South AsiaAsia

Kosala

c. 700 – c. 450 BCE · about 250 years approximate dates

Kosala was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas of ancient India, in what is now Uttar Pradesh, with its capitals at Ayodhya and Shravasti. Buddhist and Jain texts describe its king Prasenajit as a contemporary of the Buddha. Magadha absorbed it in the 5th century BCE.

Key facts

Dates	c. 700 – c. 450 BCE
Region	South Asia
Continent	Asia
Type	kingdom (Mahajanapada)
Capitals	Ayodhya, Shravasti
Religion(s)	Vedic religion, Buddhism, Jainism
Peak extent	≈ 0.5 million km² (c. 543 BCE) – source

Before & after

Followed by

Magadha (Haryanka and Shaishunaga kingdoms)

Sources

Wikipedia – Kosala
Wikipedia – List of largest empires

Dates follow widely used reference works; many ancient dates are approximate or debated. Neutral summary for general reference.