what is magadha kingdom
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Magadha was an ancient Indian kingdom in southern Bihar, and was counted as one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas (Sanskrit: "Great Countries") of ancient India. Magadha played an important role in the development ofJainism and Buddhism, and two of India's greatest empires, the Maurya Empire and Gupta Empire, originated in Magadha.
The existence of Magadha is recorded in Vedic texts much earlier in time than 600 BC. The earliest reference to the Magadha people occurs in theAtharvaveda, where they are found listed along with the Angas, Gandharisand Mujavats. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of theGanges; its first capital was Rajagriha (modern Rajgir), then Pataliputra(modern Patna). Rajagriha was initially known as 'Girivrijja' and later came to be known as so during the reign of Ajatashatru. Magadha expanded to include most of Bihar and Bengal with the conquest of Vajji confederationand Anga, respectively.[1] The kingdom of Magadha eventually came encompass Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and the nations of Bangladesh and Nepal.[2]
The ancient kingdom of Magadha is heavily mentioned in Jain and Buddhist texts. It is also mentioned in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and thePuranas. The Mauryan Empire and Gupta Empire, both of which originated in Magadha, saw advancements in ancient India's science, mathematics,astronomy, religion, and philosophy and were considered the Golden Age of India. The Magadha kingdom included republican communities such as the community of Rajakumara.[citation needed] Villages had their own assemblies under their local chiefs called Gramakas. Their administrations were divided into executive, judicial, and military functions.