Bimbisara (c. 545/544 BCE - c. 493/492 BCE) was a king of the Magadha Kingdom who is credited with establishing imperial dominance in the Indian subcontinent. Son of a minor king called Bhattiya, he belonged to the Haryanka Dynasty, which is said to be the second imperial dynasty of Magadha. However, it is only from Bimbisara's reign that the historicity of different Indian kings can be verified with any certainty. Before the Haryanka Dynasty, the accounts of various Indian kings are mythical and cannot be verified with any archaeological evidence.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original definition at https://www.worldhistory.org/Bimbisara/.
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- Do you think Bimbisara was a better leader because of his wars or his administration?
- Was Bimbisara wise to use marriage alliances instead of more battles?
- How do you think Bimbisara’s support for different religions helped Magadha?
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