does not clarify his mothers name, according to the Jain Nirayavalika Sutta, during her pregnancy Queen Chelna had the strong desire to eat fried flesh of her husbands heart and drink liquor. Meanwhile, the very intelligent Prince Abhayakumara, son of King Bimbisara and Queen Nanda, fried a wild fruit that resembled a heart, when the child was lying near the garbage dump, a cock bit his little finger. As the little finger of the child was sore, he was nicknamed Kunika Sore Finger, bimbisar was brutally murdered through poison by his son Ajatashatru, as Ajatashatru was tired of waiting for the throne. This touched Ajatashatrus heart and his affection for his father was aroused, at once he picked up his axe and hurried to the prison to free his father by breaking all the iron chains himself. But when Bimbisara saw him coming with an axe in his hand he thought, so, he is coming to kill me. It is better that I end my life with my own hands, at once he removed the Talaputa poison from his ring, closed his eyes and chanted Kevli pannato Dhammam saranam pavajyami and swallowed the poison and ended his life. Ajatashatru repented a lot but repentance was of no use, Ajatashatru then shifted his palace to Champa and made it his capital as the previous palace reminded him of his atrocious mistake. There are different versions existing in Buddhist Texts on the death of King Bimbisara, in one version, Ajatashatru allowed no one but Kosala Devi to meet Bimbisara in the smokey cell. Ajatashatru wanted to him to death, as Devadatta had said father cannot be killed by a weapon. When she was once again Ajatashatru prohibited Kosala devi from meeting the king
4.
Dynasty
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A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a feudal or monarchical system but sometimes also appearing in elective republics. The dynastic family or lineage may be known as a house, historians periodize the histories of many sovereign states, such as Ancient Egypt, the Carolingian Empire and Imperial China, using a framework of successive dynasties. As such, the dynasty may be used to delimit the era during which the family reigned and to describe events, trends. The word dynasty itself is often dropped from such adjectival references, until the 19th century, it was taken for granted that a legitimate function of a monarch was to aggrandize his dynasty, that is, to increase the territory, wealth, and power of his family members. The longest-surviving dynasty in the world is the Imperial House of Japan, dynasties throughout the world have traditionally been reckoned patrilineally, such as under the Frankish Salic law. Succession through a daughter when permitted was considered to establish a new dynasty in her husbands ruling house, however, some states in Africa, determined descent matrilineally, while rulers have at other times adopted the name of their mothers dynasty when coming into her inheritance. It is also extended to unrelated people such as poets of the same school or various rosters of a single sports team. The word dynasty derives via Latin dynastia from Greek dynastéia, where it referred to power, dominion and it was the abstract noun of dynástēs, the agent noun of dynamis, power or ability, from dýnamai, to be able. A ruler in a dynasty is referred to as a dynast. For example, following his abdication, Edward VIII of the United Kingdom ceased to be a member of the House of Windsor. A dynastic marriage is one that complies with monarchical house law restrictions, the marriage of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, to Máxima Zorreguieta in 2002 was dynastic, for example, and their eldest child is expected to inherit the Dutch crown eventually. But the marriage of his younger brother Prince Friso to Mabel Wisse Smit in 2003 lacked government support, thus Friso forfeited his place in the order of succession, lost his title as a Prince of the Netherlands, and left his children without dynastic rights. In historical and monarchist references to formerly reigning families, a dynast is a member who would have had succession rights, were the monarchys rules still in force. Even since abolition of the Austrian monarchy, Max and his descendants have not been considered the rightful pretenders by Austrian monarchists, nor have they claimed that position. The term dynast is sometimes used only to refer to descendants of a realms monarchs. The term can therefore describe overlapping but distinct sets of people, yet he is not a male-line member of the royal family, and is therefore not a dynast of the House of Windsor. Thus, in 1999 he requested and obtained permission from Elizabeth II to marry the Roman Catholic Princess Caroline of Monaco. Yet a clause of the English Act of Settlement 1701 remained in effect at that time and that exclusion, too, ceased to apply on 26 March 2015, with retroactive effect for those who had been dynasts prior to triggering it by marriage to a Catholic
5.
Hinduism
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Hinduism is a religion, or a way of life, found most notably in India and Nepal. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as Sanātana Dharma, scholars regard Hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots and no founder. This Hindu synthesis started to develop between 500 BCE and 300 CE following the Vedic period, although Hinduism contains a broad range of philosophies, it is linked by shared concepts, recognisable rituals, cosmology, shared textual resources, and pilgrimage to sacred sites. Hindu texts are classified into Shruti and Smriti and these texts discuss theology, philosophy, mythology, Vedic yajna, Yoga, agamic rituals, and temple building, among other topics. Major scriptures include the Vedas and Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include the four Puruṣārthas, the proper goals or aims of human life, namely Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha, karma, samsara, and the various Yogas. Hindu practices include such as puja and recitations, meditation, family-oriented rites of passage, annual festivals. Some Hindus leave their world and material possessions, then engage in lifelong Sannyasa to achieve Moksha. Hinduism prescribes the eternal duties, such as honesty, refraining from injuring living beings, patience, forbearance, self-restraint, Hinduism is the worlds third largest religion, with over one billion followers or 15% of the global population, known as Hindus. The majority of Hindus reside in India, Nepal, Mauritius, the Caribbean, the word Hindu is derived from the Indo-Aryan/Sanskrit word Sindhu, the Indo-Aryan name for the Indus River in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. The term Hindu in these ancient records is a geographical term, the Arabic term al-Hind referred to the people who live across the River Indus. This Arabic term was taken from the pre-Islamic Persian term Hindū. By the 13th century, Hindustan emerged as an alternative name of India. It was only towards the end of the 18th century that European merchants and colonists began to refer to the followers of Indian religions collectively as Hindus. The term Hinduism, then spelled Hindooism, was introduced into the English language in the 18th-century to denote the religious, philosophical, because of the wide range of traditions and ideas covered by the term Hinduism, arriving at a comprehensive definition is difficult. The religion defies our desire to define and categorize it, Hinduism has been variously defined as a religion, a religious tradition, a set of religious beliefs, and a way of life. From a Western lexical standpoint, Hinduism like other faiths is appropriately referred to as a religion, in India the term dharma is preferred, which is broader than the western term religion. Hindu traditionalists prefer to call it Sanatana Dharma, the study of India and its cultures and religions, and the definition of Hinduism, has been shaped by the interests of colonialism and by Western notions of religion. Since the 1990s, those influences and its outcomes have been the topic of debate among scholars of Hinduism, Hinduism as it is commonly known can be subdivided into a number of major currents
6.
Jainism
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Jainism, traditionally known as Jain Dharma, is an ancient Indian religion belonging to the śramaṇa tradition. The central tenet is non-violence and respect all living beings. The three main principles of Jainism are ahimsa, anekantavada and aparigraha, followers of Jainism take five main vows, ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya and aparigraha. Jain monks and nuns observe these vows absolutely whereas householders observe them within their practical limitations, self-discipline and asceticism are thus major focuses of Jainism. The word Jain derives from the Sanskrit word jina, a human being who has conquered all inner passions like attachment, desire, anger, pride, greed, etc. is called Jina. Followers of the path practiced and preached by the jinas are known as Jains, Parasparopagraho Jivanam is the motto of Jainism. Jains trace their history through a succession of teachers and revivers of the Jain path known as Tirthankaras. In the current era, this started with Rishabhdeva and concluded with Mahavira, Jains believe that Jainism is eternal and while it may be forgotten, it will be revived from time to time. The majority of Jains reside in India, with 6-7 million followers, Jainism is smaller than many other major world religions. Outside of India, some of the largest Jain communities are present in Canada, Europe, Kenya, the UK, Suriname, Fiji, contemporary Jainism is divided into two major sects, Digambara and Śvētāmbara. Namokar Mantra is the most common and basic prayer in Jainism, major Jain festivals include Paryushana and Daslakshana, Mahavir Jayanti, and Diwali. The principle of ahimsa is the most fundamental and well-known aspect of Jainism, the everyday implementation of the principle of non-violence is more comprehensive than in other religions and is the hallmark for Jain identity. Jains believe in avoiding harm to others thoughts, speech. According to the Jain text, Purushartha Siddhyupaya, killing any living being out of passions is hiṃsā, Jains extend the practice of nonviolence and kindness not only towards other humans but towards all living beings. For this reason, vegetarianism is a hallmark of Jain identity, if there is violence against animals during the production of dairy products, veganism is encouraged. Jainism has an elaborate framework on types of life and includes life-forms that may be invisible. Therefore, after humans and animals, insects are the living being offered protection in Jain practice. For example, insects in the home are often escorted out instead of killed, Jainism teaches that intentional harm and the absence of compassion make an action more violent
7.
Buddhism
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Buddhism is a religion and dharma that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. Buddhism originated in India sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, from where it spread through much of Asia, two major extant branches of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars, Theravada and Mahayana. Buddhism is the worlds fourth-largest religion, with over 500 million followers or 7% of the global population, Buddhist schools vary on the exact nature of the path to liberation, the importance and canonicity of various teachings and scriptures, and especially their respective practices. In Theravada the ultimate goal is the attainment of the state of Nirvana, achieved by practicing the Noble Eightfold Path, thus escaping what is seen as a cycle of suffering. Theravada has a following in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Mahayana, which includes the traditions of Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism, Shingon, rather than Nirvana, Mahayana instead aspires to Buddhahood via the bodhisattva path, a state wherein one remains in the cycle of rebirth to help other beings reach awakening. Vajrayana, a body of teachings attributed to Indian siddhas, may be viewed as a branch or merely a part of Mahayana. Tibetan Buddhism, which preserves the Vajrayana teachings of eighth century India, is practiced in regions surrounding the Himalayas, Tibetan Buddhism aspires to Buddhahood or rainbow body. Buddhism is an Indian religion attributed to the teachings of Buddha, the details of Buddhas life are mentioned in many early Buddhist texts but are inconsistent, his social background and life details are difficult to prove, the precise dates uncertain. Some hagiographic legends state that his father was a king named Suddhodana, his mother queen Maya, and he was born in Lumbini gardens. Some of the stories about Buddha, his life, his teachings, Buddha was moved by the innate suffering of humanity. He meditated on this alone for a period of time, in various ways including asceticism, on the nature of suffering. He famously sat in meditation under a Ficus religiosa tree now called the Bodhi Tree in the town of Bodh Gaya in Gangetic plains region of South Asia. He reached enlightenment, discovering what Buddhists call the Middle Way, as an enlightened being, he attracted followers and founded a Sangha. Now, as the Buddha, he spent the rest of his teaching the Dharma he had discovered. Dukkha is a concept of Buddhism and part of its Four Noble Truths doctrine. It can be translated as incapable of satisfying, the unsatisfactory nature, the Four Truths express the basic orientation of Buddhism, we crave and cling to impermanent states and things, which is dukkha, incapable of satisfying and painful. This keeps us caught in saṃsāra, the cycle of repeated rebirth, dukkha
8.
Jain Agamas
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Agamas are original texts of Jainism based on the discourses of the tirthankara. The discourse delivered in a samavasarana is called Śhrut Jnāna and comprises eleven angas, the discourse is recorded by Ganadharas, and is composed of twelve angas. It is generally represented by a tree with twelve branches and this forms the basis of the Jaina Agamas or canons. These are believed to have originated from Rishabhanatha, the first tirthankara, the earliest versions of Jain Agamas known were composed in Ardhamagadhi Prakrit language. Agama is a Sanskrit word which signifies the coming of a body of doctrine by means of transmission through a lineage of authoritative teachers and these scriptures are said to have contained the most comprehensive and accurate description of every branch of learning that one needs to know. According to the Digambaras, Āchārya Bhutabali was the last ascetic who had knowledge of the original canon. Later on, some learned Āchāryas started to restore, compile and put into words the teachings of Lord Mahavira. Āchārya Dharasen, in first century CE, guided two Āchāryas, Āchārya Pushpadant and Āchārya Bhutabali, to put these teachings in the written form, the two Āchāryas wrote, on palm leaves, Ṣaṭkhaṅḍāgama- among the oldest known Digambara Jaina texts. This was about 683 years after the nirvana of Mahavira, the general consensus amongst western scholars, like Ian Whicher and David Carpenter is that the earliest portions of Jain siddhanta were composed around the 4th or 3rd century BC. However, with time, it became difficult to keep the entire Jain literature committed to memory, chandragupta Maurya was the ruler of Magadha and Bhadrabahu, was the head of Jain community. Predicting a 12 year long famine, Bhadrabahu went south to Karnataka with his adherents and Sthulabhadra, during this time the knowledge of the doctrine was getting lost. A council was formed at Pataliputra where eleven scriptures called Angas were compiled, due to the twelve years of famine it was extremely difficult for the Jain ascetics to preserve the entire canonical literature. The Purvas or the ancient texts were already forgotten and lost after the famine, the existing Svetambara texts are based on the Vallabhi council texts. Digambaras reject the authority of the Agamas compiled at Valabhi, the knowledge of Shruta-Jnana, may be of things which are contained in the Angas or of things outside the Angas. The most authoritative Jain text accepted both by Digambara and Svetamberas is Tattvartha Sutra and it is the first Jain scripture written in the Sanskrit language. Other Sanskrit Jain literature includes śrāvakācāras such as the Ratnakaranda śrāvakācāra, Digambaras group texts into four literary categories called exposition. The Jain literature includes both religious texts and books on generally secular topics such as sciences, history, and grammar, the Jains have used several languages at different times and in different regions of India. The earliest versions of Jain Agamas known were written in Ardhamagadhi Prakrit language, Prakrit Prakrit literature includes the Aagams, Aagam-tulya texts, and Siddhanta texts
9.
Magadha
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Magadha is a region in the Indian state of Bihar and formed one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas of ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganges, its first capital was Rajagriha, Rajagriha was initially known as Girivrijja and later came to be known as so during the reign of Ajatashatru. Magadha expanded to include most of Bihar and Bengal with the conquest of Licchavi and Anga, respectively, followed by much of eastern Uttar Pradesh and it is also mentioned in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas. A state of Magadha is recorded in Vedic texts much earlier in time than 600 BCE, the earliest reference to the Magadha people occurs in the Atharvaveda, where they are found listed along with the Angas, Gandharis and Mujavats. Magadha played an important role in the development of Jainism and Buddhism and these empires saw advancements in ancient Indias science, mathematics, astronomy, religion, and philosophy and were considered the Golden Age of India. The Magadha kingdom included republican communities such as the community of Rajakumara, villages had their own assemblies under their local chiefs called Gramakas. Their administrations were divided into executive, judicial, and military functions, the kingdom of the Magadha roughly corresponds to the modern districts of Patna, Jehanabad, Nalanda, Aurangabad, Nawadah and Gaya in southern Bihar, and parts of Bengal in the east. It was bounded on the north by the river Ganges, on the east by the river Champa, on the south by the Vindhya Range and this region of Greater Magadha had a culture and religious beliefs of its own that predates Hinduism. Much of the second took place here from c.500 BCE onwards and it was here that Jainism became strong. The importance of Magadhas culture can be seen in that Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism adopted some of its features, most significantly a belief in rebirth, there is little certain information available on the early rulers of Magadha. The most important sources are the Buddhist Pāli Canon, the Jain Agamas, based on these sources, it appears that Magadha was ruled by the Haryanka dynasty for some 200 years, c.600 BCE –413 BCE. Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, lived much of his life in Magadha kingdom and he attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, gave his first sermon in Sarnath and the first Buddhist council was held in Rajgriha. The Hindu Mahabharata calls Brihadratha the first ruler of Magadha, King Bimbisara of the Haryanka dynasty led an active and expansive policy, conquering Anga in what is now West Bengal. The death of King Bimbisara was at the hands of his son, King Pasenadi, king of neighbouring Kosala and brother-in-law of King Bimbisara, promptly retook the gift of the Kashi province. Accounts differ slightly as to the cause of King Ajatashatrus war with the Licchavi and it appears that Ajatashatru sent a minister to the area who for three years worked to undermine the unity of the Licchavis. To launch his attack across the Ganges River, Ajatashatru built a fort at the town of Pataliputra, torn by disagreements the Licchavis fought with Ajatashatru. It took fifteen years for Ajatashatru to defeat them, Jain texts tell how Ajatashatru used two new weapons, a catapult, and a covered chariot with swinging mace that has been compared to a modern tank. Pataliputra began to grow as a center of commerce and became the capital of Magadha after Ajatashatrus death, the Haryanka dynasty was overthrown by the Shishunaga dynasty
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