Kosala (kō`sələ), ancient Indian kingdom, corresponding roughly in area with the region of Oudh Oudh (oud), historic region of N central India, now part of the state of Uttar Pradesh.
..... Click the link for more information. . Its capital was Ayodhya Ayodhya (əyōd`yə) or Ajodhya
..... Click the link for more information. . It was a powerful state in the 6th cent. B.C. but was weakened by a series of wars with the neighboring kingdom of Magadha Magadha (mŭ`gädə), ancient Indian kingdom, situated within the area of the modern states of Bihar and Jharkhand .
..... Click the link for more information. and finally (4th cent. B.C.) absorbed by it. Kosala was the setting of much Sanskrit epic literature including the Ramayana Ramayana (rämä`yənə) [story of Rama], classical Sanskrit epic of India, probably composed in the 3d cent. B.C.
..... Click the link for more information. . Buddha and Mahavira, founder of Jainism Jainism (jī`nĭzəm) [i.e., the religion of Jina], religious system of India practiced by about 5,000,000 persons.
..... Click the link for more information. , taught in the kingdom.

Kosala

Ancient kingdom, northern India. Roughly corresponding to the historical region of Oudh, in what is now south-central Uttar Pradesh state, it extended into present-day Nepal. In the 6th century BC it rose to become one of the dominant states in northern India. The Buddha was born there. The kingdom of Magadha conquered Kosala by c. 459 BC, and it became known as Northern Kosala to distinguish it from a larger kingdom to the south known variously as Kosala, Southern Kosala, or Great Kosala.