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| Mahajanapada | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 600 BCE–c. 300 BCE | |||||||||||
.png) Map of the 16 Mahajanapada | |||||||||||
| Common languages | Sanskrit | ||||||||||
| Religion | Vedic Hinduism Śramaṇa (Buddhism and Jainism) | ||||||||||
| Government | Republics Monarchies | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Iron Age | ||||||||||
| • Established | c. 600 BCE | ||||||||||
| • Disestablished | c. 300 BCE | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
_without_national_boundaries.svg)
A Mahājanapada (Sanskrit महाजनपद) (literally "great realm", from maha, "great", and janapada "foothold of a tribe", "country") is one of the sixteen kingdoms or oligarchic republics that existed in the ancient India from the sixth centuries BCE to fourth centuries BCE. Two of them were most probably 'ganas' ie. republics, and others had forms of monarchy. Ancient Buddhist texts like the Anguttara Nikaya make frequent reference to sixteen great kingdoms and republics which had evolved and flourished in a belt stretching from Gandhara in the northwest to Anga in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent and included parts of the trans-Vindhyan region, prior to the rise of Buddhism in India.
The 6th century BCE is often regarded as a major turning point in early Indian history. Archaeologically, this period corresponds in part to the Northern Black Polished Ware culture.
raman palk The term "Janapada" literally means the foothold of a tribe. The fact that Janapada is derived from Jana points to an early stage of land-taking by the Jana tribe for a settled way of life. This process of first settlement on land had completed its final stage prior to the times of the Buddha and Pāṇini. The Pre-Buddhist north-west region of the Indian sub-continent was divided into several Janapadas demarcated from each other by boundaries. In Pāṇini's "Ashtadhyayi", Janapada stands for country and Janapadin for its citizenry. Each of these Janapadas was named after the Kshatriya tribe (or the Kshatriya Jana) who had settled therein. Buddhist and other texts only incidentally refer to sixteen great nations (Solasa Mahajanapadas) which were in existence before the time of the Buddha. They do not give any connected history except in the case of Magadha. The Buddhist Anguttara Nikaya, at several places, gives a list of sixteen great nations:
- Anga
- Assaka (or Asmaka)
- Avanti
- Chedi
- Gandhara
- Kashi
- Kamboja
- Kosala
- Kuru
- Magadha
- Malla
- Machcha (or Matsya)
- Panchala
- Surasena
- Vriji
- Vatsa (or Vamsa)
Another Buddhist text, the Digha Nikaya, mentions only the first twelve Mahajanapadas and omits the last four in the above list.
Chulla-Niddesa, another ancient text of the Buddhist canon, adds Kalinga to the list and substitutes Yona for Gandhara, thus listing the Kamboja and the Yona as the only Mahajanapadas from Uttarapatha.
The Vyākhyāprajñapti, a sutra of Jainism, gives a slightly different list of sixteen Mahajanapadas:
- Anga
- Banga (Vanga)
- Magadha
- Malaya
- Malavaka
- Accha
- Vaccha
- Kochcha
- Padha
- Ladha (Lata)
- Bajji (Vajji)
- Moli (Malla)
- Kasi
- Kosala
- Avaha
- Sambhuttara
The author of Bhagvati has a focus on the countries of Madhydesa and of the far east and south only. He omits the nations from Uttarapatha like the Kamboja and Gandhara. The more extended horizon of the Bhagvati and the omission of all countries from Uttarapatha "clearly shows that the Bhagvati list is of later origin and therefore less reliable."
overview The term "Janapada" literally means the foothold of a tribe. The fact that Janapada is derived from Jana points to an early stage of land-taking by the Jana tribe for a settled way of life. This process of first settlement on land had completed its final stage prior to the times of the Buddha and Pāṇini. The Pre-Buddhist north-west region of the Indian sub-continent was divided into several Janapadas demarcated from each other by boundaries. In Pāṇini's "Ashtadhyayi", Janapada stands for country and Janapadin for its citizenry. Each of these Janapadas was named after the Kshatriya tribe (or the Kshatriya Jana) who had settled therein. Buddhist and other texts only incidentally refer to sixteen great nations (Solasa Mahajanapadas) which were in existence before the time of the Buddha. They do not give any connected history except in the case of Magadha. The Buddhist Anguttara Nikaya, at several places, gives a list of sixteen great nations:
- Anga
- Assaka (or Asmaka)
- Avanti
- Chedi
- Gandhara
- Kashi
- Kamboja
- Kosala
- Kuru
- Magadha
- Malla
- Machcha (or Matsya)
- Panchala
- Surasena
- Vriji
- Vatsa (or Vamsa)
Another Buddhist text, the Digha Nikaya, mentions only the first twelve Mahajanapadas and omits the last four in the above list.
Chulla-Niddesa, another ancient text of the Buddhist canon, adds Kalinga to the list and substitutes Yona for Gandhara, thus listing the Kamboja and the Yona as the only Mahajanapadas from Uttarapatha.
The Vyākhyāprajñapti, a sutra of Jainism, gives a slightly different list of sixteen Mahajanapadas:
- Anga
- Banga (Vanga)
- Magadha
- Malaya
- Malavaka
- Accha
- Vaccha
- Kochcha
- Padha
- Ladha (Lata)
- Bajji (Vajji)
- Moli (Malla)
- Kasi
- Kosala
- Avaha
- Sambhuttara
The author of Bhagvati has a focus on the countries of Madhydesa and of the far east and south only. He omits the nations from Uttarapatha like the Kamboja and Gandhara. The more extended horizon of the Bhagvati and the omission of all countries from Uttarapatha "clearly shows that the Bhagvati list is of later origin and therefore less reliable."
The Period of the Vedas
Brahmarshi-deca, 'the county of the holy sages,' includes the territories of the Kurus, Matsyas, Panchalas and Curasenas (i.e. the eastern half of the State of Patiala and of the Delhi division of the Punjab, the Alwar State and adjacent territory in Rajputana, the region which lies between the Ganges and the Jumna, and the Muttra District in the United Provinces).
See also
Notes
References
- Anguttara Nikaya I. p 213; IV. pp 252, 256, 261.
- Singh, Upinder (2008). A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century. Delhi: Pearson Education. pp. 260–4. ISBN 978-81-317-1120-0.
- 16 Mahajanapadas - Sixteen Mahajanapadas, 16 Maha Janapadas India, Maha Janapada Ancient India. Iloveindia.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.
- J.M. Kenoyer (2006), "Cultures and Societies of the Indus Tradition. In Historical Roots" in the Making of ‘the Aryan’, R. Thapar (ed.), pp. 21–49. New Delhi, National Book Trust.
- India as Known to Panini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashṭādhyāyī, 1963, p 427
- Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala - India; India in the Time of Patañjali, 1968, p 68 Dr B. N. Puri - India;
- Socio-economic and Political History of Eastern India, 1977, p 9, Y. K Mishra - Bihar (India)
- Tribes of Ancient India, 1977, p 18 Mamata Choudhury - Ethnology
- Tribal Coins of Ancient India, 2007, p xxiv Devendra Handa - Coins, Indic - 2007
- The Journal of the Numismatic Society of India, 1972, p 221 Numismatic Society of India - Numismatics
- A History of Pāli Literature, 2000 Edition, p 648 B. C. Law
- Some Ksatriya Tribes of Ancient India, 1924, pp 230-253, Dr B. C. Law.
- Anguttara Nikaya: Vol I, p 213, Vol IV, pp 252, 256, 260 etc.
- Digha Nikaya, Vol II, p 200.
- Chulla-Niddesa (P.T.S.), p 37.
- Lord Mahāvīra and his times, 1974, p 197, Dr Kailash Chand Jain; The History and Culture of the Indian People, 1968, p lxv, Dr Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bhāratīya Itihāsa Samiti; Problems of Ancient India, 2000, p 7, K. D. Sethna.
- Political History of Ancient India, 1996, p 86; History & Culture of Indian People, Age of Imperial Unity, p 15-16
- India as Known to Panini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashṭādhyāyī, 1963, p 427
- Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala - India; India in the Time of Patañjali, 1968, p 68 Dr B. N. Puri - India;
- Socio-economic and Political History of Eastern India, 1977, p 9, Y. K Mishra - Bihar (India)
- Tribes of Ancient India, 1977, p 18 Mamata Choudhury - Ethnology
- Tribal Coins of Ancient India, 2007, p xxiv Devendra Handa - Coins, Indic - 2007
- The Journal of the Numismatic Society of India, 1972, p 221 Numismatic Society of India - Numismatics
- A History of Pāli Literature, 2000 Edition, p 648 B. C. Law
- Some Ksatriya Tribes of Ancient India, 1924, pp 230-253, Dr B. C. Law.
- Anguttara Nikaya: Vol I, p 213, Vol IV, pp 252, 256, 260 etc.
- Digha Nikaya, Vol II, p 200.
- Chulla-Niddesa (P.T.S.), p 37.
- Lord Mahāvīra and his times, 1974, p 197, Dr Kailash Chand Jain; The History and Culture of the Indian People, 1968, p lxv, Dr Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bhāratīya Itihāsa Samiti; Problems of Ancient India, 2000, p 7, K. D. Sethna.
- Political History of Ancient India, 1996, p 86; History & Culture of Indian People, Age of Imperial Unity, p 15-16
- Rapson, E. J. (1914). Ancient India, from the earliest times to the first century, A.D. (pp.50-51).
| Mahajanapadas | |
|---|---|
| Great Indian Kingdoms (c. 600 BCE–c. 300 BCE) | |