Historical Geography of Ancient India c6.442

c6.442

Kośala.—Kośala, which is mentioned in Pāṇini’s *Aṣṭādhyāyī* (4. 1. 171) was one of the sixteen great countries of India (*Aṅguttara Nikāya*, I, 213; cf. Viṣṇupurāṇa, Ch. 4, Amśa 4). The *Bhāgavatapurāṇa* refers to it as a country (IX. 10, 29; IX. 11, 22; X. 2, 3; X. 58, 52; X. 86, 20; XII. 12, 24). It lay to the east of the Kurus and Pañcālas and to the west of the Videhas from whom it was separated by the river Sadānīrā, probably the great Gandak (*Cambridge History of India*, I, 308; Rapson, *Ancient India*, p. 164; cf. *Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa*, 1, 4, 11). The Kośalans belonged to the solar race and were supposed to have derived directly from Manu through Ikṣvāku. The *Daśakumāracaritam* (p. 195) refers to Kośala under its ruler Kusumadhanvā whose wife was Sāgaradattā, the daughter of Vaiśravaṇa, a merchant of Pāṭaliputra. Kośala is known to the Buddhists as the land of the Kośalan princes, tracing their descent from Ikṣvāku (*Sumaṅgalavilāsinī*, I, 239). In the Epic period Kośala emerges into importance. From the story of Rāma’s exile the extent of the Kośala country in the epic period may be known. After Rāma the extensive Kośalan empire is said to have been divided amongst his own sons as well as those of his three brothers. The Kośala country proper is said to have been divided into two. Rāma’s elder son named Kuśa became the king of the southern Kośala and transferred his capital from Ayodhyā to Kuśasthalī which he built on the Vindhya range (*Vāyupurāṇa*, 88, 198). Lava, the younger son, became the ruler of northern Kośala and set up his capital at the city of Śrāvastī. The history of Kośala in later times is known chiefly from Jaina and Buddhist literature. There was rivalry between Kāśī and Kośala. Kāśī and Kośala appear as two equally powerful kingdoms flourishing side by side, each with its inner circles, outer districts and border lands. Kāśī was later absorbed by Kośala. The Buddhist texts contain many stories about men and women of Kośala, and many of them were in some way associated with Pasenadi. In later times North Kośala came to be known as Śrāvastī in order to distinguish it from South Kośala. The Kośalan kings and princes received good education. For details, vide B. C. Law, *Tribes in Ancient India*, Ch. XXVIII.