Maghada Empire

Maghada Empire-

Introduction to Maghada Empire-

• The struggle for political pre-eminence among the four Mahajanapadas of Kasi, Kosala, Magadha and Vajji lasted for about one hundred years.

• Ultimately, the kingdom of Magadha emerged to be the most powerful and succeeded in founding an empire in entire northern India

Magadha-

• The kingdom in Magadha correspondence to the modern district of Patna and Gaya, Jehannabad, Nalanda and Auryangabad in Southern Bihar.

• It was bounded on the north by the river, Ganges, on the east by the river Champa, on the south by the Vindhya Range of mountains and on the west by the Soan River

Sources of Information of Magadha empire-

We have information about this kingdome form following sources-

Budhist texts like-

• Tripitikas and the Jatakas,Mahavamsa and Dipavamsa etc.

Jain-

• Acharanga Sutra and Sutrakritanga etc.

Travelers-

• Megasthenes- visited the court of Chandragupta Maurya etc.

Arthashastra of Kautilya -

• It has been considered as an important source of information for the Mauryan period.

Other sources like- Coins,Pottery etc.

Reasons for rise of Magadha-

• Magadha enjoyed an advantageous geographical position in the age of iron, because the richest iron deposits were situated in and around its earliest capital Rajgir.

• The strategic situations of both the capitals of the Magadhan Empire were very favourable from defence point of view.

• The two capitals of Magadha, the earliest at Rajgir and the second at Pataliputra, were situated at very strategic points.

• Rajgir was surrounded by a group of five hills and Pataliputra was situated on the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Gandak and Sone ( which was helpful for better transportationa nd movement of armies).

• Magadha enjoyed a special advantage in military organisation.

• On account of the richness of the kingdom the rulers could afford to have a strong, well-equipped and well organised army.

• The army was consists of chariots, elephants and horses.

• Magadha was located in a region which had abundance of timber.

• Megasthenes has remarked about the wooden walls and houses of Magadha.

• Timber could be easily used to manufacture boats through which the Magadhan army could advance towards the east and the west.

• The liberal religious approach of the rulers of Magadha also one of the factors for the rise and growth of the empire. The Magadha rulers made the best use of the intermixing of the cultures of both the Aryans and non-Aryans.

Early Rulers of Maghada-

Magadha before Chandragupt Maurya-

1.The Brihadrathas

• Brihadratha was the founder of Barhadratha dynasty, the earliest ruling dynasty of Magadha.

• According to Mahabharata and the Puranas, he was the son of Vasu, the Kuru king of Chedi.

• Ripunjaya was the last in his lineage.

2.Bimbisara

• Magadha‟s gradual rise to political supremacy began with Bimbisara.

• He was also known as Seniya or Shrenik.

• According to Ashvaghosha’s Buddhacharita, Bimbisara belonged to the Haryanka dynasty.

• He is considered to be the first important ruler of Magadha.

• He followed the policy of annexation and matrimonial alliances to increase the prestige and strength of Magadha.

• He married Mahakosala, sister of king Prasanjit of Kosala.

• This marriage brought him a village in Kashi as dowry.

• He also married Vidhehan princes Khema. Another queen of Bimbisara was Chellana; she was the daughter of Chetaka, the ruler of Vaisali.

• Bimbisara conquered and annexed the kingdom of Anga after defating Brahmadatta.

• It is stated that Bimbisara sent his Physician Jivak to attend to Pradyota, King of Avanti, who was suffering from jaundice. It established cordial relations between the two.

• The Mahabagga suggests that Bimbisara had a large kingdom consisting of eighty thousand prosperous villages.

• Bimbisara appointed his own Physician Jivka to attend Buddha and other monks.

• Tradition tells us that Bimbisara was imprisoned by his son Ajatashatru (prince Kunika) who is said to have starved him to death

3.Ajatashatru-

• He gained complete control over Kashi and broke the earlier amicable relations with Kosala by attacking his maternal uncle and the king of Kosala, Prasenajit.

• The Jain texts represented Ajastastra as a Jaina and in the Buddhist text as a Buddhist.

1^st  war

• This was followed by a war between Kosala and Magadha but The war between the two states ended with a peace treaty.

• According to the terms of the treaty, the village Kashi was returned to Ajatashatru. Prasanjit also gave his daughter Vajira in marriage to Ajatashatru.

2^nd war-

• Ajatashatru wage his second war against the Lichhavis of Vaisali. Vaisali was a powerful republic.

• The Lichchhavis who were then at the heyday of their political power formed a confederation with the republic chiefs of Kasi and Kosala.

• Ajatashatru realized that he would not be able to defeat in direct war. So he sent his able minister, Vassakara to sow the seeds of discord, disunion and dissention among the Lichchhavis.

• The minister was successful in his mission

Patliputra-

• To conduct the operation against the Lichchhavis more effectively he ordered to construct a fort at a village called Patali on the bank of river Ganges which after wards grew under the name of Pataliputra and eventually became the capital of Magadha

Finally Ajatashatru won the battle and he used 2 important things to win this war -

Mahasilakantaga

• It was a kind of cotapult which hurled big pieces of stone on the enemy.

The Rathamusala

• It was a chariot which created havoc by wheeling about and hurling destruction by its attached rods

4.Udayin or Udayabhadra

• There is no certainty about the successor of Ajatashatru and Udayin or Udayabhadra was possible successor after ajatshatru.

• The Puranas insert a ruler named Darsaka before him.

• The most important event of his reign was that he shifted the capital of Magadha from Rajagriha to Pataliputra.

• The Gargi Samhita and the Vayu Purana also state that he built the city of Kusumpura or Pataliputra in the fourth year of his reign.

• He is said to have built a fort on the confluence of the Ganga and the Son 

5.Sisunaga

• Shishunaga, a viceroy at Benaras, was placed on the throne in 413 BCE.

• The rule of the Shishunaga dynasty too was of short duration and gave way to the rule of the Nanda dynasty headed by the usurper Mahapadma Nanda.

• Sisunaga had acted as the Magadhan viceroy at Varanasi before he became king.

• He had a second royal residence at Vaisali which ultimately became his capital.

• The most important achievement of Sisunaga was that he destroyed the power of the Pradyota dynasty(Varti Varadhana or Avanti Vardhana) of Avanti

6.Kalashoka

• He once again shifted the capital of Magadhan Empire to Pataliputra.

• It was during his reign that the second Buddhist council was convened at Vaisali.

The Nanda Dyansty-

• The Sisunagas were succeeded by the Nandas who proved to be the most powerful rulers of Magadha.

• It was during the rule of the Nandas in Magadha and the Ganga plains as a whole that the invasion of Alexander took place in north-west India in 326 BCE.

• The Nandas are therefore, often described as the first empire-builders of India.

• They made the first attempt to give political unity to India by subjugating several states.

• They carved out an empire which extended from North India upto Godavari.

Rulers of Nanda Dynasty-

1.Mahapadma Nanda

• He is considered as founder of Nanda Dyansty.

• Mahapadma Nanda was the first great historical emperor who united the fragmented parts of India under one political umbrella.

• His low origin marked the end of the age-old hegemony of the Kshatriyas.

• The Greek classical writings describe the might of the Nanda empire when they tell us about their vast army which is said to have consisted of 20,000 cavalry, 200,000 infantry, 2000 chariots and 3000 elephants.

• The Kshatriya dynasties which were overthrown by him comprised the following: Ikshavakus, Panchalas, Kasis, Haihayas, Kalingas, Asmakas, Kurus, Maithilas, Surasena and Vitihotras.

• He possibly conquered Odisha Kalinga.

• A possible indication of Nanda military victories in Kalinga is suggested by the later Hatigumpha inscription of king Kharavela

2.DhanaNanda

• DhanaNanda was the last king of Nanda dynasty.

• He was ruling Magadha at the time of Alexander‟s imvasion. The Greek accounts call him Agrammes or Xandrames.

• Despite the vastness of his empire and largeness of his army he could not earn the love of his people because of the excessive burden of tax that he had levied on the people due to his greed for money.

• After Alexander‟s deparature Chandragupta Maurya took advantage of the weakness of Dhana Nanda and uprooted the Nanda dynasty

The Mauryan Empire

• In 322BC, Magadha, under the rule of Chandragupta Maurya, began to assert its power over neighbouring areas.

• Situated on rich alluvial soil and near mineral deposits, especially iron, Magadha was the centre of bustling commerce and trade.

• The Maurya Empire was built on the foundation laid by the Nandas

Sources of Mauryan Empire-

A.Literary Sources-

1.Kautilya’s Arthasastra

• This book in Sanskrit was written by Kautilya, a contemporary of Chandragupta Maurya.

• Kautilya was also called ‘Indian Machiavelli’.

• The manuscript of Arthasastra was first discovered by R. Shama Sastri in 1904.

The Arthasastra contains 15 books and 180 chapters but it can be divided into three parts:

• The first deals with the king and his council and the departments of government.

• The second with civil and criminal law.

• The third with diplomacy and war.

2.Visakadatta’s Mudrarakshasa

• The Mudrarakshasa written by Visakadatta is a drama in Sanskrit.

• Although written during the Gupta period, it describes how Chandragupta with the assistance of Kautilya overthrew the Nandas.
• It also gives a picture on the socio-economic condition under the Mauryas.

3.Megasthenes’ Indica

• Megasthenes was the Greek ambassador in the court of Chandragupta Maurya.

• His account gives details about the Mauryan administration, particularly the administration of the capital city of Pataliputra and also the military organization.

• His picture on contemporary social life is notable.

4.Other Literary sources-

• The Puranas and the Buddhist literature such as Jatakas provide information on the Mauryas.

• The Ceylonese Chronicles Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa throw light on the role Asoka in spreading Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

B.Archaeological Sources-

• Edicts of Ashoka are most important Archielogical sources.

• The inscriptions of Asoka were first deciphered by James Princep in 1837.

• They are written in Pali language and in some places Prakrit was used.

• The Brahmi script was employed for writing.

• In the northwestern India Asokan inscriptions were found in Karoshti script.

The Kings or Rulers of Mauryan Dynasty

A.Chandragupta Maurya-

• Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Mauryan empire.

• The early life of the first Maurya emperor is not known properly.

• A number of Indian historians are of the view that Chandragupta was the illegitimate son of a king from the Nanda dynasty of Magadha from a maid named ‘Mura’.

• As a boy, Chandragupta held mock courts to dispose justice among his playmates.

• While engage in such an activity once he was spotted by Chanakya, the crafty Brahmana who had a grudge against the Nanda King of Magadha.

• Struck by the impressive personality of Chandragupta, Chanakya brought him from the hunter and took him away to Taxila.

• There at Taxila Chandragupta was given education and military training with an aim at the destruction of Nanda dynasty

War with Seleucus Nikator-

• One of the first major achievements of Chandragupta Maurya on the military front was his contact with Seleucus Nikator who ruled over the area west of the Indus around 305 BCE.

• In the war that ensued Chandragupta is said to have turned out victorious and eventually, peace was established with this Greek viceroy by around 303 BCE.

• In return Chandragupta gave 500 elephants to seleucus as a token of present.

• In return for 500 elephants Seleucus gave him eastern Afghanistan, Baluchistan and the area west of the Indus.

• Seleucus surrendered Afghanistan and Baluchistan and also gave his daughter Helen’s hand in marriage to Chandragupta.

• Seleucus sent Megasthenes as an ambassador to the court of Chandragupta.

• Megasthenes stayed with Chandragupta for over five years, travelling through the Mauryan empire and wrote an account of his travels in the book Indica

Conquest of Western India-

• He conqured the province of Saurastra and Kathiawar

Junagarh rock inscription-

• The conquest of western India is mentioned in this inscription.

• The inscription records that Puspagupta was the governor of Chandragupta in Saurastra, who constructed water reservoir known as the Sudarshana Lake and was defeated by him.

Influence in South Indian states-

• There is no clear opinion regarding control of southern India by Chandragupta maurya

Sravana Belgola

• Jaina traditions speak of the relationship between Chandragupta and the Jaina saint Bhadrabahu.

• It is also known that in the later part of his life, Chandragupta became the Chief disciple of the Jaina saint Bhadrabahu and died at Sravana Belgola in Karnataka by starving himself to death in typical Jaina tradition.

• The Tamil writers of the Sangam texts of the early centuries CE make allusion to “Moriyar” which is said to refer to the Mauryas and their contact with the south, but this probably refers to the reign of Chandragupta’s successor

Overthrow of the Nandas-

• At that time DhanaNanda, the last Nanda King was unpopular and so oppressive that the people felt restless against his misrule.

• Prevaling discontent against Nanda rule this created a favourable atmosphere.

• Chandragupta assisted by Chanakya first conqured the outlying areas of Nanda Empire before having a direct confrontation.

B.Bindusara

• Chandragupta was succeeded by his son Bindusara, who ruled between 297 and 273 BCE.

• The Mahabhashya refers to Chandragupta’s successor as Amitraghata, which literary means ‘a slayer of enemies’.

• On the other hand, Greek accounts such as those of Athenaios and Strabo knew him as Amitrokhates or Alitrokhates.

• These names were probably royal epithets, which further indicate his military powers

C. Ashoka

• Ashoka succeeded his father Bindusara upon his death in 273 BCE.

• For a long time till 1837, not much was known about Ashoka.

• In that year James Princep deciphered a Brahmi inscription referring to a king called Devanampiya  Piyadasi (Beloved of the Gods)

Ashoka will be discussed in detail in separate notes

Administration of Mauryan Dynasty

• From Kautilya‟s Arthasastra, Megasthenese „Indika‟ we gather detailed account of the Government and administration.

• By the time of the Mauryas, the office of the king had become hereditary and the divine origin of monarchy had attained maturity and had given the king wide powers.

• The Arthashastra, Greek accounts and Ashokan inscriptions give us a good idea about the administrative system

1.1 The King

• The Mauryan king was the head of the State and of the administration.

• His government was monarchical in nature.

• He was the supreme head of the state embodying in himself legislative, executive, judicial and military functions.

• He ruled the people by following established principles of Dharma.

• In Arthasastra, it is mentioned that the happiness of the king lies in the welfare and the ultimate good of his subjects.

• The king was paid in the form of taxes by his subjects in return for his services to the kingdom.

• He had the power to appoint or remove the ministers (amatyas).

• The capital, Pataliputra, was the centre of the imperial administration.

• The central administration was divided into several departments.

1.2 Council of Ministers-

• The Arthashastra and Ashokan edicts mention a mantri parishad.

• The council of ministers was a small body consisting of 3–12 members.

• Each of them was the head of one or a few of the administrative departments and sometimes, one of them could be appointed as the chief or prime minister.

• All of them were appointed by the king on merit and could also be dismissed by him.

• Kautilya’s Arthashastra describes about eighteen ministers with specific portfolios

1.3 The State Council-

• It was a large body and the number of its members varied between 12, 16 or 20 and, according to Kautilya, it could include as many members as the need of the state required.

• These councils played an effective role in the administration of the kingdom

Tirthas and Adhyakshas-

• The highest-ranking category of officials in the Mauryan administration was known as Tirthas.

• In total, there were 18 Tirthas.

• Ranked next to Tirthas were the Adhyakshya.

• In total, there were 20 Adhyakshyas. They had economic and military functions.

1.4 Provincial Administration-

• The empire was divided into a number of provinces and each province was placed under a prince or Kumaras.

• The vast empire was divided into the following six provinces called chakra.

Uttarapath-

• This province included the cities of Gandhar, Kambhoj, Afghanistan, Kashmir and Punjab. The capital was Taxila.

Madhyadesh-

• This province included modern day Uttar Pradesh, Bengal and Bihar. The capital was Pataliputra.

Dakshinapath-

• This province included Vindhyachal and all the states of south India. The capital was Suvarnagiri.

Avantirashtra-

• Kathiawad, Gujarat, Rajputana and Malwa constituted this province. The capital was Ujjain.

Kalinga-

• It included modern Orissa and parts of Andhra Pradesh. Its capital was Toshali.

Griharajya-

•  It covered the capital region of the empire.

Division of Provinces-

• The provinces were further divided into districts or Janapadas.

• At the district level, the officials listed were Pradeshika, Rajuka and Yukta.

Pradeshika-

• He was the overall in-charge of the district.

Rajjukas -

• They were the officers for land measurement and fixing their boundaries. 

• They were also given power to punish the guilty and set free the innocents

The Yukta-

• He was a junior officer giving secretarial kind of assistance to the other two

Gramika-

• The local people appointed as officials in the village were called as gramika.

Gopa and Sthanika

• They were intermediaries between the district and village level administrative units

Duties of Gopa and Sthanika-

• Demarcating village boundaries.

• Maintaining records of land .

• Recording income and expenditure of people.

• Recording taxes etc.

Amatyas-

• They were high ranking officials that had administrative and judicial roles, they were known as Amatyas

1.5 -City Administration-

• Each town was under a chief called Nagarak. Gop and Sthanik were the officials to assist the Nagarak.

Committees

• For the administration of town, there were six committees of five people each.

• Each committee had its work schedule

We got information of these commitees from Megesthenes

Other-

Then there were various governors like- 

• Durgapala- the Governors of forts.

• Akshapatala -the Accountant General.

• Antapala -the Governors of frontiers.

1.6 The Army-

• Entire army worked under the control of the Senapati or the commander-in-Chief.

• Megasthenes also gives details of Mauryan Military administration.

• Chandragupta‟s army consisted of 6, 00, 000 infantry, 30,000 Cavalry, 9,000 elephant and 8,000 chariots.

• Megasthenes records that the army was controlled by a war office constituted by 30 members distributed over six boards of five members each.

• The army was divided into six wings, each under the control of one board.

• Kautilya too refers to a standing army with four main divisions – infantry, The Mauryan ‘Empire’ cavalry, chariots, and elephants.

• Each of these divisions was placed under commanding officers respectively known as patyadhyaksha , ashvadhyaksha, rathadhyaksha , and hastyadhakshya

Ayudhagaradhyaksha- 

• who looked after the production and maintenance of a variety of armaments

1.7 The Judicial System-

• The judicial administration under Chandragupta Maurya was quite well organized

The Arthasastra mentioned two kinds of law courts;

 Dharamasthiya

• Court where civil law was administered and the.

• The Dharmasthiya courts Presided over by three amatyas and three dharmasthas (jurists) dealt with all civil cases in accordance with traditional laws

Kantakasodhana or the Criminal Court-

• The Kantakasodhana courts were presided over by three Pradeshtris or amatyas, assisted by an army of spies. The punishments were very severe.

• In Ashoka’s inscriptions the judicial responsibilities lay with the city mahamatas

1.8- Police and Espionage Systems-

• Arthashastra mentions a well-knit system of espionage.

The Arthashastra described a very elaborate setup with regard to these spies, enlisting two types

Sansthas(stationary):

• They stayed at one place and delivered secret news and consisted of students and common men. 

Sancharas(Moving):

• They travelled from one place to another and gathered news.

• The jail was called Bandhangara and the lock-up was known as Charaka.

Mauryan Society

2.1 Division of society-

• According to Arthashastra, the society was divided into four varnas: Brahmanas, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra.

• Megasthenes and later Greek authors describe Indian society at the time of Mauryas as being divided into seven distinct groups – philosophers, cultivators, hunters and herdsmen, artisans and traders, overseers (spies) and the king’s counselors.

• Megasthenes notes that these occupations were hereditary in nature and intermarriage between groups was not allow.

• Megasthenes And Kautalya have some difference about it.

• Megasthenes however seems to think that there was no concept of slavery in India.

• On the other hand, we know from other sources that there were some kind of slavery for example Vishti- It was a kind of Tax in form of paid labour to the state.

• Kautilya also described different kinds of slaves.

2.2 Ashramas-

Life was divided into four Ashramas:

• Brahmacharya, Grihasthashram, Vanprasthashram and Sanyas

2.3 Condition of Women-

• The condition of women in the Mauryan age was worse as compared to the Vedic period.

• Sati and widow remarriage was practised.

• Women had no individual, civil or political rights.

• There are also evidences of prostitution.

2.4 Marriage-

• Marriages took place within the same castes. It was considered to be a main ritual.

Marriage was of eight types:

• Brahma, Dev, Arya, Prajapatya, Aasur, Gandharv, Rakshas and Paisach

2.5 Public Welfare-

• A number of public welfare works were undertaken during the reign of the Mauryas like irrigation,Hospitals,roads etc.

• According to the Junagadh Rudradaman’s inscription (2nd century CE), Sudarshana lake was constructed during the time of Chandragupta.

• The citizens were given protection against natural calamities like famines, floods etc.

2.6 Census-

• There was a proper system of census, which registered all the details of the deaths and births. 

• Nagarika was the census officer who was responsible to keep a ready reference data of the farmers, cattle, traders, cowherds etc.

Mauryan Economy-

3.1 Revenue administration

A.Officials-

Samharta

• He was the revenue department chief.

Sannidhata

• Treasury was under the supervision of the official named as Sannidhata

Sitadhyaksha

• He was in charge of cultivation of crown lands

Sulkaadhyaksha

• He was in charge of Customs and Tolls

B.Taxes-

• The king imposed various types of taxes.
• The land revenue was the most important source of revenue.

There were three types of lands:

• Krista (arable land).

• Akrista (non-arable land).

• Sthal (barren land).

• Kautilyas Arthashastra lists 21 types of taxes that were imposed on the public.

• We know from Ashoka’s inscription at Lumbini that land revenue was of two kinds — bali and bhaga
• Probably hiranya (literally, gold) was a tax paid in cash.

Sita-

• The produce of the crown land was  called ‘Sita’

Bhaga-

• It was the share of revenue from private owned lands.

• The bhaga was one sixth or one fourth of the total product.

• The Lumbini edict of Ashoka says that during his visit to the birthplace of the Buddha, he exempted the village from the payment of bali and reduced the payment of bhaga to 1/8th

Setu-

• It was and type or tax levied on vegetables and fruits

Pindakara -

• It is to be paid by the villager/peasents

Senabhaktam 

• The village people had to give at the time when the army passed through the village

Prananya -

• It was a voluntary tax which was to be gifted by the cultivators to the sovereign

3.2 Trade-

• Fa-Hein’s description reveals that traders were given full freedom.

• They could easily move from one place to another.

• The people carried their goods from place to place through seas and land routes.

• In those days, Ujjain, Banaras, Vaisali, Gaya, Prayaga, Pataliputra and Mathura were the important centres of trade.

• These towns were linked through a network of roads.

• Rivers Ganga, Krishna, Godavari and Brahamaputra were utilized for trade.

• Tamralipti, a port in Bengal, was an important centre from where trade was carried on with the eastern countries like China, Ceylon, Java and Sumatra.

• Tondai was a famous port of the Chola state.

• Kalyana, Chol, Broach, Cambay were the important ports of South India.

Causes for decline of Mauryan Empire-

• Monarchial type of government.

• The Brahmanas felt antagonized because their privileged position was affected by the policies of Ashoka.

• Ashoka's transformation into a staunch supporter of Buddhism, his belief in the principle of non-violence, also played a role in the decline of the Mauryan Empire.

• During his reign, Ashoka gave up war and preached peace in the kingdom. It therefore may be assumed that since the later part of Ashoka's rule was devoid of wars, the military were inactive and this weakened them.

• Division and vastness of his empire.

• Disloyality of officials during later period.