16 Mahajanapadas | Ancient History | UPSC

• Anga Mahajanapada finds reference in the Mahabharata and Atharva Veda.
• During the rule of Bimbisara, it was taken over by Magadha Empire.
• It is situated in present-day Bihar and West Bengal.
• Its capital Champa was located at the confluence of the Ganga and the Champa rivers.
• It was an important commercial centre on the trade routes and merchants sailed from here to Suvarnabhumi (South East Asia).

• Magadha finds mention in the Atharva Veda.
• It was located in present-day Bihar close to Anga, divided by river Champa.
• Later, Magadha became a centre of Jainism and the first Buddhist Council was held in Rajagriha.

• It was located in Varanasi.
• This city got its name from rivers Varuna and Asi as cited in the Matsya Purana.
• Kasi was captured by Kosala.

• Vatsa is also known as Vamsa.
• Located on the banks of the Yamuna.
• This Mahajanapada followed the monarchical form of governance.
• The capital was Kausambi/Kaushambi (which was at the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna).
• This was a central city for economic activities.
• Trade and business prospered in the 6th century. After the rise of Buddha, the ruler Udayana made Buddhism a state religion.

Kushavati (southern)

• It was located in modern Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh.
• The area also included Ayodhya, an important city associated with the Ramayana.
• Kosala also included the tribal republican territory of Sakyas of Kapilavastu. Lumbini in Kapilavastu is the birthplace of Gautama Buddha.
• Important king – Prasenajit (Buddha’s contemporary)

• This place was a centre of Krishna worship at the time of Megasthenes.
• There was a dominance of the Buddha’s followers also.
• Important king – Awantipura (Disciple of Buddha).
• Its capital Mathura was on the banks of the Yamuna.

• Its capital for northern Panchala was Ahichchatra (modern Bareilly) and Kampilya (modern Farrukhabad) for its southern regions.
• The famous city of Kannauj was situated in the Kingdom of Panchala.
• Later the nature of governance shifted from monarchy to republic.

• The area around Kurukshetra was apparently the site for Kuru Mahajanapada.
• It moved to a republic form of governance.
• The epic poem, the Mahabharata, tells of a conflict between two branches of the reigning Kuru clan.

• It was situated to the west of the Panchalas and south of the Kurus.
• The capital was at Viratanagara (modern Bairat).
• It is situated around present-day Jaipur, Alwar and Bharatpur area of Rajasthan.
• Founder – Virata

• This was cited in the Rigveda.
• The capital was Sothivati/Shuktimati/Sotthivatinagara
• It located in the present-day Bundelkhand region (Central India).
• King – Shishupala. He was killed by Vasudeva Krishna during the Rajasuya sacrifice of the Pandava king Yudhishthira.

• Avanti was significant in relation to the rise of Buddhism.
• The capital of Avanti was located at Ujjaini (northern part) and Mahismati (southern part).
• It was situated around present-day Malwa and Madhya Pradesh.
• Important king – Pradyota.
  • Father-in-law of Udayana (King of the Vatsas).

• The capital was at Taxila (Takshashila).
• Present-day location – Modern Peshawar and Rawalpindi, Pakistan and the Kashmir valley.
• Gandhara is cited in the Atharva Veda.
• The people were highly trained in the art of war.
• It was significant for international commercial activities.
• Important king – Pushkarasarin.
• Gandhara was conquered by Persians in the latter part of the sixth century BCE.

• The capital of Kamboja was Poonch.
• It is situated in present-day Kashmir and Hindukush.
• Several literary sources mention that Kamboja was a republic.
• Kambojas had an excellent breed of horses.

• It was located on the banks of Godavari.
• It was the only Mahajanapada situated to the south of the Vindhya Range and was in Dakshinapatha.
• It included the region of Pratisthan or Paithan.

• North of Ganga in the division of Tirhut was the state of the Vajjis.
• It included eight clans, the most powerful being the Lichchhavis (Capital – Vaishali), Videhans (Capital – Mithila), Jnatrikas (based in Kundapura).
• <>Mahavira belonged to the Jnatrikas clan.
• The Vajjis were defeated by Ajatashatru.

• It finds a reference in Buddhist and Jain texts and in the Mahabharata.
• Malla was a republic.
• Its territory touched the northern border of the Vajji state.
• Capitals – Kusinara and Pava.
• Both capitals are important in the history of Buddhism. The Buddha took his last meal at Pava and went to Mahaparinirvana at Kusinara.