Pre Mauryan Period Flashcards
Pre Mauryan Period
16 great kingdoms called ‘Sixteen Mahajanapadas’
- Anga, Magadha, Kasi, Kosala, Vajji, Malla, Chedi, Vatsa, Kuru, Panchala, Matsya, Surasena, Asmaka, Avanti, Gandhara and Kambhoja
(Ajith Kumar’s AVM Movies Key Multinational Vendors - KS CK GAP)
4 kingdoms that survived to mid 6th century B.C.
- Vatsa
- situated on the banks of the river Yamuna
- capital - Kausambi near modern Allahabad
- popular ruler was Udayana - Avanti
- capital Ujjain
- important ruler Pradyota - Kosala
- capital Ayodhya
- Imp ruler King Prasenajit
- highly educated - Magadha
Magadha
- powerful and prosperous.
- Rajagriha capital
- Haryanka dynasty Bimbisara (546 - 494 B.C.)
- Bimbisara was a contemporary of both Vardhamana Mahavira and Gautama Buddha
- Ajatasatru (494 - 462 B.C.)
- remarkable for his military conquests.
- realised the strategic importance of the small village, Pataligrama (future Pataliputra) & fortified it
- have met Gautama Buddha depicted in the sculptures of Barhut
- instrumental in convening the First Buddhist Council at Rajagriha after the death of the Buddha
- immediate successor Udayin.
- Laid foundation - new capital at Pataliputra situated at the confluence of Ganges and the Son
- Udayin’s successors were weak rulers - Magadha was captured by Saisunaga
- Saisunaga dynasty -genealogy and chronology not clear
- successor was Kakavarman or Kalasoka
- second Buddhist Council at Vaisali
- Kalasoka killed by Nanda dynasty
- Nanda dynasty - Mahapadma Nanda
- uprooted the kshatriya dynasties in north India and assumed the title ekarat
- Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela of Kalinga & Puranas refers detail conquest of Kalinga by the Nandas
- last Nanda ruler - Dhana Nanda
Persian and Greek Invasions
Cyrus (558 – 530 B.C)
- conqueror of the Achaemenian Empire
- captured the Gandhara region.
Darius I (522 – 486 B.C.)
- grandson of Cyrus
- conquered the Indus valley in 518 B.C. and annexed the Punjab and Sindh.
Xerxes (465-456 B.C.)
- deployed Indian infantry and cavalry to Greece to fight his opponents
Effects of the Persian Invasion
- impetus to the growth of Indo-Iranian commerce
- Kharoshti script, a form of Iranian writing became popular in northwestern India(Asoka’s edicts)
- influence of Persian art on the art of the Mauryas - monolithic pillars of Asoka and the sculptures
- idea of issuing edicts by Asoka and the wording used in the edicts are traced to Iranian influence
- Indo-Macedonian contact
Alexander’s Invasion of India (327-325 B.C.)
Causes for invasion
Political Condition on the eve of Alexander’s Invasion
- northwestern India remained the most disunited part of India and the rulers were fighting with one another.
Causes of the Invasion
- ascended the throne of Macedonia after the death of his father Philip in 334 B.C
- writings of Greek authors like Herodotus about the fabulous wealth of India attracted Alexander
- interest in geographical enquiry and love of natural history
- believed that on the eastern side of India there was the continuation of the sea - thought by conquering India means conquer the eastern boundary of the world.
Battle of Hydaspes
- Alexander sent a message to Porus to submit
- Porus refused and decided to fight against Alexander.
- battle of Hydaspes was fought on the plains of Karri
- Alexander was impressed by the courage and heroism of this Indian prince, treated him generously and reinstated him on his throne
Effects of Alexander’s invasion
- encouraged political unification of north India under the Mauryas
- paved the way for direct contact between India and Greece
- Increased the existing facilities for trade between India and West Asia as new naval route opened
