Kosala

The Buddhist Text “Angutara Nikaya” cites the 16 Mahajanapadas or the great kingdom (namely Anga, Assaka, Avanti, Cheti, Gandhara, Kamboja, Kasi, Kosala, Kuru, Magadha, Malla, Matsya, Panchala, Shurasena, Vajji) and the “Kosala” is one of them. The prominent ruler of the Kosala kingdom is the king Prasenajeet.

Let’s discuss some important points about the Kosala kingdom.

Kosala Kingdom

• Kosala kingdom was an ancient Indian kingdom presently located roughly in the area with the region of modern Awadh (in present day Uttar Pradesh). It rose to become a state with the rise of the kingdom of Videha
• In contrast to the developing dramatical traditions of the Kuru Panchal region, the Kosala region was where the early aesthetic movements including Buddhism and Jainism took shape and is also a very important area for the Phoenicians and developments in Brahminical traditions
• The Kasala region had three cities of major importance (namely Ayodhya, Saketa, and Sobosti) and a number of very small towns including  Setavya, Ukattha, Dandakappa, Nalakapana, and Pankadha
• As per the Puranas of the sacred book Ramayana, Ayodhya was the ancient capital of the Kosala kingdom during the reign of ruler Ikshvaku and his heirs
• Shravasti and Kushavati are referred to as the capital of Kosala in the northern part and the southern part of the Kosala kingdom respectively during the Mahajanapadas period. Kosala does not find its existence in the early ancient vedic texts or literature to find its existence later as a region in the after vedic texts of the “Satapatha Brahmana” and the “Kulpasutras”
• As per the Puranas of Ramayan and the Mahabharata, the major ruling dynasty of the Kosala kingdom was the Ikshvaku dynasty which was descended from king Ikshvaku. These Puranas enlists kings of the then Ikshvaku dynasty starting from the king Ikshvaku to  the king Prasenajeet
• As per the Ramayana, Lord Rama ruled the Kosala kingdom from his capital Ayodhya which was also his birthplace
• Mahavira who is the twenty fourth Tirthankara of Jainism gave his teachings in Kosala. He put his text the “Majjhima Nikaya” which depicts Buddha as a Kosalan indicating that the Kosalas may have dominated the Shakya clan (this is the clan which the Buddha is believed to have belonged to)
• During the rule of king Maha Kosala, the kingdom of Kashi that was conquered by the king had become an important part of the Kosala kingdom. Maha Kosala’s daughter Kosaladevi married king Bimibisara of Magadha
• Maharaja was succeeded by his son Prasenajeet who was a follower of the Buddha. During Prasenajeet’s absence from his capital, his minister raised Prasenajeet’s son Vidudhaba to the throne
• During the reign of Vidudhaba, Raja Bir Sen of the Bagochia dynasty invaded the Shakya clan in which the Buddha belonged and brought the territory under the sovereignty of Kosala
• Not much later, the Kosala kingdom was defeated by Ajatashatru of the dynasty of Magadhan Haryanka and it got merged into the Magadhan kingdom which formed the basis of the Mauryan empire. Thereby, Kosala was eventually annexed by ShishuNaga

Kosala Capital

• Shravasti: It was the capital of Kosala in the northern part of the kingdom in the ancient history of India. This is the place where Buddha passed most of his life and hence has a rich history of traces of Buddhism and Jainism. It is situated near the south of river Rapti in the northeastern part of Uttar Pradesh. It is near the border of Nepal. The king Prasenajeet of Kosola also resided here in his palace. This is the place where the Suttas (Suttas are the sermons of the Buddhist text) were written and taught. The Kosala king in the times of Ramayan placed one of his sons Lava at this place

• Kushavati:It was the capital of Kosala in the southern part of the kingdom in the ancient history of India. It was situated on the periphery of Vindhya range. The Kosala king in the times of Ramayan placed one of his sons Kush at this place

• Ayodhya: During the reign of Ramayan, it was used to be the capital of Kosala kingdom in ancient history of India. It was also referred to by the name of Saketa. It was the birthplace of Lord Ram. Presently, it is located near the Saryu river in Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh. It was the birthplace of many Buddhist and Jain leaders and scholars

Conclusion

This article throws light upon the formation of constitutional bodies. We have also so far analyzed that the composition, powers, and functions of the constitutional bodies are given in the constitution with the help of the first constitutional body cited in the constitution i.e. the Election Commission.

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