Mahajanpadas

Around the sixth century BCE, several cities and states emerged in a belt stretching
from Gandhara in the north-west to Anga in eastern India, extending into central
India and the Deccan. Buddhist canonical texts in Pali, like the Anguttaranikaya,
enlist 16 powerful states, the solasa-mahajanapadas

In the Middle Ganga Valley
1) Anga
Anga roughly corresponds to present day Bhagalpur and Monghyr districts
of eastern Bihar. Located at the confluence of the Ganga and Champa rivers,
its capital city of Champa is identified with modern day Champanagara or
Champapura village near Bhagalpur. One of the greatest cities of the sixth
century BCE, the capital city of Champa was an important commercial centre
located on the trade routes of the time. Excavations at Champa have revealed
the city being surrounded by defensive fortifications including a moat. Travel
accounts often describe merchants as sailing overseas from Champa to
Suvarnabhumi (a possible reference to Southeast Asia).
2) Magadha
The kingdom of Magadha was to become the foremost political entity by
the 4th century BCE. The kingdom roughly covered the areas of modern day
Patna and Gaya districts of Bihar. It was bound by the Ganga, Son and
Champa rivers on the north, west, and east respectively and the Vindhyan
range on the south. Its first capital was Girivraja or Rajagriha, modern Rajgir.
This city was closely associated with the lives of the Buddha as well as
Mahavira. However later, its capital shifted to Pataliputra, often associated
with modern Patna. Excavations at Rajagriha have revealed a number of
defense structures like stone fortification walls dating to about the times of
Bimbisara and Ajatashatru, i.e., the 6th-5th centuries BCE.

3) Vajji/Vrijji Confederacy
The Vrijji ganasangha was in eastern India, north of the Ganga with its
capital at Vaishali. It has been identified with the area of Basadh, near
Muzaffarpur area in Bihar. The Vrijji confederacy is counted as one among
the most prominent mahajanapadas during the age of the Buddha. Magadha
under the king Bimbisara also established marriage alliances with the Vrijji
ganasangha. Most historians consider the Vrijjis/Vajjis as a confederacy of eight or nine clans. This means that in this confederacy the clans maintained
an equal, and independent status, thus closely preserving their own identity
even within the confederation. While ganasanghas, especially the Vrijjis,
have often been described in Buddhist and Jaina texts as kshatriya clans;
this should not lead us to presume that they observed a varna society. They
retained more of the clan tradition than did the kingdoms. They governed
through an assembly representing the clan, even if the assembly was restricted
to the heads of clans or families.
4) Mallas
The Mallas, located further west to the Vajjis, were a confederacy of nine
clans. There were two main political centres within this principality Kusinara and the capital Pava. Kusinara has been identified with Kasia, Janapadas and Mahajanapadas
about 77 km east of Gorakhpur. While some historians identify Pava with
modern day Pawapuri in Bihar, yet others identify it with Padaraona village
about 26 km north-east of Kasia. The Mallas were close allies of the Vajjis.
However, there were occasional conflicts between them as well.
To their West
5) Kashi
One of the earliest mahajanapadas to gain political prominence was the
kingdom of Kashi. It was bound by the Varuna river in the north and the Asi
river in the south. It is from these two rivers that its capital city Varanasi, on
the banks of the Ganga, got its name. The Jatakas refer to a long-standing
rivalry between the kingdoms of Kashi and Kosala. Eventually under the
reign of Kosalan king Prasenajit (Pasenadi in Pali), the feud ended with
Kashi getting absorbed into the Kosalan kingdom. Kashi today is identified
with the area adjoining Benaras in Uttar Pradesh.
6) Kosala
The powerful kingdom of Kosala was bound by the Sadanira (modern day
Gandak) on the east and the Gomati on the west, the Sarpika or Syandika
(Sai) on the south, and the Nepal hills to the north. The capital of north
Kosala was Shravasti, identified with the modern-day twin villages of SahetMahet, and the capital of south Kosala was Kushavati. Maheth was a city
and Saheth has been identified as the site of the ancient monastery of
Jetavana. According to the Buddhist tradition, Jetavana was gifted by the
lay devotee Anathapindika to the Buddhist sangha. Saket and Ayodhya were
the other two important centres within the kingdom. Pasenadi (also known
as Prasenajit) was an immensely popular ruler of Kosala, and a contemporary
of the Buddha. Kosala today can be identified with the areas of Lucknow,
Gonda, Faizabad, Baharaich of Uttar Pradesh.
7) Vatsa
Vatsa or Vamsa was a kingdom known for its fine cotton textiles. Its capital
was situated at Kaushambi, near modern Prayagaraj. Kausambi was an
important point on the trade routes connecting the Deccan, the Ganga valley
and the north-west. Excavations here have revealed imposing defense
structures dating to about the 600 BCE. Vatsa was a powerful mahajanapada
under the leadership of the famous king Udayana. Around the same time,
king Pradyota was ruling Avanti. The rivalry between the two is the subject
of many legends. In fact king Udayana featured as the protagonist of at least
three Sanskrit dramas from later periods – the Svapna-Vasavadatta of Bhasa
and the Ratnavali and Priyadarshika of Harsha.
Further West
8) Kuru
The Kurus were settled in the modern day Ganga-Yamuna Doab region.
According to the Buddhist tradition, the Kuru kingdom was ruled by kings
belonging to the Yuddhitthila gotta (gotra), i.e., the family of Yudhishthira,
with their capital at Imdapatta (Indraprastha). In the Epics, the Kuru capital
was located at Hastinapura till a flood led to its being shifted to Kaushambi

The Jaina text, Uttaradhyayana Sutra refers to a Kuru king named Isukara
who ruled from the town of Isukara. The Kurus up to the time of the Buddha
were a monarchy. Subsequently they become a ganasangha. We also know
that they established matrimonial relations with the Yadavas, Bhojas, and
Panchalas.
9) Panchala
The Panchala mahajanapada included the present day Rohilkhand area and
was divided into two parts by the river Ganga. The kingdom also had two
capitals – the capital of Uttara (north) Panchala was Ahichchhatra, (identified
with modern Ramnagar in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh) (Figure 13.1) and the
capital of Dakshina (south) Panchala was Kampilya, (identified with Kampil
in Farukkhabad district, UP). According to the Arthashastra, the Panchalas
were initially a monarchical state and later switched to a non-monarchical
form of government. The mahajanapada had important urban centres, such
as Kanyakubja or Kanauj.

10) Matsya
The Matsyas were situated near the eastern parts of present day Rajasthan,
comprising of areas in and around Jaipur, Alwar and Bharatpur. Their capital
was Viratnagara (modern Vairat), named after the founder of the kingdom,
king Virata. Buddhist texts usually associate the Matsyas with Surasenas.
11) Surasena
The Surasenas were also located in the Yamuna doab region, with their capital
at Mathura. According to the Buddhist tradition, one Surasena king,
Avantiputra was a Buddhist disciple. His very name (literally meaning ‘son
of Avanti’) hints at a matrimonial alliance between the Surasenas and Avanti.
Like many other political centres, Mathura too was an important junction
on the trade routes, connecting the north to the Deccan as well as to the
western coast.

12) Gandhara
The kingdom of Gandhara comprised modern day Peshawar and Rawalpindi
districts in Pakistan. Its capital, Takshasila or Taxila was a major centre of
trade and learning. Excavations at Taxila have revealed three major
settlements — the Bhir mound, Sirkap, and Sirsukh. The Bhir mound
represents the oldest city. In the earliest levels of Bhir mound, silver punchmarked bar coins and other coin types have been found. Around the sixth
century BCE, Gandhara was being ruled by king Pukkusati or Pushkarasarin,
who successfully waged a war against Avanti. He also maintained cordial
relations with Magadha.
13) Kamboja (in the Hazara district of Pakistan)
Closely associated with Gandhara was the kingdom of Kamboja. Kamboja
included the present day area of Rajaori, which is in the Hazara district of
Pakistan. The Kambojas were a monarchy till about the 6th century BCE,
but the later text Arthashastra refers to them as a ganasangha.
In the Central and Deccan regions
14) Avanti
The mahajanapada of Avanti was located in the Malwa region of central
India. Avanti had two capitals, one at Ujjayini (near modern Ujjain in Madhya
Pradesh) and the other at Mahishmati (identified with modern day Mandhata
in the western part of Madhya Pradesh). Both the cities were important
centres on the trade routes that connected north India with the Deccan and
also with the ports on the western coast. Avanti was well known for its
famous king Pradyota, under whose reign Avanti entered into military
conflicts with Vatsa, Magadha, and Kosala.
15) Chedi (capital Suktimati, located in the area around present-day Jabalpur,
Madhya Pradesh). The Chedi kingdom was situated in the eastern part of
Bundelkhand in central India. Scholars have identified its capital
Sotthivatinagara with the Shuktimati or Shuktisahvaya of the Mahabharata.
The ancient cities of Tripuri in the Narmada valley near Jabalpur, and the
Airakina (Eran) near Sagar were also probably part of the Chedi kingdom.
16) Assaka, or Asmaka (capital Govardhana, near Nander in the Godavari valley
in Maharashtra). The kingdom of Assaka finds mention in a range of texts
such as Panini’s Ashtadhyayi, the Markandeya Purana, the Brihatsamhita.
Buddhist texts locate Assaka along the Godavari river in Maharashtra. Its
capital was Potana/Podana, and is identified with modern Bodhan. The
Jatakas suggest that Assaka at some point had come under the sway of
Kashi, and that it achieved military victory over Kalinga in eastern India.