name 16 mahajanapadas enlisted in Buddhist texts
Answers
Explanation:
erary evidences we have come to know that India during the pre-6th century B.C. lacked political unity and the whole country was divided into sixteen principalities, better known as the Mahajanapadas. Both the Buddhists and the Jain books gave us a comprehensive list of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. Though the Jain texts have also mentioned the names of the Mahajanapadas of the far eastern and southern regions of India. It seems, the names were enlisted in a subsequent period. However, historians have given greater importance to the Buddhist list of the Mahajanapadas as the trustworthy document of the political history of India during 6th century B.C.
Therefore, from the Buddhist Text ‘Anguttarnikaya’ we have obtained a comprehensive list of sixteen mahajanapadas that included the principllities like Kashi, Kosala, Anga, Magadha, Vijji, Malla, Ceti or Cedi, Vamsa or Vatsa, Karu, Panchala, Maccha or Matsya, Surasena, Assaka, Avanti or Western Malwa, Gandhara and kamboja.
Kasi : Among all these sixteen Mahajanapadas kasi was possible the most powerful kingdom in the earlier days. Its capital was Varanasi. The prosperity of the kingdom and the ardent imperialistic desires of the rulers who had ruled the kingdom at different times, have been mentioned in different Jatakas of the Buddhist literature.
Kosala : Kosala was another big kingdom in ancient India. Its three important cities were Oudh or Ayodha, Saket and Srabasti. Ayodha was situated on the bank of river Saraju. Generally Ayodha and Saket are considered as the names of the same cities. However, according to Rhys Davids, the two cities had their separate existences during the time of Gautama Buddha. The present name of Srabasti is Sahet-Mahet. It was situated on theright side bank of the river Rapti. The birth place of Gautama Buddha, Kapilavastu was also within the kingdom of Koshala. Its capital was Piprahwa. Some fifteen miles away from Piprahwa, Lumbini in Nepal was the other capital of the Sakyas.
Anga : Anga lay to the east of Magadha and Campa, near Bhagalpur, was its capital. It appears that some of the Anga monarchs had defeated their Magadhan contemporaries. Anga was situated in the east of Magadha while the river Champa or Campa was the boundary line between the two kingdoms. It capital Campa was situated in the meeting point of the Two Rivers, Champa and the Ganges.
Magadha : The Ancient Magadha comprised the modern districts of Patna and Gaya. Its capital was Girivraja. Magadha was a powerful kingdom. Before the birth of Gautama Buddha, the notable rulers of Magadha were Brihadratha and his son Jarasandha.
Vijji : According to Rhys Davids and Cunningham Vajji represented a powerful confederation of eight clans and was called after one of them. The other three important clans were Videhas, Lichchavies and the Jnatrikas. The identity of the other four clans still remains unknown. It is assumed that Mithila in the border region of Nepal was the capital of the Videhas, while Vaisali or Besar in modern Mujaffarpur district of Bihar was the capital of the Lichchavies. The great prophet of the Jainas, Mahavira and his father belonged to the Jnatrika clan. The Jnatrikas resided in Kundpur or Kollag near Vaisali. Though the confederacy was known as Vajji, the Vajjis were themselves a clan too and their name was also associated with Vaisali. Vaisali was the capital of the confederation. However, it can be said that the Vajji confederacy was created much after the fall of the ruling dynasty of Videha in ancient India.
Malla : Possibly to the north of Vaijian confederation, was the territory of the Malla’s situated on the mountain slopes. There were two branches of the mallas each having their capitals at Kusinara and pava respectively. In pre-Buddhist time, the Mallas were a monarchy. We are not yet sure, exactly where the city of Kusinara was situated.
Ceti or Cedi : Cetis were indentified with the Cedis of the older documents. Theirland laid near theJamuna and roughly corresponded to modern Bundelkhand and its adjacent area. Its capital was suktimati or Sotthivati Nagara. The Cetis or Cedis were a powerful clan in ancient India and according to the Hatigumpha inscription, a branch of this clan had founded an independent ruling dynasty in Kalinga in subsequent days.
Vamsa or Vatsa : The country of the Vacehas was situated along the banks of the Jamuna, to the north-east of Avanti. Its Capital was Kausambi or Kosambi. Kosambi has been identified as the modern Kosam, about the thirty miles from Allahabad.