PATALIPUTRA, the Palibothra of Greek writers. It was the capital of the Nanda dynasty and of the ?laurya dynasty, which was founded by Chandragupta, and which succeeded the Nanda as rulers of Magadha.
When Hiwen Thsaug, in the beginning of the 5th century, entered the capital of Magadha, the city, originally called Kusumapura, had been deserted for a long time, and was then in ruins. It was 70 li or 111 miles in circuit, exclusive of the new town of Pataliputra - pura. This name the Greeks Slightly altered to Palibothra, on the authority of Megasthenes, whose account is preserved by Arrian. That writer says— The capital city of India is Palibothra, in the confines of the Prasii, near the confluence of the two great rivers Erannoboas and Ganges. Eran noboas is reckoned the third river throughout all India, and is inferior to none but the Indus and the Ganges, into the last of which it discharges its waters. Megasthenes assures us that the length of this city is 80 stadia, the breadth 15 ; that it is surrounded with a ditch, which takes up 6 acres of ground, and is 30 cubits deep ; that the walls are adorned with 570 towers and 64 gates. Diodorus attributes the foundation of the city to Herakles, by whom they mean Bala-Rama, the brother of Krishna, but this early origin is not countenanced by the native authorities.
According to the Vayu - Purana, the city of Kusumapura or Pataliputra was founded by raja Udayaswa, the grandson of Ajatasatru, who was the well-known contemporary of Buddha ; but the Mahawanso ' makes Udaya the sou of Ajatasatru. According to the Buddhist accounts, when Buddha crossed the Ganges on his last journey from Rajagriha to Vaisali, the two ministers of Ajatasatru, king of Magadha, were engaged in building a fort at the village of Patali as a cheek upon the Wajji, or people of Vriji. Buddha then predicted that it would become a great city. From these concurring authorities General Cunningham concludes that the building of the city of Pataliputra was actually begun iu the reign of Ajatasatru, but was not finished until the reign of his son or grandson Udaya, about 13.C. 450. Prior to Hiwen Thsang's visit, Patali putra had been deserted for Rajagriha or Behar ; and another Chinese missionary, who wrote in A.D. 640, states that Pataliputra was a mass of ruins when he had seen it. Howson says it is the modern Patna.—Dowson. See Patna.