By: Shalini Singh
King Bimbisar of the Sisunga dynasty has been thought to be good looking, well polished and a great statesman. It is mentioned that he had an affair with the great dancer of Vaishali (the tribal union of the Lichhavis; where Buddha delivered his last sermon). Not much is known about her. She is however mentioned in Pali and several Buddhist texts; described as one that was found under a mango tree with unknown parentage. She was thought to have first appeared near a mango tree (Amra-mango; Pali-leaves) hence her name. Several tales of Amarpali exists although most seems like remixes, misinterpretations and fairy tales of events.
She grew up in the royal household in the company of other dancers and entertainers. She surpassed everyone in terms of beauty and hence earned herself the status of the main courtesan of Vaishali. Her fame travelled near, far and wide. Some say that it was Ajatsatru after getting rid of his father and becoming the ruler of Magadh, had an affair with Amarpali secretly without the knowledge of royals of Vaishali.
The Lichhavis were a ruthless lot that never recongised the supremacy of the Magadhan empire. Their soldiers periodically used to cross the river Ganga and harass the people of Magadh. It is thought that during an invasion of Vaishali he met her and brought her back to Rajgir, the capital of Magadh and married her. Some text books mention that she remained in Vaishali all her life where she meet the Buddha and converted to Buddhism.
Some mention that it was actually Ajatsatru that was fascinated by her. Ajatsatru was the ruthless son on Bimbisar. However the story goes that Ajatsatru periodically cheated on his wife Khema. Horrified by the increasing ruthless activities of the Licchavi soldiers he disguised himself as a Licchavi soldier and spied on their war techniques where he met Amarpali at the courts of Vaishali.
Travalling to the Vaishali district in Bihar today, there exists a village called “Amvara” and not surprisingly several mango groves are to be found. Vaishali can be reached by road or air via Patna approximately 56 kms.
