RISE OF MAHAJANAPADAS

Rise of Mahajanapadas

• The Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya gives the list of sixteen Mahajanapadas at the time of Buddha.
• These Mahajanapadas extended from the North western Pakistan to east Bihar and from Himalayas to the river Godavari.

• Kashi was famous for its cotton textiles and market for horses.
• Champa was noted for its trade and Commerce.
• Vajji represented a confederacy of eight clans.
• The Buddha died in the vicinity of Kusinara.
• The Northern Panchalas had their capital at Ahicchatra.
• The Southern Panchalas had their Capital at Kampilya.
• Viratnagar was used as the hiding place by Pandavas.
• Mathura was located at the junction of two famous trade routes i.e. Uttrapatha and Dakshinapatha.
•  The Kambojas were regarded as uncultured by the Brahamanical texts.
• The Buddha calls himself Kosalan in the Majjhima Nikaya.
• Kashi had emerged as a cloth manufaturing centre by the time of Buddha

Haryank Dynasty (544 BCE – 412 BCE)

• The epic Mahabharata has provided information about the early period of Magadha.
• Jarasandh and Brihdrath were the rulers during the period of Mahabharata.
• Girivraja was the magadhan capital during the early period.

Bimbisara (544-492 B.C.)

• Bimbisara established Haryank dynasty.
• Rajgir was the capital of the state.
• Bimbisara ascended the throne in 544 B.C.
• In Jain literature he has been called as ‘Shrenika.
• Bimbisara had three wives, Mahakosala, Chellana and Kshema.
• Mahakosala was the sister of Kosal ruler Prasenjit and Chellana was Lichchhavi Princess.
• Bimbisara defeated Anga and annexed it.
• Bimbisara was contemporary of Buddha.
• Bimbisara send his physician Jivak to treat Chand Pradyot of Avanti
• Bimbisara was prisoned by his son Ajatshatru and died in 493 B.C.

Ajatshatru (492-460 B.C.)

• Ajatshatru sat on Magadha throne in 492 B.C.
• Ajatshatru followed an expansionist policy.
• After a long struggle he defeated Kasi and Vajji confederacy.
• Ajatshatru took the services of his minister Vassakar to divide the Vajji confederacy.
• Ajatshatru got a large stupa constructed  in Rajgriha.
• Gautama Buddha died during his reign; arranged the first Buddhist council.
• Ajatshatru constructed a fort around Rajgriha to protect it from Lichcchavi attack.
• Ajatshatru was killed by his son Udayin in 461 B.C.
• Udayin transferred the Capital to Patliputra.
• Udayin was a follower of Jainism.
• The last Haryank ruler was Nagdasak.

Shisunaga Dynasty (412-344 B.c.)

• Nagdasak was killed by his minister Shisunaga.
• Shisunaga established Shisunaga dynasty in 412 B.C.
• Shisunaga annexed Avanti to Magadha.
• Shisunaga established his capital at Vaishali.
• Kalashoka came to the throne in 344 B.C.
• Kalashoka again transferred the capital to Pataliputra.
• During the reign of Kalashoka second Buddhist council was organized at Vaishali.
• Nandivardhan was the last Shisunaga ruler.

Nanda Dynasty (344-323 b.c.)

•  Nanda Dynasty was established by Mahapadmananda.
•  According to Puranas he was not a Kshatriya.
• Mahapadmananda was known as Ekarat and Sarvakshatrantaka.
• Mahapadmananda conquered Kalinga.
• Last Nanda ruler was Dhanananda.
• Dhanananda was the contemporary of Alexander.
• Alexander attacked India in the reign of Dhanananda (the last ruler)
• The Nandas were fabulously rich and enormously powerful.
• Nanda Dynasty was destroyed by Chandragupta Maurya and Chanakya.
• Nandas have been termed as first empire builders of India.

Factors for the Rise of Magadha

• Magadha enjoyed an advantageous geographical position.
• Iron deposits were situated close to Rajgir, the earliest capital of Magadha.
• Rajgir and Pataliputra were situated at very strategic points.
• Pataliputra was surrounded by rivers from all sides it was called as jaladurga (water-fort).
• Magadha lay at the centre of the middle Gangetic plain.
• Magadha for the first time used elephants on a large scale in wars.
• Greek sources have mentioned that the Nandas maintained 6000 elephants.
• Magadha society was unorthodox and was recently Aryanized.
• Ambitious rulers like Bimbisara, Ajatshatru and Mahapadma nanda established  Magadha as a powerful kingdom.

Foreign Invasion

• North-West India was ruled by smaller principalities like Kambojas and Gandharas.
• The Period of 6th century B.C. marked by political instability in North-West India.
• In 516 B.C. the Iranian ruler Darius penetrated into North-West India.
• Darius annexed Punjab, west of Indus and Sindh.
• This area constituted the 20th kshatrapy (province) of Iran.
• The Indian Kshatrapy included Sindh, the North-West frontier and part of Punjab.
• The Indian Kshatrapy paid a tribute of 360 talents of Gold.
• Xerxes, the successor of Darius, employed Indians in the long war against the Greeks.
• The Iranian Scribes brought into India Kharoshti script.
• Under the leadership of Alexander of Macedonia, the Greeks destroyed the Iranian Empire.
• Alexander marched to India through the Khyber Pass in 326 B.C.
• Ambhi was the king of Taxila.
• Porus ruled between Jhelum and Ravi.
• Porus provided a strong resistance to Alexander.
• Alexander remained in India for 19 months (326-325 B.C.).
• Alexander’s campaign opened up four distinct routes by land and sea.
• Alexandria and Boukephala were Greek settlements which were established in the North West.
• Alexander’s historian Nearchus has left valuable geographical accounts.
• Battle of Hydaspes was fought between Porus and Alexander.
• Alexander sent 20,000 oxen to Macedonia for use in Greece.
• The Sati system and slave trade was prevalent in the society.
• Alexander’s invasion paved the way for the expansion of Mauryan Empire in North West India.

Effects of Alexander’s Invasion

• It exposed India to Europe by opening up four distinct lines of communication three by land and one by sea.
• The Hindu and the Buddhist religious faiths and philosophies had an impact of the Greek world of philosophy following Alexander’s time.
• Due to cultural contacts, a cosmopolition school of art came up in Gandhara.
• It paved the way for the unification of North India under chandragupta by weakening small states.