# Śuddhodana

_King of Shakya Kingdom_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/suddhodana
Last updated: 2026-10-07

> Śuddhodana, meaning "he who grows pure rice," was the father of Siddhartha Gautama, better known as the Buddha. He was a leader of the Shakya, who lived in an oligarchic republic, with their capital at Kapilavastu.

## Quick facts

- **Place of birth:** Kapilavastu ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q226488#P19))
- **Place of death:** Kapilavastu ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q226488#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Nepal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q226488#P27))
- **Occupation:** politician ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q226488#P106))
- **Spouse:** Maya; Mahapajapati Gotami ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q226488#P26))
- **Positions held:** King of Nepal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q226488#P39))

## Public office

- Officeholder record: https://diginpl.com/next/explore/person/uddhodana

## Career

- Many notable scholars state that the Shakya republic was not a monarchy but rather an oligarchy, ruled by an elite council of the warrior and ministerial class that chose its leader or rājā. ([Yale University Press](https://archive.org/details/afterbuddhismret0000batc/page/37))
- Furthermore, by the time of Siddharta's birth, the Shakya republic had become a vassal state of the larger Kingdom of Kosala. ([Wisdom Publications](http://lirs.ru/lib/sutra/Long_Discourses_of_the_Buddha(Digha_Nikaya).Walshe.pdf), [Yale University Press](https://archive.org/details/afterbuddhismret0000batc/page/))
- In later texts, there may have been a misinterpretation of the Pali word rājā, which can mean alternatively a king, prince, ruler, or governor. ([dictionary.tamilcube.com](http://dictionary.tamilcube.com/pali-dictionary.aspx))

_Cited sentences quoted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Śuddhodana&oldid=1374719716), CC BY-SA 4.0._

## Questions

**What positions has Śuddhodana held?**  
Positions held by Śuddhodana include: King of Nepal.

## Related

- [Gyanendra of Nepal](https://diginpl.com/people/gyanendra-of-nepal)
- [Birendra of Nepal](https://diginpl.com/people/birendra-of-nepal)
- [Dipendra of Nepal](https://diginpl.com/people/dipendra-of-nepal)
- [Mahendra of Nepal](https://diginpl.com/people/mahendra-of-nepal)
- [Tribhuvan of Nepal](https://diginpl.com/people/tribhuvan-of-nepal)
- [Rana Bahadur Shah](https://diginpl.com/people/rana-bahadur-shah)
- [Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī](https://diginpl.com/people/mahaprajapati-gautami)
- [Maya](https://diginpl.com/people/maya)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Śuddhodana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Auddhodana) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): सुद्धोदन](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%A8) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q226488](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q226488) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Suddhodna seated on a throne Roundel 2 ivory tusk.jpg by Nomu420 (CC BY-SA 3.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Suddhodna_seated_on_a_throne_Roundel_2_ivory_tusk.jpg)
- [Wikipedia (English), revision used for cited facts: Śuddhodana](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Śuddhodana&oldid=1374719716) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Yale University Press: After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age](https://archive.org/details/afterbuddhismret0000batc/page/37)
- [Wisdom Publications: The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya](http://lirs.ru/lib/sutra/Long_Discourses_of_the_Buddha(Digha_Nikaya).Walshe.pdf)
- [Yale University Press: After Buddhism](https://archive.org/details/afterbuddhismret0000batc/page/)
- [dictionary.tamilcube.com](http://dictionary.tamilcube.com/pali-dictionary.aspx)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Śuddhodana, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Suddhodna seated on a throne Roundel 2 ivory tusk.jpg — Nomu420, CC BY-SA 3.0.

## Cite this page

"Śuddhodana". DigiNepal. Last updated 7 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/suddhodana. Retrieved 21 October 2026.