The Haryak dynasty or Haryanka Dynasty(from 544 BCE to 412 BCE) is believed to have been the second ruling dynasty of Magadha. It succeeded in the legendary Barhadara dynasty. It was founded by Bimbisara (544 BCE to 493 BCE). Bimbisara is considered the actual founder of the Magadha Empire.
Nagadashak was the last ruler of the ‘Haryak dynasty’. His Amatya Shishunaga dated 412 BC took advantage of Nagadasak’s weakness. He assumed the throne and established the Shishunaga Dynasty.
Rulers of Haryak Dynasty
Bimbisara
Bimbisara ruled from 545-493 BCE. In the Jain histories, he was known as Seniya or Shrenika. He was a King of Magadha and he belonged to the haryak Dynasty.
Sona Kolivisa, Sumana (flower gatherer), Koliya (minister), Kumbhaghosaka (treasurer), and Jivaka (physician) were his advisors. He was a great friend and protector of the Buddha. According to Hiuen Tsang, Bimbisara built the city of Rajgir (Rajagriha) and made the capital of his empire. He was succeeded by his son Ajatashatru.
Ajatashatru
Ajatashatru ruled from 492 to 460 BCE. He was a king of Haryak Dynasty of Magadha in East India. He imprisoned and killed his father King Bimbisara. Ajatashatru was contemporary with Mahavira (599–527 BCE) and Gautama Buddha (563–483 BCE).
He invented two weapons, which were used in war, called rathamusala (Scythed chariot) and mahashilakantaka (engine for ejecting big stones).
Udayin
Udayin ruled from 460 to 444 BCE, also known as Udayabhadra. He was a king of Magadha. Buddhist and Jain accounts show that he was the son and successor of the Haryak King Ajatashatru.
At the confluence of two rivers, the Son and the Ganges, Udayin founded the city of Pataliputra. He shifted the capital from Rajagriha to Pataliputra.
Anirudha
Anirudha or Anurudha was the son of Udayin, the ruler of the Haryak dynasty. According to Buddhist texts, Udayan had three sons – ‘Anirudh’, ‘Mandaka’, and ‘Nagadashak’. According to Sinhalese historical traditions, Anirudh ascended the throne of Magadha soon after Udayin.
Mandak
Mandak was also the son of Udayin, the ruler of the Haryak dynasty. According to Buddhist texts, Udayan had three sons – ‘Anirudh’, ‘Mandaka’, and ‘Nagadashak’.
Nagadashak
According to Buddhist texts, Udayan had three sons, Anirudh, Mandaka, and Nagadashak. The last king was Nagadashak. Which was very luxurious and weak. Due to the laxity in governance, widespread discontent spread among the people. His commander Shishunaga became king after rebelling from the kingdom. With the rise of Shishunaga dynasty, Haryak dynasty ended in 412 BCE.
Decline of Haryak Dynasty
Nagadashak was the last ruler of the ‘Haryak dynasty’. His Amatya Shishunaga dated 412 BC took advantage of Nagadasak’s weakness. According to some historians, Shishunaga was the abstinence of his king Nagadashak.
Because Nagadasak was proved to be extremely luxuriant and weak, due to laxity in the system of governance, widespread discontent spread among the masses. At the same time, Amatya Shishunag revolted the kingdom and became the king. Thus the Hariyak dynasty came to an end and the ‘Shishunaga dynasty’ was established.
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