Magadha and Vaishali: The Rise of an Empire and a Republic

The age of the Mahajanapadas

Buddhist texts such as the Anguttara Nikaya list sixteen Mahajanapadas (great states) in the 6th century BCE. Two of them lay in Bihar: Magadha and Vajji. Anga was a third, soon swallowed by Magadha.

Vaishali and the Vajji republic

The Vajji (Vrijji) confederacy was a union of eight or nine clans, the most powerful being the Lichchhavis, with its capital at Vaishali.

• It was a gana-sangha: power lay with an assembly of clan heads (rajas), not with a single hereditary king.
• Buddhist texts describe its meetings in the santhagara (assembly hall) and its rules of debate and voting.
• The Buddha praised the Vajjis for meeting often and following their customs, and said they would not decline while they did so.
• Amrapali, the famous courtesan of Vaishali, later became a Buddhist nun and gifted a mango grove to the Sangha.

Because of this assembly-based rule, Vaishali is often called the world's first republic.

Magadha becomes an empire

The Haryankas

• Bimbisara built Magadha's power through marriage alliances (with Kosala, the Lichchhavis and Madra) and by conquering Anga. He was a follower and patron of the Buddha.
• Ajatashatru, his son, fought Kosala and defeated the Vajjis after a long war. He fortified Pataligrama on the Ganga. The first Buddhist council was held in his reign at the Saptaparni cave, Rajgir, soon after the Buddha's death.
• Udayin founded Pataliputra at the meeting of the Ganga and the Son and made it the capital.

The Shishunagas and the Nandas

• The Shishunagas destroyed the power of Avanti. Under Kalashoka the second Buddhist council was held at Vaishali.
• The Nandas, founded by Mahapadma Nanda, built a huge army and treasury. Greek writers said that their army discouraged Alexander's soldiers from advancing beyond the Beas.

Why Magadha won

1. Iron from the hills of south Bihar (now Jharkhand) for weapons and tools.
2. Fertile, well-watered plains that produced a surplus.
3. Elephants from the eastern forests for war.
4. Safe capitals: Rajagriha ringed by five hills, and Pataliputra protected by rivers.
5. Able, ambitious rulers.

The Buddha and Mahavira in Bihar

Gautama Buddha was born at Lumbini (now in Nepal) but did most of his work in Bihar:

• enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya;
• teaching at Rajgir (the Gridhrakuta hill and the Venuvana grove given by Bimbisara) and Vaishali.

Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th Jain tirthankara, was born at Kundagrama near Vaishali into the Jnatrika clan. He preached in the Ganga plain and attained nirvana at Pavapuri.

Exam tip: Make a two-column list of places: Buddhism (Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Vaishali, Nalanda) and Jainism (Kundagrama, Pavapuri, Rajgir). BPSC often asks which place is linked to which religion or council.