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four powerful monarchies in Northern India, and the rest of the country was divided into the principalities of several oligarchical or republican clans Magadha, Kośala, Vatsa, and Avanti were the four powerful kingdoms, where reigned Sreņika Bimbisāra, Prasenajit, Udayana, and Candapradyot respectively. Among the republican clans of Ksatriyas, the two most powerful were the VṛjiLicchavis and the Mallas, who formed two separate confederacies in Mahāvira's time. The Jñātrikas of Kundagrāma and the Videhans of Videha were included in the confederacy of the Vrji-Licchavis with Vaiśali as their chief seat of government. It is among these confederate Ksatriyas that Mahavira was born and found strong supporters of his religion.
LIFE
The Uvasaga-dasão refers to that early period of Mahavira's career as a teacher when there seems to have been an alliance of Kasi-Kośala, Anga, Alavi, Videha, Vaiśālī, Pāvā, and Kusīnārā against the growing power of Magadha. But, in spite of such an alliance, Anga was conquered by Srenika Bimbisāra and permanently annexed to Magadha. Kunika-Ajātaśatru, son and successor of Sreņika Bimbisara, is represented throughout the Jain literature as the king of Campã, that is, of Anga. The fact perhaps is that Kunika-Ajātaśatru was
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