6th Century BC ONWARDS

Janapadas and Mahajanapadas

 Janapadas
• Janapada – where people place their foot
• People place their foot
• Villages
Towns
Cities
• Linage based names – Kuru & Panchala
• Chiefs were at war
Conquests
Agricultural expansion
 Internal socio-
political structure
of Janapadas

Middle
Village Ganga
Valley

Maha
janapada
s

Ruler &
Gahapati
Ruled

Merchants
-Setthi
• 16 Mahajanapadas – Anguttara Nikya –
1. Kashi Vatsa
2. Kosala Kuru
3. Anga Panchala
4. Magadha Maccha (Matsya)
5. Vajji Surasena
6. Malla Assaka
7. Chedi Avanti
8. Gandhara Kamboja

• Mahavastu – Sibi and Dasarna in Punjab and Central India

• Middle Gangetic Valley
 Magadha

• Patna and Gaya – South Bihar

• River son and Ganga – North and West
• River Champa- east
• Girivraja or Rajgriha
• Earliest evidence of fortification in India
• 5th Century BC- Pataliputra – Mauryan empire
• Brahmanical text- mixed and inferior
• Buddhist text – Rajgriha
• Fertile agriculture
wet rice cultivation
iron ores
• Trade routes of Ganges, Gandak and son
• Mahavamsa –
1. Bimbisara
2. Ajatasatru
3. Udayabhadra
4. Anuruddha
5. Munda
6. Nagadasaka
7. Susunaga
8. Kalasoka
9. 10 sons of Kalasoka
• Bimbisara (6th-5th BC)- 1st imp
• Marriage with kosala house – alliance – kasi
• Mahavagga – 500 wives – Theravdin Vinaya Pitaka’s 2nd
book Khandhaka’s one volume Mahavagga
• 492 BC – Ajatashatru imprisoned Bimbisara on intigation by
Buddha’s cousin Devadatta
• Aggressive policy of expansion
• Kasi and Vaisali – capital of Vajji- added
• Udayin succeeded (460 BC)- Himalyan ranges to Chhota
Nagpur hills
• Shishunaga – viceroy of Banaras- 413 BC –Nanda dynasty
• Mahapadma Nanda
• 1st empire builders in india – North west India
• 326 BC- Alexander’s invasion
• Later Purana – Mahapadma Nanda- exterminator of Kashatriya
• Last of the Rulers – Dhana Nanda
• Kingdom –
i. Number of republican or Semi independent communities
ii. Chief- Raja Kumara
iii. Village assemblies- Gramakas – 80,000 gramakas
iv. Mahamatras- imp officials at headquarters
a) Sabbatthaka – executive – all affairs
b)Voharika – judicial
c)Senanyaka – military

 Kara (imprisonment) and mutilation of limbs

Sources of Mauryan empire –
i. Tipitakas
ii. Jatakas
iii. Acaranga Sutra
iv. Sutrakritanga
v. Mahavamsa
vi. Dipavamsa
vii. Divyavadana
viii. Megasthenes – Strabo and Diodorus (1st BC) & Arrian (2nd
AD)
ix. Arthashastra’s Kautilya – R.Shamshastry
x. Inscriptions
xi. Coins
xii. Material culture- NBPW
• 321 BC- Chandragupta Maurya overthrows Nandas with the
help of Chanakya
• Arthashastra
• Political principles of warfare and aggrandisement,
organisation of state and society
• Chandragupta Maurya-
i. Low caste or tribal origin
ii. Last Nanda king’s son from low born woman called Maru
iii. Buddhist tradition – Moriya clan of Pipphalivana
iv. Purana – no link between Nanda and Maurya
v. 305 BC- Chandragupta VS Seleucus Nikator (Indus)
vi. Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman (2nd Century
AD)- records of Pushyagupta as Chandragupta’s Viceroy who
built Sudarshana lake (Malwa region)
vii. Jaina traditions – Sravana Belgola- died
 Administration under Chandragupta Maurya
• Far flung regions and their administration- split the empire
into units under provincial governors who governed under
common pattern
• Decentralisation scheme
• Megasthenes- Greek Ambassador to the court of Chandragupta
• King- Supreme- military, judicial, executive and legislative
functions
• Provinces- Governors and Viceroys
• Council – governors, chiefs of provinces, Deputy Governors,
treasurers of state, generals of army, Admirals of Navy, judges
to settle disputes, Chief magistrates etc.
• Spies
• Megasthenes- Mauryan Municipal Administration- town officials Astynomoi
• 6 bodies comprising 5 members each – administration of city
a) Industrial art
b) Entertainment of foreigners
c) Birth and death records
d) Superintendent of trade and commerce
e) Supervised manufactured articles
f) Tax
• District administration as given by Megasthenes-
i. Superintend the rivers
ii. Measure the land
iii. Inspect sluice water system
iv. Agriculture
v. Forestry
vi. Timber works
vii. Metal foundries
• Standing army- war office – 30
• War office- 6 boards- 5 members each
 Elephants
of War

Transport,
War
army
chariots
services

Military
administration

Admiral of
Cavalry Fleets

Infantry
 Bindusara
• Successor of Chandragupta – Bindusara - Purana
• Title – Amitraghata – slayer of foes
• Little known information
• Taranath of Tibet, Buddhist monk- warlike activities –
destroyed kings and nobles of 16 cities
• Religious leaning – Ajivikas
• 273 Bc – death
 Ashoka
• James Prinsep – 1837- Devanampiya Piyadasi- Mahavamsa
• under Bindusara – Viceroy of the province of Avantirattham
with headquarters at Ujjain (Ceylon) – Svasas with capital at
Taxila
• War of Succession -
a) Divyavadana – Ashoka with help of Radhagupta killed his
eldest brother for the throne
b) Mahabodhivamsa – Ashoka Vs 98 brothers supporting
Sumana
c) Southern legends- Chandasoka
• Rock Edict V, III, IV, VI, XI, XII and Minor Rock Edict II-
brothers names
• Marriage-
a) Chronicles- 1st wife daughter of merchant of Vedisagiri
called Devi- Ashoka was viceroy of Ujjain
b) Mahavamsa – Devi didn’t follow Ashoka as sovereign to
Pataliputra – chief Queen Asandhimitra
c) Divyavadana- 3rd wife Padmavati and mother of
Dharmavivardhana (Kunala)