Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India

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LURE - THRU THE AGES

MAGADHAN EMPIRE (543 B.C. - 400 B.C.)

Overview

Magadha embraces the districts of Patna

and Gaya. (South Bihar)

The earliest dynasty of Magadha was

founded by Brihadratha

(Mahabharata

and the Puranas)

Saisunga dynasty under King Sisunaga

ruled for 360 years (Mastya purana)

Powerful reign of Bimbisara (Haryanka

dynasty).

Rule of Nandas.

Buddha, Mahavira - the 24th Jain

Thirthankara, and Panini a great gram-

marian lived during this age.

They were succeeded by the great

Maury ans.

The second Buddhist Council was held at

Vaishali.

Advent

The Magadha dynasty was founded by

Brihadratha, the father of Jarasandha and son

of Vasu

(Mahabharata

and the

Puranas

); this

dynasty came to an end during 6th C.; later

Saisunga dynasty was founded by King Sisu-

naga who ruled for 360 years, they were suc-

ceeded by the Nandas who ruled for 100 years

(the Puranas).

Chronology

Brihadratha, * Sisunaga, * Kakavarna

Bimbisara, * Ajatasatru, * Darsaka

Udaya, * Nandivardhan, * Mahanandin

Mahapadmananda, * Dhanananda.

Note

: This version of history is dependent upon

the validity of Sandracottus - Chandragupta Maurya

synchronism claimed by Sir William Jones in the

18th C. but as K.D. Sethna has amply demon-

strated, this identity is questionable. A perfectly

consistent history can be constructed by equating

Sandracottus with Chandragupta, the founder of the

Gupta Empire.

Wars

Bimbisara's conquest and annexation of

the kingdom of Anga.

Ajatasatru's war against Kosala, Vaishali

and Avanti kingdoms.

Destruction of Pradyota dynasty of Avanti

by Sisunaga.

Mahapadmananda's war against and de-

feat of Uksharakus, Panchalas, Kasis,

Kalingas, Asmakas, Kurus etc.

Achievements

Establishment of a strong Magadha em-

pire in north India.

* Teachings of Mahavira and Buddha.

Period of Panini - the great grammarian -

Sanskrit work

Paniniyam

written in the

form of Sutras, with 8 (

asta

) chapters.

Susruta, the great physician and writer on

medicine, lived during this period, his

works were translated into Arabic.

Impact

Bimbisara's annexation of Anga and

Ajatashatru's conquests (Kosala, Vaishali,

Avanti) resulted in the expansion and consoli-

dation of the Magadhan empire.

Strengths

Powerful reign and conquests of Bimbis-

ara and Ajatasatru.

Weakness

Sources like

Puranas, Mahabharata

are

fictitious and abstract and it is very difficult to

fix the exact period and extent of Magadhan

empire based on them.

Bimbisara

(549-543 B.C.) : There is no

definite data regarding the Haryanka dynasty

and Bimbisara, but he was not the founder of

the dynasty; He was an ambitious king and

added to the prestige and strength of Magadha

by his policies of matrimonial alliances. A

person of determination and foresight, he

gradually expanded his kingdom and built up

an efficient administration, he conquered and

annexed the kingdom of Anga after defeating

Brahmadatta. The territory of Bimbisara in-

cluded 80,000 villages; he had an efficient

system of administration, exercised rigid con-

trol over his officers and ministers, the penal

code was harsh; there is no unanimity of

opinion about the religion of Bimbisara.

Buddhist texts say that he was a Buddhist and

the Jain writings mention him as the follower

and worshipper of Jainism; there is also con-

flicting evidence regarding the period of his

reign - 52 years (Mahavamsa), 603-551 B.C.

(Dr. R.K. Mookerjee), 28 years from c. 582-

544 B.C. (V.A. Smith); he was succeeded by

his son Ajatasatru after a brief war of succes-

sion. Ajatasatru is stated to have ruled from

551 B.C. to 519 B.C. it was during his period

that Haryanka dynasty reached its high water-

mark; he was a

great conquerer

fought

with the king of Kosala, Vaishali and Avanti.

The Jain and Buddhist texts claim that Ajatasa-

tru was the follower of their respective faiths;

he also met Buddha, this finds mention in the

'Bharhut Sculptures' of the 2nd C. B.C. He

was succeeded by Darsaka (Puranas), later

Sisunaga of Saisunga dynasty came to the

power of Magadha, he destroyed the glory of

the. Pradyota dynasty of Avanti, he was suc-

ceeded by Kakavarna or Kalasoka

(Puranas),

the second Buddhist council met at Vaishali

during his rule; Nandas succeeded the Sais-

unga dynasty. The first Nanda king was Ma-

hapadmananda and he was the destroyer of

Kshatriyas (Puranas), defeated the Ikshuvakas,

Panchalas, Kasis etc.; captured Asmaka; he

had 20,000 cavalry, 200,000 infantry, 3000

elephants and 2,000 four-horsed chariots

(Curtius), he ruled for 28 years; Dhanananda

was the last king of the Nanda dynasty (Ma-

habodhivamsha); the chief cause of the de-

cline of the Nandas was their financial extor-

tion, irreligiousness and hence they were over-

thrown by the Maury as.

Decline

The Magadhan empire came to an end

during the period of Nandas under Dhananda;

the financial extortion, the irreligiousness

(Adarmikah)

and unpopular rule contributed

to the decline of Nandas and the Magadhan

empire. Chandragupta Maurya under the able

guidance of Kautilya (Chanakya) uprooted

the Nandas and established the Maury an

empire

inc. 321 B.C.