GS1 › Vedic Age, Mahajanapadas and Heterodox Religions

Revision note: Mahajanapadas and the Rise of Magadha

  • Second urbanisation 6th c. BCE: iron, wet rice, punch-marked coins, NBPW, guilds
  • 16 Mahajanapadas (Anguttara Nikaya): Magadha–Rajagriha; Kosala–Shravasti; Avanti–Ujjain; Vatsa–Kaushambi; Anga–Champa; Gandhara–Taxila; Ashmaka (Godavari, only southern)
  • Gana-sanghas: Vajji/Lichchhavi (Vaishali), Mallas, Shakyas; santhagara, shalaka voting
  • Magadha's rise: hills & rivers as forts, fertile soil, iron, elephants, trade, able kings
  • Haryanka (Bimbisara, Ajatashatru, Udayin–Pataliputra) → Shishunaga (Avanti absorbed; 2nd council) → Nanda (Mahapadma, Dhana)
  • Darius I annexed Indus (Kharoshthi script); Alexander beat Porus at Hydaspes 326 BCE, stopped at Beas
Revision card summarising Mahajanapadas and the Rise of Magadha
One-page visual summary of the key points to revise.

Source: https://upscprep.in/upsc/gs1/vedic-age-mahajanapadas-and-heterodox-religions/mahajanapadas-and-the-rise-of-magadha/ · UPSCPrep.in

← Read the full lesson