Pataliputra
Pataliputra (Skt. Pāṭaliputra; P. Pāṭaliputta; T. Pa ṭa la yi bu; C Huashi cheng 華氏城) was a city in ancient India that served as the capital of the kingdom of Magadha, and later for the Maurya Empire (c. 320–180 BCE).[1]
Pataliputra was located in north eastern India, near to modern-day Patna, Bihar. Situated at the confluence of the Ganges, Gandhaka and Son rivers, the city formed a "water fort, or jaldurga".[2] Its position helped it dominate the riverine trade of the Indo-Gangetic plains during Magadha's early imperial period. It was a great centre of trade and commerce and attracted merchants and intellectuals, such as the famed Chanakya, from all over India.
Pataliputra is mentioned in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta and other early Buddhist texts, where it appears as the village of Pataligrama.[3] The early Buddhist sources report a city being built in the vicinity of the village towards the end of the Buddha's life; this generally agrees with archaeological evidence showing urban development occurring in the area no earlier than the 3rd or 4th Century BCE.[3]
Sometime after the reign of Ajātasattu, the capital of Magadha was moved from Rajagriha to Pataliputra, and Pataliputra subsequently became the seat of government for the Mauryan Empire.[1][4] "The height of Magadha’s influence was reached in the third century BCE during the reign of the emperor Ashoka, when the authority of Pāṭaliputta extended across the north of the Indian subcontinent from Bengal in the east, to Afghanistan in the west and south to the borders of Tamil Nadu."[4]
During the Maurya period, Pataliputra became one of the largest cities in the world.
Two Buddhist councils are recorded in early Buddhist texts as being held in Pataliputra: the second session of the Second Buddhist council during the reign of Ashoka, 35 years after the first session held in Vaisali and the Third Buddhist council.[5]
Further reading
Pataliputra, Wikipedia
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Buswell & Lopez 2014, s.v. Pāṭaliputra.
- ↑ The Pearson Indian History Manual, Pearson Education India, A94.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sujato, Bhikkhu; Bhikkhu, Brahmali, "1.1.5", The Authenticity of the Early Buddhist Texts (PDF), Oxford Center for Buddhist Studie. archived copy
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Buswell & Lopez 2014, s.v. Magadha.
- ↑ Lwin, Phyu Mar (2018). "The Buddhist Councils: The Movement to Great Schism". The Journal of International Association of Buddhist Universities (JIABU). 11 (2): 303–314. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
Sources
Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University
