caption house death_date successor religion title birth_date spouse issue image article_title reign
bimbisara welcomes the buddha haryanka dynasty 491 bce ajatashatru buddhism/jainism emperor of the magadha empire 558 bce kosala devi chellana kshema ajatashatru bimbisar welcoming buddha roundel 30 buddha ivory tusk.jpg bimbisara
 544 -- 492 bce
bimbisara

bimbisara -lrb- 558 bc -- 491 bc -rrb- was a king , and later , emperor of the magadha empire from 542 bc till 492 bc and belonged to the haryanka dynasty .
his expansion of the kingdom , especially his annexation of the kingdom of anga to the east , is considered to have laid the foundations for the later expansion of the maurya empire .
he is also known for his cultural achievements and was a great friend and protector of the buddha .
bimbisara built the city of rajagriha , famous in buddhist writings .
he was succeeded on the throne by his son ajatashatru .
