16 Mahajanapadas

16 Mahajanapada

16 Mahajanapadas

The political history of ancient India practically begins from 6^th century B.C. because, the history of the period preceding it has confusing nature of the evidences and information that we have gathered. Hence we are debarred from making any authentic history of this period. However, to draw a clear picture of the political condition of India during the pre-6^th century BC we cannot depend exclusively on the Vedic literature alone because they are not self-sufficient. As such we have to collect much more information from two other relevant books, one being the Buddhist text – ‘Anguttaranikaya’ and the other, the Jaina literature ‘Bhagawatisutta’.

Thus, from the aforesaid literary evidences we have come to know that India during the pre-6^th century B.C. lacked political unity and the whole country was divided into sixteen principalities, better known as the Mahajanapadas. Both the Buddhists and the Jain books gave us a comprehensive list of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. Though the Jain texts have also mentioned the names of the Mahajanapadas of the far eastern and southern regions of India. It seems, the names were enlisted in a subsequent period. However, historians have given greater importance to the Buddhist list of the Mahajanapadas as the trustworthy document of the political history of India during 6^th century B.C.

Therefore, from the Buddhist Text ‘Anguttarnikaya’ we have obtained a comprehensive list of sixteen mahajanapadas that included the principllities like Kashi, Kosala, Anga, Magadha, Vijji, Malla, Ceti or Cedi, Vamsa or Vatsa, Karu, Panchala, Maccha or Matsya, Surasena, Assaka, Avanti or Western Malwa, Gandhara and kamboja.

Kasi : Among all these sixteen Mahajanapadas kasi was possible the most powerful kingdom in the earlier days. Its capital was Varanasi. The prosperity of the kingdom and the ardent imperialistic desires of the rulers who had ruled the kingdom at different times, have been mentioned in different Jatakas of the Buddhist literature.

Kosala : Kosala was another big kingdom in ancient India. Its three important cities were Oudh or Ayodha, Saket and Srabasti. Ayodha was situated on the bank of river Saraju. Generally Ayodha and Saket are considered as the names of the same cities. However, according to Rhys Davids, the two cities had their separate existences during the time of Gautama Buddha. The present name of Srabasti is Sahet-Mahet. It was situated on theright side bank of the river Rapti. The birth place of Gautama Buddha, Kapilavastu was also within the kingdom of Koshala. Its capital was Piprahwa. Some fifteen miles away from Piprahwa, Lumbini in Nepal was the other capital of the Sakyas.

Anga : Anga lay to the east of Magadha and Campa, near Bhagalpur, was its capital. It appears that some of the Anga monarchs had defeated their Magadhan contemporaries. Anga was situated in the east of Magadha while the river Champa or Campa was the boundary line between the two kingdoms. It capital Campa was situated in the meeting point of the Two Rivers, Champa and the Ganges.

Magadha : The Ancient Magadha comprised the modern districts of Patna and Gaya. Its capital was Girivraja. Magadha was a powerful kingdom. Before the birth of Gautama Buddha, the notable rulers of Magadha were Brihadratha and his son Jarasandha.

Vijji : According to Rhys Davids and Cunningham Vajji represented a powerful confederation of eight clans and was called after one of them. The other three important clans were Videhas, Lichchavies and the Jnatrikas. The identity of the other four clans still remains unknown. It is assumed that Mithila in the border region of Nepal was the capital of the Videhas, while Vaisali or Besar in modern Mujaffarpur district of Bihar was the capital of the Lichchavies. The great prophet of the Jainas, Mahavira and his father belonged to the Jnatrika clan. The Jnatrikas resided in Kundpur or Kollag near Vaisali. Though the confederacy was known as Vajji, the Vajjis were themselves a clan too and their name was also associated with Vaisali. Vaisali was the capital of the confederation. However, it can be said that the Vajji confederacy was created much after the fall of the ruling dynasty of Videha in ancient India.

Malla : Possibly to the north of Vaijian confederation, was the territory of the Malla’s situated on the mountain slopes. There were two branches of the mallas each having their capitals at Kusinara and pava respectively. In pre-Buddhist time, the Mallas were a monarchy. We are not yet sure, exactly where the city of Kusinara was situated.

Ceti or Cedi : Cetis were indentified with the Cedis of the older documents. Theirland laid near theJamuna and roughly corresponded to modern Bundelkhand and its adjacent area. Its capital was suktimati or Sotthivati Nagara. The Cetis or Cedis were a powerful clan in ancient India and according to the Hatigumpha inscription, a branch of this clan had founded an independent ruling dynasty in Kalinga in subsequent days.

Vamsa or Vatsa : The country of the Vacehas was situated along the banks of the Jamuna, to the north-east of Avanti. Its Capital was Kausambi or Kosambi. Kosambi has been identified as the modern Kosam, about the thirty miles from Allahabad.

Kuru : The kingdom of Kuru was in the neighborhood of Delhi. Its most important towns were Indraprastha and Hastinapur. Though according to the jatakas the Kuru dynasty was related with Judhisthira of Mahabharata, during the time of Buddha it had lost much of its political power and influence. The Kuru’s had matriarchal relationship with the Jadavas, Bhojas and the Panchalas. At first it was a monarchical state but later on it followed the republican form of government.

Punchala : The region of the Panchalas roughly corresponded to modern Rohilkhand and a portion of the central Doab. The kingdom was divided into two parts, Northern and Southern. The Ganges formed the boundary line between the two parts. The capital of Northern Panchala was Ahicchatra and that of Southern Panchala was Kampilya respectively. One of the early Panchala king Durmukha or Dummukha was a great conqueror and conquered in all directions.

Maccha or Matsya : The Matsya’s ruled to the west of the Jamuna and he south of the Kurus. Their capital was Viratnagar, the modern Bairat in Jaipur state. Their kingdom consisted of the whole of modern Alwar and a part of Bharatpur. We do not know anything about them before the reign of Bimbisara. The Arthasastra has not referred in its list of the republican states. Possibly it had a monarchial form of government before it lost its independence. Maccha was first conquered by the Cedies and later on by the Magadhans. The great epic Mahabharata has shown the Cedi king Sahaja as the ruler of Matsa. We have, however, found many inscriptions of Asoka in Bairat.

Surasena : The Surasenas had a kingdom of which Mathura was the capital. The Jadava family played a great part here. We do not find the reference of the Surasenas or Mathura in Vedic literatures though the names were referred by the Greek writers. Avantiputra, the king of the Surasenas was one of the principal disciples of Gautama Buddha and had helped the spread of Buddhism in Mathura region. It seems that the Surasenas had matriarchal relationship with Avanti. When Megasthenis, the Greek traveler came in India the Surasenas had become a part of Magadha. Meghasthenis told us that Mathura was a big centre for worshiping Lord Krishna of the Hindus.

Assaka : In Gautama Buddha’s time the Assakas were residing onteh Godavari with Potali or modern Patna as their chief town. However, when the list was drawn up it appears that their territory was between Avanti and Mathura. Bhattaswamin, who had made annotations on Arthasastra had demarcated Assaka as modern Maharastra. Panini also told us about them.

Avanti or Western Malwa : Avanti was an important kingdomof western India. It was situated in the present Malava, Nimar and the adjacent land of Madhya Pradesh. Possibly it was divided into two parts Northern and southern Avantiby the river Betrabti. The Capital of Northern Avanti was Vjjain and that of the southern was Mahismati or Mandhata on the bank of the Narmada River. According to the Puranas at first Avanti was ruled by the Hayhaya dynasty and its king Prodyut was a contemporary of Gautama Buddha. In 4^th century B.C. it was conquered by Magadha.

Gandhara : Gandhara was in the modern Eastern Afghanistan. It included two districts – Peshwa and Rawalpindi. The Greek writer hecatayas called Kashmir as Gandhara. Its Capital was Taksasila. It was a famous centre for education and commerce. During the 6^th century B.C. the king of Gandhara Pukkuswati was a contemporary to king Bimbisara of Magadha. He even defeated the Avanti king, Pradyouta. During the second half of the 6^th Century B.C. Gandhara was conquered by the Persian king. The Behestan inscription of the Persian king Darayas referred to Gandhara as one of the subordinate republics of the Persian Empire.

Kamboja : Kamboja was in the far-north of India. The place was known as the Uttarapath and both in the ancient literatures and the inscriptions of Asoka, Kamboja was associated with Gandhara. It seems that the two places were quite near to each other. Its boundary was extended in the west up to Kafustan and included the modern Hazara district as well. According to Mahabharata its capital was Rajpur and had a monarchical system of government. Later on as per the Jatakas and Arthasastra it became a republic.

The aforesaid “Salasa Mahajanapadas” gave us a clear picture of the political condition of India during the 6^th century B.C. India during this period had no political unity, rather it was divided into number of small, isolated principalities who were ever busy in quarreling and fighting among themselves. Most of these Solasa Mahajanapadas were situated in Bihar, Uttarpradesh and central India while in southern India there was only one Mahajanapada – Assaka. The whole of Punjab region had only two Mahajanapada Gandhara and Kuru. On the contrary Assam, Bengal, Orrisa, Gujra, Sindh and the far South had no Mahajanapada at all. Thus it can well be said that during the period of our study the Ganges-Jamuna basin was essentially the Centre of all political activities. Most of the kingdoms were monarchical but there were a number a number of republics in North India. Apart from the Vajji’s and the Mallas other republican clans included the Sakyas of Kapilavastu, the Kalias of Ramgaeon, the Bhaggas of Sumsumargiri, the Bulies of Alpakappar, the Kalamas of Keshputtar and the Moriyas of Pippalivana. It was in these republican states that both Buddhism and Jainism had originated and flourished during the subsequent period.

Milan Tomic

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