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only popular legends to work on. "This quotation of the renowned scholar clearly indicates of the unauthenticity of the Ceylonese chronicles. The greatest weakness of the Ceylonese chronology is that it shows a great discrepancy with the Puranic and the Jain chronologies (201).
Reconstruction of Chronology
We have already reached a definite conclusion about the following dates:
Birth of Mahāvira
Accession of Ajātas atru Death of Gośālaka
Nirvana of Mahavira
Accession of Candragupta
(at Magadha)
Accession of Can dragupta (at Avanti)
599 B.C.
544 B.C.
543 B. C.
527 B. C.
119
322 B. C.
313 B. C.
Now, we should try to reconstruct the whole chronology from the king Sisunaga, the founder of the Sri Sunga dynasty to the end of Nandas rule (202). As we have seen, the Jain sources assign 60 years to the rule of Palaka dynasty and 155 years to that of Nanda dynasty over the kingdom of Avanti, after the death of Mahavira in 527 B.C. Thus in Avanti, the Palaka dynasty rule from 527 B. C. to 467 B. C., and the Nanda dynasty ruled from 467 B. C. to 312 B. C.
Now regarding the chronology of Magadha, we find that after the Nirvana of Mahavira, the Sisunaga dynasty continued to rule of 54 or 53 years (203), after which the Nanda's rule began in Magadh.
In terms of chronology, rule of the Sisunaga-dynasty ended and that of Nanda-dynasty began in Magadha in 474-3 B. C. (204). Again, according to the Puranas, the ten kings of Siunaga-dynasty reigned Magadha for 333 years (205). Hence, the beginning os Sisunaga dynasty (206) dates back to 807 B. C.
Thus, the rule of the ten kings of Sisunaga-dynasty in Magadha lasted from 807 B. C. to 474 B. C. by accept
