The Mahājanapadas were sixteen Realm and aristocracy that existed in ancient India from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE, during the second urbanisation period.[Vikas Nain, "Second Urbanization in the Chronology of Indian History", International Journal of Academic Research and Development 3 (2) (March 2018), pp. 538–542 esp. 539.]
History
The 6th–5th centuries BCE are often regarded as a major turning point in early Indian history. During this period, India's first large cities since the demise of the Indus Valley civilization arose. It was also the time of the rise of
sramana movements (including
Buddhism and
Jainism), which challenged the religious orthodoxy of the
Vedic period.
Two of the Mahājanapadas were most probably s (aristocratic republics), and others had forms of monarchy. Ancient Buddhist texts like the Anguttara Nikaya[Anguttara Nikaya I. p 213; IV. pp 252, 256, 261.] make frequent reference to sixteen great kingdoms and republics that had developed and flourished in a belt stretching from Gandhara in the northwest to Anga in the east to Asmaka in the southern part of the Indian subcontinent. They included parts of the trans-Vindhya Range region,[ 16 Mahajanapadas - Sixteen Mahajanapadas, 16 Maha Janapadas India, Maha Janapada Ancient India. Iloveindia.com. Retrieved on 12 July 2013.]
Archaeologically, this period has been identified as corresponding in part to the Northern Black Polished Ware culture.[J.M. Kenoyer (2006), "Cultures and Societies of the Indus Tradition. In Historical Roots", in the Making of 'the Aryan', R. Thapar (ed.), pp. 21–49. New Delhi: National Book Trust.]
Overview
The term "
Janapada" literally means the
foothold of a people. The fact that
Janapada is derived from
Jana points to an early stage of land-taking by the Jana people for a settled way of life. This process of settlement on land had completed its final stage prior to the times of the
Gautama Buddha and Pāṇini. The Pre-Buddhist northern Indian sub-continent was divided into several Janapadas, demarcated from each other by boundaries. In Pāṇini's "Ashtadhyayi",
Janapada stands for country and
Janapadin for its citizenry. Each of these Janapadas was named after the
Kshatriya people (or the Kshatriya Jana) who had settled therein.
[ India as Known to Panini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashṭādhyāyī, 1963, p 427][Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala – India; India in the Time of Patañjali, 1968, p 68, Dr B. N. Puri – India;][ Socio-economic and Political History of Eastern India, 1977, p 9, Y. K Mishra – Bihar (India)][ Tribes of Ancient India, 1977, p 18 Mamata Choudhury – Ethnology][Tribal Coins of Ancient India, 2007, p xxiv Devendra Handa – Coins, Indic – 2007][ The Journal of the Numismatic Society of India, 1972, p 221 Numismatic Society of India – Numismatics][ A History of Pāli Literature, 2000 Edition, p 648 B. C. Law][ Some Ksatriya Tribes of Ancient India, 1924, pp 230–253, Dr B. C. Law.] Buddhist and other texts only incidentally refer to sixteen great nations (
Solasa Mahajanapadas) that existed prior to the time of the Buddha. They do not give any connected history except in the case of Magadha. The Buddhist
Anguttara Nikaya, at several places,
[Anguttara Nikaya: Vol I, p 213, Vol IV, pp 252, 256, 260 etc.] gives a list of sixteen great states:
-
Anga
-
Asmaka
-
Avanti
-
Chedi
-
Gandhara
-
Kasi
-
Kambojas
-
Kosala
-
Kuru
-
Magadha
-
Malla
-
Matsya (or Maccha)
-
Panchala
-
Surasena
-
Vajjika League
-
Vatsa (or Vamsa)
Another Buddhist text, the Digha Nikaya, mentions twelve Mahajanapadas from the above list and omits four of them (Assaka, Avanti, Gandhara, and Kamboja).[Digha Nikaya, Vol II, p 200.]
Niddesa, another ancient text of the Buddhist canon, adds Kalinga to the list and substitutes Yona for Gandhara, thus listing the Kamboja and the Yona as the only Mahajanapadas from Uttarapatha.[Chulla-Niddesa (P.T.S.), p 37.][Lord Mahāvīra and his times, 1974, p 197, Dr Kailash Chand Jain; The History and Culture of the Indian People, 1968, p lxv, Dr Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bhāratīya Itihāsa Samiti; Problems of Ancient India, 2000, p 7, K. D. Sethna.]
The Vyākhyāprajñapti (or the Bhagavati Sutra), a sutra of Jainism, gives a different list of sixteen Mahajanapadas:
-
Anga
-
Banga (Vanga)
-
Magadha
-
Malaya
-
Malavaka
-
Accha
-
Vaccha
-
Kochcha
-
Padha
-
Ladha (Rarh region or Lata)
-
Bajji (Vajji)
-
Moli (Malla)
-
Kasi
-
Kosala
-
Avaha
-
Sambhuttara
The author of the Bhagavati Sutra (or the Vyākhyāprajñapti) has a focus on the countries of Madhydesa and of the far east and south only. He omits the nations from Uttarapatha like the Kamboja and Gandhara. The more extended horizon of the Bhagvati and the omission of all countries from Uttarapatha "clearly shows that the Bhagvati list is of later origin and therefore less reliable."[Political History of Ancient India, 1996, p. 86; History & Culture of Indian People, Age of Imperial Unity, pp. 15–16]
List of Mahajanapadas
Aṅga
The first reference to the
is found in the
Atharvaveda where they find mention along with the Magadhas,
Gandhara and the Mujavats, apparently as a despised people. The
Prajnapana ranks Angas and Vangas in the first group of
Aryan people. It mentions the principal cities of
ancient India.
[Digha Nikaya] It was also a great center of trade and commerce and its merchants regularly sailed to distant
Suvarnabhumi. Anga was annexed by Magadha in the time of
Bimbisara. This was the one and only conquest of Bimbisara.
Aśmaka
The country of Assaka or the Ashmaka tribe was located in
Dakshinapatha or southern India. It included areas in present-day
Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana, and
Maharashtra.
In
Gautama Buddha's time, many of the Assakas were located on the banks of the
Godavari River (south of the
Vindhya mountains). The capital of the Assakas was Potana or Potali, which corresponds present-day
Bodhan in Telangana and Paudanya of
Mahabharata.
In Maharashtra its capital is located in Potali which corresponds to present day Nandura, Buldhana district. The Ashmakas are also mentioned by Pāṇini. They are placed in the north-west in the
Markendeya Purana and the
Brhat Samhita. The river Godavari separated the country of the Assakas from that of the Mulakas (or Alakas). The country of Assaka lay outside the pale of
Madhyadesa. It was located on a southern high road, the
Dakshinapatha. At one time, Assaka included Mulaka and abutted Avanti.
[Dr Bhandarkaar]
Avanti
The country of the Avantis was an important kingdom of western India and was one of the four great monarchies in India in the post era of Mahavira and Buddha, the other three being
Kosala,
Vatsa and Magadha. Avanti was divided into north and south by the river
Narmada. Initially,
Mahishamati (Mahissati) was the capital of Southern Avanti, and
(Sanskrit: Ujjayini) was of northern Avanti, but at the times of
Mahavira and Buddha, Ujjaini was the capital of integrated Avanti. The country of Avanti roughly corresponded to modern
Malwa, Nimar and adjoining parts of today's
Madhya Pradesh. Both Mahishmati and Ujjaini stood on the southern high road called
Dakshinapatha which extended from
Rajagriha to Pratishthana (modern
Paithan). Avanti was an important centre of Buddhism and some of the leading
theras and
theris were born and resided there. King Nandivardhana of Avanti was defeated by king
Shishunaga of Magadha. Avanti later became part of the Magadhan empire.
Chedi
The Chedis, Chetis or Chetyas had two distinct settlements of which one was in the mountains of Nepal and the other in
Bundelkhand near
Kausambi. According to old authorities, Chedis lay near
Yamuna midway between the kingdom of
The Kurus and
. In the mediaeval period, the southern frontiers of Chedi extended to the banks of the river
Narmada River. Sotthivatnagara, the Sukti or Suktimati of
Mahabharata, was the capital of Chedi. The Chedis were an ancient people of India and are mentioned in the
Rigveda, with their king Kashu Chaidya.
The location of the capital city, Suktimati, has not been established with certainty. Historian Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri and F. E. Pargiter believed that it was in the vicinity of Banda, Uttar Pradesh.
Gandhāra
Gandhara1.JPG|Coin of Early Gandhara Janapada: AR Shatamana and one-eighth Shatamana (round), Taxila-Gandhara region, .
Taxila_(local_coinage)._Circa_220-185_BC.jpg|A coin of Taxila, portrays a tree flanked by a hill surmounted by a crescent and a Nandipada above a swastika.
The wool of the
Gandhara is referred to in the
Rigveda. The Gandharas and their king figure prominently as strong allies of the
The Kurus against the
in the
Mahabharata war. The Gandharas were furious people, well-trained in the art of war. According to
Puranic traditions, this Janapada was founded by
Gandhara, son of Aruddha, a descendant of Yayati. The princes of this country are said to have come from the line of Druhyu who was a famous king of the Rigvedic period and one of the five sons of king Yayati of lunar dynasty. The river Indus watered the lands of Gandhara.
Taxila and
Pushkalavati, the two cities of this Mahajanapada, are said to have been named after Taksa and Pushkara, the two sons of Bharata, a prince of Ayodhya and younger brother of Lord
Rama. According to Vayu Purana (II.36.107), the Gandharas were destroyed by Pramiti (a.k.a. Kalika) at the end of
Kali Yuga. Pāṇini mentioned both the Vedic form Gandhari as well as the later form Gandhara in his
Ashtadhyayi. The Gandhara kingdom sometimes also included
Kashmira.
[Jataka No 406.] Hecataeus of Miletus (549–468) refers to Kaspapyros (Kasyapura or Purushapura, i.e., modern day Peshawar) as a
Gandhara city. According to Gandhara Jataka, at one time, Gandhara formed a part of the kingdom of
Kasmira kingdom. The
Jataka tales also gives another name
Chandahara for Gandhara.
Gandhara Mahajanapada of Buddhist traditions included territories of east Afghanistan, and north-west of the Punjab (modern districts of Peshawar (Purushapura) and Rawalpindi). Its later capital was Taksashila (Prakrit for Taxila). The Taksashila University was a renowned centre of learning in ancient times, where scholars from all over the world came to seek higher education. Pāṇini, the Indian genius of grammar and Kautiliya are the world-renowned products of Taxila University. King Pukkusati or Pushkarasarin of Gandhara in the middle of the 6th century BCE was the contemporary of king Bimbisara of Magadha. Gandhara was located on the northern high road (Uttarapatha) and was a centre of international commercial activities. According to one group of scholars, the Gandharas and Kambojas were cognate people.[Revue des etudes grecques 1973, p. 131, Ch-Em Ruelle, Association pour l'encouragement des etudes grecques en France.][Early Indian Economic History, 1973, pp. 237, 324, Rajaram Narayan Saletore.][Myths of the Dog-man, 199, p. 119, David Gordon White; Journal of the Oriental Institute, 1919, p 200; Journal of Indian Museums, 1973, p 2, Museums Association of India; The Pāradas: A Study in Their Coinage and History, 1972, p 52, Dr B. N. Mukherjee – Pāradas; Journal of the Department of Sanskrit, 1989, p 50, Rabindra Bharati University, Dept. of Sanskrit- Sanskrit literature; The Journal of Academy of Indian Numismatics & Sigillography, 1988, p 58, Academy of Indian Numismatics and Sigillography – Numismatics; Cf: Rivers of Life: Or Sources and Streams of the Faiths of Man in All Lands, 2002, p. 114, J. G. R. Forlong.] It is also contended that the Kurus, Kambojas, Gandharas and Bahlikas were cognate people.[Journal of the Oriental Institute, 1919, p 265, Oriental Institute (Vadodara, India) – Oriental studies; For Kuru-Kamboja connections, see Dr Chandra Chakraberty's views in: Literary history of ancient India in relation to its racial and linguistic affiliations, pp. 14,37, Vedas; The Racial History of India, 1944, p. 153, Chandra Chakraberty – Ethnology; Paradise of Gods, 1966, p 330, Qamarud Din Ahmed – Pakistan.] According to Dr T. L. Shah, the Gandhara and Kamboja were nothing but two provinces of one empire and were located coterminously, hence influencing each other's language.[Ancient India, History of India for 1000 years, four Volumes, Vol I, 1938, pp. 38, 98 by Dr T. L. Shah.] Naturally, they may have once been a cognate people.[James Fergusson observes: "In a wider sense, name Gandhara implied all the countries west of Indus as far as Candhahar" (The Tree and Serpent Worship, 2004, p. 47, James Fergusson).] Gandhara was often linked politically with the neighboring regions of Kasmira kingdom and Kambojas.[ Encyclopedia Americana, 1994, p 277, Encyclopedias and Dictionaries.]
Kamboja
Kambojas are also included in the Uttarapatha. In ancient literature, the Kamboja is variously associated with the
Gandhara,
Darada and the
Bahlikas (
Bactria). Ancient Kamboja is known to have comprised regions on either side of the
Hindukush. The original Kamboja was located in eastern
Oxus country as neighbor to Bahlika, but with time, some
of the Kambojas appear to have crossed the Hindukush and planted colonies on its southern side also. These latter Kambojas are associated with the Daradas and Gandharas in Indian literature and also find mention in the
Edicts of
Ashoka. The evidence in the
Mahabharata and in
Ptolemy's Geography distinctly supports two Kamboja settlements.
[Ptolemy's Geography mentions Tambyzoi located in eastern Bactria ( Ancient India as Described by Ptolemy: Being a Translation of the Chapters ... 1885, p. 268, John Watson McCrindle – Geography, Ancient; Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, History – 2000, p. 99, (editors) Richard J. A. Talbert) and Ambautai people located to south of Hindukush Mountains (Geography 6.18.3; See map in McCrindle, p. 8). Dr S. Levi has identified Tambyzoi with Kamboja ( Indian Antiquary, 1923, p. 54; Pre Aryan and Pre Dravidian in India, 1993, p. 122, Dr Sylvain Lévi, Dr Jean Przyluski, Jules Bloch, Asian Educational Services) while land of Ambautai has also been identified by Dr Michael Witzel (Harvard University) with Sanskrit Kamboja Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies, Vol. 5, 1999, issue 1 (September), Dr. M. Witzel; Indo-Aryan Controversy: Evidence and Inference in Indian History, 2005, p 257, Laurie L. Patton, Edwin Bryant; The Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia: Language, Material Culture and Ethnicity, 1995, p. 326, George Erdosy.] The cis-Hindukush region from
Nurestan up to
Rajauri in southwest of
Kasmira kingdom sharing borders with the
Daradas and the
constituted the
Kamboja country.
[MBH VII.4.5; II.27.23.] The capital of
Kamboja was probably
Rajapura (modern Rajori) in the south-west of Kashmir. The
Kamboja Mahajanapada of the
Buddhist traditions refers to this cis-Hindukush branch of ancient Kambojas.
[See: Problems of Ancient India, 2000, pp. 5–6; cf: Geographical Data in the Early Puranas, p. 168.]
The trans-Hindukush region including the Pamir Mountains and Badakhshan which shared borders with the Bahlikas (Bactria) in the west and the Lohas and Rishikas of Sogdiana/Fergana in the north, constituted the Parama-Kamboja country.[MBH II.27.27.] The trans-Hindukush branch of the Kambojas remained pure Iranian peoples but a large section of the Kambojas of cis-Hindukush appears to have come under Indian cultural influence. The Kambojas are known to have had both Iranian as well as Indian affinities.[ Vedic Index I, p. 138, Macdonnel, Dr Keith.][ Ethnology of Ancient Bhārata, 1970, p. 107, Dr Ram Chandra Jain.][ The Journal of Asian Studies; 1956, p. 384, Association for Asian Studies, Far Eastern Association (U.S.).][ Balocistān: siyāsī kashmakash, muz̤mirāt va rujḥānāt; 1989, p. 2, Munīr Aḥmad Marrī.][ India as Known to Panini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashṭādhyāyī; 1953, p. 49, Dr Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala.][ Afghanistan, p. 58, W. K. Fraser, M. C. Gillet.][ Afghanistan, its People, its Society, its Culture, Donal N. Wilber, 1962, pp. 80, 311 etc.][ Iran, 1956, p. 53, Herbert Harold Vreeland, Clifford R. Barnett.][ Geogrammatical Dictionary of Sanskrit (Vedic): 700 Complete Revisions of the Best Books..., 1953, p. 49, Dr Peggy Melcher, Dr A. A. McDonnel, Dr Surya Kanta, Dr Jacob Wackernagel, Dr V. S. Agarwala.][ Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahābhārata: Upāyana Parva, 1945, p. 33, Dr Moti Chandra – India.][ A Grammatical Dictionary of Sanskrit (Vedic): 700 Complete Reviews of the ..., 1953, p. 49, Dr Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala, Surya Kanta, Jacob Wackernagel, Arthur Anthony Macdonell, Peggy Melcher – India.]
The Kambojas were also a well known republican people since Epic India times. The Mahabharata refers to several (or Republics) of the Kambojas.[MBH 7/91/39.] Kautiliya's Arthashastra[Arthashastra 11/1/4.] attestes the Kambojas republican character and Ashoka's Edict No. XIII also testifies the presence of the Kambojas along with the Yavanas.[13th Major Rock Edict. Translation by E. Hultzsch (1857–1927). Published in India in 1925. Inscriptions of Asoka p.43. Public Domain.] Pāṇini's Sutras,[Ashtadhyayi IV.1.168–175.] though tend to convey that the Kamboja of Pāṇini was a Kshatriya monarchy, but "the special rule and the exceptional form of derivative" he gives to denote the ruler of the Kambojas implies that the king of Kamboja was a titular head ( king consul) only.[ Hindu Polity: A Constitutional History of India in Hindu Times, Parts I and II., 1955, p. 52, Dr Kashi Prasad Jayaswal – Constitutional history; Prācīna Kamboja, jana aura janapada =: Ancient Kamboja, people and country, 1981, Dr Jiyālāla Kāmboja – Kamboja (Pakistan).] According to Buddhist texts, the first fourteen of the above Mahajanapadas belong to Majjhimadesa ( Mid India) while the last two belong to Uttarapatha or the north-west division of Jambudvipa.
Later historical developments show that many Kamboja clans underwent a sociopolitical transformation through the process of Rajputization between the 7th and 12th centuries CE. Scholars such as Richard M. Eaton, Nicholas B. Dirks, Burton Stein, and K.S. Singh have documented how several martial tribes from the northwestern frontier, including the Kambojas, Hunas, Gurjaras, and Shakas, were assimilated into the emergent Rajput identity. This transformation was marked by land grants, military service, Sanskritization, and the adoption of Kshatriya customs. Today, several Kamboj communities in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and western Uttar Pradesh identify as Hindu Rajputs and trace their lineage to the ancient Kambojas.
In a struggle for supremacy that followed in the 6th/5th century BCE, the growing state of the Magadhas emerged as the predominant power in ancient India, annexing several of the Janapadas of the Majjhimadesa. A bitter line in the laments that Magadhan emperor Mahapadma Nanda exterminated all , none worthy of the name Kshatriya being left thereafter. This refers to the Kasis, Kosalas, Kurus, Panchalas, Vatsyas and other neo-Vedic tribes of the east Panjab of whom nothing was ever heard except in the legend and poetry. (The Nandas usurped the throne of Shishunaga dynasty , thus founding the Nanda Empire.)
The Kambojans and Gandharans, however, never came into direct contact with the Magadhan state until Chandragupta and Kautiliya arose on the scene. But these nations also fell prey to the of Ancient Iran during the reign of Cyrus II (558–530 BCE) or in the first year of Darius. Kamboja and Gandhara formed the twentieth and richest of the Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus II is said to have destroyed the famous Kamboja city called Kapisi (modern Begram) in Paropamisade.
Kāśī
The kingdom was located in the region around its capital
Varanasi, bounded by the Varuna and Assi rivers in the north and south which gave Varanasi its name. Before Buddha, Kasi was the most powerful of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. Several
jataka tales bear witness to the superiority of its capital over other cities in India and speak highly of its prosperity and opulence. These stories tell of the long struggle for supremacy between Kashi and the three kingdoms of
Kosala,
Anga and Magadha. Although King
Brihadratha of Kashi conquered
Kosala, Kashi was later incorporated into
Kosala by
King Kansa during Buddha's time. The Kashis along with the Kosalas and Videhans find mention in Vedic texts and appear to have been a closely allied people. The
Matsya Purana and
Alberuni spell Kashi as
Kausika and
Kaushaka respectively. All other ancient texts read Kashi.
Kosala
The country of Kosala was located to the north-west of Magadha, with its capital at Ayodhya. Its territory corresponded to the modern
Awadh (or Oudh) in Central and Eastern
Uttar Pradesh. It had the river
Ganges River for its southern, the river
Gandaki River (Narayani) for its eastern, and the
Himalaya mountains for its northern boundary.
Later, the kingdom was ruled by the famous king Prasenajit during the era of Mahavira and Buddha, followed by his son Vidudabha (Virudhaka). King Prasenajit was highly educated. His position was further improved by a matrimonial alliance with Magadha: his sister was married to Bimbisara and part of Kasi was given as dowry. There was, however, a struggle for supremacy between king Pasenadi (Prasenajit) and king Ajatashatru of Magadha which was finally settled once the confederation of Liccavis became conquered by Magadha. Kosala was ultimately merged into Magadha when Vidudabha was Kosala's ruler. Ayodhya, Saketa, Banaras, and Shravasti were the chief cities of Kosala.
Kuru
The
trace the origin of Kurus from the
Puru-Bharata family. Kuru was born after 25 generations of Puru's dynasty, and after 15 generations of Kuru, Kauravas and Pandavas were born. Aitareya Brahmana locates the Kurus in
Madhyadesha and also refers to the Uttarakurus as living beyond the Himalayas. According to the Buddhist text Sumangavilasini,
[II. p 481] the people of Kururashtra (the Kurus) came from the Uttarakuru. Vayu Purana attests that
Kuru, son of Samvarsana of the Puru lineage, was the eponymous ancestor of the Kurus and the founder of Kururashtra (Kuru Janapada) in Kurukshetra. The country of the Kurus roughly corresponded to the modern
Thanesar, state of
Delhi, and
Meerut district of
Uttar Pradesh. According to the
, the capital of the Kurus was
Indraprastha (Indapatta) near modern Delhi which extended seven leagues. At Buddha's time, the Kuru country was ruled by a titular chieftain (king consul) named Korayvya. The Kurus of the Buddhist period did not occupy the same position as they did in the
Vedic period but they continued to enjoy their ancient reputation for deep wisdom and sound health. The Kurus had matrimonial relations with the
Yadu, the Bhojas, Trigratas, and the Panchalas. There is a
Jataka reference to king Dhananjaya, introduced as a prince from the lineage of
Yudhishtra. Though a well known monarchical people in the earlier period, the Kurus are known to have switched to a republican form of government during the 6th to 5th centuries BCE. In the 4th century BCE,
Kautiliya's
Arthashastra also attests the Kurus following the
Rajashabdopajivin (Royal Consul) constitution.
Magadha
The Magadha was one of the most prominent and prosperous of Mahajanapadas.
The kingdom of the Magadhas roughly corresponded to the modern districts of Patna district and Gaya district in southern Bihar and parts of Bengal in the east. The capital city of Pataliputra was bound in the north by the river Ganges, in the east by the river Champa, in the south by the Vindhya mountains and in the west by the river Sona. During Buddha's time its boundaries included Anga. Its earliest capital was Girivraja or Rajagaha (modern Rajgir in the Nalanda district of Bihar). The other names for the city were Magadhapura, Brihadrathapura, Vasumati, Kushagrapura and Bimbisarapuri. It was an active center of Jainism in ancient times. The First Buddhist Council was held in Rajagaha in the Vaibhara Hills. Later on, Pataliputra became the capital of Magadha.
Malla
The Mallakas are frequently mentioned in Buddhist and
Jain works. They were a powerful people dwelling in Northern India. According to Mahabharata, Panduputra Bhimasena is said to have conquered the chief of the Mallakas in the course of his expedition in Eastern India. During the Buddhist period, the Mallakas Kshatriya were a republican people with their dominion consisting of nine territories
[Kalpa Sutra; Nirayavali Sutra] corresponding to the nine confederated clans. These republican states were known as s. Two of these confederations – one with
Kushinagar (modern Kasia near
Gorakhpur) as its capital and the second with Pava (modern
Fazilnagar, southeast of Kushinagar) as the
capital – had become very important at the time of Buddha. Kuśināra is very important in the history of
Buddhism since
Gautama Buddha took last meal at Pava. Buddha was taken ill at Pava and died at Kusinara. It is widely believed that Lord Gautam died at the courtyard of King Sastipal Mall of Kushinagar. Kushinagar is now the centre of the Buddhist pilgrimage circle which is being developed by the tourism development corporation of Uttar Pradesh.
The Mallakas, like the Licchavis, are mentioned by Manusmriti as Vratya . They are called Vasishthas (Vasetthas) in the Mahapparnibbana Suttanta. The Mallakas originally had a monarchical form of government but later they switched to one of Samgha (republican union), the members of which called themselves rajas. The Mallakas appeared to have formed an alliance with the Licchhavis for self-defense but lost their independence not long after Buddha's death and their dominions were annexed to the Magadhan empire.
Matsya
The country of the Matsya or Macchā tribe lay to the south of the Kurus and west of the
Yamuna, which separated them from the Panchalas. It roughly corresponded to the former
princely state of
Jaipur state in
Rajputana, and included the whole of
Alwar with portions of Bharatpur. The capital of Matsya was at
Viratanagara (modern
Bairat) which is said to have been named after its founder king Virata. In Pali literature, the Matsyas are usually associated with the Surasenas. The western Matsya was the hill tract on the north bank of the
Chambal River. A branch of Matsya is also found in later days in the
Vizagapatam region. The Matsyas had not much political importance of their own during the time of Buddha.
Pañcāla
The Panchalas occupied the country to the east of the Kurus between the mountains and river Ganges. It roughly corresponded to modern
Budaun district, Farrukhabad and the adjoining districts of
Uttar Pradesh. The country was divided into Uttara-Panchala and Dakshina-Panchala. The northern Panchala had its capital at Adhichhatra or Chhatravati (modern Ramnagar in the Bareilly district), while southern Panchala had its capital at
Kampilya or
Kampil in the Farrukhabad District. The famous city of Kanyakubja or
Kanauj was situated in the kingdom of Panchala. Originally a monarchical
clan, the Panchals appear to have switched to republican corporation in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. In the 4th century BCE,
Kautiliya's
Arthashastra also attests the Panchalas as following the
Rajashabdopajivin (king consul) constitution.
Śūrasena
The country of the Surasenas lay to the east of Matsya and west of
Yamuna. This corresponds roughly to the
Braj Region of Uttar Pradesh,
Haryana and
Rajasthan. and
Gwalior district of
Madhya Pradesh. It had its capital at Madhura or Mathura. Avantiputra, the king of Surasena, was the first among the chief disciples of Buddha, through whose help
Buddhism gained ground in Mathura country. The Andhakas and Vrishnis of Mathura/Surasena are referred to in the
Ashtadhyayi of Pāṇini. In
Kautiliya's
Arthashastra, the Vrishnis are described as
sangha or republic. The Vrishnis, Andhakas and other allied tribes of the
Shoorsaini formed a
sangha and
Vasudeva (
Krishna) is described as the
sangha-mukhya. Mathura, the capital of Surasena, was also known at the time of
Megasthenes as the centre of Krishna worship. The Surasena kingdom had lost its independence on annexation by the Magadhan empire.
Vajji
Vajji or Vṛji was a confederacy of neighbouring clans including the Licchavis and one of the principal mahājanapadas of
Ancient India. The area they ruled constitutes the region of Mithila in
Nepal and northern
Bihar and their capital was the city of Vaishali.
Both the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya and the Jaina text Bhagavati Sutra ( Saya xv Uddesa I) included Vajji in their lists of solasa (sixteen) mahājanapadas.[Raychaudhuri Hemchandra (1972), Political History of Ancient India, Calcutta: University of Calcutta, pp. 85–6] The name of this mahājanapada was derived from one of its ruling clans, the Vṛjis. The Vajji state is indicated to have been a republic. This clan is mentioned by Pāṇini, Chanakya and Xuanzang.[Raychaudhuri Hemchandra (1972), Political History of Ancient India, Calcutta: University of Calcutta, p.107]
Vatsa (or Vaṃsa)
The
or Vamsas are called to be a branch of the
The Kurus. The Vatsa or Vamsa country corresponded with the territory of modern
Prayagraj in
Uttar Pradesh. It had a monarchical form of government with its capital at
Kausambi (identified with the village Kosam, 38 miles from
Allahabad).
Kausambi was a very prosperous city where a large number of wealthy merchants resided. It was the most important entrepôt of goods and passengers from the north-west and south. Udayana was the ruler of
Vatsa in the 6th–5th century BCE. He was very powerful, warlike and fond of hunting. Initially king Udayana was opposed to
Buddhism, but later became a follower of Buddha and made Buddhism the state religion. Udayana's mother, Queen Mrigavati, is notable for being one of the earliest known female rulers in Indian history.
See also
-
Achaemenid conquest of the Indus Valley
-
Indo-Aryan peoples
-
Iron Age in India
-
Magadha-Vajji war
-
Rigvedic tribes
Further reading
-
R. C. Majumdar and A. D. Pusalker, eds. The History and Culture of the Indian People. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay 1951.
-
Sethna, K. D. (1989). Ancient India in a new light. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan.
-
Sethna, K. D. (2000). Problems of ancient India. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan.
Notes
External links
