Pasenadi

File:Procession of Prasenajit of Kosala leaving Sravasti to meet the Buddha.jpg

Procession of Prasenajit of Kosala leaving Sravasti to meet the Buddha. Sanchi

Pasenadi or Prasenajit (Template:Langx; Template:Langx;) was a 6th or 5th century BCE ruler of Kosala, where Shravasti was his capital. He succeeded after . As a king, he was a prominent or lay follower of Gautama Buddha, and built many Buddhist monasteries for the Buddha.

Life

Pasenadi studied in Taxila in his early life. He was the king of Kosala (modern Oudh or Awadh). His first queen was a Magadhan princess, a sister of king Bimbisara. His second and chief queen was Vāsavakhattiyā, a girl, daughter of the chief of garland-makers for Mahānāma. From this marriage, he had a son, Viḍūḍabha and a daughter, Princess Vajira, who was later married to Ajatashatru (Template:Langx). He married his sister Kosala Devi to Bimbisara.

Reign

By the time of Pasenadi, Kosala had become the suzerain of the Kālāma tribal republic, and Pasenadi's realm maintained friendly relations with the powerful Licchavi tribe which lived to the east of his kingdom.

During Pasenadi's reign, a Mallaka named Bandhula who had received education in Takṣaśilā, had offered his services as a general to the Kauśalya king so as to maintain the good relations between the Mallakas and Kosala. Later, Bandhula, along with his wife Mallikā, violated the sacred tank of the Licchavikas, which resulted in armed hostilities between the Kauśalya and the Licchavikas. Bandhula was later treacherously murdered along with his sons by Pasenadi. In retaliation, some Mallakas helped Pasenadi's son Viḍūḍabha usurp the throne of Kosala to avenge the death of Bandhula, after which Pasenadi fled from Kosala and died in front of the gates of the Māgadhī capital of Rājagaha.

The Puranas instead of mention the name of Kṣudraka as his successor.