Magadha - Wikipedia Magadha This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. ( Learn how and when to remove these template messages ) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( September 2015 ) This article may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia 's quality standards. You can help. The discussion page may contain suggestions. ( March 2016 ) Kingdom of Magadha c. 1200 BC -- 322 BC Magadha and other Mahajanapadas in the Post Vedic period. Expansion of the Magadha state in the 6th - 4th centuries BC. Capital Rajagriha Later, Pataliputra ( modern - day Patna ) Languages Old Indo - Aryan ( e.g. Magadhi Prakrit, other Prakrits, Sanskrit ) Religion Jainism Buddhism Hinduism Government Absolute Monarchy as described in the Arthashastra Historical era Antiquity Established c. 1200 BC Disestablished 322 BC Currency Panas Preceded by Succeeded by Mahajanapada Nanda Empire Today part of India Bangladesh Nepal 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 of Jainism 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 the Atharvaveda, where they are found listed along with the Angas, Gandharis and Mujavats. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganges ; 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 confederation and Anga, respectively. The kingdom of Magadha eventually came encompass Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and the nations of Bangladesh and Nepal. The ancient kingdom of Magadha is heavily mentioned in Jain and Buddhist texts. It is also mentioned in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas. 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. Villages had their own assemblies under their local chiefs called Gramakas. Their administrations were divided into executive, judicial, and military functions. Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 Culture 4 Rulers 4.1 Haryanka dynasty ( c. 600 -- 413 BC ) 4.2 Shishunaga dynasty ( 413 -- 345 BC ) 4.3 Nanda Dynasty ( 345 -- 321 BC ) 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography Geography The kingdom of the Magadhi, before its expansion, corresponded to the modern districts of Patna, Jehanabad, Nalanda, Aurangabad, Nawadah and Gaya in southern Bihar, and parts of Bengal in the east. It was bounded on the north by the river Ganges, on the east by the river Champa, on the south by the Vindhya Range, and on the west by the Son River. This region of Greater Magadha had a culture and belief system of its own that predated Hinduism. Much of the second urbanisation took place here from c. 500 BC onwards and it was here that Jainism became strong and Buddhism arose. The importance of Magadha 's culture can be seen in that Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism adopted some of its features, most significantly a belief in rebirth and karmic retribution. History King Bimbisara visits the Bamboo Garden ( Venuvana ) in Rajagriha ; artwork from Sanchi The Magadha state c. 600 BC, before it expanded from its capital Rajagriha. There is little certain information available on the early rulers of Magadha. The most important sources are the Buddhist Pāli Canon, the Jain Agamas and the Hindu Puranas. Based on these sources, it appears that Magadha was ruled by the Haryanka dynasty for some 200 years, c. 543 to 413 BC. Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, lived much of his life in the kingdom of Magadha. He attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, gave his first sermon in Sarnath and the first Buddhist council was held in Rajgriha. The Hindu Mahabharata calls Brihadratha the first ruler of Magadha. King Bimbisara of the Haryanka dynasty led an active and expansive policy, conquering the Kingdom of Anga in what is now West Bengal. King Bimbisara was killed by his son, Prince Ajatashatru. King Pasenadi, king of neighbouring Kosala and brother - in - law of King Bimbisara, promptly retook the gift of the Kashi province. Accounts differ slightly as to the cause of King Ajatashatru 's war with the Licchavi, an area north of the river Ganges. It appears that Ajatashatru sent a minister to the area who worked for three years to undermine the unity of the Licchavis. To launch his attack across the Ganges River, Ajatashatru built a fort at the town of Pataliputra. Torn by disagreements the Licchavis fought with Ajatashatru. It took fifteen years for Ajatashatru to defeat them. Jain texts tell how Ajatashatru used two new weapons : a catapult, and a covered chariot with swinging mace that has been compared to a modern tank. Pataliputra began to grow as a centre of commerce and became the capital of Magadha after Ajatashatru 's death. Nanda Empire, c. 325 BC. The Haryanka dynasty was overthrown by the Shishunaga dynasty. The last Shishunaga ruler, Kalasoka, was assassinated by Mahapadma Nanda in 345 BC, the first of the so - called `` Nine Nandas '', i. e. Mahapadma and his eight sons. In 326 BC, the army of Alexander approached the western boundaries of Magadha. The army, exhausted and frightened at the prospect of facing another giant Indian army at the Ganges, mutinied at the Hyphasis ( the modern Beas River ) and refused to march further east. Alexander, after the meeting with his officer Coenus, was persuaded that it was better to return and turned south, conquering his way down the Indus to the Ocean. Maurya Empire, c. 250 BC. Around 321 BC, the Nanda Dynasty ended and Chandragupta Maurya became the first king of the great Mauryan dynasty and Mauryan Empire with the help of Chanakya. The Empire later extended over most of South Asia under King Ashoka, who was at first known as ' Ashoka the Cruel ' but later became a disciple of Buddhism and became known as ' Dharma Ashoka '. Later, the Mauryan Empire ended, as did the Shunga and Khārabēḷa empires, to be replaced by the Gupta Empire. The capital of the Gupta Empire remained Pataliputra in Magadha. Culture The culture of Magadha was in some ways different than the Vedic kingdoms of the Indo - Aryans. This has been proposed by Indologist Johannes Bronkhorst in his Greater Magadha : Studies in the Culture of Early India ( 2007 ) which argues for a cultural area termed `` Greater Magadha '', defined as `` roughly the geographical area in which the Buddha and Mahāvīra lived and taught. Magadha kingdom coin, c. 430 - 320 BC, Karshapana. Magadha kingdom coin, c. 350 BC, Karshapana. With regard to the Buddha, this area stretched by and large from Śrāvastī, the capital of Kosala, in the north - west to Rājagṛha, the capital of Magadha, in the south - east ''. According to Bronkhorst `` there was indeed a culture of Greater Magadha which remained recognizably distinct from Vedic culture until the time of the grammarian Patañjali ( ca. 150 BC ) and beyond ''. Vedic texts such as the Satapatha Brahmana demonize the inhabitants of this area as demonic and as speaking a barbarous speech. The Buddhologist Alexander Wynne writes that there is an `` overwhelming amount of evidence '' to suggest that this rival culture to the Vedic Aryans dominated the eastern Gangetic plain during the early Buddhist period. Orthodox Vedic Brahmins were, therefore, a minority in Magadha during this early period. The Magadhan religions are termed the sramana traditions and include Jainism, Buddhism and Ājīvika. Buddhism and Jainism were the religions promoted by the early Magadhan kings, such as Srenika, Bimbisara and Ajatashatru, and the Nanda Dynasty ( 345 -- 321 BC ) that followed was mostly Jain. These Sramana religions did not worship the Vedic deities, practiced some form of asceticism and meditation ( jhana ) and tended to construct round burial mounds ( called stupas in Buddhism ). These religions also sought some type of liberation from the cyclic rounds of rebirth and karmic retribution through spiritual knowledge. Rulers This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( October 2016 ) Haryanka dynasty ( c. 600 -- 413 BC ) Bhattiya or Bimbisara ( 544 - 493 BC ) Ajatashatru ( 493 - 461 BC ) Udayabhadra Anuruddha Munda Nagadasaka Shishunaga dynasty ( 413 -- 345 BC ) Shishunaga ( 413 -- 395 BC ) Kakavarna Kalashoka ( 395 -- 367 BC ) Mahanandin ( 367 -- 345 BC ) Nanda Dynasty ( 345 -- 321 BC ) Mahapadma Nanda Ugrasena ( from 345 BC ), illegitimate son of Mahanandin, founded the Nanda Empire after inheriting Mahanandin 's empire Pandhuka Panghupati Bhutapala Rashtrapala Govishanaka Dashasidkhaka Kaivarta Dhana Nanda ( Agrammes, Xandrammes ) ( until 321 BC ), overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya See also Śiśunāga dynasty Nanda dynasty List of Legendary Kings of Magadha Kingdoms of Ancient India References Jump up ^ Ramesh Chandra Majumdar ( 1977 ). Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 81 - 208 - 0436 - 8. Jump up ^ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=V3KDaZY85wYC&pg=PA128&lpg=PA128&dq=Magadha+Landmass&source=bl&ots=kR_umsr6So&sig=mCh3Q9HhtXwJWB6EgBogMvLHytY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjr4pPQwa7VAhWoDMAKHfpWBCoQ6AEIHzAB#v=onepage&q=Magadha%20Landmass&f=false Jump up ^ Bronkhorst, Johannes, Greater Magadha, Studies in the Culture of Early India, 2007, Brill Academic Publishers Inc., Handbook of Oriental Studies, section 2, South Asia Series, ISBN 90 - 04 - 15719 - 0 Jump up ^ Archived 6 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Bronkorst, J ; Greater Magadha : Studies in the Culture of Early India ( 2007 ), pp. xi, 4 Jump up ^ Bronkorst, J ; Greater Magadha : Studies in the Culture of Early India ( 2007 ), p. 265 Jump up ^ Wynne Alexander, Review of Johannes Bronkhorst. Greater Magadha : Studies in the Culture of Early India. http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=31537 Jump up ^ Bronkorst, J ; Greater Magadha : Studies in the Culture of Early India ( 2007 ), p. 3 Jump up ^ Singh, Upinder ( 2016 ), A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India : From the Stone Age to the 12th Century, Pearson Education, ISBN 978 - 93 - 325 - 6996 - 6 Jump up ^ Singh, Upinder ( 2016 ), A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India : From the Stone Age to the 12th Century, Pearson Education, ISBN 978 - 93 - 325 - 6996 - 6 Bibliography Raychaudhuri, H.C. ( 1972 ). `` Political History of Ancient India ''. Calcutta : University of Calcutta. Law, Bimala Churn ( 1926 ). `` 4. The Magadhas ''. Ancient Indian Tribes. Motilal Banarsidas. Tribes and kingdoms mentioned in the Mahabharata Abhira Andhra Anarta Anga Anupa Assaka Asmaka Avanti Ay Bahlika Bhārata Chedi Chera Chola Chinas Dakshina Kosala Dakshinatya Danda Dasarna Dasharna Dasherka Dwaraka Gandhāra Garga Gomanta Gopa Rashtra Hara Huna Heheya Himalaya Huna Kanchi Kasmira Kalakuta Kalinga Kamboja Karnata Karusha Kashi Kekeya Kerala Khasa Kikata Kirata Kishkindha Konkana Kosala Kuninda Kunti Kuru Lanka Madra Madraka Magadha Maha Chinas Mahisha Malla Malava Matsya Mekhalas Mleccha Mudgala Mushika Nasikya Nepa Niharas Nishada Odra Pallava Panchala Pandya Parada Parama Kamboja Parasika Parvartaka Parvata Paurava Pishacha Pragjyotisha Pratyagratha Prasthala Pundra Pulinda Saka Salva Salveya Salwa Saraswata Saurashtra Sauvira Shakya Sindhu Sinhala Sivi Sonita Sudra Suhma Surparaka Surasena Tangana Trigarta Tulu Tushara Ursa Uttara Kuru Uttara Madra Utkala Vanga Vatadhana Vatsa Videha Vidarbha Yavana Yaudheya Mahajanapadas Great Indian Kingdoms ( c. 600 BCE -- c. 300 BCE ) Anga Assaka ( Asmaka ) Avanti Chedi Gandhara Kashi Kamboja Kosala Kuru Magadha Malla ( Mallarashtra ) Machcha ( Matsya ) Panchala Surasena Vajji Vatsa ( Vamsa ) Middle kingdoms of India Timeline and cultural period Northwestern India ( Punjab - Sapta Sindhu ) Indo - Gangetic Plain Central India Southern India Western Gangetic Plain ( Kuru - Panchala ) Northern India ( Central Gangetic Plain ) Northeastern India ( Northeast India ) IRON AGE Culture Late Vedic Period Late Vedic Period ( Brahmin ideology ) Painted Grey Ware culture Late Vedic Period ( Kshatriya / Shramanic culture ) Northern Black Polished Ware Pre-history 6th century BC Gandhara Kuru - Panchala Magadha Adivasi ( tribes ) Culture Persian - Greek influences `` Second Urbanisation '' Rise of Shramana movements Jainism - Buddhism - Ājīvika - Yoga Pre-history 5th century BC ( Persian rule ) Shishunaga dynasty Adivasi ( tribes ) 4th century BC ( Greek conquests ) Nanda empire Kalinga HISTORICAL AGE Culture Spread of Buddhism Pre-history Sangam period ( 300 BC -- 200 AD ) 3rd century BC Maurya Empire Early Cholas Early Pandyan Kingdom Satavahana dynasty Cheras 46 other small kingdoms in Ancient Thamizhagam Culture Preclassical Hinduism - `` Hindu Synthesis '' ( ca. 200 BC - 300 AD ) Epics - Puranas - Ramayana - Mahabharata - Bhagavad Gita - Brahma Sutras - Smarta Tradition Mahayana Buddhism Sangam period ( continued ) ( 300 BC -- 200 AD ) 2nd century BC Indo - Greek Kingdom Shunga Empire Maha - Meghavahana Dynasty Early Cholas Early Pandyan Kingdom Satavahana dynasty Cheras 46 other small kingdoms in Ancient Thamizhagam 1st century BC 1st century AD Indo - Scythians Indo - Parthians Kuninda Kingdom 2nd century Kushan Empire 3rd century Kushano - Sasanian Kingdom Kushan Empire Western Satraps Kamarupa kingdom Kalabhra dynasty Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Kalabhras ) Culture `` Golden Age of Hinduism '' ( ca. AD 320 - 650 ) Puranas Co-existence of Hinduism and Buddhism 4th century Kidarites Gupta Empire Varman dynasty Kalabhra dynasty Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Kalabhras ) Kadamba Dynasty Western Ganga Dynasty 5th century Hephthalite Empire Alchon Huns Kalabhra dynasty Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Kalabhras ) Vishnukundina 6th century Nezak Huns Kabul Shahi Maitraka Adivasi ( tribes ) Badami Chalukyas Kalabhra dynasty Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Kalabhras ) Culture Late - Classical Hinduism ( ca. AD 650 - 1100 ) Advaita Vedanta - Tantra Decline of Buddhism in India 7th century Indo - Sassanids Vakataka dynasty Empire of Harsha Mlechchha dynasty Adivasi ( tribes ) Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Kalabhras ) Pandyan Kingdom ( Revival ) Pallava 8th century Kabul Shahi Pala Empire Pandyan Kingdom Kalachuri 9th century Gurjara - Pratihara Rashtrakuta dynasty Pandyan Kingdom Medieval Cholas Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Cholas ) Chera Perumals of Makkotai 10th century Ghaznavids Pala dynasty Kamboja - Pala dynasty Kalyani Chalukyas Medieval Cholas Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Cholas ) Chera Perumals of Makkotai Rashtrakuta References and sources for table References Jump up ^ Samuel Jump up ^ Samuel Jump up ^ Michaels ( 2004 ) p. 39 Jump up ^ Hiltebeitel ( 2002 ) Jump up ^ Michaels ( 2004 ) p. 39 Jump up ^ Hiltebeitel ( 2002 ) Jump up ^ Micheals ( 2004 ) p. 40 Jump up ^ Michaels ( 2004 ) p. 41 Sources Flood, Gavin D. ( 1996 ), An Introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge University Press Hiltebeitel, Alf ( 2002 ), Hinduism. In : Joseph Kitagawa, `` The Religious Traditions of Asia : Religion, History, and Culture '', Routledge Michaels, Axel ( 2004 ), Hinduism. Past and present, Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press Samuel, Geoffrey ( 2010 ), The Origins of Yoga and Tantra. Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century, Cambridge University Press Magadh division topics General Magadha Barabar Caves Districts Arwal Aurangabad Gaya Jehanabad Nawada Community development blocks Konch Rivers Lilajan / Niranjana Mohana Punpun Son Transport NH 2 NH 31 NH 83 NH 96 NH 110 Grand Chord Asansol -- Gaya section Gaya -- Mughalsarai section Railway stations Gaya Junction Son Nagar Lok Sabha constituencies Aurangabad Gaya Jahanabad Nawada See also Cities and towns in Magadh Division People from Aurangabad Bihar topics Other Divisions Bhagalpur Darbhanga Kosi Munger Patna Purnia Saran Tirhut Historical regions of North India Ajmer Awadh Bagelkhand Bhojpur Braj Bundelkhand Delhi Doab Doaba Dhundhar Garhwal Gird Godwar Hadoti Jaisalmer Jangladesh Kumaon Magadha Mahakoshal Majha Malwa Malwa ( Punjab ) Marwar Mewar Mewat Mithila Nimar Purvanchal Rohilkhand Shekhawati Vagad Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Magadha&oldid=817275640 '' Categories : Former countries in Asia States and territories disestablished in the 4th century BC Magadha Ancient India Empires and kingdoms of India History of Bihar Iron Age cultures of South Asia Mahajanapadas Jain empires and kingdoms Regions of Bihar 4th - century BC disestablishments in India Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Use dmy dates from July 2013 Use Indian English from November 2015 All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English Articles needing additional references from September 2015 All articles needing additional references Wikipedia articles needing rewrite from March 2016 All articles needing rewrite Articles with multiple maintenance issues Former country articles requiring maintenance All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2016 Articles with unsourced statements from October 2016 Articles needing additional references from October 2016 Bihar articles missing geocoordinate data All articles needing coordinates Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikivoyage Languages Alemannisch تۆرکجه বাংলা Беларуская भोजपुरी Català Čeština Deutsch Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 हिन्दी Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ಕನ್ನಡ ქართული Lietuvių Magyar मैथिली മലയാളം მარგალური မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands नेपाल भाषा 日本 語 Нохчийн Norsk Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча پنجابی Polski Português Русский संस्कृतम् Scots සිංහල Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் తెలుగు ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 27 December 2017, at 09 : 24. 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Question: who was the last ruler of magadha kingdom
Answer: Dhana Nanda