Mod 2: Bimbisara’s Statecraft — Marriage Alliances, the Conquest of Anga, Diplomacy and Administration
Concept
6.3 Marriage and conquest
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Kosala, Lichchhavi and Madra queens; the annexation of Anga
Bimbisara built Magadha’s power by a three-fold policy: marriage alliances to secure friendly neighbours, conquest of a weak neighbour (Anga), and friendly diplomacy with distant powers.
| Queen | Family | Gain |
|---|---|---|
| Kosala Devi (Mahakosala’s daughter) | Kosala; sister of Prasenajit | A Kashi village yielding 1,00,000 coins as “bath and perfume money”; friendship with Kosala |
| Chellana (Vasavi) | Lichchhavi — daughter of Chetaka of Vaishali | Peace with the powerful Vajji confederacy on the north |
| Khema | Madra (central Punjab) | Prestige among north-western royal houses |
Anga (Bhagalpur–Munger) controlled the Ganga route to the sea ports of Bengal. Bimbisara defeated its king Brahmadatta and annexed it — Magadha’s first conquest. He placed his son Ajatashatru as governor (uparaja) at Champa.
- Marriages: Kosala Devi (Kashi village dowry), Chellana (Lichchhavi), Khema (Madra).
- Conquest of Anga (Brahmadatta); Ajatashatru governor at Champa.
- Question: Whom did Bimbisara defeat to take Anga? Answer: Brahmadatta.
- Question: Who was governor at Champa? Answer: Prince Ajatashatru.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] Bimbisara received a village of Kashi as dowry when he married:
[BPSC level] Chellana, a queen of Bimbisara, was the daughter of:
[UPSC level] Khema, a queen of Bimbisara who later became a leading nun, came from:
[School] Which kingdom did Bimbisara conquer?
[BPSC level] The king of Anga defeated by Bimbisara was:
[BSSC pattern] Bimbisara appointed his son Ajatashatru as governor at:
[UPSC level] Why was the conquest of Anga strategically important?
[BPSC level] Bimbisara’s marriage policy is best described as:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Whom did Bimbisara defeat to take Anga?
Brahmadatta.Who was governor at Champa?
Prince Ajatashatru.Concept
6.4 Diplomacy and administration
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Pradyota, Pukkusati and the mahamattas
| Ruler | Kingdom | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Chanda Pradyota | Avanti (Ujjayini) | When Pradyota fell ill with jaundice, Bimbisara sent his royal physician Jivaka to cure him |
| Pukkusati | Gandhara (Taxila) | Exchanged embassies and letters with Bimbisara |
| Rudrayana | Sauvira (Roruka) | Friendly gifts according to Buddhist tradition |
- Uparajas — princes as viceroys (Ajatashatru at Champa).
- Mahamattas (high officers) of three kinds: sabbatthaka (general affairs), senanayaka (army) and voharika (justice).
- Gramikas / gramabhojakas — village headmen; Bimbisara once called an assembly of 80,000 gramikas (Mahavagga).
- Harsh punishments: imprisonment, flogging, mutilation; land revenue as the main income.
- The Buddhist texts say his kingdom had about 80,000 villages.
For the first time an Indian king combined a standing bureaucracy, village-level control and foreign diplomacy. This model was later expanded by the Nandas and the Mauryas.
- Diplomacy: Jivaka cures Pradyota of Avanti; embassies with Pukkusati of Gandhara.
- Mahamattas: sabbatthaka, senanayaka, voharika; 80,000 gramikas.
- Question: Whom did Bimbisara send to cure Pradyota? Answer: Jivaka.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
Question 1: Who was the personal royal physician of King Bimbisara sent to Ujjain to treat King Chanda Pradyota?
[UPSC level] The king of Gandhara who exchanged embassies with Bimbisara was:
[BPSC level] Officers called “mahamattas” under Bimbisara included the “voharika”, who handled:
[BSSC pattern] A village headman under Bimbisara was called a:
[UPSC level] According to Buddhist texts, roughly how many villages were in Bimbisara’s kingdom?
[BPSC level] Chanda Pradyota of Avanti suffered from which disease cured by Jivaka?
[UPSC level] Which statement about Bimbisara’s administration is correct?
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Whom did Bimbisara send to cure Pradyota?
Jivaka.Concept
🎯 UPSC · BPSC · BSSC · State PSC level: PYQs, traps and mains
| Exam | What it asks from this module |
|---|---|
| UPSC | Matrimonial policy; early administration (mahamattas, gramikas) |
| BPSC | Anga’s annexation; Jivaka sent to Pradyota; Kashi as dowry |
| BSSC | Queens of Bimbisara; governor of Champa |
Bimbisara annexed which neighbouring kingdom? (a) Kosala (b) Anga (c) Vatsa (d) Avanti
- He defeated Brahmadatta of Anga; Kosala and Avanti remained independent in his time; Vatsa was ruled by Udayana.
- Kashi came as dowry with Kosala Devi under Bimbisara; it was lost and regained by Ajatashatru through marriage with Vajira.
- Jivaka cured Pradyota of Avanti, not Prasenajit.
- Brahmadatta = king of Anga defeated by Bimbisara.
Model question: “Bimbisara laid the foundation of the Magadhan empire.” Examine. Points: marriage diplomacy (Kosala, Lichchhavi, Madra); conquest of Anga and control of the Ganga route; embassies to Avanti and Gandhara; mahamattas and gramikas; patronage of Buddhism and Jainism; limits — Kosala and Vajji not conquered.
- Traps: Kashi = dowry (Bimbisara) and Vajira marriage (Ajatashatru); Jivaka cured Pradyota.
- Question: Who ruled Vatsa in Bimbisara’s time? Answer: Udayana.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] Bimbisara annexed which neighbouring kingdom?
[UPSC level] Which pair of a ruler and kingdom in Bimbisara’s time is correct?
[BSSC pattern] The “bath and perfume money” village given to Bimbisara lay in:
[UPSC level] The three-fold policy of Bimbisara consisted of:
[BPSC level] Sabbatthaka, senanayaka and voharika were all types of:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Who ruled Vatsa in Bimbisara’s time?
Udayana.