The Sixteen Mahajanpadas

Mahajanapadas

The Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya gives the following list of sixteen Mahajanapadas in the time of Buddha:

1. Kashi

2. Kuru

3. Kosala

4. Panchala

5. Anga

6. Maccha (Matsya)

7. Magadha

8. Surasena

9. Vajji

10. Assaka

11. Malla

12. Avanti

13. Chedi

14. Gandhara

15. Vatsa

16. Kamboja

• The Mahavastu, another Buddhist work, gives a similar list of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. However, it does not…

… (411 more words, 9 figures) …

Subscribe (by clicking here) to view full notes and track progress.

The Sixteen Mahajanpadas: Kosala, Anga

Kosala

• The powerful kingdom of Kosala was bounded by the Sadanira (Gandak) on the east, the Gomati on the west, the Sarpika or Syandika (Sai) on the south, and the Nepal hills to the north.
• The Saryu river divided it into a northern and a southern part. Shravasti (identified with modern Saheth-Maheth) was the capital of north Kosala, and Kushavati the capital of south Kosala.
• Saketa and Ayodhya were two other important …

… (251 more words, 4 figures) …

Subscribe (by clicking here) to view full notes and track progress.

The Sixteen Mahajanpadas: Magadha, Vajji, Malla

Magadha

• Magadha roughly covers the area around Patna and Gaya districts of Bihar.
• It was bounded by the Ganga, Son, and Champa rivers on the north, west and east respectivelyand Vindhya spurs on the South.
• Its capital was called Girivraja or Rajagriha. Rajagriha was an impregnable city protected by five hills. The walls of Rajagriha represent the earliest evidence of fortification in the historical India. The capital wa…

… (784 more words, 14 figures) …

Subscribe (by clicking here) to view full notes and track progress.