The MAHAJANAPADAS

The Background

The sixth century BC was a period of intense and new political development, besides socio-economic and religious upheaval that brought two new religions to the fore, arising out of protest movement against the Brahmanas – Jainism and Buddhism.  In the later Vedic period, agriculture and use of iron helped people to settle down at a particular place.

The permanent settlements led to the foundation of Janapadas or small territorial states under the control of a king. The main area of political activity gradually shifted from Western UP to Eastern UP and Bihar. This region was not only fertile due to the river systems and rainfall but also closer to iron production centres. The use of better iron tools and weapons made some territorial states to become very large. They came to be called Mahajanapadas.

Location 

Most of the 16 Mahajanapadas were situated north of the Vindhyas, between Bihar in the east to the north-west frontier of the sub-continent. The list of these Mahajanapadas is given below:

1. Anga Capital: Champa               Location: Munger/ Bhagalpur
2. Magadh Capital: Rajagir            Location: Gaya and Patna
3. Kasi Capital: Kasi                     Location: Varanasi
4. Vatsa Capital: Kausambi            Location: Allahabad
5. Kosala Capital: Sravasti             Location: Eastern UP
6. Saurasena Capital: Mathura       Location: Mathura
7. Panchala Capital: Kampilya       Location: Western UP
8. Kuru Capital: Indraprastha        Location: Meerut
9. Matsya Capital: Viratnagar        Location: Jaipur
10. Chedi Capital: Banda                Location: Bundelkhanda
11. Avanti Capital: Ujjain                Location: Malwa (MP)
12. Gandhar Capital: Taxila             Location: Rawalpindi
13. Kamboj Capital: Pooncha         Location: Rajaori (Kashmir)
14. Asmaka Capital: Paithan           Location: Bank of Godavari
15. Vajji Capital: Vaishali                 Location: Vaishali
16. Malla Capital: Kusinara             Location: Deoria (UP)

Nature of Polity

Most of these Mahajanapadas states were monarchical in nature but some of them had oligarchical system of governance. In this system unlike monarchies, where a hereditary king rules, administration was run by an elected king with the help of a large council or assemblies comprising head of all important clans and families. This system was certainly more democratic than monarchy, though the common man had no participation In the administration.

The most important of these oligarchical Mahajanapadas was Vajjis, with the capital at Vaishali. This was ruled by the Lichchhavis. They were gradually defeated and conquered by the Magadhan Empire.

From Mahajanapadas to Empire

The political fight among these Mahajanapadas led ultimately to one of them namely Magadha to emerge as the most powerful state and the centre of a vast empire. The earliest important ruler of Magadha was Bimbisara, who ruled for 52 years (544 BC to 492 BC). He pursued a three-pronged expansion policy – matrimonial alliance, friendship with strong rulers and conquest of weak neighbours.

Under the policy of matrimonial alliances, he married the sister of Prasenajit, the king of Kosala and took the territory of Kasi which yielded a revenue of 100,000 coins besides a powerful position among the Mahajanapadas. His other wives were daughters of the rulers of Lichchhavi and chief of Madra.

He also conquered Anga by defeating its ruler Brahmadutta.  Thus acquiring Kasi and Anga became the launching pad for the expansion of Magadha, before it conquered almost all the Mahajanapadas under Bimbisara and his son Ajatashatru’s rule.