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130, INDIA. AS DESCRIBED IN EARLY TEXTS
reigning king is evident from at least two Jatakas namely the Dummedha 1 and Gangamāla.? The Videhan origin is borne out by the evidence of such Jātakas as the Mātiposaka and Sambula, especially the latter in which a son of Brahmadatta, king of Käsi, is expressly called Vedehaputta. The history of the Kāsīs, their kings and country is long as well as eventful. Many Játakas testify to the unsurpassed glory of the city of Benares and to the ambition of its rulers for paramount sovereignty over the whole of Jambudīpa.3 The Vinaya Mahāvagga (x, 2.3), too, bears testimony to the former greatness and prosperity of the city. The kingdom of Kāsi became important in the history of the Jains on account of the fact that their Tirthařkara Pārøya was a prince of Benares. There was a time when king Manoja of Benares was able to subdue the kings of Kosala, Anga and Magadha.* At another time, the kingdom of Assaka became a dependency of Kāsi. During the period preceding the rise of Jainism and Buddhism, the most important event in the history of the Käsīs is the repeated struggle for supremacy between the kings of Käsi and
1 Jätaka, i, p. 269f. 2 Ibid., No. 421.
Bhaddagäla Jataka No. 466, Dhonasikha. Jätaks No. 353. 4 Sonananda Jataka No. 632.
Agsaka Jät ka No. 207.
