The sixth century BC was a watershed period in the history of India. The north of India then was politically fragmented, with a number of kingdoms and perhaps a few republics. It was Bimbisara, the Emperor of Magadha, who for the first time brought these kingdoms together under the rule of a single authority. This was further consolidated by his son and successor, Ajatashatru.

This account of their life and times has been reconstructed form references, sometimes divergent, form Buddhist and Jain Literature. Both the sources claim the tow kings as adherents of their respective faiths.