Bimbisara

Bimbisara, also known as Bimbisāra, was an ancient Indian king of Magadha and the founder of the Haryanka dynasty. He is traditionally dated to the 6th to 5th centuries BCE, with his reign commonly placed around 543–491 BCE. His capital was Girivraja, later called Rajgir, in present-day Bihar.

During his rule, Bimbisara expanded Magadha’s influence through diplomacy and alliances, consolidating power in the region and bringing various neighboring tribes and republics, including the Licchavi of Vaishali, into Magadhan sway. This helped Magadha emerge as a major political and economic center in northern India.

Bimbisara is notable in religious histories as a patron of early Buddhism and Jainism. Buddhist texts describe his cordial reception of the Buddha in Rajgir and his support for monastic life, including the building of the Veluvana (Bamboo) Vihara to house the Buddhist sangha. He is frequently depicted as a youthful, pragmatic ruler who fostered religious and cultural institutions.

The circumstances of his death are reported differently in sources. The prevailing narrative in Buddhist and Jain accounts is that he was imprisoned and killed by his own son, Ajatashatru, with assistance from the Licchavi, around 491 BCE, although details vary among traditions. Ajatashatru succeeded him and continued Magadha’s expansion.

Bimbisara’s reign is generally viewed as laying the foundations for Magadha’s later imperial power and as an early chapter in the political and religious consolidation that shaped northeastern Indian history.