Question

By which ruler Patliputra was chosen for the first time as a capital?
A)Ajatasatru
B)Kalasoka
C)Udayin
D)Kanishka

Answer 1

Hint: 1)He laid the foundation of Patliputra at the convergence of rivers Ganga and Son.
2)He was assassinated by Mahapadma Nanda
3)He was also the last ruler of the Haryanka Dynasty

Complete answer:
In ancient India Ajatasatru of the Haryanka Dynasty, was the King of Magadha. He had set up his capital in Rajgriha. In the following years, his son and successor Udayin, also known as Udayabhadra came into power. It was he who shifted the capital from Rajgriha to Pataliputra, because he believed that Patliputra was a better location being at the center of the empire. He laid the foundation of Patliputra at the convergence of rivers Ganga and Son. Udayin is also credited as the founder of the city of Patliputra.
It is believed that Udayin was the favourite son of Ajatasatru. Ajatasatru met Gautam Buddha and became a Buddhist, while Udayin was still a young prince. Udayin became the king of Magadha in 460 BC. Moving to Patliputra was not a big issue for him, as his father had already built a fort there. His father had built the fort to repulse a possible invasion by the Pradyota Dynasty of Avanti.
While ruling from Patliputra he fought with King Palaka of the Pradyota Dynasty. He also managed to defeat him many times. Finally, in 444 BC Udayin was assassinated by Mahapadma Nanda and that was the end of his rule. Being childless, he was also the last ruler of the Haryanka Dynasty which had ruled for over 130 years.
The throne was then succeeded by Mahapadma Nanda, who was selected by his ministers.
Option (A) Ajatasatru: This option is incorrect. He built a fort in Patliputra to counter any attacks from Avanti, but he never used it as his capital. His capital was Rajgir.
Option (B) Kalasoka: This option is incorrect. He was the ruler of Magadha around the 4th Century BC and his capital was Rajgir,
Option (D) Kanishka: This option is incorrect. His capital was located at Purushapura in Gandhara.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C)

Note: 1)Patliputra also served as capital for the Mauryan Empire in the 3rd and 2nd Century BC.
2)From the 3rd to 6th Century it was the capital of the Gupta Dynasty and in the 8th and 12th Centuries for the Pala Dynasty.
3)It was only in the 16th century AD, that Sher Shah Suri changed the name of his capital Patliputra to Patna, as we know it today.