Mod 3: Kalashoka (Kakavarna) โ Return to Pataliputra, Patron of the Second Council and a Violent End
Concept
7.5 Kalashoka and his reign
๐ซ School level ยท NCERT Class 6โ12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Pataliputra restored as capital
Kalashoka (โthe black Ashokaโ), called Kakavarna (โcrow-colouredโ) in the Puranas and in Banaโs Harshacharita, succeeded Shishunaga and ruled about 28 years (c. 394โ366 BCE). Two events mark his reign: the permanent return of the capital to Pataliputra, and his patronage of the Second Buddhist Council at Vaishali.
- Kalashoka โ Pali chronicles (Mahavamsa, Dipavamsa).
- Kakavarna โ Puranas; Kakavarni Shaishunagi โ Harshacharita.
- Do not confuse with Ashoka Maurya (Dharmashoka), who held the Third Council at Pataliputra.
- Kalashoka = Kakavarna (Puranas); c. 394โ366 BCE (28 years).
- Capital permanently back to Pataliputra; patron of the Second Council.
- Question: Who made Pataliputra the permanent capital again? Answer: Kalashoka.
- Question: What does the Puranic name Kakavarna mean? Answer: Crow-coloured.
MCQs
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[School] Kalashoka was the son of:
[BPSC level] Kalashoka shifted the capital of Magadha permanently to:
[BPSC level] In the Puranas Kalashoka is called:
[UPSC level] Kalashoka is said to have ruled for about:
[BSSC pattern] The Second Buddhist Council was held under the patronage of:
[UPSC level] Why did Kalashoka prefer Pataliputra as capital?
[BPSC level] โKalashokaโ literally means:
One-liners
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Who made Pataliputra the permanent capital again?
Kalashoka.What does the Puranic name Kakavarna mean?
Crow-coloured.Concept
7.6 The murder of Kakavarna
๐ซ School level ยท NCERT Class 6โ12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Bana, Curtius and the barber story
Kalashokaโs end was violent. Banaโs Harshacharita (7th century CE), in a list of kings who died through carelessness or treachery, says: โKakavarni Shaishunagi had a dagger thrust into his throat in the vicinity of his city.โ Greek writers (Curtius) tell of a barber who became the queenโs lover, treacherously killed the king, and made himself guardian of the princes โ a story usually read as the murder of Kalashoka and the rise of the founder of the Nanda line.
Historians combine three sources: (1) Bana โ Kakavarna killed by a dagger near his city; (2) Curtius โ a barber, the queenโs lover, killed the king and later ruled as guardian of the princes; (3) Jain texts โ the first Nanda was the son of a barber. Together they suggest that the founder of the Nanda house rose through palace intrigue, first as regent for Kalashokaโs sons, then as king.
With Avanti, Vatsa and Kosala now inside the empire, the centre of gravity was the Ganga valley. Pataliputra on the Ganga was the natural capital for so large a state; Vaishali and Girivraja were too far to one side.
- Harshacharita: dagger in the throat near his city.
- Curtius: barber, queenโs lover, guardian of the princes; Jain: Nanda son of a barber.
- Question: Who wrote the Harshacharita? Answer: Banabhatta.
MCQs
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Question 2: According to Banabhatta's 'Harshacharita', King Kakavarna (Kalashoka) was murdered by:
[School] Harshacharita was written by:
[UPSC level] The Greek writer who tells of a barber who killed the king and became guardian of the princes is:
[BPSC level] The Jain tradition says the first Nanda king was the son of a:
[BSSC pattern] Kakavarna was killed โin the vicinity of his cityโ according to:
[UPSC level] Combining Bana, Curtius and Jain texts, historians infer that the Nanda founder rose through:
[BPSC level] Bana mentions Kakavarna in a list of kings who:
One-liners
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Who wrote the Harshacharita?
Banabhatta.Concept
๐ฏ UPSC ยท BPSC ยท BSSC ยท State PSC level: PYQs, traps and mains
| Exam | What it asks from this module |
|---|---|
| UPSC | Bana as a historical source; Greek accounts of the Nandas |
| BPSC | Kakavarna = Kalashoka; manner of death; capital back to Pataliputra |
| BSSC | Who wrote Harshacharita; Second Council patron |
According to Banaโs Harshacharita, Kakavarna (Kalashoka) died by: (a) poisoning (b) a dagger thrust into his throat (c) defeat in battle (d) falling from his chariot
- โKakavarni Shaishunagi had a dagger thrust into his throat in the vicinity of his city.โ
- Kalashoka (Shishunaga) โ Ashoka (Maurya).
- Harshacharita was written by Banabhatta, court poet of Harsha โ 1,000 years after Kalashoka.
- Second Council patron = Kalashoka; Third Council patron = Ashoka.
Model question: How do literary sources help reconstruct the transition from the Shishunagas to the Nandas? Points: Harshacharita on Kakavarna; Curtiusโ barber story; Jain tradition on Nandaโs birth; Puranic Mahanandin and the Shudra son; Buddhist โten sonsโ; problems of bias and late date.
- Kalashoka โ Ashoka; Second Council โ Third Council.
- Question: Which council did Kalashoka patronise? Answer: The Second Buddhist Council (Vaishali).
MCQs
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[BPSC level] According to Bana, Kakavarna (Kalashoka) died by:
[UPSC level] Which pair of a king and a Buddhist council is correctly matched?
[BSSC pattern] Kakavarna and Kalashoka are:
[UPSC level] Which statement about the sources on Kalashoka is correct?
[BPSC level] Kalashokaโs reign is dated in exam books to about:
[School] The capital of Magadha after Kalashoka was:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Which council did Kalashoka patronise?
The Second Buddhist Council (Vaishali).