Script: H. Atmaram
ISBN: 81-7508-228-3
Vol. No: 688
The sixth century BC was
a watershed period in the history of India. The north of India then was
politically fragmented, with a number of kingdoms and perhaps a few republics.
It was Bimbisara, the Emperor of Magadha, who for the first time brought
these kingdoms together under the rule of a single authority. This was
further consolidated by his son and successor, Ajatashatru. This account
of their life and times has been reconstructed from references, sometimes
divergent, from Buddhist and Jain Literature. Both the sources claim the
two kings as adherents of their respective faiths.
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