PVLF 2025

Stela of the sinner: THE RISE & FALL OF IMPERIAL MAGADHA

A gripping tale of power, politics, and healing in ancient Magadha, seen through Jivaka—the royal physician who once treated the Buddha himself.
on Jun 18, 2025

Ilavarta, 519 BCE.

The Hakhamanisiyas had set their sights on Gandhara. Across the Vitasta River lay the fertile lands of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. And Magadha, the mightiest among them all, was unperturbed for it was ruled by none other than Srenika Bimbisara, a sovereign of exceptional strategic acumen. At a time when new inventions like crucible steel and stirrups heralded a sea change in warcraft, he forged an unusual alliance of influential Kingdoms to counter any perceived foreign aggression.

Enter the prince with a begging bowl. The most pragmatic and affable thinker of all time, Gautama Siddhartha met his benefactor in Bimbisara. The rich cultural landscape of the Mahajanapadas once again saw different schools of thought vying for attention.

In a realm where every mortal dreamed of power, court intrigues and patricides became the only constant. Great men manifested themselves and vanished. Vast empires came into brief existence before they perished. None escaped the grudge and greed of mankind. Not even the Gods.

The story of three generations of Haryanka dynasty and, by extension, the history of India in the Axial Age, as seen through the eyes of Jivaka, the son of a prostitute who rose to the rank of the Royal Physician of Magadha. The doctor who was credited with performing the first cranial surgery in recorded history.

And the healer who was destined to treat a patient with an extraordinary mind - the Buddha.