Janapadas And Mahajanapadas
Posted by Neha Biswas
When the aryans invaided they lived in
groups or tribes of people called janas ,this janas lived in a
semi-nomadic tribal state and fighting among themselves and
with other Non-Aryan tribes for cows, sheep and green pastures.later on
by fighting and concuring they became janapada.The term janapada is
derived from the Sanskrit word jana which means"people"or "subject" and pada "foot". It also have a primary meaning "janasya padam" or "place of the people".
gradually
they evolved into mahajanapadas literally means "great realm", (from
maha, "great", and janapada "foothold of a tribe", "country") we have
known from the Ancient Buddhist texts like Anguttara Nikaya which makes frequent reference to sixteen great kingdoms -
(1)
Anga -From Atharva Veda we can find that It mentions the principal
cities of ancient India. It was also a great center of trade and
commerce and its merchants regularly sailed to distant Suvarnabhumi
(2)
Kosala-The country of Kosalas was located to the north-west of Magadha
with its capital at Savatthi (Sravasti).
It was located about 60 miles north of modern Ayodhya at the border of
Gonda and Behraich districts in the Sahet-Mahet region. Its territory
corresponding to the modern Awadh (or Oudh) in i.e Central and Eastern
Uttar Pradesh. It had the river Ganges for its southern, the river
Gandak (Narayani) for its eastern and the Himalaya mountains for its
northern boundary.
(3) Kashi or Kasis- The Kasis was located in the region around Varanasi (modern Banaras). The capital
of Kasi was at Varanasi. The city was bounded by the rivers Varuna and
Asi in the north and south which gave Varanasi its name.
(4)
Magadha-The Magadha was one of the most prominent and prosperous of
mahajanpadas. The capital city Pataliputra( Patna, Bihar) was situated
on the confluence of major rivers like Ganga, Son, Punpun and Gandak.
The alluvial plains of this region and its proximity to the iron rich
areas of Bihar and Jharkhand helped the kingdom to develop good quality
weapons and support the agrarian economy. These factors helped Magadh to
emerge as the most prosperous state of that period. The kingdom of the
Magadhas roughly corresponded to the modern districts of Patna and Gaya
in southern Bihar and parts of Bengal
in the east. The capital city of Patna was It was bounded in the north
by river Ganges, in the east by the river Champa, in the south by the
Vindhya mountains and in the west by the river Sona.
(5)
Videha- In the Ramayana, Videha was the kingdom of the royal sage
Seeradhwaja Janaka, the father of Sita, Raghava Rama's wife. Rama's
brothers married Sita's sisters, so the Videha Kingdom was closely
allied to the Kosala Kingdom. Mithila was the capital of Videha, now
identified with Janakpur,
a town in Southern Nepal. The rulers of Vidheha were called Janakas and
in Hindu tradition are thought to have been great scholars. It is
believed that they were the oldest among the clans migrated from the
river Saraswati
as the river started drying up. According to the epics, the name came
from a dead king (Videha, one devoid of body or dead) whose sons were
created by sages who performed magical rites upon the king's dead body.
(6) Malla- The Mallas are frequently
mentioned in Buddhist and Jain
works. They were a powerful people dwelling in Northern South Asia.
According to Mahabharata, Panduputra Bhimasena is said to have conquered
the chief of the Mallas/Malls in the course of his expedition in
Eastern India. During the Buddhist period, the Mallas/Malls Kshatriya
were republican people with their dominion consisting of nine
territories
corresponding to the nine confederated clans. These republican states
were known as Gana. Two of these confederations - one with Kusinaras
(modern Kasia near Gorakhpur) as its capital and the second with Pava
(modern Padrauna, 12 miles from Kasia) as the capital
(7)
Chedi-The Chedis, Chetis or Chetyas had two distinct settlements of
which one was in the mountains of Nepal and the other in Bundelkhand
near Kausambi. According to old authorities, Chedis lay near Yamuna
midway between the kingdom of Kurus and Vatsas. In the mediaeval period,
the southern frontiers of Chedi extended to the banks of the river
Narmada. Sotthivatnagara, the Sukti or Suktimati of Mahabharata, was the
capital of Chedi. The Chedis were an ancient people of India and are
mentioned in the Rigveda. A branch of Chedis founded a royal dynasty in
the kingdom of Kalinga according to the Hathigumpha inscription of
Kharvela.
(8) Vatsa (or Vamsa)-The Vatsas,
Vamsas or Vachchas are stated to be an offshoot of the Kurus. The Vatsa
or Vamsa country corresponded with the territory of modern Allahabad in
Uttar Pradesh. It had a monarchical form of government with its capital
at Kausambi
(identified with the village Kosam, 38 miles from Allahabad). Kausambi
was a very prosperous city where a large number of millionaire merchants
resided. It was the most important entreport of goods and passengers
from the north-west and south.
(9) Kuru-The Puranas trace the origin of Kurus from the Puru-Bharata family. Aitareya Brahmana locates the Kurus in Madhyadesha and also refers to the Uttarakurus as living beyond the Himalayas. According to the Buddhist text Sumangavilasini, the people of Kururashtra (the Kurus) came from the Uttarakuru. Vayu Purana attests that Kuru,
son of Samvarsana of the Puru lineage, was the eponymous ancestor of
the Kurus and the founder of Kururashtra (Kuru Janapada) in Kurukshetra.
The country of the Kurus roughly corresponded to the modern Thanesar,
state of Delhi and Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh. According to the
Jatakas, the capital of the Kurus was Indraprastha
(Indapatta) near modern Delhi which extended seven leagues. At Buddha's
time, the Kuru country was ruled by a titular chieftain (king consul)
named Korayvya. The Kurus of the Buddhist period did not occupy the same
position as they did in the Vedic period
but they continued to enjoy their ancient reputation for deep wisdom
and sound health. The Kurus had matrimonial relations with the Yadavas,
the Bhojas, Trigrata s and the Panchalas. There is a Jataka reference to
king Dhananjaya, introduced as a prince from the race of Yudhishtra.
Though a well known monarchical people in the earlier period, the Kurus
are known to have switched to a republican form of government during
the sixth to fifth centuries BC. In the fourth century BC, Kautiliya's
Arthashastra also attests the Kurus following the Rajashabdopajivin (king consul) constitution.
(10) Kamboja- Kambojas are also
included in the Uttarapatha. In ancient literature, the Kamboja is
variously associated with the Gandhara, Darada and the Bahlika
(Bactria). Ancient Kamboja is known to have comprised regions on either
side of the Hindukush. The original Kamboja was located in eastern Oxus
country as neighbor to Bahlika, but with time, some clans of the
Kambojas appear to have crossed the Hindukush and planted colonies on
its southern side also.
(11) Panchala-The Panchalas
occupied the country to the east of the Kurus between the
mountains and river Ganges. It roughly corresponded to modern Budaun,
Farrukhabad and the adjoining districts of Uttar Pradesh.
The country was divided into Uttara-Panchala and Dakshina-Panchala. The
northern Panchala had its capital at Adhichhatra or Chhatravati (modern
Ramnagar in the Bareilly
District), while southern Panchala had it capital at Kampilya or Kampil
in Farrukhabad District. The famous city of Kanyakubja or Kanauj was
situated in the kingdom of Panchala. Originally a monarchical clan, the
Panchals appear to have switched to republican corporation in the sixth
and fifth centuries BC. In the fourth century BC, Kautiliya's
Arthashastra also attests the Panchalas as following the Rajashabdopajivin (king consul) constitution.
(12) Machcha (or Matsya)-The
country of the Matsya or Machcha tribe lay to the south of the Kurus and
west of the Yamuna, which separated them from the Panchalas. It roughly
corresponded to the former state of Jaipur in Rajasthan, and included
the whole of Alwar with portions of Bharatpur. The capital of Matsya was
at Viratanagara (modern Bairat) which is said to have been named
after its founder king Virata. In Pali
literature, the Matsyas are usually associated with the Surasenas. The
western Matsya was the hill tract on the north bank of the Chambal. A
branch of Matsya is also found in later days in the Vizagapatam
region. The Matsyas had not much political importance of their own
during the time of Buddha. King Sujata ruled over both the Chedis and
Matsyas, thus showing that Matsya once formed a part of the Chedi
kingdom.
(13) Surasena-The country of the
Surasenas lay to the east of Matsya and west of Yamuna.
This corresponds roughly to the Brij region of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana
and Rajasthan. and Gwalior region of Madhya Pradesh. It had its capital
at Madhura or Mathura. Avantiputra, the king of Surasena was the first
among the chief disciples of Buddha, through whose help Buddhism gained
ground in Mathura country. The Andhakas and Vrishnis of Mathura/Surasena
are referred to in the Ashtadhyayi of Pāṇini. In Kautiliya's
Arthashastra, the Vrishnis are described as samgha or republic. The Vrishnis, Andhakas and other allied tribes of the Yadavas formed a samgha and Vasudeva (Krishna) is described as the samgha-mukhya.
Mathura, the capital of Surasena was also known at the time of
Megasthenes as the centre of Krishna worship. The Surasena kingdom had
lost its independence on annexation by the Magadhan empire.
(14) Assaka (or Asmaka)-The Country of Assaka or the Ashmaka tribe was located in Dakshinapatha
or southern India. In Buddha's time, the Assakas were located on the
banks of the river Godavari (south of the Vindhya mountains). The
capital of the Assakas was Potana or Potali, which corresponds to
Paudanya of Mahabharata. The Ashmakas are also mentioned by Pāṇini. They
are placed in the north-west in the Markendeya Purana and the Brhat Samhita.
The river Godavari separated the country of the Assakas from that of
the Mulakas (or Alakas). The commentator of Kautiliya's Arthashastra
identifies Ashmaka with Maharashtra. The country of Assaka lay outside
the pale of Madhyadesa. It was located on a southern high road, the Dakshinapatha. At one time, Assaka included Mulaka and abutted Avanti.
(15) Avanti-The country of the
Avantis was an important kingdom of western India and
was one of the four great monarchies in India in the post era of
Mahavira and Buddha. The other three being Kosala, Vatsa and Magadha.
Avanti was divided into north and south by the river Vetravati.
Initially, Mahissati (Sanskrit Mahishamati) was the capital of Southern
Avanti, and Ujjaini (Sanskrit: Ujjayini) was of northern Avanti, but at
the times of Mahavira and Buddha, Ujjaini was the capital of integrated
Avanti. The country of Avanti roughly corresponded to modern Malwa,
Nimar and adjoining parts of the Madhya Pradesh. Both Mahishmati and
Ujjaini stood on the southern high road called Dakshinapatha
which extended from Rajagriha to Pratishthana (modern Paithan). Avanti
was an important center of Buddhism and some of the leading theras and theris
were born and resided there. King Nandivardhana of Avanti was defeated
by king Shishunaga of Magadha. Avanti later became part of the Magadhan
empire.
(16) Gandhara-
The wool of the Gandharis is referred to in the Rigveda. The Gandhar
|Panjab]]. The Gandharas and their king figure prominently as strong
allies of the Kurus against the Pandavas in the Mahabharata war. The
Gandharas were a furious people, well-trained in the art of war.
According to Puranic traditions, this Janapada was founded by Gandhara,
son of Aruddha, a descendant of Yayati. The princes of this country are
said to have come from the line of Druhyu who was a famous king of the
Rigvedic period. The river Indus watered the lands of Gandhara.
Taksashila and Pushkalavati, the two cities of this Mahajanapada, are
said to have been named after Taksa and Pushkara, the two sons of
Bharata, a prince of Ayodhya.
According to Vayu Purana (II.36.107), the Gandharas were destroyed by
Pramiti (aka Kalika) at the end of Kaliyuga. Pāṇini mentioned both the
Vedic form Gandhari as well as the later form Gandhara in his
Ashtadhyayi. The Gandhara kingdom sometimes also included Kashmira
Hecataeus of Miletus (549-468) refers to Kaspapyros (Kasyapura i.e.
Kashmira) as Gandharic city. According to Gandhara Jataka, at one time,
Gandhara formed a part of the kingdom of Kashmir. The Jataka also gives
another name Chandahara for Gandhara. Gandhara Mahajanapada of
Buddhist traditions included territories of east Afghanistan, and
north-west of the Panjab (modern districts of Peshawar (Purushapura) and
Rawalpindi). Its capital was Takshasila (Prakrit Taxila).
The Taxila University was a renowned center of learning in ancient
times, where scholars from all over the world came to seek higher
education. Pāṇini, the Indian genius of grammar and Kautiliya
are the world renowned products of Taxila University. King Pukkusati or
Pushkarasarin of Gandhara in the middle of the sixth century BC was the
contemporary of king Bimbisara
of Magadha. Gandhara was located on the grand northern high road
(Uttarapatha) and was a centre of international commercial activities.
It was an important channel of communication with ancient Iran and
Central Asia. According to one school of scholars, the Gandharas and
Kambojas were cognate people. It is also contended that the Kurus, Kambojas, Gandharas and Bahlikas were cognate people and all had Iranian affinities.
According to Dr T. L. Shah, the Gandhara and Kamboja were nothing but
two provinces of one empire and were located coterminously, hence
influencing each others language. Naturally, they may have once been a cognate people.Gandhara was often linked politically with the neighboring regions of Kashmir and Kamboja.
