Janapadas, Mahajanapadas

Social ScienceAncient Indian History

Introduction

With the beginning of the later Vedic period, Indo-Aryans shifted to the Gangetic plains of India and began to settle there. Initially, they used to live in tribal forms on a particular territory, called Janapadas. The rulers of these territories began to expand their areas in order to form great kingdoms, known as Mahajanapadas. Among these 16 Mahajanappadas became more powerful. Some of these were republics and others were monarchical. The rise of Mahajanapadas further set the stage for the rise of different empires in India.

Now the kings of these newly established Mahajanpadas began to maintain their armies and forts in order to protect their kingdoms and expand territories at the same time.

What is Meant by Janapadas and Mahajanapadas?

• Janapadas − In the later Vedic period, the Indo-Aryan migrated to Gangetic plains and started settling there. Before the large-scale cultivation of the land and the growth of settled communities, society was tribal in nature. The tribes were known as Janas. As society became more settled and adopted agriculture as their main occupation, these tribes are groups of people settling down in particular areas, which came to be called as “Janapadas”, which literally means “areas where the tribe puts its foot down”.

• Mahajanapadas − Mahajanapadas refers to great kingdoms, as many of these Janapadas began to capture territories and expanded their kingdoms. These Mahajanapadas flourished in the northern and north-western parts of India. According to Buddhist and Jaina texts there were 16 mahajanapadas.

What are the 16 Mahjanapadas?

S.No	Mahajanapada	Capital and Unique Aspect
1	Magadha	One of the important Mahajanapada with Rajgriha as its capital.
2	Avanti	Ujjaini was the capital of northern Avanti and Mahismati was of Southern Avanti. It was a part of Malwa region of western India.
3	Vatsa	Situated on the bank of river Yamuna, its capital was at Kaushambi near Allahabad. One of the powerful rulers of this kingdom was Udyana, who claimed himself as a descendant of Bharata.
4	Kosala	This Mahajanapada corresponds to Oudh in Uttar Pradesh. Its capital was Ayodhya. It was ruled by powerful rulers like Mahakoshala and Prasenjit.
5	Vajji	Capital was Vaishali , located in Bihar.
6	Kashi	Capital was Varanasi(modern day Benaras). It was famous for the manufacture of cotton clothes.
7	Anga	Its capital was Champa, now it is modern day Bihar.
8	Matsya	It corresponds to modern day Jaipur with some parts of Alwar and Bharatpur. Its capital was Viratnagar. This Mahjanapada was later absorbed into Magadha.
9	Kuru	Its capital was Indraprastha near modern-day Delhi. One of the epic Mahabharata tells the story of the Mahajanapada.
10	Panchala	Panchala corresponded to Budan, Bareilly and Farukhbad districts of Uttar Pradesh. It was divided into Uttar and Dakshina Panchala as the Ganges forming the dividing lines.
11	Gandhara	With its capital in Takshsila or Taxila, the kingdom corresponds to the modern Peshawar and Rawalpindi region.
12	Kamboja	Its capital was at Rajapura, roughly corresponding to Rajaori and Hazara districts of Northwest frontier. This was a monarchical kingdom which transformed into a republic state.
13	Malla	It was a republic state with Kushinagar and Pava as its capital.
14	Chedi	Its capital was Suktimati in modern day Uttar Pradesh. They had two main settlements, one in Bundelkhand and the other one was in Nepal.
15	Ashamaka	The kingdom of Ashmaka was situated on the bank of river Godaveri, with Potali as its capital
16	Shurusena	Its capital was in Mathura situated on the bank of river Yamuna. The rulers of this Mahajanpada belongs to Yadu or Yadav dynasty. Krishna of Mahabharata also belonged to this dynasty.

Janapadas Become Mahajanapadas

Around 600 BCE, many Janapadas started territorial expansion which led to the formation of Mahajanapadas. There were constant conflicts between the rulers of Mahajanapadas. Ultimately, four powerful Mahajanapadas emerged- Vajji, Kashi, Kosala and Magadha. After turning out to be Mahajanapadas, these states began to fortify their capital cities and maintained a huge army to protect themselves from enemies.

Why is Mahajanapadas Important?

The rise of Mahajanapadas played an important role in ancient Indian history. With the rise of these states, the political history of India became easy to understand. There emerged two types of Mahajanapadas based on the form of government: Monarchial and Republican.

Monarchial Mahajanapadas

In monarchical Mahajanapadas, the states were ruled by the hereditary king or chieftain. In these types of Mahajanapadas importance was given to Brahmins and Vedic sacrifices. Kosala and Magadha were examples of monarchical mahajanapadas.

Republican Mahajanapads/Gana-Sangha

In republican Mahajanapada, the king was elected by the council from a group of chieftains on the basis of their fighting ability and that elected chieftain was called the Raja.

The coming of these Mahajanapadas later paved the way for the rise of many Indian empires.

Difference Between Janapadas and Mahajanapadas

Janapadas	Mahajanapadas
Janapada arose from 1500 to the sixth century BCE.	Mahajanapadas came into existence from the sixth century to 300 BCE.
Janapadas were smaller in size.	Mahajanapadas were larger or great kingdoms
In Janapadas tribes used to live a seminomadic life	Mahahjanpadas marked transformation towards urbanization.
There were almost 22 Janapadas in ancient India	There arose 16 powerful Mahajanapadas.

Conclusion

During the sixth century BCE, many Janapadas arose in the Gangetic plains of India, which later started territorial expansion, leading to the formation of Mahajanapadas There were constant conflicts between the rulers of the 16 Mahajanapadas. Ultimately, four powerful Mahajanapadas emerged- Vajji, Kashi, Kosala and Magadha.

After turning out to be Mahajanapadas, these states began to fortify their capital cities and maintained a huge army to protect themselves from enemies. The formation of the first empire of India -the Mauryan empire-somehow connected with the rise of these great kingdoms. With the rise of these states ,the political structure became more organized with the development of monarchical, oligarchy and republic forms of government.

FAQs

Q1. What do you understand by monarchical Mahajanapada?

Ans. In monarchical mahajanapadas, the states were ruled by the hereditary king or chieftain. In these types of mahajanapadas importance was given to Brahmins and Vedic rituals.

Q2. Write in brief about the Republican Mahajanapada

Ans. In republican Mahajanapada, the king was elected by the council from a group of chieftains on the basis of their fighting ability and that elected chieftain was called the Raja. Then the raja used to run the administration with the help of an assembly called Sabha. Here, the Brahmins and Vedic sacrifices were not given much importance.

Q3. Name two monarchical and two republic mahajanapadas.

Ans. Two Republican Mahajanapada:- Vajji and Panchal

Two Monarchial Mahajanapadas:- Kosala and Magadha

Q4. What made Magadha a powerful Mahjanapada?

Ans.

• It was reservoir of rich natural resources.

• The capital of the Magadha, Rajgriha enjoyed natural protection from invaders as it was surrounded by hills.

• The river Ganga flow through the kingdom of Magadha, which help to facilitate the communication and carrying of goods from one place to another.

Q5. Where was Magadha located?

Ans. Magadha was situated near the bank of the river Ganga in modern-day Bihar.