Ajatashatru and his father Bimbisara are perhaps the earliest kings who step out of the mist of legend and tales, into reality. They were historic figures and they left behind parts of their large fort in the old Magadhan capital Rajgriha. Thanks to a proliferation of texts - chronicling the rise of two new faiths - Buddhism and Jainism that emerged during their reign ( 543-460 BCE), we have textual, archaeological and sculptural reference to the rulers of Magadha, who forged the first great Empire of the North - Magadha.

The first empire in India owes its beginnings to a humble chieftain’s son, who ascended the throne at the age of 15 in 543 BCE. His name was Bimbisara and he went on to found the Magadhan Empire, which created a core for all the great empires of Northern India that followed over the next 1,200 years.

Bimbisara founded the state of Magadha by bringing together a number of tribes and territories. Magadha, located in what is now south Bihar, was one of the 16 mahajanapadas, or local kingdoms that dominated Northern India between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE.

After consolidating his kingdom and strengthening its economy and armies, Bimbisara began to expand the state of Magadha by first invading the territories of his father’s enemies in the neighbouring state of Anga to the east. Bimbisara appointed his son and heir, Ajatashatru, as Governor of Anga and then turned his sights on all the other mahajanapadas in the vicinity. The annexation of Anga and its amalgamation with Magadha was the first step in a long march.