Ajatashatru’s Visit to Buddha Nanda Dynasty (First non-Kshatriya

For ancient religious sects, royal patronage was a valuable Dynasty-345 BCE-321 BCE)
source of status. The Shaishunaga dynasty came to a bloody end. The king and
The visit of Ajatashatru to the his sons were murdered, making way for the Nanda dynasty.
Buddha was regarded as a ‰ Mahapadma Nanda:
significant event in Buddhist • He is often referred to as Ugrasena in Pali scriptures
history. It is represented in a because of his enormous army.
relief panel from the second • The Puranas state that he was the son of a Shishunaga
century BCE on one of the dynasty monarch by a Shudra lady, making the Nandas
railing pillars of the western adharmika (those who do not follow the principles
doorway that once stood at of Dharma). The Brahmanical writings claim that he
the central Indian Buddhist belonged to a low caste, or at least a non-Kshatriya
sanctuary of Bharhut. caste. The Nandas are described in Buddhist writings
The first section of the image is as annatakula, or people of uncertain ancestry.
carved on the panel’s lower left • He was the first Indian empire builder, who also
side. It depicts a regal procession led by a monarch riding an held the titles of Sarva-Kshatrantaka (uprooter
elephant, who is followed by his queens, who are also riding of the Kshatriyas) and Ekarat (one sovereign who
elephants. To the right, the king has disembarked his elephant annihilated all other reigning rulers).
and stands in front of two mango trees, his right hand raised as • During his reign, Kalinga was added to Magadha,
if to speak. The king and queens stand with their hands folded and a picture of Jina was brought as a victory trophy.
reverently in the third scene, which is on the far left. In the last Similarly, he also acquired Kosala which had most
scene, on the upper right, the king bows before the footprint- likely rebelled against him.
bearing throne, which represents the Buddha. • During his reign, Taxes were collected methodically
by appointing officers regularly. He also constructed
canals and undertook extensive irrigation work.
Udayabhadra (Udayin) (460 BCE – 444 BCE): ‰ Dhanananda:
‰ He founded the City of Pataliputra (modern Patna) as • The Nanda dynasty’s final significant monarch.
the new capital. The choice of Patliputra was crucial as He was identified with the Greek classical writers’
it was strategically located at the heart of the Magadhan Agrammes or Xandrames.
kingdom (at the confluence of the Ganga and Son rivers) • Alexander, who is credited with having a massive
which stretched from the Himalayas in the north to the army, is said to have assaulted Punjab during his rule,
Chhotanagpur Hills in the south. but his army prevented them from moving closer to
Magadha.
‰ He was assassinated most probably at the order of Palaka
• Credited as the creator of Nandopakramani, a specific
who was the King of Avanti.
measurement standard.
Shishunaga Dynasty (413 BCE-345 BCE) • He is thought to have been an unjust and arrogant
tyrant who taxed the average person heavily. Due to
‰ Shishunaga:
his greed and exploitation, he became very unpopular
• Shishunaga was an Amatya (high-ranking official) with the populace. Eventually, Chandragupta Maurya,
in Varanasi (Banaras), and it is said that the people with the skilful assistance of Kautilya, took advantage
of Magadha nominated Shishunaga as king after of this public animosity to overthrow the Nanda
being frustrated by the serial parricides of Udayin’s dynasty and establish the Mauryan empire.
successors.
• He temporarily relocated the capital to Vaishali. IGNITE YOUR MIND
• His most significant accomplishment was defeating
Avanti (Pradyota Dynasty) and incorporating it into To what degree did caste determine societal roles
Magadha. This effectively ended Magadha and and perceptions in ancient India? Was there a distinct
Avanti’s 100-year rivalry. perception among people when their ruler hailed
from a lower caste?
‰ Kalasoka:
• He was the son and successor of Shishunaga also
known as Kakarvarna (according to the Puranas). Causes of Magadha’s Success
• The second Buddhist Council was held at Vaishali Magadha could gradually establish its dominance over all
during his reign. other Mahajanapads on account of several factors:

48 Ancient India
‰ Geographical Advantages: The Mahajanapads of Gandhara, Madras, and Kamboja were
• Rich Iron Deposits: Located near South Bihar’s iron engaged in constant warfare. Thus, the north-west frontier
reserves, enabling superior weaponry. could not support the emergence of a strong monarchy like
• Strategically Positioned Capitals: Magadha. In the sixth century BCE, the Persian (Iranian)
ˆ Rajgriha (Girivraja): Natural fortification from empire advanced into northwest India by seizing upon this
surrounding hills, nearly impregnable. political unrest.
ˆ Pataliputra: Water fort at the confluence of Son Cyrus, monarch of the Achaemenids (558–529 BCE), was
and Ganga rivers. the first king to attack the subcontinent. He was rewarded
‰ Agricultural and Natural Resources: with a tribute by the inhabitants of Kamboj and Gandhara
• Fertile Gangetic Plains: High productivity with after leading an army expedition that decimated the city
minimal irrigation, providing substantial agricultural of Kapisha, which was located southeast of the Hindu Kush
surplus. mountains. Afterwards, Sindh and Punjab to the west of the
• Forests and Fauna: Access to timber and elephants, Indus were acquired by the Persian king Darius in 516 BCE.
crucial for military superiority over other states It seems that the northwest region of the subcontinent was
reliant on horses and chariots. ruled by the Persians before Alexander’s conquest of India
‰ Military Innovations: (around 330 BCE).
• Magadha had a massive military machine with
vast infantry, horses, elephants, chariots and also Views of Herodotus (Father of Western history-
innovative armaments such as rathamusula and writing) on Gandhara
mahasilakantika developed by Ajatashatru. This area was the twentieth and the most prosperous
‰ Dynamic Leadership: satrapy (province) of the Persian empire, and paid a
• Ambitious Rulers: Notable kings like Bimbisara, tribute of 360 talents of gold, which was not only more
Ajatashatru, and Mahapadma Nanda. They employed than that from all other 28 provinces put together, but
all fair and foul means at their disposal to enlarge was also about one-third of the total revenue of Iran from
their kingdoms. its Asian provinces. Indian provinces provided mercenaries
for the Persian armies fighting against the Greeks in the
• Also Magadha was inhabited by the Kiratas and
5th century BCE. In fact, the army of Xerxes (the successor
Magadhas. Magadha then underwent a racial
admixture with the advent of Vedic people. As it was of Darius) included soldiers from Gandhara.
recently Aryanised, it showed more enthusiasm than
those kingdoms already under Aryan influence Impact of Persian Invasion
‰ Administrative setup: The 200 years of Indo-Persian contact led to social
• The Nandas streamlined an administrative system acculturation as well as political influence. In addition to
with vast bureaucracy which dug canals for expansion giving Indo-Persian trade and commerce a boost, it led to the
of agriculture, promoted trade and commerce development of cultural relations. One excellent illustration
and collected taxes adding to financial muscle of of the Persian influence is the introduction of the Kharoshthi
Magadha. alphabet in northwest India. It was developed from Aramaic,
‰ Economic Strength: the official language of the Persian empire, and was written
• Rise of Trade and Urbanization: Boost in revenue from right to left like Arabic. This script is used in several
through tolls from growing trade and urban centres. Ashokan inscriptions found in northwestern India. India
• Large Standing Army: Sustained by the state’s replicated Persian coins of the sigloi type. It’s probable
agricultural surplus and economic wealth. that Darius, the king of Persia, served as an inspiration
‰ Social Characteristics: for Ashoka’s rock inscriptions from the third century BCE.
• Unorthodox Society: A society less bound by There is a strong Iranian influence on Ashoka’s monuments,
traditional norms, contributing to flexibility and particularly in the bell-shaped capitals and the preamble of
innovation in governance and military tactics. his edicts.

Alexander’s Invasion (327−326 BCE)

NORTH-WEST INDIA: PERSIAN
‰ Alexander’s Invasion of India: Alexander, the son of
AND MACEDONIAN INVASIONS Philip of Macedonia, invaded India in 326 BCE, marking a
As Magadha grew to be a powerful force in northeast India, significant event in ancient history.
smaller principalities and republics gradually amalgamated • The invasion was part of the global power struggle
with it. Such consolidation was not possible given the between the Greeks and Persians in the fourth
circumstances in northwest India. century BCE.

Mahajanapadas (c. 600 BCE - 300 BCE) 49