[3] He was initially an amatya or "minister" of the last Haryanka dynasty ruler Nāgadāsaka and ascended to the throne after a popular rebellion in c. 413 BCE.

[4][failed verification] The capital of this dynasty initially was Vaishali; but later shifted to Pataliputra, near the present day Patna, during the reign of Kalashoka.

The two most significant events of his reign are the Second Buddhist council at Vaishali in 383 BC and the final transfer of the capital to Pataliputra.

The Mahabodhivamsa states their names as Bhadrasena, Korandavarna, Mangura, Sarvanjaha, Jalika, Ubhaka, Sanjaya, Koravya, Nandivardhana and Panchamaka.

[5] According to the Bhagavata Purana, Kākavarṇa was succeeded by seven kings and lists them as following; Kṣemadharmā, Kṣetrajña, Vidhisāra, Ajātaśatru, Darbhaka, Ajaya, Nandivardhana, and Mahanandin.