A Note on the Brahmadattas of Kasi

Summary

This article assembles references to the Brahmadatta rulers of Kāśī and allied regions to clarify their historical significance. Kāśī, centred on Vārāṇasī, was a major Mahājanapada in northern India before the Buddha’s time and is frequently paired with Kosala in Buddhist texts. In the Jātakas and the Aṅguttara Nikāya it is listed among the sixteen great states. The author notes that the ruling family appears to have borne the dynastic title Brahmadatta: in the Jātakas every heir‑apparent of Vārāṇasī is called Brahmadatta‑kumāra, suggesting that the name was a title rather than an individual’s personal name. Puranic sources such as the Matsya Purāṇa refer to a line of one hundred Brahmadattas, while other Purāṇas mention successions including Yogasena, Viśvaksena, Udakasena and Bhallita. The article enumerates additional kings of Kāśī noted in the Jātakas—Uggasena, Dhaneñjaya, Mahāsīlava, Saṃyama, Viśvasena and Udayabhadda—indicating that Brahmadatta was not the only royal name. The name’s popularity endured into later periods; a fifth‑century viceroy under Budhagupta was called Brahmadatta, and both the Dīpavaṃsa and Mahāvaṃsa mention dynasties of Brahmadattas at Mithilā and Mathurā. These widespread occurrences support the hypothesis that “Brahmadatta” functioned as a dynastic epithet denoting royal status rather than identifying a single historical figure. Recognising this helps resolve confusion arising from multiple kings bearing the same name in mythic and historical narratives. Although the sources intermix myth and history, the article argues that acknowledging Brahmadatta as a title clarifies the political history of Kāśī and underscores the prestige associated with the name.