The Mahajanapadas
Introduction
It is reasonable to consider the era from the sixth to the fourth centuries BC to be one of the most important in Indian history. During this time, we started to comprehend how prior reforms had changed to provide political events a new dimension that was firmly rooted in the altered material lives of the populace. In the context of the agrarian situation, a new type of sOCiety emerged in the Ganga valley between these periods. That is why historians place the beginning of the early historic period of Indian history in this phase. During the time span under consideration, the increased use of iron in eastern UP and western Bihar provided the conditions for the creation of large territorial states. The excess generated by the new farming equipment and tools allowed the villagers to stay on their property and become self-sufficient. They could now grow at the expense of their neighbours and sell their excess produce to the princes to fund their needs in the military and administration. Large states with towns as their hub of activity grew as a result of this. This notion reinforced the idea of territorial attachments since towns became the centres of activities and the locus of power. People now owed their loyalty to the Janapada, or territory, that was theirs. As a result, the formation of numerous territorial governments in various regions of the nation in the BC century was a significant aspect of the political climate at the time.
From the sixth century onwards, eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar made substantial use of iron, which created the framework for the formation of sizable states. Peasants were able to produce more thanks to the new agricultural tools and implements, while princes gathered the excess to suit their needs for administration and the military. According to the Buddhist text "Anguttara Nikaya," the Janapadas started to give way to "Mahajanapadas," and the region between the Himalayas and the Narmada was split into 16 Mahajanapadas. These include Matsya Surasena, Koshala, Vatsa, Malla, Anga, Magadha, Kashi, Asmaka, Kuru, Panchala, Gandhara, Chedi, Avanti, and Koshala. Vatsa, Avanti, Magadha, and Kosala or Avadh were the most well-known of these. While republican or oligarchical governments were ruled by nobles or by representatives of the people as a whole, some of these states were ruled by hereditary monarchs. The Vajjis confederacy, comprising eight clans, was the most significant of the non-monarchical clans. The Lichchavis, who ruled from their capital at Vaishali, were the most powerful of these clans. The kings of Avanti, Kosala, Vatsa, and Magadha were married. Still, they kept battling each other for supremacy. In the end, the Magadhan monarchy emerged victorious and managed to establish an empire.
Magadha Empire (6th-4th Century BC)
With the incorporation of the old districts of Patna, Gaya, and portions of Shahabad, Magadha emerged as the dominant state of the era. Its geographic location—close to abundant iron resources, which provided useful weapons—as well as the advantages of the lush Ganga soil were the main factors in its success. War was also the first use of elephants.Archaeology indicates that the Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) pottery style originated in the 6th century BC. The pottery is known for its shine and sparkle. The Second Urbanisation of India began at this point.
Haryanka Dynasty
The Haryanka Dynasty was established in 566 BC by Bimbisara's grandfather, buts it is Bimbisara who is credited with its true foundation.
Bimbisara (544 BC- 492 BC)
He invaded Anga (east Bihar) to gain control over the trade routes with the southern states, and he was contemporary of Buddha. Rajgir (Girivaraja) was its capital and he bolstered his status through matrimonial alliances with the ruling families of Kosala, Vaishali, and Modra (3 wives). The earliest Magadha's capital was at Rajgir, which was also known as Girivraja' at that time. The capital was surrounded by five hills, the openings of which were closed by stone walls from all sides. This made Rajgir impregnable.
Ajatshatru (492 BC- - 460 BC)
Ajatshatru, Bimbisara's son, killed his father and seized the throne. Vaishali and Kosala were annexed Vaishali was annexed with the aid of a war engine that threw stones like catapults. Often had a chariot with a mace fixed to it, allowing for mass killings). Prasenjit was the ruler of Kosala at the time.
Udayin (460-444 BC)
He founded Pataliputra, a new capital at the confluence of the river Ganga and river Son. Udayin is said to be one of five successor kings who ascended to the throne by patricide; the people of Magadha, angered, deposed him in 413 BC and elected Shishunaga, a Viceroy of Benaras, as ruler.
Shishunaga Dynasty
It was founded by Shishunaga who was Succeeded by Kalashoka. The dynasty lasted for two generations only. The defeat of Avanti's influence and Its subsequent integration into the Magadha Empire was their greatest achievement. The most popular event remained shifting of capital to Vaishali.
Nanda Dynasty
It is considered as one of the first non- Kshatriya dynasties. It was created by Mahapadma Nanda, who extended his empire by bringing an image of the Jina as a victory trophy from Kalinga. He claimed to be the Ekarat, the only ruler who had defeated all other rulers. In 326 BC, Alexander invaded India during the reign of Dhana Nanda, who was known to Greek authors as Agrammes or Xandrames. The Nandas were opulently wealthy and powerful, with a 2,00,000-strong infantry, 60,000-strong cavalry, and 6,000-strong War elephants and prevented Alexander's army approaching Magadha. They had established an efficient taxation scheme, constructed canals and irrigation schemes, and had a powerful army. The Nandas are known as India's first empire builders. Puranas identify the first Nanda king as the "destroyer of all Kshatriyas and a second Parasurama or Bhargava." The Maurya Dynasty (Chandragupta Maurya) overthrew the Nandas, and the Magadha Empire achieved its pinnacle of glory.
Foreign Invasions and Persian Conquests of India
During the sixth century BC, northwestern India had been isolated from the developments in the rest of India and had closer connections with Persian Civilization, being politically a part of the Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus (the Achaemenid emperor of Persia) crossed the Hindukush Mountains shortly before 530 BC to collect tributes from the tribes of Kamboja, Gandhara, and the trans- Indus region. The influential Achaemenid emperor of Persia Darius- (522-486 BC) seized a portion of Punjab and Sindh during Buddha's lifetime. Gadara (Gandhara) was a province that sent teak, according to the Behistun Inscription from 519 BC. Gandhara is mentioned by Herodotus, (the famous Greek historian and father of history), as the 20th satrapy or province, one of the most populous and powerful.
In the years 486-465 BC, the Indian provinces supplied mercenaries to the Persian armies battling the Greeks. Alexander come to India to enter the easternmost parts of Darius' empire and add this glorious nation to his conquests. A naval expedition dispatched by Darius under Skylax (517 BC) to explore the Indus is mentioned by Herodotus. "The population of the Indians is by far the greatest of all the people that we know," Herodotus writes, "and they paid a proportionately larger tribute than the rest." Xerxes used his Indian provinces to secure an Indian army to fight in his Greek battles. There were 'Gandharians' as well as Indians' in his contingent. The former bore bows of reed and short spears for fight at close quarters, while the latter, in cotton also bore similar bows and arrows tipped with iron. These Indian troops were the first Indians to fight in Europe. In terms of Imperial pretensions, the Persian Empire served as a model for the Mauryas. The use of the Kharosthi script, a localised adaptation of Aramaic written from the right, in the North-West may have been a remnants of Persian rule.
Alexander's I Invasion
In 326 BC, Alexander, the son of Philip of Macedonia (Greece), invaded Indi North-west India was divided into a number of small independent states at the time, including Taxila, punjab (Kingdom of Porus), Gandhara, and others. Except for Porus, who fought Alexander in the famous Battle o Hydaspes (on the banks of the Jhelum, all other kings surrendered peacefully and easily around the same time. Ambk (Omphis), the king of Taxila, submitted, to Alexander. Alexander later restored Porus to power after being impressed by him. Then Alexander conquered Glauganikai (Glachukayanaka), a tribal republic with 37 towns. Alexander's army refused to go any further when he reached Beas, forcing him to retreat. On the northern banks of the Beas, he erected 12 massive stone altars to mark the furthest point of his advance. Alexander spent 19 months in India before dying in Babylon in 323 BC. Alexander's invasion opened up four distinct lines of communication, three of which were land-based and one ot which was sea-based, exposing India to Europe. As a result of this cultural exchange Gandhara developed a cosmopolitan school of art that was characterised by sensuOus art and lasted until the Gupta period. It also paved the way for Chandragupta Maurya's unification of north India by weakening the small states. However, the expedition's immediate effect was the annihilation of tribes that had survived from earlier times. When Alexander encountered the Sibis (a rude tribe clad in skins) and the Agalassoi, the first instance of Jauhar' in recorded history occurred (Agrasrenis). Eor daring to resist the invader, the latter suffered greatly. One town's population of 20,000 men, women, and children set their homes on fire and threw themselves into the flames.
