Magadha

Topic: Janapadas, Mahajanapadas and the Second Urbanisation · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 4 "New Beginnings: Cities and States"; Class 7, Ch 5 "The Rise of Empires"; Class 9, Ch 5 "State and Society up to 1000 CE"; Class 12, Ch 2 "Kings, Farmers and Towns"

Meaning

Magadha was a mahajanapada (one of the sixteen large states of north India) in present-day Bihar. Between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE it became the most powerful of the sixteen. Its first capital was Rajagaha (Rajgir), and the capital later moved to Pataliputra (Patna).

It matters because Magadha was the base from which India's first empire, the Mauryan Empire, was built. It stayed at the centre of bigger kingdoms and empires from the 6th century BCE to the 8th century CE. [2]

Explanation

Background: one state rises above fifteen others

• Magadha lay in what is now west-central Bihar. [2]
• Between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE, the sixteen mahajanapadas fought each other for land and power. Magadha came out on top.
• Its rise was not a short episode. It stayed the core of several bigger kingdoms and empires from the 6th century BCE to the 8th century CE. [2]
• There are two explanations for its rise. In an exam answer, give both side by side.

Explanation 1: modern historians (land, iron, elephants, river)

• Fertile farmland
• The soil was very good for farming, so it produced a large surplus (extra grain beyond what people needed to eat).

• The surplus could be taxed, and the tax paid for a large army.

• Iron mines close by

• Iron ore came from present-day Jharkhand.

• Iron gave better tools for clearing forests and ploughing heavy soil. It also gave better weapons.

• Elephants from the forests

• The forests of the region supplied elephants for the army.

• No other mahajanapada could get war elephants so easily.

• The Ganga and its tributaries

• The rivers gave cheap and easy communication.
• Moving troops, grain and goods by boat cost far less than moving them by land.

Explanation 2: early Buddhist and Jaina writers (ambitious kings)

• These writers did not talk about soil or iron. They said Magadha rose because of "ruthlessly ambitious kings" and their ministers, who carried out royal policy.
• The best-known kings they name are Bimbisara, Ajatasattu (Ajatashatru) and Mahapadma Nanda.
• Bimbisara ruled c. 543–491 BCE. [3]
• He conquered Anga, the state to the east of Magadha. [3]
• This opened the way to the Ganga delta and its early sea trade. [3]

• He is also credited with building up the city of Rajagriha, which is famous in Buddhist texts. [3]

• Ajatashatru was Bimbisara's son. [2][4]

• He took the throne by killing his father. This crime is called patricide. [2][4]
• Within about 30 years he carried out what his father had planned. [2][4]

• He made the defences of Rajagriha stronger and built a small fort on the Ganga at Pataligrama. [2][4]

• Mahapadma Nanda belonged to the Nanda line. He was the last great ruler of Magadha before the Mauryas, and he is remembered for huge armies and wide conquest.

• Exam point: the two explanations do not cancel each other out. Resources gave Magadha the chance, and ambitious kings used it.

How the capital changed, and what it led to

• Rajagaha → Pataliputra. The first capital was in the hills, which made it easy to defend. Later the capital moved to the Ganga, which put the state in control of trade and troop movement along the river.
• Dynasties in order: Haryanka (Bimbisara, Ajatashatru) → Shaishunaga → Nanda. All three ruled from Magadha. [2][6]
• Result: this long run of rule built a ready-made power base. The Mauryas took it over and joined many kingdoms into India's first empire. [2][6]

Time, place and evidence

• Period: most powerful between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE. This was the age of the Second Urbanisation, when cities rose again in the Ganga valley (the first age of cities was the Harappan civilisation).
• Region: present-day Bihar (west-central Bihar), with iron sources in present-day Jharkhand. [2]
• Capital 1: Rajagaha (Rajgir, Bihar)
• Rajagaha is the Prakrit name (Prakrit was a common spoken language of the time) for present-day Rajgir. It means "house of the king".
• It was a fortified settlement set among hills. The ring of hills worked as a natural wall: an army had to get through the hills before it could reach the city.
• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protects the walls of the two ancient cities known as old and new Rajgriha, along with all ancient remains within half a mile of them. So there were two walled cities here, not one. [5][8]

• Rajgir is about 110 km south-east of Patna and 27 km south-west of Biharsharif. It has twelve protected monuments in the hills and foothills. [8]

• Capital 2: Pataliputra (Patna)

• According to NCERT, the capital moved here in the fourth century BCE.
• The city began as a village called Pataligrama. It was renamed when the Magadhan rulers moved their capital there.
• It controlled the routes of communication along the Ganga.
• The site began as Ajatashatru's fort in the 5th century BCE. His son Udayin (Udaya) is said to have made it the capital. [4][6][7]
• It stayed a capital until about the 1st century BCE. It was later the seat of Ashoka and of the Guptas. [6]

• Date difference: Britannica places the move earlier, at about 475 BCE. [6][7] In the exam, follow the NCERT date (fourth century BCE), but know that the site was already in use as a fort before that.

• Key people: Bimbisara, Ajatashatru, Udayin, Mahapadma Nanda, and their ministers.

• How we know
• Early Buddhist and Jaina texts describe the kings and their ambitions.
• Modern historians explain the rise through geography and resources.
• Archaeological remains, such as the walls of old and new Rajgriha, are protected by the ASI. [8]

Don't confuse with

• Mauryan Empire: Magadha was the mahajanapada (the regional state) that came first. The Mauryan Empire was the later empire built on Magadha's power base.
• Rajagaha/Rajgir vs Pataliputra/Patna: Rajagaha was the first capital, a hill fort chosen for defence. Pataliputra was the later capital on the Ganga, chosen for control of the river.
• Pataligrama vs Pataliputra: Pataligrama was the village where Ajatashatru built his fort. It was renamed Pataliputra when it became the capital.
• Bimbisara vs Ajatashatru: Bimbisara (c. 543–491 BCE) conquered Anga. [3] His son Ajatashatru killed him to take the throne and built the fort at Pataligrama. [2][4]

Prelims Hooks

• Rajagaha is the Prakrit name of present-day Rajgir. It means "house of the king".
• Order of the Magadhan dynasties: Haryanka → Shaishunaga → Nanda → Maurya. [2][6]
• Bimbisara ruled c. 543–491 BCE and conquered Anga, which gave Magadha access to the Ganga delta. [3]
• Ajatashatru built a fort at Pataligrama. His son Udayin (Udaya) is credited with making Pataliputra the capital. [4][7]
• Early Buddhist and Jaina writers name Bimbisara, Ajatasattu and Mahapadma Nanda, along with their ministers, as the makers of Magadha. Watch out for options that credit these writers with naming iron or elephants. That is the modern historians' explanation.
• The ASI protects the walls of old and new Rajgriha, two ancient walled cities at Rajgir, which is 110 km south-east of Patna. [8]

Mains Points

• Resources versus kings: two explanations
• Modern historians point to material factors: farm surplus, iron from Jharkhand, elephants and transport on the Ganga.
• Buddhist and Jaina texts point to ambitious kings and able ministers.

• A good answer combines the two. Resources created the opportunity, and leadership turned it into power.

• Why the capital moved

• Rajagaha was a defensive choice. It was fortified and ringed by hills, which suited a kingdom still fighting its rivals.
• Pataliputra was a choice for trade and expansion. It sat on the Ganga and controlled movement along the river.

• The move shows Magadha changing from a kingdom that defended itself into one that pushed its power outward.

• Link to the Second Urbanisation and the first empire

• Magadha shows every feature of the period: iron tools, surplus grain, trade along rivers and fortified capitals. The state and the new cities grew up together.
• The Haryanka–Shaishunaga–Nanda succession built one continuous base of land and revenue, and the Mauryas inherited it. India's first empire therefore grew out of about two centuries of Magadhan expansion. It was not a sudden creation. [2][6]

Related concepts

• Rise of Magadha
• Haryanka dynasty
• Bimbisara
• Ajatashatru
• Udayin
• Rajagaha
• Cyclopean wall of Rajgir
• Pataliputra
• Shishunaga dynasty
• Mahapadma Nanda

Read more

• First amongst the sixteen: the rise of Magadha