Mahajanapadas
is a Sanskrit word (महाजनपद, Mahājanapadas) which means "Great Kingdoms" (from
Maha, "great", and Janapada "foothold of a tribe",
"country"). Ancient Buddhist texts make frequent reference to sixteen
great kingdoms and republics (Solas Mahajanapadas) which had evolved and
flourished in the northern/north-western parts of the Indian sub-continent
prior to the rise of Buddhism in India.
Over View
In ancient
India people used to fight for cattle, sheep and green pastures. They formed
into several Janas (tribes) of Aryans, fighting among themselves and with other
non-Aryan tribes for livelihood.
Tribal
identity was more significant than geographical location in defining the
territory of a Janapada, and the sparsity of the population made specific
boundary lines unimportant. Often rivers formed the boundaries of two
neighboring kingdoms, as was the case between the northern and southern
Panchala and between the western (Pandava's Kingdom) and eastern (Kaurava's
Kingdom) Kuru. Sometimes, large forests, which were larger than the kingdoms
themselves, formed boundaries, such as the Naimisha Forest between Panchala and
Kosala kingdoms. Mountain ranges like Himalaya, Vindhya and Sahya also formed
boundaries.
Mahajanapadas
According to
Buddhist texts, there were 16 Great Nations before the time of Buddha. Anguttara
Nikaya the ancient Buddhist texts, lists the fallowing as 16 Great Nations (Solasa
Mahajanapadas).
- 1. Kasi
- 2. Kosala
- 3. Anga
- 4. Magadha
- 5. Vajji (or Vriji) Malla
- 6. Chedi
- 7. Vatsa (or Vamsa)
- 8. Kuru
- 9. Panchala
- 10. Machcha (or Matsya)
- 11. Malla
- 12. Chedi
- 13. Vatsa (or Vamsa)
- 14. Kuru
- 15. Panchala
- 16. Machcha (or Matsya)
Another
Buddhist texts written in Pali, Digha Nikaya ("Collection of Long
Discourses"), mentions only first 12 Mahajanapadas in this list and omits
the last four.
The Jaina
Bhagvati Sutra gives a slightly different list of 16 Mahajanapadas: Anga, Banga
(Vanga), Magadha, Malaya, Malavaka, Accha, Vaccha, Kochcha (Kachcha?), Padha,
Ladha (Lata), Bajji (Vajji), Moli (Malla), Kasi, Kosala, Avaha and Sambhuttara.
Kasi
This Kingdom
was located between the rivers Varuna and Asi, which gave Varanasi its name.
The Kingdom of Kasi emerged as the most powerful of all Sixteen Mahajanapadas
with a capital city of Varanasi. Some texts reveal that there was a long struggle
for supremacy between Kashi and the three kingdoms of Kosala, Anga and Magadha.
During this struggle, king Brihadratha conquered Kosala. But later King Kansa
incorporated Kashi into Kosala.
Kosala
Kosala was
located to the north-west of Magadha, with its capital at Savatthi. It had the
river Ganges for its southern, the river Gandak (Narayani) for its eastern, and
the Himalaya mountain for its northern boundary. Kosala hold an important place
in the Hindu scriptures, Itihas, and Purana. According to some texts, Koshala
was the most powerful and biggest kingdom ever in the history. It was ruled by
the famous king Prasenajit during the era of Mahavira and Buddha. Later king Vidudabha
merged Kosala into Magadha.
Anga
The Anga
Kingdom was first mentioned in Athravana-Veda along with the Magadhas,
Gandharis and Mujavats. Anga was famous for its trade and commerce. Mechants
used to sail to Suvarnabhumi regularly. In the final days Anga made as an
integral part of Magadha Empire.
Magadha
The Magadha
was one of the most prominent and prosperous kingdom of mahajanapadas. The
capital city Pataliputra (Patna, Bihar) was situated on the confluence of major
rivers like the Ganga, Son, Punpun and Gandak. 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. Later on, Pataliputra became the capital of
Magadha.
Vajji or Vriji
Vrijji was a
confederacy of neighbouring clans including the Licchavis and one of the principal
mahajanapadas of Ancient India. The capital city of Vriji was Vaishali. Most of
the area in Mithila region in northern Bihar includes Vriji.
Malla
Buddhist and
Jain texts often mention Mallas. Mallas were powerful people residing in
Northern South Asia. According to Mahabharata, Panduputra Bhimasena is said to
have conquered the chief of the Mallas/Malls in the course of his expedition in
Eastern India.
Chedi or Cheti
Rigveda
mentions about Chedis. They were an ancient people with extraordinary skills. 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 Kurus and Vatsas. In the mediaeval period, the
southern frontiers of Chedi extended to the banks of the river Narmada.
Sotthivatnagara, the Sukti or Suktimati of Mahabharata, was the capital of
Chedi.
Vamsa or Vatsa
The Vatsas
are stated to be an offshoot of the Kurus. Their kingdom constitutes modern Allahabad
in Uttar Pradesh. It had a monarchical form of government with its capital at
Kausambi. The prominent ruler of Vamsa was Udayana. Initially he opposed Buddhism
but later on he became a follower of Buddha and encouraged Buddhism in his
kingdom.
Kuru
The Puranas
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. The country of the
Kurus roughly corresponded to the modern Thanesar, state of Delhi, and Meerut
district of Uttar Pradesh.
Panchala
The
Panchalas occupied the country to the east of the Kurus between the upper
Himalayas and the river Ganga. Panchala roughly corresponded to modern Budaun,
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 it capital at Kampilya or Kampil in
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 sixth and fifth century B.C.E.
Fourth century B.C.E. Kautiliya's Arthashastra (4th century B.C.E.) attests to
the Panchalas following the Rajashabdopajivin (king consul) constitution.
Machcha or Matsya
The country
of the Matsya or Machcha 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 state of Jaipur in Rajasthan, 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. King
Sujata ruled over both the Chedis and Matsyas, thus showing that Matsya once
formed a part of the Chedi kingdom.
Surasena
The country
of the Surasenas lay to the east of Matsya and west of Yamuna. This corresponds
roughly to the Brij region of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan and Gwalior
region 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
Surasena kingdom had lost its independence on annexation by the Magadhan Empire.
Assaka or Ashmaka
Assaka (or
Ashmaka) was located on the Dakshinapatha or southern high road, outside the
pale of Madhyadesa. In Buddha's time, Assaka was located on the banks of the
Godavari river and was the only mahajanapada south of Vindhya mountains. The
capital of Assaka was Potana or Potali which corresponds to Paudanya of
Mahabharata, and now lies in the Nandura Tehsil. The Ashmakas are also mentioned
by Panini and placed in the north-west in the Markendeya Purana and the Brhat
Samhita. The River Godavari separated the country of Assakas from that of the
Mulakas (or Alakas). The commentator of Kautiliya's Arthashastra identifies
Ashmaka with Maharashtra. At one time, Assaka included Mulaka and their country
abutted with Avanti.
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 Ujjaini was of northern Avanti, but at the times of
Mahavira and Buddha, Ujjaini was the capital of integrated Avanti.
Gandhara
The wool of
the Gandharis is referred to in the Rigveda. The Gandharas and their king
figure prominently as strong allies of the Kurus against the Pandavas 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.
The river Indus watered the lands of Gandhara. Taksashila 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.
Kamboja
Kambojas are
also included in the Uttarapatha. In ancient literature, the Kamboja is
variously associated with the Gandhara, Darada and the Bahlika. 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 clans 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. The
cis-Hindukush region from Nurestan up to Rajauri in southwest of Kashmir
sharing borders with the Daradas and the Gandharas constituted the Kamboja
country. The capital of Kamboja was probably Rajapura in the south-west of
Kashmir. The Kamboja Mahajanapada of the Buddhist traditions refers to this
cis-Hindukush branch of ancient Kambojas.
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