From Clan to Kingdom: The Mahajanapadas and Magadha's Rise to Dominance

Territorial States and the First Magadhan Empire

From the sixth century BC, the widespread use of iron in eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar facilitated the formation of large territorial states. Key consequences of iron technology:

• Iron weapons enabled the warrior class to play an important part in territorial expansion.
• New agricultural tools and implements enabled peasants to produce far more foodgrains than required for consumption.
• The extra product could be collected by princes to meet military and administrative needs.
• The surplus could also be made available to towns which had sprung up in the sixth century BC.
• These material advantages enabled people to stick to their land and also to expand at the cost of neighbouring areas.
• The rise of large states with towns as their base of operations strengthened the territorial idea - people owed strong allegiance to the janapada (territory) rather than to the jana (tribe).

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In the age of the Buddha we find 16 large states called mahajanapadas. They were mostly situated north of the Vindhyas and extended from the north-west frontier to Bihar.

The Four Most Powerful Mahajanapadas

Of the sixteen, Magadha, Kosala, Vatsa, and Avanti seem to have been considerably powerful. The political history of India from the sixth century BC onwards is the history of struggles between these states for supremacy. Ultimately the kingdom of Magadha emerged to be the most powerful and succeeded in founding an empire.

Key Mahajanapadas and Their Features

Anga:

• Covered the modern districts of Monghyr and Bhagalpur; capital at Champa.
• Signs of habitation from the sixth century BC.
• Eventually swallowed by its powerful neighbour Magadha.

Magadha:

• Embraced the modern districts of Patna, Gaya, and parts of Shahabad.
• Grew to be the leading state of the time.

Vajji (Vajjis):

• North of the Ganga in the division of Tirhut.
• Included eight clans.
• Most powerful were the Lichchhavis with their capital at Vaisali - identical with the village of Basarh in the district of Vaisali in north Bihar.
• The Puranas push the antiquity of Vaisali to a much earlier period but archaeologically Basarh was not settled earlier than the sixth century BC.

Kasi:

• Capital at Varanasi.
• Excavations at Rajghat show the earliest habitation started around 700 BC - the city was enclosed by mud-walls in the sixth century BC.
• In the beginning Kasi appears to have been the most powerful of the states but eventually had to submit to the power of Kosala.

Kosala:

• Embraced the area occupied by eastern Uttar Pradesh; capital at Sravasti - identical with Sahet-Mahet on the borders of Gonda and Bahraich districts in Uttar Pradesh.
• Diggings indicate Sahet-Mahet did not possess any large settlement in the sixth century BC.
• Contained an important city called Ayodhya, associated with the story of Rama - but excavations show it was not settled on any scale before the sixth century BC.
• Kosala also included the tribal republican territory of Sakyas of Kapilavastu - birth-place of the Buddha. Capital of Kapilavastu has been identified with Piprahwa in Basti district, but Lumbini (which lies at a distance of 15 km from Piprahwa in Nepal) served as another capital of the Sakyas.
• In the neighbourhood of Kosala lay the republican clan of the Mallas, whose territory touched the northern border of the Vajji state. One of the capitals of the Mallas lay at Kusinara where Gautama Buddha passed away - Kusinara is identical with Kasia in Deoria district.

Vatsa:

• Along the bank of the Yamuna; capital at Kausambi near Allahabad.
• The Vatsas were a Kuru clan who had shifted from Hastinapur and settled down at Kausambi - chosen because it was situated near the confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna.
• In the sixth century BC it had a strong fortified capital, as can be gathered from excavations.

Avanti:

• In central Malwa and the adjoining parts of Madhya Pradesh.
• Divided into two parts: northern part with capital at Ujjain; southern part at Mahishamati.
• Excavations show both towns became fairly important from the sixth century BC onwards - though eventually Ujjain surpassed Mahishamati.
• Developed large-scale working in iron and erected strong fortification.
• Avanti proved to be the most serious competitor of Magadha for the supremacy of north India.

Kurus and Panchalas:

• Situated in western Uttar Pradesh - no longer enjoyed the political importance which they had attained in the later Vedic period.

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Dynasty Sequence

Bimbisara (Haryanka Dynasty)

• Magadha came into prominence under Bimbisara, who belonged to the Haryanka dynasty.
• He was a contemporary of the Buddha.
• He started the policy of conquests and aggrandisement which ended with the Kalinga war of Asoka.
• Bimbisara acquired Anga and placed it under the viceroyalty of Ajatasatru at Champa.
• He strengthened his position by marriage alliances - took three wives:
  1. First wife: daughter of the king of Kosala - marriage brought off the hostility of Kosala and gave him a free hand in dealing with other states; brought him as dowry a Kasi village yielding a revenue of 100,000 (coins) - suggests revenues were assessed in terms of coins.
  2. Second wife: Chellana - a Lichchhavi princess from Vaisali.
  3. Third wife: daughter of the chief of the Madra clan of Panjab.
• Marriage relations gave Bimbisara enormous diplomatic prestige and paved the way for the expansion of Magadha westward and northward.
• Magadha's most serious rival was Avanti with its capital at Ujjain. Its king Chanda Pradyota Mahasena fought Bimbisara but ultimately the two became friends.
• Later when Pradyota was attacked by jaundice, at the Avanti king's request Bimbisara sent the royal physician Jivaka to Ujjain.
• Bimbisara also received an embassy and a letter from the ruler of Gandhara with which Pradyota had fought unsuccessfully.

Ajatasatru (492-460 BC)

• Killed his father Bimbisara and seized the throne for himself.
• His reign saw the high watermark of the Bimbisara dynasty.
• He fought two wars and made preparations for a third.
• Pursued an aggressive policy of expansion - provoked against him a combination of Kasi and Kosala.
• There began a prolonged conflict between Magadha and Kosala - ultimately Ajatasatru got the best of the war; the Kosalan king was compelled to purchase peace by giving his daughter in marriage to Ajatasatru and leaving him in sole possession of Kasi.
• Although his mother was a Lichchhavi princess, Ajatasatru made war against Vaisali. The excuse was that the Lichchhavis were the allies of Kosala.
• He created dissensions in the ranks of the Lichchhavis and finally destroyed their independence by invading their territory and defeating them in battle.
• It took him full 16 years to destroy Vaisali.
• He possessed a chariot to which a mace was attached (mahasilakantaka) and a war engine used to throw stones like catapults - the Magadhan empire was thus enlarged with the addition of Kasi and Vaisali.
• Ajatasatru faced a stronger rival in the ruler of Avanti - Avanti had defeated the Vatsas of Kausambi and threatened an invasion of Magadha. To meet this danger, Ajatasatru began fortification of Rajgir - remains of the walls can still be seen. However, the invasion did not materialize in his lifetime.
• Ajatasatru was succeeded by Udayin (460-444 BC).

Udayin and the Sisunagas

• Udayin's reign is important because he built the fort upon the confluence of the Ganga and Son at Patna.
• This was done because Patna lay in the centre of the Magadhan kingdom which now extended from the Himalayas in the north to the hills of Chotanagpur in the south. Patna's position was crucially strategic.
• Udayin was succeeded by the dynasty of Sisunagas - who temporarily shifted the capital to Vaisali.
• Their greatest achievement was the destruction of the power of Avanti with its capital at Ujjain - this brought to an end the 100-year old rivalry between Magadha and Avanti.
• From now onwards Avanti became a part of the Magadhan empire and continued to be so till the end of the Maurya rule.

The Nandas

• The Sisunagas were succeeded by the Nandas - the most powerful rulers of Magadha.
• So great was their power that Alexander, who invaded Panjab at that time, did not dare to move towards the east.
• The Nandas added to the Magadhan power by conquering Kalinga from where they brought an image of the Jina as a victory trophy.
• All this took place in the reign of Mahapadma Nanda.
• He claimed to be ekarat - the sole sovereign who destroyed all the other ruling princes.
• It seems that he acquired not only Kalinga but also Kosala which had probably rebelled against him.
• The Nandas were fabulously rich and enormously powerful - said to have maintained:
  • 200,000 infantry
  • 60,000 cavalry
  • 6000 war elephants
• Such a huge army could be maintained only through an effective taxation system.
• It was because of these considerations that Alexander did not advance against them.
• The later Nandas turned out to be weak and unpopular - their rule in Magadha was supplanted by that of the Maurya dynasty under which the Magadhan empire reached the apex of glory.

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The march of the Magadhan empire during the two centuries preceding the rise of the Mauryas:

1. Ambitious and Enterprising Rulers

• The formation of the largest state in India was the work of several enterprising and ambitious rulers such as Bimbisara, Ajatasatru, and Mahapadma Nanda.
• They employed all means, fair and foul, at their disposal to enlarge kingdoms.

2. Advantageous Geographical Position

• Magadha enjoyed an advantageous geographical position in the age of iron - because the richest iron deposits were situated not far away from Rajgir, the earliest capital.
• The ready availability of rich iron ores in the neighbourhood enabled the Magadhan princes to equip themselves with effective weapons.
• Iron mines are also found in eastern Madhya Pradesh - not far from the kingdom of the Avantis with their capital at Ujjain.
• Around 500 BC, iron was certainly forged and smelted in Ujjain -> Avanti became the most serious competitor of Magadha -> Magadha took about 100 years to subjugate Ujjain.

3. Two Strategic Capitals

• Rajgir (Girivraja): Surrounded by a group of five hills; openings closed by stone-walls - rendered impregnable in those days (before cannons, which were invented much later in the fifth century).
• In the fifth century the Magadhan princes shifted capital from Rajgir to Pataliputra - which commanded communications on all sides.
• Pataliputra was situated at the confluence of the Ganga, Gandak, Son, and a fourth river called the Sarayu which joined the Ganga not far from Pataliputra.
• In pre-industrial days, when communications were difficult, the army could move north, west, south, and east by following courses of rivers.
• Pataliputra was therefore a true water-fort (jaladurga) - was most difficult to capture in those days.
• Magadha lay at the centre of the middle Gangetic plain - the alluvium, once cleared of jungles, proved immensely fertile.
• Because of heavy rainfall the area could be made productive even without irrigation - produced varieties of paddy mentioned in early Buddhist texts.
• This area was far more productive than the areas to the west of Allahabad - naturally enabled peasants to produce considerable surplus which could be mopped up by the rulers in the form of taxes.

4. Rise of Towns and Use of Coins

• The princes of Magadha benefited from the rise of towns and use of coins.
• On account of trade and commerce in north-east India, princes could levy tolls on the sale of commodities and accumulate wealth to pay and maintain their army.

5. Military Advantage - Elephants

• Magadha enjoyed a special advantage in military organisation - although all Indian states were acquainted with horses and chariots, it was Magadha which first used elephants on a large scale in its wars against its neighbours.
• The eastern part of the country could supply elephants to the princes of Magadha - we learn from Greek sources that the Nandas maintained 6000 elephants.
• Elephants could be used in storming fortresses and in marching over marshy and other areas lacking roads and other means of communication.

6. Unorthodox Character of Magadhan Society

• The unorthodox character of the Magadhan society - it was inhabited by the Kiratas and Magadhas who were held in low esteem by orthodox brahmanas.
• But it underwent a happy racial admixture on account of the advent of the Vedic people.
• Since it was recently aryanized it showed more enthusiasm for expansion than the kingdoms which had been brought under the Vedic influence earlier.

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• The Magadhan Empire was the first empire in India - the political model on which the Mauryan empire was built.
• The shift from tribal jana to territorial janapada and then to the rashtra (state) finds its culmination in the Magadhan imperial model.
• The use of elephants, iron weaponry, strategic capitals, and systematic taxation set precedents for later Indian statecraft.
• Pataliputra (modern Patna) emerged as India's first great imperial capital - its strategic position at the confluence of major rivers made it unassailable.

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• GS Paper I - Ancient India: The Mahajanapada period and Magadhan empire represent the transition from tribal to state-based political organisation - foundational for understanding Mauryan and later empires.
• Iron and Political Power: The connection between iron technology, agricultural surplus, military capacity, and state formation is a recurring analytical theme in ancient history.
• Diplomacy and Statecraft: Bimbisara's use of marriage alliances to achieve diplomatic goals prefigures the Arthashastra's theory of statecraft (rajamandala).
• Geography and Power: Magadha's geographical advantages (iron deposits, river confluences, fertile alluvium, elephant supply) illustrate how physical geography shapes political power - a theme relevant to modern geopolitics discussions.
• Interlink: Mahajanapadas <-> Buddhism/Jainism (sixth-century BC context) <-> Mauryan Empire (Chandragupta succeeds the Nandas) <-> Alexander's invasion (contemporary with Nandas).
• Continuity: The shift of capital from Rajgir to Pataliputra under Udayin (not Chandragupta) is a frequently misattributed fact - connects political geography to administrative history.

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1. Pataliputra fort was built by UDAYIN, NOT by Chandragupta Maurya or Ajatasatru: Udayin (460-444 BC) built the fort upon the confluence of the Ganga and Son at Patna. Students frequently misattribute the founding of Pataliputra.

2. Bimbisara's first wife was from KOSALA, NOT Lichchhavi: His Kosalan wife brought him a Kasi village yielding revenue of 100,000. His SECOND wife Chellana was the Lichchhavi princess. His THIRD wife was from the Madra clan of Punjab.

3. Ajatasatru took 16 YEARS to destroy Vaisali, NOT Kosala: Students confuse the duration of the war. The 16-year war was against Vaisali. The conflict with Kosala ended with the Kosalan king giving his daughter in marriage.

4. The earliest capital of Magadha was RAJGIR (Girivraja), NOT Pataliputra: Rajgir was the first capital; Pataliputra became the capital only in the fifth century under Udayin. The Nandas and early Mauryas continued using Pataliputra.

5. Alexander did NOT advance against the Nandas - he stopped at Panjab: The Nandas' enormous army (200,000 infantry, 60,000 cavalry, 6000 war elephants) was the reason Alexander did not advance towards the east.

6. Mahapadma Nanda, NOT Bimbisara, conquered Kalinga: Kalinga was conquered by the Nandas (under Mahapadma Nanda) and Kalinga's Jina image was brought as a victory trophy. Students confuse this with Asoka's Kalinga war.

7. Kusinara (where Buddha died) is identical with Kasia in DEORIA DISTRICT, UP: Not to be confused with Kusinagar in Nepal or other places.

8. Jivaka was the royal physician of BIMBISARA who was sent to AVANTI king Pradyota: Jivaka was sent to treat the Avanti king's jaundice - this connection demonstrates Magadha-Avanti diplomatic relations.

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• 16 Mahajanapadas in the age of the Buddha; most north of Vindhyas, extending from north-west to Bihar
• Four most powerful: Magadha, Kosala, Vatsa, Avanti
• Anga: covered Monghyr and Bhagalpur; capital Champa; swallowed by Magadha
• Kasi: capital Varanasi (Rajghat); earliest habitation ~700 BC; submitted to Kosala
• Vaisali: capital of Lichchhavis; identical with Basarh, Vaisali district, north Bihar
• Kosala: capital Sravasti (= Sahet-Mahet, borders of Gonda and Bahraich, UP)
• Vatsa: capital Kausambi near Allahabad; confluence of Ganga and Yamuna
• Avanti: northern capital Ujjain; southern capital Mahishamati
• Bimbisara: Haryanka dynasty; contemporary of Buddha; ruled 52 years (544-492 BC); 3 wives
• First wife: Kosalan princess -> brought Kasi village yielding 100,000 revenue
• Second wife: Chellana - Lichchhavi princess; Third wife: Madra clan, Punjab
• Physician Jivaka sent by Bimbisara to treat Avanti king Pradyota's jaundice
• Kingdom of Bimbisara said to have: 80,000 villages (conventional number)
• Earliest Magadha capital: Rajgir (Girivraja) - surrounded by five hills; impregnable
• Ajatasatru: killed his father Bimbisara; ruled 492-460 BC
• Ajatasatru's war: took to destroy