History
Mahajanapadas, Magadha and the Mauryan Empire
Mahajanapadas, Magadha and the Mauryan Empire — Quick Revision
One-page CGPSC quick revision: Mahajanapada capitals, Magadhan dynasties, Mauryan rulers, Ashokan edicts, officials, Dhamma and decline in tables.
The sixteen Mahajanapadas, the rise of Magadha and the Mauryan empire on one page. For explanations, go back to the chapter.
How to use this sheet
Scan it top to bottom in the week before Prelims. Bold entries are the facts examiners return to most often. Pre-Mauryan dates are traditional and approximate.
The Sixteen Mahajanapadas (Anguttara Nikaya)
| Mahajanapada | Capital | Mahajanapada | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anga | Champa | Kuru | Indraprastha |
| Magadha | Rajagriha / Girivraja (later Pataliputra) | Panchala | Ahichchhatra, Kampilya |
| Vajji (gana-sangha) | Vaishali | Matsya | Viratanagara |
| Malla (gana-sangha) | Kushinara, Pava | Shurasena | Mathura |
| Kashi | Varanasi | Avanti | Ujjayini, Mahishmati |
| Kosala | Shravasti | Ashmaka (only one south, on the Godavari) | Potali / Potana |
| Vatsa | Kaushambi | Gandhara | Taxila |
| Chedi | Shuktimati | Kamboja | Rajapura (as usually given) |
Timeline
| Date (approx.) | Event |
|---|---|
| 6th century BCE | Sixteen Mahajanapadas; second urbanisation (NBPW, punch-marked coins) |
| c. 544 BCE | Bimbisara (Haryanka) begins rule at Rajagriha (traditional date) |
| c. 518 BCE | Darius I annexes Gandhara and the Indus lands (dated variously) |
| After the Buddha’s death | First Buddhist Council, Rajagriha; patron Ajatashatru; president Mahakassapa |
| 5th century BCE | Udayin founds Pataliputra |
| c. 413 BCE | Shishunaga dynasty; Avanti annexed |
| c. 383 BCE | Second Buddhist Council, Vaishali; Kalashoka; Sabakami |
| c. 345 BCE | Nanda dynasty (Mahapadma Nanda) |
| 326 BCE | Alexander crosses the Indus; Hydaspes vs Porus; army refuses at the Beas |
| c. 321 BCE | Chandragupta Maurya overthrows Dhanananda |
| c. 305–303 BCE | War and treaty with Seleucus; 500 elephants; Megasthenes sent |
| c. 297 BCE | Bindusara (Amitraghata) |
| c. 268 BCE | Ashoka’s coronation (accession about four years earlier) |
| c. 261 BCE | Kalinga war (8th regnal year; RE XIII) |
| c. 250 BCE | Third Buddhist Council, Pataliputra; Moggaliputta Tissa |
| c. 232 BCE | Death of Ashoka |
| c. 185 BCE | Pushyamitra Shunga kills Brihadratha; end of the Mauryas |
Rulers at a Glance
| Ruler | Remember |
|---|---|
| Bimbisara | Anga; queens from Kosala, the Lichchhavis and Madra; Jivaka to Avanti |
| Ajatashatru | Kosala and Vajji wars; mahashilakantaka, rathamusala; fort at Pataligrama |
| Shishunaga / Kalashoka | Ended Pradyotas of Avanti / Second Council |
| Mahapadma Nanda | Ekarat, Sarvakshatrantaka (Puranas); Nandaraja in Hathigumpha inscription |
| Dhanananda | Agrammes / Xandrames of the Greeks |
| Chandragupta | Sandrokottos (William Jones, 1793); Chanakya; Seleucus; Sudarshana lake (Pushyagupta); Shravanabelagola with Bhadrabahu |
| Bindusara | Amitraghata; Ajivika; Deimachus; asked for wine, figs and a sophist |
| Ashoka | Devanampiya Piyadasi; Kalinga; Dhamma; missions (Mahinda and Sanghamitta to Sri Lanka) |
| Dasharatha | Nagarjuni caves to Ajivikas |
| Brihadratha | Last Maurya |
Ashokan Inscriptions
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Decipherment | James Prinsep, 1837 |
| Name “Ashoka” | Maski (1915, C. Beadon), Gujarra, Nittur, Udegolam |
| Kharosthi | Shahbazgarhi, Mansehra |
| Greek and Aramaic | Kandahar (bilingual) |
| Separate Kalinga Edicts | Dhauli, Jaugada |
| All 7 pillar edicts | Delhi-Topra pillar (moved by Firoz Shah Tughlaq) |
| RE I | Ban on animal sacrifice and some samajas |
| RE II | Medical care for humans and animals; Cholas, Pandyas, Satiyaputras, Keralaputras, Tamraparni |
| RE III | Yuktas, Rajukas, Pradeshikas tour every five years |
| RE V | Dhamma Mahamattas, 13th year |
| RE VIII | Dhammayatra; Sambodhi visit |
| RE XII | Tolerance among sects |
| RE XIII | Kalinga war; dhamma-vijaya; Greek kings; atavikas |
| PE II | Few sins, many good deeds, compassion, liberality, truthfulness, purity |
| PE IV | Rajukas’ autonomy; three-day respite |
| PE VII | Summary; roads, wells, trees, rest-houses |
| Rummindei | Lumbini visit, 20th year; free of bali; share cut to one-eighth |
| Schism edict | Sarnath, Sanchi, Allahabad |
| Queen’s edict | Allahabad; Karuvaki, mother of Tivara |
| Bhabru (Bairat) | Faith in Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha |
| Barabar caves | Gifts to Ajivikas |
Administration
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Saptanga | Swami, Amatya, Janapada, Durga, Kosha, Danda, Mitra |
| Samaharta | Chief revenue collector |
| Sannidhata | Chief treasurer and storekeeper |
| Sitadhyaksha / Panyadhyaksha | Crown lands / trade |
| Lakshanadhyaksha / Akaradhyaksha | Mint / mines |
| Pautavadhyaksha / Shulkadhyaksha | Weights and measures / tolls |
| Dharmasthiya / Kantakashodhana | Civil / criminal courts |
| Gudhapurusha | Spies (samstha and sanchara) |
| Provinces | Taxila (N), Ujjayini (W), Suvarnagiri (S), Tosali (Kalinga), Pataliputra (centre) |
| Rajuka / Pradeshika / Yukta | Ashoka’s rural, district and subordinate officers |
| Megasthenes | 6 boards × 5 (city and army); 7 classes; Pataliputra with 570 towers and 64 gates |
| Revenue | Bhaga (commonly 1/6), bali, sita, shulka |
Art and Decline
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Pillars | Monolithic Chunar sandstone, Mauryan polish |
| Sarnath capital | 4 lions; elephant, horse, bull, lion on abacus; State Emblem, 26 Jan 1950 |
| Other capitals | Rampurva bull, Sankisa elephant, Lauriya-Nandangarh lion |
| Dhauli | Rock-cut elephant |
| Didarganj Yakshi | Found 1917, Patna; date debated |
| Decline theories | H. P. Shastri (Brahmanical reaction) · H. C. Raychaudhuri (pacifism) · Romila Thapar (centralised administration) · D. D. Kosambi (economic strain) |
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| Kosala (Shravasti, eastern UP) | vs | Dakshin Kosala (Chhattisgarh) |
| Ajatashatru (fort at Pataligrama) | vs | Udayin (founded Pataliputra) |
| 2nd Council — Vaishali — Kalashoka | vs | 3rd Council — Pataliputra — Ashoka |
| Hydaspes (Jhelum) — battle | vs | Hyphasis (Beas) — turned back |
| Megasthenes — to Chandragupta | vs | Deimachus — to Bindusara |
| RE V — Dhamma Mahamattas | vs | RE XIII — Kalinga war |
| Samaharta — collector | vs | Sannidhata — treasurer |
| Ashoka’s Dhamma — ethics for all | vs | Buddhist Dhamma — doctrine |
Favourite MCQ traps
- The Kalinga war was in the 8th year; Dhamma Mahamattas came in the 13th.
- Ajatashatru was the patron, not the president, of the First Council.
- Most edicts say Devanampiya Piyadasi; only four sites give the name Ashoka.
- Kalinga is not among the sixteen Mahajanapadas; Ashmaka is the only southern one.
Chhattisgarh link
No Ashokan edict has been found in Chhattisgarh so far. Mauryan-age links rest on Brahmi inscriptions at Jogimara and Sitabenga (Ramgarh, Surguja) and Hiuen Tsang’s report of an Ashokan stupa in Kosala. See Mauryan and Satavahana Period in Chhattisgarh.
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