Kosala was once ruled by King Birudhak. He overran Kapilavastu, which was the capital of the Sakyas. The battle resulted in the annihilation of the entire Sakya clan. Birudhak was only fulfilling a vow that he had taken when he was a prince.
The story starts when Prasenajit was the King of Kosala. He built the capital Sravasti into a great city. An ardent devotee of the Buddha, he had a special regard for the monks who went about spreading the message of the Buddha. He built viharas for the monks where they could go for worship, and put up resting places for them.
It was a custom among the monks to seek alms. King Prasenajit arranged for feeding them from the palace. One day he was told that the monks did not eat at the palace, but collected the food at the gates and went back to their resting-houses where they shared the food with others. The king was intrigued. He asked his minister to find out the reason. A few days later, the minister went back with information. “Your majesty, the monks are all from the Sakya clan and they consider themselves socially superior to the people of Kosala.”
King Prasenajit began thinking of a peaceful solution to the problem. The solution came from the minister himself. “Your majesty, if you married a Sakya princess, the monks would consider at least the royal family as enjoying the same social status as theirs.”
It so happened that one day, while hunting, the king got separated from his entourage. Undaunted, he rode on and soon found himself in the Sakya kingdom. When he was recognised, the Sakyas received Prasenajit, who was a votary of Buddhism, with much warmth and great respect. The king accepted the hospitality offered to him and stayed in the Sakya capital for some days.
By and by, he made his wish known that he would like to marry a Sakya princess. The Sakyas had some reservations about a princess being given away in marriage to Prasenajit. Their leaders wondered how they could avoid disappointing the Kosala king.
The chief of the Sakyas, Mahanama, announced that he would deal with the problem. He cleverly suggested that his daughter, Vasavi, who was born of a slave woman, would be offered to the king. The girl, though not a true princess, was young and beautiful. The wedding of Vasavi with King Prasenajit was a grand affair. After three days of celebrations in Kapilavastu, King Prasenajit on horseback and Vasavi in a decorated palanquin were escorted up to the borders of Kapilavastu.
