JPSC HISTORY(GS Paper-III): The Rise of the Magadhan empire

The Rise of the Magadhan empire

Magadha was one of the sixteen maha- janapadas which flourished shortly before the time of Gautam Buddha. Out of the sixteen maha-janapadas Magadha, Kosala, Vatsa and Avanti rose into prominence and engaged in the struggle for the supremacy. Besides, the republican confederacy of the Vrijis was also a strong contender. The struggle between them continued for about a century and ultimately, Magadha emerged victorious and established itself as the supreme power.
Magadhan imperialism was the result of the efforts of enterprising and ambitious rulers like Bimbisara, Ajatshatru and Mahapadma Nanda. ©crackingcivilservices
Growth under Bimbisara:

• Bimbisara, contemporary of Buddha, laid the foundation of the Magadhan imperialism. He started the policy of conquest and aggression which ended with kalinga war of Ashoka. ©crackingcivilservices
• He pursued a three-pronged policy:
  • matrimonial alliances
    • e.g. with Kosala, Lichchavi and Madra
  • friendship with strong rulers
    • e.g. with Avanti.
  • conquest of weak neighbours to expand the empire.
    • e.g. conquering Anga.
• Under the policy of matrimonial alliances,
  • he married the sister of Prasenjit, the king of Kosala.
    • She brought in dowry the territory of Kashi, which yielded a revenue of 1,00,000 coins.
    • The control over Kasi and friendship with Prasenajit allowed Magadh to concentrate on other areas.
  • His other wives were daughters of the chiefs of Lichchavi and Madra (middle Punjab) respectively.
  • Marriage relations with the different princely families lent enormous diplomatic prestige and paved the way for the expansion of Magadha westward and north-ward.
• He also conquered Anga by defeating its ruler Brahmadatta.
  • It was placed under the viceroyalty of his son Ajatashatru at Champa.
  • Anga and specially its capital Champa were important for the inland and maritime trade.
  • Thus, Kashi and conquest of Anga became the launching pad for the expansion of Magadh.
• Magadha’s most serious rival was Avanti with its capital at ujjain.
  • Its king, Chanda Pradyota Mahasena, fought Bimbisara, but eventually the two thought it wise to make up.
  • Later, when Pradyota was afflicted by jaundice, at the Avanti king’s request, Bim bisara sent the royal physician jivaka to Ujjain.
• Bimbisara is also said to have received an embassy and a letter from the ruler of Gandhara with which Pradyota had fought unsuccessfully.
• Therefore, through his conquests and diplomacy, Bimbisara made Magadha the dominant state in the sixth century.

Growth under Ajatasatru:

• Ajatasatru pursued an aggressive policy of expansion. Ajatashatru was no respecter of relations. He fought two wars and made preparations for third.
• He first came into conflict with his maternal uncle Prasenajit, who was aggrieved by the treatment meted out to Bimbisara. He asked Ajatasatru to return the territory of Kasi, which was given to his mother in dowry. Ajatasatru refused and it was only after a fierce battle Prasenajit agreed to leave Kasi with Magadh.
• Similarly he fought with his maternal grandfather Chetak, the chief of Vaishali and after 16 long years of war Ajatasatru succeeded in breaking the might of Vaishali.
  • The excuse was that the Lichchhavis were the allies of Koshala. He sowed dissension within the ranks of the Lichchhavis and eventually ended their independence by invading their territory and by defeating them in battle.
• Therefore, he not only retained Kasi, but also added Vaishali to Magadh.
• Ajatashatru faced a stronger rival in the ruler of Avanti.
  • Avanti had defeated the vatsas of Kaushambi and now threatened an invasion of Magadha.
  • To meet this threat Ajatashatru began the fortification of Ragir, the remains of the walls of which can still be seen. However, the invasion did not materialize during his lifetime.

Ajatashatru was succeeded by Udayin (460-44 BC). His main contribution was building a fort on the confluence of river Ganga and river Son at Pataliputra or Patna. It was strategically a significant step as this site was not only centrally located but also allowed easy movement of merchant and soldiers.

Growth under Shishunaga dynasty: Udayin was succeeded by the dynasty of Shishunaga. The most important achievement of Shishunaga was to defeat Avanti(Malwa) and make it a part of Magadh.

Growth under Nanda dynasty: Nandas proved to the the most powerful rulers of of the time. Mahapadma Nanda was its most important ruler. He possessed a large army and added Kalinga to his empire.

Growth under Mauryan dynasty:

• The Mauryan established a vast empire on the foundations laid by the Nandas.
• Chandragupta Maurya:
  • Many historian attribute great importance to the role Chandragupta Maurya played in ruthlessly stemming the tide of foreign interference in the north-west and suppressing indigenous rulers in west and south India.
  • Both Indian and Classical sources agree that Chandragupta overthrew the last of the Nanda kings and occupied his capital Pataliputra and ascended to the throne in around 321 B.C.
  • The political rise of Chandragupta was also linked 4th the invasion of Alexander in the north-west.
    • The years 325 B.C. – 323 B.C. were crucial in the sense that many of the governors who were stationed in the north-west after Alexander’s invasion were assassinated or had to retreat. After Alexander’s retreat it resulted in the creation of a vacuum, and, therefore, it was not difficult for Chandragupta to subdue the Greek garrisons left there.
    • However, what is not clear is whether he did this after his accession to the throne of Magadha or before it. Chandragupta may have first established himself in the Punjab and then moved eastwards until he gained control over the Magadha region.
    • In any case both these tasks were complete by 321 B.C. and the state was set for further consolidation.
  • 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 B.C. In the war that ensued Chandragupta is said to have turned out victorious and eventually, peace was established.
    • In return for 500 elephants Seleucus gave him eastern Afghanistan, Baluchistan and the area west of the Indus.
    • A marriage alliance was also concluded.
    • Further, Seleucus sent an ambassador called Megasthenes who lived in the court of Chandragupta for many years.
    • This achievement meant that the territorial foundation of the Mauryan empire had been firmly laid with the Indus and Gangetic plains well under Chandragupta’s control.
  • It is suggested by a majority of scholars that Chandragupta ultimately established his control not only in the north-west and the Ganges plains, but also in western India and the Deccan.
    • The only parts left out of his empire were thus present day Kerala, Tamil Nadu and parts of North-eastern India.
    • The conquest and subjugation of Surashtra or Kathiawar in the extreme west is attested in the JunagadhRock Inscription of Rudradaman of the middle of the second century A.D
    • This record refers to Chandragupta’s viceroy or governor, Pushyagupta by name, who is said to have constructed the famous Sudarshana Lake.
    • This further implies that Chandragupta had under the control the Malwa region as well.
  • Details of the conquests in different parts of India are lacking. The Greek writers simply mention that Chandragupta Maurya bverran the whole country with an army of 600,000.
    • With regard to his control over the Deccan too we have late sources. These are some medieval epigraphs informing us that Chandragupta had protected parts of Karnataka.
  • The Tamil writers of the Sangam texts of the early centuries A.D. make allusion to the “Moriyar” which is said to referho the Mauryas and their contact with the south, but this probably refers to the reign of Chandragupta’s successor. ©crackingcivilservices
• Bindusara:
  • He is said to have succeeded Chandragupta Maurya in 297 B.C.
  • There is comparatively little known about him from either Indian or Classical sources.
  • In a very late source of the sixteenth century, in the work of the Buddhist monk Taranath of Tibet, we are told of Bindusara’s warlike activities.
    • He is said to have destroyed kings and nobles of about sixteen cities and reduced to submission all the territory between the eastern and western seas.
  • The descriptions of early Tamil poets of the Mauryan chariots thundering across the land probably refer to his reign.
  • Many scholars believe that since Asoka is credited to have conquered only Kalinga, the extension of the Mauryan empire beyond the Tungabhadra must have been the work of his predecessors. It can therefore be suggested that it was probably in Bindusara’s reign that the Mauryan control of the Deccan, and the Mysore plateau in particular, was firmly entrenched.
  • Though Bindusara is called “slayer of foes“, his reign is not very well documented, and, therefore, the extent of his conquests can only be arrived at by looking at a map of the empire of Asoka who conquered only Kalinga (Orissa).
  • After his death (around 273-272 B.C.) there was a struggle for succession among his sons for about four years. Ultimately, around 269-268 B.C. Ashoka was crowned Bindusara’s successor.
• Ashoka:
  • During his father’s reign Asoka served as a Viceroy at Ujjain and also at Taxila.
    • It is suggested that he was sent to Taxila to quell a revolt.
  • Ashoka fought a major war with Kalinga around 261 BC in which large number of people were killed or imprisoned.
    • Asoka himself in Rock Edict XIII describes his conquest of Kalinga which is said to have taken place eight years after his consecration.
    • Though on the battlefield Asoka, was victorious, the inscription goes on to describe his remorse which then ultimately turned him towards Dhamma.
  • A policy of conquest through war was given up and replaced by a policy of conquest through Dhamrnavijaya. And thereafter he favored dhammaghosha (drum of dhamma) than bherighosha (war drum).
  • This was meant to work both at the State and personal levels, and totally transformed the attitude of the king and his officials towards their subjects.
  • Historian Romila Thapar presents the view that the Dhamma was an ideological tool used by Ashoka to weld and consolidate his far-flung empire. It was aimed at political integration through social harmony and integration among different sects.

Causes of Magadha’s success:

• Ambitious rulers
  • The formation of the largest state in India during this period was the work of several enterprising and ambitious rulers such as Bimbisara, Ajatashatru. and Mahapadma Nanda.
  • They employed all the means in their power, fair and foul, to enlarge their kingdoms and to strengthen their states. ©crackingcivilservices
• Advantageous geographical position:
  • Further. Magadha enjoyed an advantageous geographical position in the age of iron, because the richest iron deposits were situated not far away from Rajgir, the earliest capital of Magadha.
    • The ready availability of the rich iron ores in the neighbourhood enabled the Magadhan princes to equip themselves with effective weapons which were not easily available to their rivals.
    • Iron mines are also located in eastern MP, and were not far from the kingdom of the Avanti with their capital at Ujjain. Around 500 RC. iron was certainly forged and smelted in lijain„ and probably the smiths manufactured weapons of good quality. On account of this Avanti proved to be Magadha’s most serious competitor for supremacy in north India, and Magadha took about a hundred years to subjugate Ujjain.
  • The two capitals of Magadha, the first at Rajgir and the second at Pataliputra. were situated at very strategic points.
    • Rajgir was surrounded by a group of five hills, which helped it to provide natural fortification.
    • In the fifth century B.C. the Magadhan princes shifted their capital from Rajgir to Pataliputra, which occupied a pivotal position commanding communications on all sides.
      • Pataliputra was situated at the confluence of the Ganges, the Gandak and the Son, and a fourth river called the Ghaghra joined the Ganges not far from Pataliputra.
      • In pre-industrial days, when communications were difficult, the army could move north, west, south, and east by following the courses of the rivers.
      • Also. the position of Patna itself was rendered invulnerable because it was virtually surrounded by rivers. While the Ganges and the Son girdled it on the north and west, the Poonpun girdled it on the south and east.
      • Pataliputra was therefore a true water fort (jaladurga).
  • Magadha lay at the centre of the mid-Gangetic plains, the Ganges providing a means of both transport and agricultural facilities.
    • As most of the maha-janapadas were located in the Gangetic they could be reached by navigating the rivers.
    • There was also an abundance of timber as can be seen in the palisades of the sixth century BC found south of Patna. Thus boats could be easily manufactured and they played an important part in promoting the advance of Magadha towards the east and the west.
• Similarly, environmental factors conducive to agriculture helped Magadha.
  • The alluvium, once cleared of jungles, proved immensely fertile.
  • Given the heavy rainfall, the area could be made productive even without irrigation.
  • The fertile river plain provided a vast amount of agricultural surplus, which was essential for raising a vast standing army.
• The rise of towns and use of metal money:
  • The princes of Magadha also benefited from the rise of towns and use of metal money.
  • A Pali text speaks of twenty towns in the age of the Buddha. Most of them were located in the mid Gangetic plains.
  • They contributed to trade and commerce in north east India This enabled the princes to levy tolls on the sale of commodities and accumulate wealth to pay and maintain their army.
• Military organization:
  • Magadha enjoyed a special advantage in military organization. Although the Indian states were well acquainted with the use of horses and chariots, It was Magadha which first used elephants on a large scale in its wars against its neighbours.
    • The eastern part of the country could supply elephants to the princes of Magadha. and we learn from Greek sources that the Nandas maintained 6000 elephants.
    • Elephants could he used to storm fortresses and to march across marshy and other areas lacking roads and other means of transport.
  • Ajatsatru is said to have used a war engine which was used to throw stones like catapults.
    • He also possessed a chariot to which a mace was attached.
• The unorthodox character of Magadhan society:
  • Finally, we may refer to the unorthodox character of Magadhan society. As it had been recently Vedicised, it demonstrated a greater enthusiasm for expansion than the kingdoms that had been brought under the Vedic influence earlier.

For all these reasons, Magadh imperialism succeeded in defeating the other kingdoms and in founding the first great empire in India. It spread almost all over the subcontinent except extreme south. ©crackingcivilservices