Class-6
Gather information about the most powerful mahajanapada 'MAGADHA' Write about the kingdom, powerful rulers, their administration and all other important facts that you can find out about this earliest kingdom.
Answers
- Magadha was an ancient Indian kingdom situated at modern day Bihar. It was one of the four main kingdoms existed during 6th century BC in North India. Others were Vatsa, Avanti and Kosala. All of them were along with 16 Mahajanpadas.
Why was Magadha so important in the history of India?
Magadha was an ancient Indian kingdom situated at modern day Bihar. It was one of the four main kingdoms existed during 6th century BC in North India. Others were Vatsa, Avanti and Kosala. All of them were along with 16 Mahajanpadas.
Importance of Magadh in Indian History
Socio Economic conditions
The region falls directly on the Indo-Gangetic Plains which is still considered as the most fertile region on the country. Also rich with Iron and Copper ore it became an important center for trade and commerce. People were skilled with their work weather it is carpentry, farming or metal works. Which bring enormous amount of wealth for the people and the Kingdom.
Educational center
It was home of Nalanda University believed to be the worlds first university. Situated at village Nalanda a major trade route that ran through the nearby city of Rajagriha, then capital of Magadha. It is said that the Mahavira had spent 14 rainy seasons at Nalanda. Gautam Buddha said to have delivered lectures here.
Religious Center
Buddhism and Jainism were the religions promoted by the early Magadhan kings. Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya in Magadh. All rulers of Magadh embraced Jainism including Haryunka dynasty, Saisunga dynasty and Nanda dynasty. We can say that especially Jainism got its hike during era of Magadh empire. Later during Ashoka’s regime Buddhism was promoted in entire country. First Jain council took place in Pataliputra. First & third Buddhist council took place in Rajagriha & Pataliputra.
Answer:
Magadha (मगध) formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas (Sanskrit, "great countries"), or regions, in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganges River. Its capital was Rajagaha, known as modern day Rajgir. Magadha expanded to include eastern Uttar Pradesh, most of Bihar, and Bengal with the conquest of Licchavi and Anga.
The Śiśunāga dynasty ruled Magadha for more than two hundred years .Two of India's major religions, Jainism and Buddhism, trace their beginnings to Magadha.
Geography
The kingdom of the Magadha roughly corresponds to the modern districts of Patna and Gaya in southern Bihar, and parts of Bengal in the east. It was bounded on the north by the river Ganga, on the east by the river Champa, on the south by the Vindhya mountains and on the west by the river Sona.
History
Little reliable information survives on the early rulers of Magadha. The Puranas, the Buddhist Chronicles of Sri Lanka, and other Jain and Buddhist texts, such as the Pali Canon constitute the most important sources. Based on those sources, it appears that the Śiśunāga dynasty ruled Magadha for approximately 200 years, c. 684 B.C.E.-424 B.C.E. Siddhartha Gautama had been born a prince of Kapilavastu in Kosala around 563 B.C.E., during the Śiśunāga Dynasty. As the scene of many incidents in his life, including his enlightenment, Buddhists traditionally consider Magadha a blessed land.
Magadha, and restored the province of Kashi.
Accounts differ slightly as to the cause of King Ajatashatru's war with the Licchavi republic, an area north of the river Ganges. It appears that Ajatashatru sent a minister to the area who for three years worked to undermine the unity of the Licchavis. To launch his attack across the Ganga River (Ganges), Ajatashatru built a fort at the town of Pataliputra. Torn by disagreements, the Licchavis fell easily in defeat once the fort had been constructed. Jain texts tell how Ajatashatru used two new weapons: A catapult and a covered chariot with swinging mace that has been compared to a modern tank. Pataliputra began to grow as a center of commerce and became the capitol of Magadha after Ajatashatru's death.
Maurya dynasty
The Maurya Empire at its greatest extent
In 321 B.C.E., exiled general Chandragupta Maurya founded the Maurya dynasty after overthrowing the reigning Nanda king Dhana Nanda to establish the Maurya Empire. During that time, most of the subcontinent united under a single government for the first time. Capitalizing on the destabilization of northern India by the Persian and Greek incursions, the Mauryan empire under Chandragupta not only conquered most of the Indian subcontinent, but also pushed its boundaries into Persia and Central Asia, conquering the Gandhara region. Chandragupta was succeeded by his son Bindusara, who expanded the kingdom over most of present day India, barring the extreme south and east.
The Buddhist stupa at Sanchi, built during the Mauyran period.
Only present day Tamil Nadu and Kerala (a Tamil kingdom then) fell outside the rule of the Mauryans. References exist in one of the oldest Tamil Sangam literature, Purananuru, that a unified Tamil army under the leadership of Ilanchetchenni, a Chola King drove out a Mauryan army. According to one of his inscriptions, King Kharavela, a Kalinga ruler, defeated that unified Tamil force. His son, Ashoka The Great, who initially sought to expand the kingdom, inherited the kingdom. In the aftermath of the carnage caused in the invasion of Kalinga, he renounced bloodshed and pursued a policy of non-violence or ahimsa after converting to Buddhism. The Edicts of Ashoka constitute the oldest preserved historical documents of India, and from Ashoka's time, approximate dating of dynasties became possible. The Mauryan dynasty under Ashoka spread Buddhist ideals across the whole of East Asia and South-East Asia, fundamentally altering the history and development of Asia as a whole. Ashoka the Great has been described as one of the greatest rulers the world has seen.
They had their capital at Pataliputra. The Gupta and Mauryan administrative structure differed. In the Mauryan administration power centralized while in the Gupta administration, power decentralized. The king occupied a powerful and important position and often took titles to assert his supremacy.
Art and architecture flourished during the Gupta age. People, mostly Vaishnavas, built temples devoted to Shiva and Vishnu during that period. Early temples had a large room where the statue of the god stood. Today those exist in Deogarh in Jhansi. Temples were mostly made of brick or stone. The doorways were very decorative. Wall murals flourished during that age. These can be seen in Ajanta caves which are about 100 kilometers from Aurangabad. Those murals depict the life of Buddha. Brahmins performed Yajnas. All forms of worship were carried out in Sanskrit.
Explanation:
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