Question

Which of the following Mahajanapada was situated on the banks of river Godavari?
A) Avanti
B) Vatsa
C) Assaka
D) Kamboja

Answer 1

Hint: The capital of this mahajanapada was either called Potali or Podana and is presently known as Bodhan in the state of Telangana. According to Buddhist texts, this mahajanapada existed from 700 BC to 425 BC.

Complete answer:
The word Mahajanapada comes from the Sanskrit words ‘Maha’ meaning ‘great’ and ‘janapada’ meaning ‘foothold of a people’. They were oligarchic republics that existed from the 6th to 4th century BC. They were the first large cities after the end of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Avanti – It was a mahajanapada that roughly corresponds to the present-day Malwa region. It was divided into two parts by the Vindhya mountain range. It was not located anywhere near the river Godavari. Thus, this option is incorrect.
Option B) Vatsa – It was a mahajanapada, also known as Vamsa. Its historical location corresponds to the present city of Allahabad or Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. It was situated at the confluence of river Ganga and river Yamuna. It was not located on the banks of river Godavari. Hence, this option is also incorrect.
Option C) Assaka – It was mahajanapada which was also known as Asmaka. It was situated on the banks and basins of river Godavari and stretched across large areas that correspond to present-day Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra. Therefore, this option is the correct answer.
Option D) Kamboja – It was a mahajanapada that was formed by the coalition of people belonging to the Kamboja during the Iron-Age in the Indian Subcontinent. The location of this mahajanapada corresponds to present-day Tajikistan. Therefore, this option is incorrect.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (C) Assaka.

Note: It is mentioned in historical texts that Assaka was under the Nanda Dynasty during the 4th and 5th centuries BC. Other information about this mahajanapada has been derived from the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya. The Matsya Purana, one of the eighteen major Puranas also provides us with a list of 25 rulers that ruled in Assaka.