The Mahajanapadas

In the sixth century BCE, history witnessed an uprising in the development of a few kingdoms which became the prominent ones in the sixth century. Their greatness made them earn the name ‘Mahajanapadas’ which meant ‘great country’. Among these kingdoms, the Aryans were the most influential of all tribes, they were known as ‘Jana’s. These Arya tribes gave rise to the term ‘Janapada’ which meant ‘people’ and ‘pada’ meant ‘foot’.  

An outburst of social and political development took place during this time. This change was brought about by the 16 Mahajanapadas. In this context, we are going to update our general IQ about the Mahajanapadas, we will know about the names of the 16 Mahajanapadas and other such related facts will be discussed. 

The Rise of Mahajanapadas 

There was a change in the center of activity done in the Vedic Period. The work activities shifted from the upper Ganga valley to the lower Ganga valleys which were famous for the contemporary Buddhist texts known as majjhima desha. The grey-painted pottery gave rise to a richer and shinier north black polished ware that marked the new trends in the commercial activities and in the rising levels of trade prosperity. Expansion of trade and commerce led to the gigantic emergence of urban life that occurred mainly in the region of Ganga valley, this life emerged as the ‘Mahajanapadas’. 

There was a robust increase in the surplus of production that resulted in the expansion of the trading activities on one hand and an increase in the amount of taxes which was earned by the ruler on the other hand. The huge tax deposits helped in the evolution of larger territorial states and thereby increased the commercial activity that facilitated the growth of cities and towns along with the evolution of money in the economy. All this led to the rise of Mahajanapadas.

Name the 16 Mahajanapadas

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The Mahajanapadas extended from far northwestern Pakistan to our eastern side of Bihar and from the mountainous regions of Himalayas to the Godavari River in the southern bank. 

The Aryan Tribe or the Janapadas were the major kingdoms in this Vedic India. These Mahajanapadas were located in their own distinct geographical zones. There were 16 Mahajanapadas at the time of 600 B.C. to 300 B.C. located in the Indian subcontinent.

Name All the Mahajanapadas -

The 16 Mahajanapadas are as follows:

1. Kasi

The capital of Kasi was Banaras. Kasi is located on the confluence of river Ganga and in the Gomti rivers and also located somewhere around today’s Varanasi River.

2. Kosala

The capital of Kosala was Shravasti. This was located in the Eastern part of Uttar Pradesh. Kosala covers the districts such as Faizabad, Bhahraich, Gonda, etc. These districts were bordered by the River Gomti on the western side. River Sadasiva is located in the east, and in the Nepal hills towards the north, and in River Skandika on the Southern side.

3. Anga

The capital of Anga was Champa. This is covered by the modern districts of Munger and Bhagalpur of Bihar. While they were later taken by the Magadha. Magadh was ruling on its west and the Raja Mahal hills were located on the western part.

4. Magadha

Girivraja or Rajgriha was the initial capital of Magadha. This was covered by the modern districts known as Patna, Gaya, Shahabad of Bihar. The kingdom was bordered by the River Son and by the River Ganga on its South.

5. Vajji or Vriji

The capital of this kingdom was Vaishali. This was located on the northern side of River Ganga in the state of Bihar. Here 8 smaller clans or kingdoms are located, together these clans are known as “Athakula”.

6. Malla

The capital of this kingdom was Kushinagar, of Pawa. This is covered by the modern districts known as Deoria, Basti, Gorakhpur in the Eastern side of Uttar Pradesh.

7. Chedi or Cheti

This was located in the Bundelkhand division of the state called Madhya Pradesh regions which were located to the south of river Yamuna and along the river called Betwa or Vetravati. The capital was Suktimati or Sotthivati, this was located somewhere near the Banda in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

8. Vatsa

The capital of Vatsa was Kausambi. This was covered by the modern districts of Allahabad and Mirzapur in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

9. Kuru

The capital of Kuru was Indraprastha / Hastinapur / Isukara. This was covered by the modern Haryana & Delhi-Meerut-Ghaziabad region. The eastern border is surrounded by the River Yamuna.

10. Panchala

The capitals of Panchala were Ahichhtra (in Western Panchal) and Kampilya (in the eastern side of Panchala). The kingdom is covered by the modern-day Rohilkhand division & by the Upper Gangetic Plains of today’s Uttar Pradesh & in Uttarakhand.

11. Matsya

The capital of Matsya was Viratnagar. This place was located in the Alwar region, in Bharatpur, and Jaipur districts of Rajasthan.

12. Surasena

The capital of this kingdom was named Mathura. This is located on the junction or starting point of Uttarapatha and Dakshinapatha which is around Mathura in today’s geographical location.

13. Assaka

This Kingdom’s capital was Potali, Potana, or Podana. The kingdom is located on the banks of the Godavari River. The capital was Potali, Potana, or Podana, which now lies in the Nandura Tehsil of Buldhana district of the Indian state of Maharashtra and this was the only Mahajanapada that was situated to the south of the Vindhya Range, and in the Dakshinapatha range. 

14. Avanti

The capital of Avanti was Ujjain & Mahismati. This was located in the present-day Malwa region. The region was divided into two parts by the Vindhyas, which was located in the northern part while its capital was at Ujjaini and the southern part had its center at the Mahishmati.

15. Gandhara

The capital of Gandhara was Taxila. It was covered by the regions between Kabul and Rawalipindi in the North-Western Provinces, in the Peshawar, the Potohar plateau, and on banks of the Kabul River.

16. Kamboja

The capital of Kamboja is Rajpur. This is located around the Hindukush mountains located in Kashmir.

These were the names of mahajanapadas and their capital.

States Under Janapadas and Mahajanapadas 

The early states Janapadas and Mahajanapadas are discussed here:

By 600 BC, the Aryans had spread their rule over the Indo-Gangetic Plains. Thereby they gradually assimilated the local population under this rule. The Aryans then absorbed the several local words into their own language, and they continued learning and practicing different new languages.

The Aryans with their religious practices and with their cultural color made a lasting impact on the local inhabitants. This period of the Aryan expansion was led into the Indo Gangetic Plain which is called the Later Vedic Period.

Janapadas:

• The rajas who performed big sacrifices are known as Rajas of Janapadas.

• The word Janapada meant the land where the Jana had set their foot and settled down.

• Archaeologists have excavated and studied different settlements in these Janapadas, like the Purana Qila in Delhi, Hastinapur located near Meerut, and Atranjikhera, located near Etah (these were the last two places in Uttar Pradesh). These were considered the early states of Janapadas.

• They found here that people lived in small huts, and kept their cattle as well as other types of wild animals.

• From their cultivation, they grew a variety of crops, namely - rice, wheat, barley, pulses, sugarcane, sesame, and mustard seeds.

• The Janapadas were ruled by the Rajans who were the chiefs of the clans.

Mahajanapadas 

Early states of Mahajanapadas were the four main kingdoms which outburst as the most powerful ones after the Mahajanapadas degenerated were called: Kosala; Vatsa; Avanti; Magadha. 

How were the Mahajanapadas Different from Janapadas?

In ancient times, the Janapadas were positioned as the highest political unit which reigned in ancient India. Most of the Janapadas were generally monarchical but some of them followed the current form of government which is the republican form of government. While the mahajanapadas followed a monarchical type system, the mighty oligarchs took control of the republics in the Janapadas clan.

The Janapadas started existing from 1500 BCE to the 6th BCE whereas the Mahajanapadas started living from 600 BCE to 300 BCE. During the Janapadas period, there was a transition age – Bronze to Iron age. After this, they were able to see the biggest of all civilizations – the Indus Valley Civilization. 

Did You Know?

• River Gandak was actually known as Sadaneera.

• The Gandhara king named ‘Pukkusati’ exchanged gifts with ‘Bimbisara’ another ruler and they went on foot together to meet Lord Buddha.

• Bimbisara was known as Srenika and Ajashatru was known as Kunika.

• Shishunaga transferred this capital to Vaishali but Kalashoka transferred it permanently to Patliputra. 

• Nagadassaka was the last Haryanka ruler of his kingdom. 

• Bimbisara was defeated by Brahmadatta, he was the ruler of Anga.

• The Capital of Magadha initially was known as Kusumpura.

• Devdatta was the cousin of Buddha who was instigated by Ajatshatru to kill Bimbisara. 

• Bhahrut inscription illustrates Buddha's meeting with Ajatshatru

This was indeed knowledgeable content where we could learn about different kingdoms and their capitals. We living in India must relate to the history buried by these strong mighty rulers, thus learning and updating knowledge about Mahajanapadas is one way to acquire it.