The rise of magadha and alexander's invasion
In the beginning of the 6th century B.C., the northern India
consisted of a large number of independent kingdoms. Some of them had
monarchical forms of government, while some others were republics. While there
was a concentration of monarchies on the Gangetic plain, the republics were
scattered in the foothills of the Himalayas and in northwestern India. Some of
the republics consisted of only one tribe like the Sakyas, Licchavis and
Mallas. In the republics, the power of decision in all matters of state vested
with the Public Assembly which was composed of the tribal representatives or
heads of families. All decisions were by a majority vote.
The
Buddhist literature Anguttara Nikaya gives a list of sixteen great kingdoms
called 'Sixteen Mahajanapadas'. They were Anga, Magadha, Kasi, Kosala, Vajji,
Malla, Chedi, Vatsa, Kuru, Panchala, Matsya, Surasena, Asmaka, Avanti, Gandhara
and Kambhoja. The Jain texts also contain references to the existence of
sixteen kingdoms. In course of time, the small and weak kingdoms either
submitted to the stronger rulers or gradually got eliminated. Finally in the
mid 6th century B.C., only four kingdoms - Vatsa, Avanti, Kosala and
Magadha survived.
Vatsa
The Vatsa kingdom was situated on the banks of the river Yamuna. Its
capital was Kausambi near modern Allahabad. Its most popular ruler was Udayana.
He strengthened his position by entering into matrimonial alliances with Avanti,
Anga and Magadha. After his death, Vatsa was annexed to the Avanti kingdom.
Avanti
The capital of Avanti was Ujjain. The most important ruler of this
kingdom was Pradyota. He became powerful by marrying Vasavadatta, the daughter
of Udayana. He patronized Buddhism. The successors of Pradyota were weak and
later this kingdom was taken over by the rulers of Magadha.
Kosala
Ayodhya
was the capital of Kosala. King Prasenajit was its famous ruler. He was highly
educated. His position was further strengthened by the matrimonial alliance
with Magadha. His sister was married to Bimbisara and Kasi was given to her as
dowry. Subsequently there was a dispute with Ajatasatru. After the end of the
conflict, Prasenajit married the daughter of Bimbisara. After the death of this
powerful king, Kosala became part of the Magadha.
Magadha
Of all the kingdoms of north India, Magadha emerged powerful and
prosperous. It became the nerve centre of political activity in north India.
Magadha was endowed by nature with certain geographical and strategic
advantages. These made her to rise to imperial greatness. Her strategic
position between the upper and lower part of the Gangetic valley was a great
advantage. It had a fertile soil. The iron ores in the hills near Rajgir and
copper and iron deposits near Gaya added to its natural assets. Her location at
the centre of the highways of trade of those days contributed to her wealth.
Rajagriha was the capital of Magadha. During the reign of Bimbisara and
Ajatasatru, the prosperity of Magadha reached its zenith.
Bimbisara (546 - 494 B.C.)
Bimbisara belonged to the Haryanka dynasty. He consolidated his position
by matrimonial alliances. His first matrimonial alliance was with the ruling
family of Kosala. He married Kosaladevi, sister of Prasenajit. He was given the
Kasi region as dowry which yielded large revenue. Bimbisara married Chellana, a
princess of the Licchavi family of Vaisali. This matrimonial alliance secured
for him the safety of the northern frontier. Moreover, it facilitated the
expansion of Magadha northwards to the borders of Nepal. He also married Khema
of the royal house of Madra in central Punjab. Bimbisara also undertook many
expeditions and added more territories to his empire. He defeated Brahmadatta
of Anga and annexed that kingdom. He maintained friendly relations with Avanti.
He had also efficiently reorganized the administration of his kingdom.
Bimbisara
was a contemporary of both Vardhamana Mahavira and Gautama Buddha. However,
both religions claim him as their supporter and devotee. He seems to have made
numerous gifts to the Buddhist Sangha.
Ajatasatru (494 - 462 B.C.)
The reign of Ajatasatru was remarkable for his military conquests. He
fought against Kosala and Vaisali. His won a great success against a formidable
confederacy led by the Lichchavis of Vaisali. This had increased his power and
prestige. This war lasted for about sixteen years. It was at this time that
Ajatasatru realised the strategic importance of the small village, Pataligrama (future
Pataliputra). He fortified it to serve as a convenient base of operations
against Vaisali.
Buddhists and Jains both claim that Ajatasatru was a follower of their
religion. But it is generally believed that in the beginning he was a follower
of Jainism and subsequently embraced Buddhism. He is said to have met Gautama
Buddha. This scene is also depicted in the sculptures of Barhut. According to
the Mahavamsa, he constructed several chaityas
and viharas. He was also instrumental
in convening the First Buddhist Council at Rajagriha soon after the death of
the Buddha.
The immediate successor of Ajatasatru was Udayin. He laid the foundation
of the new capital at Pataliputra situated at the confluence of the two rivers,
the Ganges and the Son. Later it became famous as the imperial capital of the
Mauryas. Udayin's successors were weak rulers and hence Magadha was captured by
Saisunaga. Thus the Haryanka dynasty came to an end and the Saisunaga dynasty
came to power.
Saisunaga dynasty
The
genealogy and chronology of the Saisunagas are not clear. Saisunaga defeated
the king of Avanti which was made part of the Magadhan Empire. After Saisunaga,
the mighty empire began to collapse. His successor was Kakavarman or Kalasoka.
During his reign the second Buddhist Council was held at Vaisali. Kalasoka was
killed by the founder of the Nanda dynasty.
Nandas
The fame of Magadha scaled new heights under the Nanda dynasty. Their
conquests went beyond the boundaries of the Gangetic basin and in North India
they carved a well-knit and vast empire.
Mahapadma Nanda was a powerful ruler of the Nanda dynasty. He uprooted
the kshatriya dynasties in north
India and assumed the title ekarat.
The Puranas speak of the extensive conquests made by Mahapadma. The Hathigumpha
inscription of Kharavela of Kalinga refers to the conquest of Kalinga by the
Nandas. Many historians believe that a considerable portion of the Deccan was
also under the control of the Nandas. Therefore, Mahapadma Nanda may be
regarded as a great empire builder.
According to the Buddhist tradition, Mahapadma Nanda ruled about ten
years. He was succeeded by his eight sons, who ruled successively. The last
Nanda ruler was Dhana Nanda. He kept the Magadhan empire intact and possessed a
powerful army and enormous wealth. The fabulous wealth of the Nandas is also
mentioned by several sources. The enormous wealth of the Nandas is also
referred to in the Tamil Sangam work Ahananuru
by the poet Mamulanar. The flourishing state of agriculture in the Nanda
dominions and the general prosperity of the country must have brought to the
royal treasury enormous revenue. The oppressive way of tax collection by Dhana
Nanda was resented by the people. Taking advantage of this, Chandragupta Maurya
and Kautilya initiated a popular movement against the Nanda rule. It was during
this time that Alexander invaded India.
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