THE PERIOD OF THE

MAHAJANAPADAS
600-300 B.C.
INTRODUCTION
• LARGE TERRITORIAL STATES CALLED MAHAJANAPADAS ROSE IN THE
PERIOD BETWEEN THE 7TH AND 4TH CENTURIES B.C.
• THE ANGUTTARA NIKAYA (PART OF THE SUTTA PITAKA) DESCRIBES 16
SUCH STATES IN INDIA
• THE MOST IMPORTANT ONES WERE MAGADHA WITH ITS CAPITAL AT
GIRIVRAJA OR RAJAGRIHA, KOSALA WITH ITS CAPITAL AT SAKETA,
AVANTI WITH ITS CAPITAL AT UJJAIN AND VATSA WITH ITS CAPITAL AT
KAUSHAMBI
• MOST OF THE STATES WERE MONARCHICAL IN CHARACTER
• BUT SOME LIKE THE VRIJJIS, THE MALLAS AND THE KOLIYAS WERE
REPUBLICAN IN CHARACTER
RISE OF THE MAHAJANAPADAS
• THE SECOND URBANISATION WHICH OCCURRED FROM 1000 TO 500
B.C. CONTRIBUTED TO THE RISE OF THE MAHAJANAPADAS
• THE INTRODUCTION OF IRON TOOLS LED TO THE CLEARING OF
FORESTS FOR SETTLEMENT AND AGRICULTURE
• THE RIVERS FACILITATED TRADE AND COMMUNICATION AS WELL AS
WATER FOR IRRIGATION
• THE SURPLUS AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT WAS USED FOR TRADE
• THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF CITIES AND TOWNS ATTRACTED
IMMIGRANTS AS WELL AS INVADERS
• THE KINGS COULD NOW MAINTAIN A STANDING ARMY INSTEAD OF A
MILITIA
• AMBITIOUS KINGS WAGED WAR AGAINST OTHERS TO ENLARGE THEIR
TERRITORY AS WELL AS FOR PRESTIGE
POLITY
• THE SOCIETY WAS DIVIDED INTO THE RAJA AND THE PRAJA
• THE RAJA WAS THE RULER, USUALLY THE MONARCH BUT IN SOME
CASES THE RULING CLASS, AND THE PRAJA WERE THE RULED AND
WERE GRADED INTO VARIOUS HIERARCHIES
• IN MONARCHIES, THE RAJA WAS AN ABSOLUTE RULER AND RULED
WITH A COUNCIL OF MINISTERS WHICH CONSISTED OF THE MANTRI,
THE SENAPATI AND THE PUROHIT
• IN REPUBLICS, A COUNCIL OF PROMINENT CITIZENS WAS ELECTED TO
RULE THE STATE
• IN TIMES OF CRISIS, A PARAMOUNT LEADER WOULD BE ELECTED BY
THIS COUNCIL TO ACT AS THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
RISE OF MAGADHA
• MAGADHA (MODERN NORTH BIHAR) EVENTUALLY BECAME THE
MOST POWERFUL MAHAJANAPADA
• IT WAS LOCATED ON THE CONFLUENCE OF SEVERAL RIVERS SUCH AS
GANGA, GANDAK, KOSI AND SON
• THIS FACILITATED TRADE AS WELL AS AGRICULTURE
• THE IRON MINES OF THE REGION ENABLED THE MAKING OF TOOLS
AND WEAPONS
• THE HILLS SURROUNDING RAJAGRIHA ENABLED ITS DEFENSIVE
LOCATION
• IT WAS LOCATED ON THE STRATEGIC TRADE ROUTES BETWEEN
NORTH INDIA AND EASTERN INDIA
DYNASTIES
• HARYANKA DYNASTY (550-413 B.C.)
• SAISUNAGA DYNASTY (413-350 B.C.)
• NANDA DYNASTY (350-321 B.C.)
• THE MOST IMPORTANT KINGS OF THE HARYANKA DYNASTY WERE
BIMBISARA (543-492B.C.), AJATASHATRU (492-460 B.C.) AND UDAYIN
(460-444 B.C.)
• BIMBISARA STARTED THE EXPANSION OF MAGADHA BY CONQUERING
ANGA WHICH GAVE HIM ACCESS TO THE IRON MINES
• HE ALSO WAGED WAR WITH THE PRADYOTA DYNASTY OF AVANTI
• HE ALSO DID SUCCESSFUL MATRIMONIAL ALLIANCES
BIMBISARA’S
PRISON IN
RAJGIR
CONTD.
• HE MARRIED THE SISTER OF KING PRASENAJIT OF KOSALA WHO
BROUGHT KASHI AS DOWRY. THE REVENUE OF KASHI WAS 100,000
GOLD COINS
• HIS SECOND WIFE, CHELLANA, WAS THE PRINCESS OF THE LICCHAVIS
OF VAISHALI, AND THE THIRD WIFE WAS THE DAUGHTER OF THE
KING OF MADRA
• HE WAS OVERTHROWN BY HIS SON AJATASHATRU IN THE YEAR 492
B.C.
• AJATASHATRU BUILT THE CITY OF PATALIPUTRA (MODERN PATNA) AS
A SECOND CAPITAL
• HE WAGED WAR AGAINST KOSALA AND THE LICCHAVIS AND ADDED
KASHI AND VAISHALI TO HIS EMPIRE
AJATASHATRU’S STUPA AT RAJGIR
CONTD.
• HE WAS SUCCEEDED BY HIS SON UDAYIN (UDAYANA) IN 460 B.C.
• UDAYIN EXPANDED THE KINGDOM IN THE NORTH TO THE HIMALAYAS
AND IN THE SOUTH TO THE CHOTANAGPUR PLATEAU
• HE ALSO MADE PATALIPUTRA THE MAIN CAPITAL OF MAGADHA
• THE FOUR KINGS WHO SUCCEEDED UDAYIN WERE WEAK AND SO THE
LAST WAS OVERTHROWN BY THE PEOPLE OF MAGADHA IN 413 B.C.
• SISUNAGA, THE GOVERNOR OF KASHI, BECAME THE NEXT RULER AND
STARTED THE SAISUNAGA DYNASTY
• THE MAIN ACHIEVEMENT OF SISUNAGA WAS THE ANNEXATION OF
AVANTI WHICH OPENED THE TRADE ROUTES TO SOUTH INDIA AS
WELL AS THE ARABIAN SEA TO MAGADHA
CONTD.
• SISUNAGA’S SON KALASHOKA HELD THE SECOND BUDDHIST COUNCIL
IN PATALIPUTRA WHICH WAS PRESIDED OVER BY SABAKAMI
• THE LAST RULER WAS OVERTHROWN BY MAHAPADMANANDA WHO
ESTABLISHED THE NANDA DYNASTY IN 350 B.C.
• THE NANDAS EXTENDED THE KINGDOM TO THE BORDERS OF THE
PUNJAB
• THEY ALSO CAPTURED KALINGA WHICH GAVE THEM ACCESS TO
SOUTHEAST ASIAN TRADE ROUTES
• THE GREEK SOURCES DESCRIBE THEIR ARMY AS HAVING 2,00,000
INFANTRY, 20,000 CAVALRY, 2000 CHARIOTS AND 3000 ELEPHANTS
• THE LAST NANDA KING, DHANANANDA, WAS OVERTHROWN BY
CHANDRAGUPTA MAURYA IN 321 B.C.