Magadha has a special place in ancient Indian history. In ancient times, India was the power of many small and big states. The majestic kings of Magadha conquered these states and established a vast and powerful empire over a large part of India, and thus the rulers of Magadha first displayed their imperialist tendencies. Even before the establishment of the Maurya dynasty in Magadha, Many Rulers had made the Magadha Empire powerful with their muscle Power and Valor.
Reasons for the Rise of Magadha Empire
- Magadha was in a very safe place between the upper and lower parts of the vast coastal plains of North India, being situated in an inaccessible place between five hills, it was almost impossible for the enemies to reach there.
- Merchant facilities increased in Magadha due to the Ganges river and the importance of Magadha increased from an economic point of view. The land of Magadha Empire was very fertile, hence Magadha was a prosperous state economically. The abundance of elephants in the Magadha Empire's flourishing also contributed significantly to the rise of the Magadha Empire.
- Iron was found in abundance and easily in the Magadha Empire. This was an important source of Magadha's power. With this, the land could be cleared for cultivation by clearing the forest and the yield could be increased.
Rise of Magadha Empire
The political history of this period for a long time is mainly an account of the struggle for supremacy in the above states. Over time, Magadha emerged as the most powerful kingdom and spread into a vast empire. Magadha became powerful during the reign of King Bimbasara (544-492-BC). He was a contemporary of Lord Buddha and belonged to the Haryanka dynasty. From the very beginning Bimbasara followed the policy of expansion. He had some facilities to strengthen his position. His kingdom was protected by rivers and hills all around. His capital was along the Rajgir hills. The rich and fertile soil of his empire yielded a lot. The Hiranyavata or Son river encouraged trade. Thus trade and land taxes were the main sources of income of the state.
The Iron-Rich mines of Magadha and the surrounding regions helped in the manufacture of iron weapons. The inclusion of Anga in his kingdom was one of the most important achievements of Bimbassara. The capital of Anga, Champa was an important center of trade. Bimbasara made his son Ajatashatru the governor of this state. Avanti was the main enemy of Magadha. Bimbasara had a long war with its ruler Pradyot Mahasen, which however eventually turned into friendship. In Buddhist texts we learn that Bimbasara had sent his physician Jivaka to treat Pradyota Mahasena, who was suffering from a serious illness. Bimbasara established matrimonial relations with the important royal families of Kosala, Vaishali and Bhadra. In marriage to the sister of the Kosala king Prasenjit, Bimbasar received a lot of villages in dowry. These marriages strengthened his position and increased his prestige. Thus by matrimonial ties and conquests, Bimbasara made Magadha a very powerful Kingdom.
Bimbasar organized efficient administration. Both Mahavira and Buddha preached his doctrines during his reign and it is said that he had a close relationship with both. Probably he was killed at the hands of Ajatashatru who captured the throne.
Ajatashatru found himself surrounded by many enemies. King Prasenjit declared war against him and he also had long wars with the Lichchhavis and the Vijjis. The kingdoms of Kashi and Avanti also became his enemies. Ajatashatru faced these challenges with courage and success and made Magadha a bigger kingdom. His son Udayana (460 BC - 444 BC) built the city of Pataliputra, which became the new capital of Magadha. The dynasty of Bibisar was followed by the rule of Shishunagas and finally the throne of Magadha was usurped by Mahapadma Nanda.
According to the Puranas, the Nandas belonged to the lower caste and were not Kshatriyas. But he proved himself to be the most powerful ruler and probably annexed Kalinga to his empire. At the time of Alexander's invasion (326 BC), the Nanda were ruling Magadha. According to some historical records, the power of the Nandas discouraged Sikandar from moving further in India and forced him to return home. According to Greek accounts, Dhanananda had a huge army of 20,000 horses, 2,00,000 padatis, 2,000 chariots and at least 3,000 elephants. Nand became unpopular for various reasons. They imposed heavy taxes on the people to maintain a huge army and they became oppressive as well as very arrogant. According to tradition, the autocratic rule of the Nandas was established by Chandragupta Maurya in about 323 BC. I threw up. It is also believed that a Brahmin named Chanakya helped Chandragupta a lot in this achievement. Some of the Mahajanapadas were imperialistic and some were democratic. Magadha emerged as a very powerful state during the reign of Bimbasara and Ajatashatru. During the reign of the Nanda kings, Sikandar entered the Punjab, but did not change further due to the fear of Nanda's army. Chandragupta Maurya defeated King Nanda and got the rule of Magadha. He ascended the throne of Macedonia (a kingdom of Greece) at the age of 20 after the death of his father. After two years, he left for world conquest with a huge army. 331 BC In 327 BC he destroyed the vast Velvet Empire and in 327 BC. By taking possession of Balkh or Bactrian, he knocked on the Indian door. Alexander's inner campaign had two phases.
- Alexander's expedition to the Beas river
- Alexander's Return
4th century BC Greece and Persia fought for authority over West Asia during the Ultimately, the Greeks under the leadership of Alexander of Macedonia destroyed the Ichmani kingdom. He conquered Asia Minor, Iraq and Iran and then proceeded towards India. According to the Greek historian Hirodotam, Alexander was very much attracted by the wealth of India. At the time of Alexander's invasion, North-West India was divided into small monarchies. The lack of unity helped the Greeks to win them one after the other. Among them the most important kings were Ambhi and Porus. Had they put aside their differences and took a united front, perhaps the Greeks could have been defeated. In contrast, the Taxila king Ambhi helped Alexander against Porus. Ambhi surrendered to Alexander without protesting. But Bahadur Porus, whose kingdom was on the banks of the Jhelum, protested strongly. Although he was defeated, Alexander was impressed by his bravery and treated him with respect and returned his kingdom.
After this, Alexander moved towards the Vyas river and defeated many states of Punjab. He wanted to advance in the east, but his soldiers heard about the huge army and power of Nanda of Magadha and, being discouraged, refused to proceed. According to Greek historians, after a long campaign of ten years, he was also haunted by the memory of home. Despite Alexander's repeated requests, the soldiers refused to move towards the east and Alexander had to return. Thus his dream of establishing an empire in the east was not fully realized.
On his return journey, Alexander defeated many minor republics like Sibi and Shudraka. Alexander lived in India for 19 months (326 BC-325 BC). In these months he fought only wars. 323 BC He died in Babylon (near Baghdad) at the age of 32 in AD. Alexander did not find time to organize his conquests. Most of the states were returned to his rulers, who accepted his authority. He divided his occupied territories, which included parts of Eastern Europe and a large part of West Asia, into three parts. For him Alexander appointed three governors. The eastern part of his empire went to Seleucus Nicator, who, after the death of his master, Alexander, declared himself king.
Alexander's invasion paved the way for political unity in India. Alexander had conquered all the small and quarrelsome kingdoms, and the expansion of the Mauryas in this area became easy. Alexander 326 BC I invaded India. He had conquered Punjab up to the river Jhelum. But he could not organize his empire. Alexander's invasion helped in the process of political integration.
6th century BC In the time of Lord Buddha, there were sixteen mahajanapadas or elaborate regional kingdoms. Some of them were imperialistic and some were democratic. Of these sixteen kingdoms, Magadha eventually became the supreme power. Certain factors were responsible for the rise of Gamadha. The iron mines found there helped the people to make strong weapons. Fertile land, additional food and rivers providing sea routes helped in the development of trade and commerce. As a result, Magadha became the most prosperous and powerful state.
Bimbasara was the first king who made Magadha great. He did this through conquests and marital relations. Magadha became a huge empire during the reign of Ajajashatru. It reached its peak during the Nadana period. Gradually Magadha annexed many border states with her. When Alexander invaded Northwest India, the Nanda were the rulers. Instead of making much progress in India, the Greek leader soon withdrew. The Greeks probably thought that it was not wise to compete with the strong Magadha Empire.
The supremacy of Magadha - The Main Factors
Magadha grew into a large state under a strong central government, the result of the hard work of several ambitious kings such as Bimbasara, Ajatashatru and Mahapadma Nanda, who increased their power under an imperialist policy. Magadha also became very important from the religious point of view. Both Jainism and Buddhism flourished in this region, which greatly influenced the social life of the people. The Vaish community prospered with the development of agriculture and trade, but it did not get any recognition from the Brahminical society. Therefore they preferred to accept Jainism and Buddhism, which did not recognize the orthodox caste system and also banned animal sacrifice, which were very important in the agricultural economy. As mentioned earlier, the Magadha people used the rich iron mines available in this region to make strong weapons and agricultural implements. This helped them to attain a position of advantage politically and economically. Magadha also had some other facilities. Both the capitals of Magadha, first Rajgir and later Pataliputra, were in a socially important position. The fort of Rajgir was surrounded by five hills. Hence it was also called Girivajra. It was very difficult for the invaders to enter from the capital.
Fifth Century BC The capital of Magadha shifted to Pataliputra, which was built by Udayin, the son of Ajatashatru. Pataliputra was situated at the confluence of three rivers, the Ganges, the Gandak and the Son. The fourth river Saryu also used to join the Ganges near Pataliputra. It was surrounded on all sides by rivers, which made it virtually a "Jaldurg" where it was almost impossible for enemies to reach. Using these rivers as highways, the Magadha kings could send their soldiers in any direction.
The fertile alluvial soil brought by the Ganges and its tributaries made the Magadha region very prosperous. By clearing the forests with iron tools and implements, more and more land was cultivated. The warm climate and heavy rainfall enabled the farmers to grow heavy crops without much difficulty. It is mentioned in Buddhist texts that the farmers of Magadha used to grow many varieties of rice. The surplus produce could be used by the king to pay salaries to his soldiers and officers. Business also flourished because of the extra food. The waterways of Magadha controlled the trade and commerce of East India. Many important towns along the banks of these rivers developed into important trade centres, which prompted the Magadha kings to impose a road tax on the sale of goods. This helped them to amass immense wealth and maintain a huge army.
War Elephants were a special part of Magadha's army. Magadha was the first state, which used elephants on a large scale in war. The rest of the other kingdoms were often dependent on chariots and horses. Elephants were useful in demolishing forts and walking in swamps. From Greek sources we learn that Magadha's army had 6,000 elephants, which created panic in the minds of the soldiers who had captured Punjab under the leadership of Alexander. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why he returned to Greece instead of attacking the Magadha Empire. The non-conservative character of the society of Magadha also indirectly helped in its development. Some prominent historians are of the opinion that the main reason for the rise of Magadha as a powerful state was the ethnic mix of the people of this region. Found in many communities hybrid was in Magadha, which led to the development of a mixed culture, which was very different from orthodox Vedic Society in Nature.
The Geographical location of Magadha greatly influenced its history. It protected it from foreign invasions and increased trade and agriculture in the interest of its inhabitants. Its iron-rich mines helped the people of Magadha to make iron weapons and tools. The ethnic mix of the people of Magadha made them Non-Orthodox.
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