difference between Mahada Kingdom and today's government
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Explanation:
Magadha was a region and one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas, 'Great Kingdoms' of the Second Urbanization (600-200 BCE) in what is now south Bihar (before expansion) at the eastern Ganges Plain. Magahi or Magadhi is the language of Magadh which is still spoken in southern Bihar. Magadh was ruled by the Pradyota dynasty, Barhadratha dynasty, Haryanka dynasty (544-413 BCE), and the Shaishunaga dynasty (413 BCE-345 BCE). Villages had their own assemblies under their local chiefs called Gramakas. Their administrations were divided into executive, judicial, and military functions.
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Magadha
ancient kingdom, India
BY The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica | View Edit History
Magadha, ancient kingdom of India, situated in what is now west-central Bihar state, in northeastern India. It was the nucleus of several larger kingdoms or empires between the 6th century BCE and the 8th century CE.
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Date: 600 BCE - 1200
Key People: Chandragupta Nanda dynasty Samudra Gupta Chandragupta II Gupta dynasty
Related Places: India
The early importance of Magadha may be explained by its strategic position in the Ganges (Ganga) River valley, enabling it to control communication and trade on the river. The river further provided a link between Magadha and the rich ports in the Ganges delta.
India
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India: Magadhan ascendancy
Political activity in the 6th–5th century bce centred on the control of the Ganges valley....
Under King Bimbisara (reigned c. 543–c. 491 BCE) of the Haryanka line, the kingdom of Anga (eastern Bihar) was added to Magadha. Kosala was annexed later. The supremacy of Magadha continued under the Nanda (4th century BCE) and Mauryan (4th–2nd century BCE) dynasties; under the Mauryan dynasty the empire included almost the entire subcontinent of India. The early centuries CE saw the decline of Magadha, but the rise of the Gupta dynasty in the 4th century brought it once more to a position of preeminence. Not only did these imperial dynasties begin by establishing their power in Magadha but in each case Pataliputra (adjacent to modern Patna) was the imperial capital, thus adding to the prestige of Magadha.
Lively accounts of Pataliputra and Magadha are available in the Indica of the Greek historian Megasthenes (c. 300 BCE) and in travel diaries of the Chinese Buddhist pilgrims Faxian and Xuanzang (4th–5th and 7th centuries CE). Many sites in Magadha were sacred to Buddhism. Toward the close of the 12th century, Magadha was conquered by the Muslims.
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This article was most recently revised and updated by Maren Goldberg, Assistant Editor.
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
India
India: Magadhan ascendancy
Political activity in the 6th–5th century bce centred on the control of the Ganges valley....…
India
India: Location
The new states of Magadha (Patna and Gaya districts) and Anga (northwest of the delta) were also interested...…
chronology: Reckonings dated from a historical event
…Megasthenes, the people of the Magadha kingdom, with its capital Pāṭaliputra (Patna), kept very long...…
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BY The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica | View Edit History
Bimbisara, (born c. 543—died 491 BCE), one of the early kings of the Indian kingdom of Magadha. His expansion of the kingdom, especially his annexation of the kingdom of Anga to the east, is considered to have laid the foundations for the later expansion of the Mauryan empire. He is also known for his cultural achievements and was a great friend and protector of the Buddha. Bimbisara built the city of Rajagriha, famous in Buddhist writings. He was succeeded on the throne by his son Ajatashatru, who murdered his father to obtain power.
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Ruins of the jail where Bimbisara was murdered by his son Ajatashatru in Rajagriha, Bihar, India.
Bimbisara
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Born: c.543 BCE
Died: 491 BCE
This article was most recently revised and updated by Maren Goldberg, Assistant Editor.
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
India
India: Magadhan ascendancy
…political ambition of its king, Bimbisara (c. 543–491 bce). He conquered Anga, which gave...…
Buddha
Buddha: Birth and early life
…in his wanderings he encountered Bimbisara, the king of Magadha and eventual patron of the Buddha, who,...…
Magadha
Under King Bimbisara (reigned c. 543–c. 491 bce) of the Haryanka...…