Ajatashatru (494-462 BCE)

• Remarkable reign- for his military conquests 
• Great success- He fought against Kosala and Vaisali and won a great success against a formidable confederacy led by the Licchavis of Vaishali. This had increased his power and prestige. This war lasted for about 16 years
• Ajatasatru realized the strategic importance of Pataligrama. He fortified it to serve as a convenient base of operations against Vaisali
• Buddhists and Jains both claim that Ajatasatru was a follower of their religion
• General belief says that in the beginning he was a follower of Jainism and subsequently embraced Buddhism
• He is said to have met Gautama Buddha. This scene is also depicted in the sculptures of Bharhut
• According to Mahavamsa, he constructed several chaityas and viharas 
• He convened the First Buddhist Council at Rajgriha soon after the death of Buddha