An Explanation About Vasta

Vatsa was a powerful principality in the sixth century BCE, with its capital at Kaushambi (modern Kosam), which was located on the bank of the Yamuna, some distance from Allahabad. This implies that the Vatsas settled in and around modern Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. According to the Puranas, Nichakshu, a Pandava descendant, relocated his capital to Kaushambi after Hastinapur was washed away by floods.

In his plays, the dramatist Bhasa immortalized one of the Vatsa kings named Udayan. These plays are based on the story of Udayana’s love affair with Vasavadatta, the Princess of Avanti. These plays also depict conflicts between the three powerful kingdoms of Magadha, Vatsa, and Avanti. Vatsa most likely lost importance in the ensuing struggle because later texts do not place much emphasis on it.

Vatsa Kingdom

• The Vatsas was a Kuru dynasty branch
• During the Rig Vedic period, the Kuru Kingdom included Haryana/ Delhi and the Ganga-Yamuna Doab all the way to Prayag/ Kaushambi, with Hastinapur as its capital
• Hastinapur was destroyed by floods during the late Vedic period, and Kuru King Nicaku relocated his capital, along with all of his subjects, to a newly constructed capital known as Kosambi or Kaushambi
• The Kuru Dynasty was split between Kurus and Vatsas during the post-Vedic period when Arya Varta was made up of several Mahajanpads
• The Kurus ruled over Haryana/Delhi/Upper Doab, while the Vatsas ruled over Lower Doab
• Later, the Vatsas were split into two branches, one in Mathura and the other in Kaushambi
• Atnka II, Parantapa, was the first ruler of the Bharata dynasty of Vatsa about whom there is some definite information
• The Puranas say his father’s name was Vasudna, but Bhsa says it was Sahasrnka. When Atnka died, Udayana was still a minor, so “the responsibility of governing the kingdom fell on the shoulders of queen Migvat… until her son grew old enough,” according to Jain canonical texts
• Bhasa’s Pratijyaugandharyaa, on the other hand, claims that she took “full charge of the administration” while Udayana was imprisoned by King Pradyota of Avanti

Capital of Vatsa Mahajanapada

• In ancient India, Kosam (Pali) or Kaushambi (Sanskrit) was a significant city. Kaushambi was the capital city of the Vatsa kingdom, along with being one in the sixteen mahajanapadas
• It was located at approximately 35 miles from the holy river Ganges of Prayagraj and passes through the Yamuna river by a distance of 56 kilometers
• From the late Vedic period until the end of the Maurya Empire, Kosambi was one of India’s most important cities, with occupation lasting until the Gupta Empire
• The rulers of the Vatsa Kingdom established it as their new capital as a small town in the late Vedic period
• The initial Kuru capital, Hastinapur, was destroyed by floods, and the Kuru King relocated his entire capital with his subjects to a new capital he built near the Ganga-Yamuna confluence, which was 56 kilometers away from the Vatsa Kingdom’s southernmost part, now known as Prayagraj, previously known as Allahabad
• By the time of Gautama Buddha, Kosambi was a prosperous city with a large number of wealthy merchants. It was a vital crossroads for goods and passengers traveling north, west, and south. It plays an important role in the accounts of Buddha’s life
• The Vatsa Kingdom was governed by a monarchy based in Kaushambi. During Udayana’s reign, the Buddha put in several efforts to spread his wisdom on dharma, revealing the Eightfold Path, and distributing the morals from the Four Noble Truths, so he also visited Kaushambi
• Udayana was a Buddhist Upasaka who established Buddhism as the state religion
• According to the Chinese translated edition of the Buddhist text Ekottara gama (“Numbered Discourses’ ‘), the first image of Buddha carved out of sandalwood, was made under Udayana’s instruction
• A Buddhist text “Ekottara Gama ” depicts the picture of Buddha carved out in the sandalwood. This sculpture was made under the order of Udayana’s reign

Conclusion

The rise of the Mahajanapadas in the fifth and sixth centuries BC was the result of a complex interlinking of the political, economic, and social development, the antecedents of which can be found easily from the time period back in the ninth or tenth centuries.

The rise of the Mahajanapadas not only crystallized the concept of kingship but also marked a clear demarcation in the social fabric between rulers and ruled, tribute payers and collectors.The Vatsas were Kuru clan members. They moved from Hastinapur, Kuru’s capital, to Kaushambi. Kaushambi’s ancestors can be traced back to the later Vedic period, between 900 and 600 BC.

Excavations at Kaushambi have revealed a well-planned city with burnt brick walls. Artifacts from the pre-6th century BC period, such as pottery and iron objects, demonstrate that Kaushambi was one of India’s earliest cities. Udayana, the most powerful king of the Vatsa kingdom and a contemporary of the Buddha, was the most superior ruler in the history of the Vatsa kingdom. He had married King Pradyota’s daughter Vasavadatta, after whom the great dramatist Bhasa later wrote the play Svapna-Vasavadatta.

In the 7th century AD, King Harsha of Thaneswar wrote the texts Priyadarshika and Ratnavati, which glorified King Udayana. According to Buddhist sources, King Udayana attempted to pursue Digvijay (i.e., one who conquers all four sides of the world), but later abandoned the pursuit and converted to Buddhism.

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