Udayana (king)

Udayana
Udayana and his three queens, Amaravarti Stupa, c. 150 AD
King of Vatsa
Reign	6th century BC
Father	Śatānīka II
Mother	Mṛgāvatī

Udayana was a king of Vatsa in India, a contemporary of Gautama Buddha. He is a popular figure in Indian literature, for both his romantic and military stories, but though he probably existed, little is known for certain about his life or reign.

According to Buddhist sources, the Buddha visited Kauśāmbī several times during the reign of Udayana on his effort to spread the dharma, the Noble Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths. Udayana was an upasaka (lay follower) of Buddha. The Chinese translation of the Buddhist canonical text Ekottara Āgama states that the first image of Buddha, carved out of sandalwood, was made under the instruction of Udayana.