Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c3.s2.t1.45

c3.s2.t1.45

Such is perhaps also the case with King Reṇu mentioned in the *Somanassa Jātaka*.⁸ The *Jātaka* makes him the king of Kuru with Uttarapañcāla as his capital city, which is rather interesting. We cannot say whether this statement is based on fact or is an outcome of the confused ignorance of the *Jātaka* compiler. It must however be admitted that there is nothing improbable in this, since we know that ‘a great struggle raged in ancient times between the Kurus and the Pañcālas for the possession of Uttarapañcāla’.⁹ And king Reṇu, in this case, might in all probability have taken possession of Uttarapañcāla after a bitter struggle with a Pañcāla king and made it his seat of government.