kingdom · South Asia

Kingdom of Vatsa

700 BCE – 400 BCE (approx.) · capital Kaushambi

The kingdom of Kaushambi on the Yamuna, ruled by the romantic hero Udayana and one of the four great powers of the Buddha's age.

Origins

Vatsa lay along the Yamuna south-west of modern Prayagraj, with its capital at Kaushambi. Tradition says the Kuru royal house moved there after Hastinapura was destroyed by a flood, and the Vatsa kings claimed that descent. By the 6th century BCE it was one of the four leading kingdoms, alongside Magadha, Kosala and Avanti.

Rule and society

Kaushambi was a large walled city on the trade routes between the Ganges plain and the west. Its best-known king, Udayana, a contemporary of the Buddha, became the hero of later Sanskrit plays such as Bhasa's Svapnavasavadatta, which tells of his love for Vasavadatta, daughter of Chanda Pradyota of Avanti. Kaushambi had important Buddhist monasteries, including the Ghositarama.

Decline and legacy

After Udayana the kingdom declined. It appears to have passed under the Kingdom of Avanti and then, with Avanti, under the Kingdom of Magadha by the 4th century BCE. Kaushambi stayed an important city under the Mauryas and Shungas.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Vatsa. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-vatsa
MLA
“Kingdom of Vatsa.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-vatsa. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Vatsa.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-vatsa.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Vatsa’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-vatsa (Accessed: ).

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