Vaiśālī is one of the oldest cities of Bhārata. King Viśāla of the Solar dynasty (Sūrya Vaṃśa) founded it, and the city takes its name from him. It lay in the region of present-day north Bihar. The Rāmāyaṇa knows the same city as Viśālā Nagara, on the bank of the Gaṅgā.

Founding in the Vishṇu Mahā Purāṇa

The Vishṇu Mahā Purāṇa says that Vaiśālī was founded by Viśāla, the son of Tṛṇabindu of the Solar dynasty. Tṛṇabindu was a famous Solar king, and an important branch of the family came from him. The city was well known in the geography of ancient Bhārata and was a centre of government and culture.

The Purāṇa gives the founding of Vaiśālī in the Solar dynasty line that comes down from Manu Vaivasvata through Ikshvāku. The line runs: Ikshvāku, then the kings in between, then Tṛṇabindu, then Viśāla, who founded Vaiśālī. From this line the Purāṇa goes on to name later descendants: Hemacandra, Sucandra, Dhūmrāśva and Sṛñjaya.

Viśālā Nagara in the Rāmāyaṇa

Viśālā Nagara is also called Viśālā or simply Viśāla. It is an ancient city on the banks of the Gaṅgā, in the region of ancient Vaijayantī or Vaiśālī. It appears in the Bāla Kāṇḍa when Viśvāmitra and the two princes, Rāma and Lakshmaṇa, visit the city on their way from Siddhāśrama to Mithilā.

Founding and line of kings

The Bāla Kāṇḍa says that the Ikshvāku prince Viśāla, of the Solar dynasty, founded the city as a new kingdom apart from Ayodhyā. The line of the kings of Viśālā is: Ikshvāku, Viśāla, Hemacandra, and Sumati. Sumati was the king in the time of the Rāmāyaṇa.

The royal welcome

Viśvāmitra brought Rāma and Lakshmaṇa through the land of Viśālā on the way to Mithilā. King Sumati received them as guests with great honour. The stop at Viśālā is also the place where Viśvāmitra told the princes the Gaṅgāvataraṇa, the descent of the Gaṅgā, while they camped in the region.

Vaiśālī in later times

In later history the city of Viśālā is linked with the great city of Vaiśālī, the ancient republic of the Licchavī and Vajjī peoples and one of the most important cities of ancient India. The Bāla Kāṇḍa gives the family origin of the city in the Solar dynasty.

Sources

Vishṇu Mahā Purāṇa, Chaturdhāmsa, Chapter 1
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bāla Kāṇḍa, Chapters 46–47