Kaushambi district

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This article is about the district. For its eponymous headquarters, see Kosambi

Kaushambi district
कौशाम्बी ज़िला
کوشامبی ضلع
District of Uttar Pradesh
Location of Kaushambi district in Uttar Pradesh
Location of Kaushambi district in Uttar Pradesh
Country India
State Uttar Pradesh
Administrative division Allahabad
Headquarters Manjhanpur
Tehsils 3
 • Total 1,903.17 km2 (734.82 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 1,596,909
 • Density 840/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
 • Literacy 63.69 per cent
Website Official website

Kaushambi is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Manjhanpurr town is the district headquarters. Kaushambi district is a part of Allahabad Division.


In ancient India it was the capital of the Vatsa Mahajanapada,[1][2][3] one of 16 such regions. The Puranas state that Vatsa was named after a Kaśī king.[4] The Ramayana and the Mahabharata attribute the credit of founding its capital Kauśāmbī to a Chedi prince Kuśa or Kuśāmba. The Puranas state that after the washing away of Hastinapura by the Ganges, the Bhāratas king Nicakṣu, great-great grandson of Janamejaya, abandoned the city and settled in Kauśāmbī. This is supported by the Svapnavāsavadattā and the Pratijñā-Yaugandharāyaṇa attributed to Bhāsa. Both of them have described the king Udayana as a scion of the Bhāratas family (Bhārata-kula). The Puranas provide a list of Nicakṣu’s successors which ends with king Kṣemaka.[5]Gautama Buddha visited Kaushambi several times during the reign of Udayana on his effort to spread the dharma, the Noble Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths. Udayana was a Buddhist upāsaka. The Chinese translation of the Buddhist canonical text Ekottara Āgama states that the first image of Buddha, carved out of sandalwood was made under the instruction of Udayana.According to the Puranas, the 4 successors of Udayana were Vahināra, DanḍapāṇI, Niramitra and Kṣemaka. Later, Vatsa was annexed by Avanti. Maniprabha, the great-grandson of Pradyota, ruled at Kauśāmbī as a prince of Avanti.[8]Ashoka gave importance to Kaushambi and placed a pillar of Ashoka in Kaushambi, which has inscriptions there in Pali. A Jaina derasar was also constructed in Kaushambi. Both the pillar and the temple still exist there and the ruins of Vatsa and its university are still being excavated by archaeologists.Kaushambi is also the birthplace of sixth Jain Tirthankar Padam Prabhu Ji.


In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Kaushambi one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).[6] It is one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[6]


Kaushambi in ancient India.

According to the 2011 census Kaushambi district has a population of 1,596,909,[7] roughly equal to the nation of Guinea-Bissau[8] or the US state of Idaho.[9] This gives it a ranking of 313th in India (out of a total of 640).[7] The district has a population density of 897 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,320/sq mi) .[7] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 23.49%.[7] Kaushambi has a sex ratio of 905 females for every 1000 males,[7] and a literacy rate of 63.69%.[7]


Kaushambi is a newly created district out of Allahabad. It consists of major towns such as Chail, Manjhanpur, Bharwari, Kashiya Muratganj, Sirathu, Karari and Kara.It is very easy to reach Kaushambi by road; it is approximately 45 km from Allahabad. This site is good for history lovers who have interest in ancient history.Many Kaushambi artifacts are in Allahabad Museum. It has a few excavated sites, including a Pillar of Ashoka with inscriptions in Pali; surrounding the pillar is a historic site of ruins of the Vatsa Mahajanapada and its university.There is a Jain derasar 14 km from Sarai Akil. The soil is very fertile and it is world-famous for the Surkha Guava. The Surkha region lies mainly in Allahabad.


  1. ^ Geographical Review of India. Original from the University of Michigan: Geographical Society of India. 1951. p. 27. 
  2. ^ Hermann Kulke, Dietmar Rothermund (2004). A History of India. Routledge. p. 52. ISBN 0-415-32920-5. 
  3. ^ http://books.google.co.in/books?id=VnwXuJaeDvgC&lpg=PA53&ots=CcwVswgxOj&dq=Kaushambi%20mahajanapada&pg=PA53#v=onepage&q=Kaushambi%20mahajanapada&f=false
  4. ^ Pargiter, F.E. (1972) Ancient Indian Historical Tradition, Motilal Banarasidass, Delhi, pp.269-70
  5. ^ Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1972) Political History of Ancient India, University of Calcutta, Calcutta, p.117-8
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Kaushambi District Population Census 2011, Uttar Pradesh literacy sex ratio and density". Census Organization of India. 2012. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. 
  8. ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Retrieved 2011-10-01. Guinea-Bissau 1,596,677 July 2011 est. 
  9. ^ "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-09-30. Idaho 1,567,582 

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 25°31′51″N 81°22′38″E﻿ / ﻿25.530744°N 81.377292°E﻿ / 25.530744; 81.377292