Kosala - Revision history

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	==See also==		==See also==
	~~{{Portal\|India\|History}}~~
	*[[Kingdoms of Ancient India]]		*[[Kingdoms of Ancient India]]

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	\| leader1 = [[Ikshvaku]] (first)		\| leader1 = [[Ikshvaku]] (first)
	\|leader2=Sumitra (last)		\|leader2=Sumitra (last)
	\| capital = [[Ayodhya]] and [[Shravasti]]		\| capital = [[Ayodhya]] and [[Shravasti]] of Uttar Kosala and [[Kushavati]] of [[Dakshin Kosala]]
	\| common_languages = [[Sanskrit]] [[Pali]]		\| common_languages = [[Sanskrit]] [[Pali]]
	\| religion =[[Hinduism]]<br>[[Buddhism]]<br>[[Jainism]]		\| religion =[[Hinduism]]<br>[[Buddhism]]<br>[[Jainism]]
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	}}		}}

	'''Kingdom of Kosala''' ({{lang-sa\|कोसल राज्य}}) was an [[ancient India]]n kingdom, corresponding the area with the region of [[Awadh]]{{Sfn \| Mahajan \| 1960 \| p = 230}} in present-day [[Uttar Pradesh]] to [[Western Odisha]]. It emerged as a [[janapada\|small state]] during the late [[Vedic period]], with connections to the neighboring realm of [[Videha]].{{sfn\|Samuel\|2010\|p=61–63}}<ref>[[Michael Witzel]] (1989), ''Tracing the Vedic dialects'' in ''Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes'' ed. [[Colette Caillat\|Caillat]], Paris, 97–265.</ref> Kosala belonged to the [[Northern Black Polished Ware]] culture (c. 700-300 BCE),{{sfn\|Samuel\|2010\|p=50}} and the Kosala region gave rise to the [[Sramana]] movements, including Jainism and Buddhism.{{sfn\|Samuel\|2010\|p=48}} It was culturally distinct from the [[Painted Grey Ware]] culture of the Vedic ~~Aryans~~ of [[Kuru Kingdom\|Kuru]]-[[Panchala]] west of it, following independent development toward urbanisation and the use of iron.{{sfn\|Samuel\|2010\|p=50-51}}		'''Kingdom of Kosala''' ({{lang-sa\|कोसल राज्य}}) was an [[ancient India]]n kingdom, corresponding the area with the region of [[Awadh]]{{Sfn \| Mahajan \| 1960 \| p = 230}} in present-day [[Uttar Pradesh]] to [[Western Odisha]]. It emerged as a [[janapada\|small state]] during the late [[Vedic period]], with connections to the neighboring realm of [[Videha]].{{sfn\|Samuel\|2010\|p=61–63}}<ref>[[Michael Witzel]] (1989), ''Tracing the Vedic dialects'' in ''Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes'' ed. [[Colette Caillat\|Caillat]], Paris, 97–265.</ref> Kosala belonged to the [[Northern Black Polished Ware]] culture (c. 700-300 BCE),{{sfn\|Samuel\|2010\|p=50}} and the Kosala region gave rise to the [[Sramana]] movements, including Jainism and Buddhism.{{sfn\|Samuel\|2010\|p=48}} It was culturally distinct from the [[Painted Grey Ware]] culture of the Vedic period of [[Kuru Kingdom\|Kuru]]-[[Panchala]] west of it, following independent development toward urbanisation and the use of iron.{{sfn\|Samuel\|2010\|p=50-51}}

	During the 5th century BCE, Kosala incorporated the territory of the [[Shakya]] clan, to which the [[Buddha]] belonged. According to the Buddhist text ''[[Anguttara Nikaya]]'' and the Jaina text, the ''[[Vyakhyaprajnapti\|Bhagavati Sutra]]'', Kosala was one of the ''Solasa'' (sixteen) [[Mahajanapadas]] (powerful realms) in 6th to 5th centuries BCE,{{sfn\|Raychaudhuri\|1972\|pp=85–6}} and its cultural and political strength earned it the status of a great power. It was later weakened by a series of wars with the neighbouring kingdom of [[Magadha]] and, in the 5th century BCE, was finally absorbed by it. After collapse of the [[Maurya Empire]] and before the expansion of the [[Kushan Empire]], Kosala was ruled by the [[Deva dynasty (Saketa)\|Deva dynasty]], the [[Datta dynasty]], and the [[Mitra dynasty (Mathura)\|Mitra dynasty]].		During the 5th century BCE, Kosala incorporated the territory of the [[Shakya]] clan, to which the [[Buddha]] belonged. According to the Buddhist text ''[[Anguttara Nikaya]]'' and the Jaina text, the ''[[Vyakhyaprajnapti\|Bhagavati Sutra]]'', Kosala was one of the ''Solasa'' (sixteen) [[Mahajanapadas]] (powerful realms) in 6th to 5th centuries BCE,{{sfn\|Raychaudhuri\|1972\|pp=85–6}} and its cultural and political strength earned it the status of a great power. It was later weakened by a series of wars with the neighbouring kingdom of [[Magadha]] and, in the 5th century BCE, was finally absorbed by it. After collapse of the [[Maurya Empire]] and before the expansion of the [[Kushan Empire]], Kosala was ruled by the [[Deva dynasty (Saketa)\|Deva dynasty]], the [[Datta dynasty]], and the [[Mitra dynasty (Mathura)\|Mitra dynasty]].

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{{other uses}}
{{short description|former country in India}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name = कोसल राज्य
| conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Kosala
| common_name = Kosala
| era = [[Bronze Age]], [[Iron Age]]
| government_type = [[Monarchy]]
| year_start = c. 7th century BCE{{sfn|Samuel|2010|p=50}}
| year_end = 5th century BCE
| p1 = Black and red ware culture
| s1 = Magadha
| image_map = Late Vedic Culture (1100-500 BCE).png
| image_map_caption = Kosal and other kingdoms of the late [[Vedic period]].
| image_map2 = Mahajanapadas (c. 500 BCE).png
| image_map2_caption = Kosal and other Mahajanapadas in the Post Vedic period.
| leader1 = [[Ikshvaku]] (first)
|leader2=Sumitra (last)
| capital = [[Ayodhya]] and [[Shravasti]]
| common_languages = [[Sanskrit]] [[Pali]]
| religion =[[Hinduism]]<br>[[Buddhism]]<br>[[Jainism]]
| currency =
| title_leader = [[Suryavansha#Rulers|Maharaja]]
| today = [[India]]<br>[[Nepal]]
}}

'''Kingdom of Kosala''' ({{lang-sa|कोसल राज्य}}) was an [[ancient India]]n kingdom, corresponding the area with the region of [[Awadh]]{{Sfn | Mahajan | 1960 | p = 230}} in present-day [[Uttar Pradesh]] to [[Western Odisha]]. It emerged as a [[janapada|small state]] during the late [[Vedic period]], with connections to the neighboring realm of [[Videha]].{{sfn|Samuel|2010|p=61–63}}<ref>[[Michael Witzel]] (1989), ''Tracing the Vedic dialects'' in ''Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes'' ed. [[Colette Caillat|Caillat]], Paris, 97–265.</ref> Kosala belonged to the [[Northern Black Polished Ware]] culture (c. 700-300 BCE),{{sfn|Samuel|2010|p=50}} and the Kosala region gave rise to the [[Sramana]] movements, including Jainism and Buddhism.{{sfn|Samuel|2010|p=48}} It was culturally distinct from the [[Painted Grey Ware]] culture of the Vedic Aryans of [[Kuru Kingdom|Kuru]]-[[Panchala]] west of it, following independent development toward urbanisation and the use of iron.{{sfn|Samuel|2010|p=50-51}}

During the 5th century BCE, Kosala incorporated the territory of the [[Shakya]] clan, to which the [[Buddha]] belonged. According to the Buddhist text ''[[Anguttara Nikaya]]'' and the Jaina text, the ''[[Vyakhyaprajnapti|Bhagavati Sutra]]'', Kosala was one of the ''Solasa'' (sixteen) [[Mahajanapadas]] (powerful realms) in 6th to 5th centuries BCE,{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1972|pp=85–6}} and its cultural and political strength earned it the status of a great power. It was later weakened by a series of wars with the neighbouring kingdom of [[Magadha]] and, in the 5th century BCE, was finally absorbed by it. After collapse of the [[Maurya Empire]] and before the expansion of the [[Kushan Empire]], Kosala was ruled by the [[Deva dynasty (Saketa)|Deva dynasty]], the [[Datta dynasty]], and the [[Mitra dynasty (Mathura)|Mitra dynasty]].

==Religious textual references==

=== In Vedic Literature ===
{{multiple image
| align = left
| direction = vertical
| header = Kosala
| width = 250
| image1 = Sravasti-citywall.jpg
| caption1 = The ruins of the city walls of [[Sravasti|Shravasti]], the capital of the Kosala kingdom.
| image2 = Ayodhya Nagri.jpg
| caption2 = Gold carving depiction of the legendary [[Ayodhya]] at the [[Ajmer Jain temple]].
}}
Kosala is not mentioned in the early [[Vedic literature]], but appears as a region in the later Vedic texts of the [[Satapatha Brahmana|Shatapatha Brahmana]] (7th-6th centuries BCE,<ref>[http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/Erdosy1995.pdf "Early Indian history: Linguistic and textual parametres."] in The Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia, edited by G. Erdosy (1995), p. 136</ref> final version 300 BCE<ref>[http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sbr/index.htm The Satapatha Brahmana]. Sacred Books of the East, Vols. 12, 26, 24, 37, 47, translated by Julius Eggeling [published between 1882 and 1900]</ref>) and the [[Kalpa (Vedanga)|Kalpasutras]] (6th-century BCE).<ref>{{harvnb|Law|1926|pp=34–85}}</ref>

===In Puranas===
{{main|Kosala Kingdom}}In the [[Ramayana]], [[Mahabharata]] and the [[Puranas]] the ruling family of the Kosala kingdom was the [[Ikshvaku dynasty]], which was descended from king [[Ikshvaku]].{{sfn|Sastri|1988|p=17}} The Puranas give lists of kings of the Ikshvaku dynasty from Ikshvaku to [[Prasenajit]] (Pali: ''Pasenadi'').<ref>{{harvnb|Raychaudhuri|1972|pp=89–90}}</ref> According to the Ramayana, [[Rama]] ruled the Kosala kingdom from his capital, [[Ayodhya]].<ref>{{harvnb|Raychaudhuri|1972|pp=68–70}}</ref>

===In Buddhist and Jain texts===
[[File:Procession of Prasenajit of Kosala leaving Sravasti to meet the Buddha.jpg|thumb|Procession of [[Prasenajit]] of Kosala leaving [[Sravasti]] to meet the [[Buddha]], [[Sanchi]].<ref>Marshall [https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.459148 p.59]</ref>]]

[[Mahavira]], the 24th [[Tirthankara]] of [[Jainism]] taught in Kosala. A Buddhist text, the ''Majjhima Nikaya'' mentions [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] as a Kosalan, which indicates that Kosala may have subjugated the [[Shakya]] clan, which the Buddha is traditionally believed to have belonged to.<ref>{{harvnb|Raychaudhuri|1972|pp=88–9}}</ref>

{{Clear}}

==History==

===Pre-Mauryan===
Koshala's first capital of [[Shravasti]] was barely settled by the 6th century BCE, but there is the beginnings of a mud fort. By 500 BCE, [[List of ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes#Late Janapadas (peoples / tribes) (c. 1100–500 BCE)|Vedic people]] had spread to Koshala. <ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Sharma|first=R. S.|title=India's Ancient Past|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-19-908786-0|pages=167-169}}</ref>[[File:Kosala coin, 400-300 BCE.jpg|thumb|Kosala coin, 400-300 BCE]]
[[File:Kosala Karshapana.jpg|thumb|Kosala [[Karshapana]], 5th century BCE.]]

By the 5th century BCE under the reign of King Mahakosala, the neighboring [[Kingdom of Kashi]] had been conquered.<ref>{{harvnb|Raychaudhuri|1972|p=138}}</ref> Mahakosala's daughter was the first wife of King [[Bimbisara]] of Magadha. As a dowry, Bimbisara received a Kashi village that had a revenue of 100,000. This marriage temporarily eased tensions between Koshala and Magadha.<ref name=":0" />

The Shakya tribe was eventually brought into the territory of the Koshala kingdom. The Shakyas had their capital at [[Kapilavastu (ancient city)|Kapilavastu]].{{Sfn|Sharma|2005|p=168}}

Mahakosala was succeeded by his son [[Pasenadi]] (Sanskrit: Prasenajit), who was a follower of the Buddha. During Pasenadi's absence from the capital, his minister Digha Charayana raised Pasedani's son [[Virudhaka|Vidudabha]] (Sanskrit: Virudhaka) to the throne.<ref>{{harvnb|Raychaudhuri|1972|p=186}}</ref>

In 492 BCE, [[Ajatashatru]] assassinated his father, Bimbisara, and became the king of Magadha. His aggressive [[Expansionism|expansionist]] policy provoked the ire of Koshala and their vassal state, Kashi. After a long war between Magadha and Koshala, Koshala was forced to cede Kashi to Magadha gave a Koshala princess in marriage to Ajatashatru.<ref name=":0" />

The Kosala kingdom was defeated by (5th or early 4th cent. BCE) of the Magadhan [[Haryanka dynasty]],{{sfn|Sastri|1988|p=17}} and absorbed into the [[Magadha]] kingdom, which formed the basis of the Maurya empire. Kosala was finally annexed by [[Shishunaga]].{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2016|p=272}}

Under the reign of [[Mahapadma Nanda]] of Magadha, Koshala rebelled but the rebellion was put down.<ref name=":0" />

===Under Mauryan rule===
It is assumed that during the [[Maurya Empire|Mauryan reign]], Kosala was administratively under the viceroy at [[Kosambi|Kaushambi]].<ref>{{harvnb|Mahajan|1960|p=318}}</ref> The Sohgaura copper plate inscription, probably issued during the reign of [[Chandragupta Maurya]] deals with a famine in Shravasti and the relief measures to be adopted by the officials.<ref>{{harvnb|Thapar|2001|pp=7–8}}</ref> The [[Yuga Purana]] section of the [[Yuga Purana|Garga Samhita]] mentions about the ''Yavana'' ([[Indo-Greek]]) invasion and subsequent occupation of Saket during the reign of the last [[Maurya]] ruler Brihadratha.<ref>{{harvnb|Lahiri|1974|pp=21–4}}</ref>

===Post-Mauryan period===
[[File:Muladeva coin Kosala.jpg|thumb|Coin of ruler Muladeva, minted in Ayodhya, Kosala. Obv: ''Muladevasa'', elephant to left facing symbol. Rev: Wreath, above symbol, below snake.]]
[[File:Aryamitra coin Kosala.jpg|thumb|Coin of ruler Aryamitra, issued in Ayodhya, Kosala. Obv: peacock to right facing tree. Rev: Name ''Ayyamitasa'', humped bull to left facing pole.]]
<gallery>
Kashi coin, 400-300 BCE.jpg|thumb|Kashi coin, 400-300 BCE.
North India in 540 BCE.png|thumb|Map depicting 16 [[mahajanapada]]s kingdoms and other kingdoms of [[vedic era]] India in 540 BCE.
</gallery>

[[File:North India in 540 BCE.png|thumb|Map depicting 16 [[mahajanapada]]s kingdoms and other kingdoms of [[vedic era]] India in 540 BCE.]]
{{HistoryOfSouthAsia}}

The names of a number of rulers of Kosala of the post-Maurya period are known from the square copper coins issued by them, mostly found at [[Ayodhya]].<ref>Bhandare (2006)</ref> The rulers, forming the [[Deva dynasty (Saketa)|Deva dynasty]], are: Muladeva, Vayudeva, Vishakhadeva, [[Dhanadeva]], Naradatta, Jyesthadatta and Shivadatta. There is no way to know whether king Muladeva of the coins is identifiable with Muladeva, murderer of the Shunga ruler [[Vasumitra]] or not (though a historian, Jagannath has tried to do so).<ref>{{harvnb|Lahiri|1974|p=141n}}</ref> King Dhanadeva of the coins is identified with king Dhanadeva (1st century BCE) of Ayodhya inscription. In this Sanskrit inscription, King Kaushikiputra [[Dhanadeva]] mentions about setting a ''ketana'' (flag-staff) in memory of his father, Phalgudeva. In this inscription he claimed himself as the sixth in descent from [[Pushyamitra Shunga]]. Dhanadeva issued both cast and die-struck coins and both the types have a bull on obverse.<ref>{{harvnb|Bhandare|2006|pp=77–8, 87–8}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Falk|2006|p=149}}</ref>

Other local rulers whose coins were found in Kosala include: a group of rulers whose name ends in "-mitra" is also known from their coins: Satyamitra, Aryamitra, Vijayamitra and Devamitra, sometimes called the "Late [[Mitra dynasty (Ayodhya)|Mitra dynasty]] of Kosala".<ref>Proceedings - Indian History Congress - Volume 1 - Page 74</ref> Other rulers known from their coins are: Kumudasena, Ajavarman and Sanghamitra.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ks4UAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA118 Papers on the Date of Kaniṣka, Arthur Llewellyn Basham Brill Archive, 1969, p.118]</ref>

==Geography==
The Kosala region had three major cities, [[Ayodhya]], [[Saket]] and [[Sravasti|Shravasti]], and a number of minor towns as Setavya, Ukattha,{{Sfn | Raychaudhuri | 1972 |p = 89}} Dandakappa, Nalakapana and Pankadha.{{Sfn | Law |1973|p=132}} According to the [[Puranas]] and the [[Ramayana]] epic, [[Ayodhya]] was the capital of Kosala during the reign of [[Ikshvaku]] and [[Ikshvaku dynasty|his descendants]].{{Sfn | Pargiter | 1972|p=257}} Shravasti is recorded as the capital of Kosala during the Mahajanapada period (6th–5th centuries BCE),{{sfn|Samuel|2010|p=71}} but post-Maurya (2nd–1st centuries BCE) kings issued their coins from Ayodhya.

==Culture and religion==
Kosala belonged to the [[Northern Black Polished Ware]] culture (c. 700-300 BCE),{{sfn|Samuel|2010|p=50}} which was preceded by the [[Black and red ware culture]] (c.c. 1450-1200 BCE until c. 700-500 BCE). The Central Gangetic Plain was the earliest area for rice cultivation in South Asia, and entered the Iron Age around 700 BCE.{{sfn|Samuel|2010|p=50}} According to Geoffrey Samuel, following Tim Hopkins, the Central Gangetic Plain was culturally distinct from the [[Painted Grey Ware]] culture of the Vedic Aryans of Kuru-Pancala west of it, and saw an independent development toward urbanisation and the use of iron.{{sfn|Samuel|2010|p=50-51}}

Local religions, before and during the rise of Buddhism and the later influence of the Vedic-Brahmanical traditions, were centered on ''laukika'' or worldly deities, including ''[[yaksas]]'', guardian deities.{{sfn|Samuel|2010|p=101-113}} According to Samuel, there is "extensive iconographical evidence for a religion of fertility and auspiciousness.{{sfn|Samuel|2010|p=61}} According to Hopkins, the region was marked by a
{{quote|...world of female powers, natural transformation, sacred earth and sacred places, blood sacrifices, and ritualists who accepted pollution on behalf of their community.{{sfn|Samuel|2010|p=61}}}}

In contrast to the developing Brahmanical traditions of the Kuru-Pancala region, the Kosala region "was where the early ascetic movements, including the Buddhists and Jains, took shape, and it was also a very important area for the Upanishads and developments in Brahmanical traditions."{{sfn|Samuel|2010|p=48}} According to Samuels, Buddhism was not a protest against an already established Vedic-Brahmanical system, which developed in Kuru-Pancala, but an opposition against the growing influence of this Vedic-Brahmanical system, and the superior position granted to Brahmins in it.{{sfn|Samuel|2010|p=100}}

==See also==
{{Portal|India|History}}
*[[Kingdoms of Ancient India]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{Citation| last = Bhandare| first = S.| year = 2006| title = Between the Empires: Society in India 200 BCE to 400 CE| editor = ''Numismatic Overview of the Maurya-Gupta Interlude'' in P. Olivelle | publisher = New York: Oxford University Press| isbn = 0-19-568935-6}}.
* {{Citation| last = Falk| first = H.| year = 2006| title = Between the Empires: Society in India 200 BCE to 400 CE| editor = ''The Tidal Waves of Indian History'' in P. Olivelle | publisher = New York: Oxford University Press| isbn = 0-19-568935-6}}
* {{Citation| last = Lahiri | first = B.| year = 1974| title = Indigenous States of Northern India (Circa 300 B.C. to 200 A.D.) | publisher = Calcutta: University of Calcutta}}
* {{Citation| last = Law | first = B. C.| year = 1973| title = Tribes in Ancient India | publisher = Poona: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute}}
* {{Citation| last = Law | first = B.C.| year = 1926| title = Ancient Indian Tribes| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=eFy-K56RKU0C&pg=PA34| publisher = Lahore: Motilal Banarsidass| isbn = 9781406751802}}
* {{Citation| last = Mahajan | given1 = V.D.| year = 1960| title = Ancient India | publisher = New Delhi: S. Chand| isbn = 81-219-0887-6}}
* {{Citation| last = Pargiter | first = F.E.| year = 1972| title = Ancient Indian Historical Tradition | publisher = Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass}}
* {{Citation| last = Raychaudhuri | first = H.C. | year = 1972| title = Political History of Ancient India| publisher = Calcutta: University of Calcutta}}
* {{Citation | last = Samuel| first = Geoffrey |author-link=Geoffrey Samuel | year = 2010 | title = The Origins of Yoga and Tantra: Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century | publisher = Cambridge University Press | pages = 61–63}}.
* {{Citation| last = Thapar | first = R.| year = 2001| title = {{IAST|Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas}} | publisher = New Delhi: Oxford University Press| isbn = 0-19-564445-X}}
* {{citation |editor-last=Sastri |editor-first=K. A. Nilakanta |editor-link=K. A. Nilakanta Sastri |title=Age of the Nandas and Mauryas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YoAwor58utYC |date=1988 |orig-year=1967 |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |location=[[Delhi]] |isbn=81-208-0465-1 |edition=Second }}
* {{citation |last=Singh |first=Upinder |author-link=Upinder Singh |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pq2iCwAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Pearson PLC|Pearson]] |year=2016 |isbn=978-81-317-1677-9 |ref={{sfnref|Upinder Singh|2016}} }}
{{refend}}

{{Tribes and kingdoms of the Mahabharata}}
{{Mahajanapada |state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Kosala| ]]
[[Category:Historical Indian regions]]
[[Category:Mahajanapadas]]
[[Category:Places in the Ramayana]]
[[Category:History of Uttar Pradesh]]