Page 41 - SST Class 06

The Early States 6

q Janapadas and mahajanapadas q Life of mahajanapadas
q Magadha q Vajji

Introduction 04. Koshala (now in East Uttar Pradesh)
During the Later Vedic Age, the Aryans had settled 05. Vajji (now in northern Bihar)
down widely in the Gangetic plains. They cleared
06. Malla (now in eastern Uttar Pradesh)
the forests and set up villages and towns. The
period from 600 BC to 400 BC was a big 07. Chedi (now in Bundelkhand in Madhya
transformation in the history of ancient India. This Pradesh)
period is important because powerful kingdoms 08. Vatsa (now Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh)
were founded during this period.
09. Kuru (western Uttar Pradesh)

JANAPADAS TO MAHAJANAPADAS 10. Panchala (now Rohilkhand and adjoining
area in Uttar Pradesh)
The settlement of the Aryans in the Gangetic
plains and around gave rise to many small 11. Matsya (now Jaipur and Alwar)
kingdoms called janapadas. These janapadas T TAJIKISTAN AJIKISTAN
had been formed by the end of the Later India : Kingdoms
of the Magadha Age
Vedic Age. These janapadas were ruled by KAMBOJA (600 BC)
KAMBOJA
GANDHARAANDHARA
G
different Aryan clans or tribes. Their struggle
AFGHANISTAN
h nab
with the native people had ceased because IRAN N um el C ena b
he
C
a i
the latter had either moved down south or S T A Jh atlu j R v KURU PA NCH C H I N A
T I B E T
had learnt to live in harmony with the P A K I I d s n u S SUR AS EN G AL N E P
KOSALA
Aryans. MATSYA A Yam n KOSALA A L BHUTAN a
anga
MALLA mputr
u a
B rah
KASHI VAJJI
These janapadas started to fight with one BAN L DESH
G ADESH
G
Trop ic o f Can ce r CHEDI VATSYA BAN LA
another in order to expand their territories, AVANTI ANGA
ANGA
and thus it resulted into the formation of Narma da adi Mahan MAGADHA MYANMAR
T pi ARAKAN
a
larger kingdoms, called mahajanapadas. By
the birth of the Buddha, the northern India A R A B I A N G dava ri B AY
o
O F
had been divided into sixteen such S E A ASAKA B E N G A L
Kris
mahajanapadas. These were : hna
0 1. Anga (now districts of Bhagalpur and REFERENCE
Munger in Bihar) K v ri Present
a e
International
Boundary
0 2. Magadha (now Patna and Gaya in (INDIA) LAKSHADWEEP (INDIA) ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS
Bihar)
SRI
MALDIVES LANKA
0 3. Kashi (now Benaras or Varanasi in Uttar
I N D I A N O C E A N
Pradesh)
Janapadas and mahajanapadas
The Early States
41