The period from about 1000 BC to
600 BC is considered to be the
post-Vedic period. It is in this period that
the janapadas came into existence.
Janapadas were the many small States
that spread from today’s Afghanistan
which is to the northwest of the Indian
subcontinent to Bengal and Odisha in the
east and to Maharashtra in the south. The janapada called ‘Ashmak’ occupied
a part of today’s Maharashtra. The
names of these janapadas can be found
in Sanskrit, Pali and Ardhamagadhi
literature. One can also find information
about them in the writings of Greek
historians. Some of the janapadas were
monarchies, while others were republics. Some janapadas had a gana-parishad of
senior citizens. Members of the ganaparishad came together for discussions
and made decisions regarding
administrative issues. The place where
these discussions took place was known
as the santhagar. Gautam Buddha hailed
from the Shakya Republic. Every
janapada had its own coinage. Some janapadas gradually became
stronger and expanded their geographical
boundaries. Such janapadas came to be
known as mahajanapadas. From the
literature of that period, it is clear that
up to the sixth century BCE, sixteen
mahajanapadas had acquired special
importance. Kosala, Vatsa, Avanti and
Magadha among them became more
powerful.
6.3 Rise of the Magadha Empire
Ajat shatru, the son of Bimbisara,
continued with the policy of expansion
of the Magadha Empire. He successfully
conquered many republics of the east.
The kingdom of Magadha prospered
during the reign of Ajatshatru. He had
become a follower of Gautama Buddha.
After the Mahaparinirvana of Gautama
Buddha, it was during his reign that the
first Buddhist Council or Sangiti was
held at Rajgriha.
The foundation for the new capital
Pataligram of Magadha was laid during
Ajatshatru’s period. Later, it became
famous as ‘Pataliputra’. Pataliputra was
probably in the vicinity of today’s
Patna city.
A noteworthy successor of Ajatshatru
was the Magadha king Shishunag. He
annexed the kingdoms of Avanti, Kosala
and Vatsa to Magadha. Nearly the entire
region of northern India came under the
control of Magadha. That was how the
Magadha Empire took shape.
The Nanda Kings of Magadha : The
Nandas ruled the Magadha Empire
between 364 BCE and 324 BCE. They
had set up a good administrative system
necessary to run the huge empire. They
had a huge four-column army of infantry,
cavalry, chariots and elephants. The
Nandas also introduced the system of
standard weights and measures.
King Dhananand was the last king
of the Nanda dynasty. By this time, the
Magadha Empire had extended up to the
Punjab in the west. However, during
Dhananand’s reign, the ambitious youth
Chandragupta Maurya won Pataliputra,
ended the Nanda regime and laid the
foundation of the Maurya Empire.
In the next chapter, we will read
about the foreign invasions on the western
and northwestern frontiers of India during
the rise of the Maurya Empire. Also, we
will read about the Maurya Empire in
greater detail.
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