Sisunaga and His Successors

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(430-364 B.C.)

Sisunaga had gained respect under the weak successors of Ajatasatru and, probably, became the ruler of Magadha with the consent of the people.

He proved to be a capable ruler and extended the territories of Magadha. He defeated the neighbouring rival state of Avanti, Vatsa and Kosala annexed theri territories to Magadha.

Sisunaga was succeeded by his son Kalasoka or Kakavarna. He made Pataliputra the capital of Magadha.

Kalasoka was murdered because of a palace conspiracy and, probably, his murderer was the founder of Nanda dynasty.

The ten sons of Kalasoka ruled for ten years after him. The princes were allowed to rule nominally for these years to cover the guilt of the murder of their father. But, ultimately, all of them were killed and a new dynasty of kings started its rule over Magadha.

Regarding the first Nanda ruler, there is a difference of opinion. Puranas called him Mohapadma whereas the Mahabodhivamsa gives his name as Ugrasena. Jain-texts describe him as the son of a barber while Puranas say that the founder of the Nanda dynasty was a Sudra.

Mahapadma Nanda according to Puranas destroyed all Kshatriya rulers. The kingdoms of Aikshvakus, Panchalas, Kasis, Haihayas, Kalingas, Asmakas, Kurus, Maithilas, Sursenas etc., were defeated and their territories were annexed to Magadha. Nandas rules over the southern part of Bombay and north-western part of Mysore.

Nandas succeeded in establishing a great empire which covered the greater part of northern India and part of the South. The credit for it goes primarily to the first ruler of this dynasty.

Nine rulers of Nanda dynasty ruled over Magadha. Little is known about the history of Nandas after Mahapadma Nanda except the last ruler, nicknamed Dhana Nanda.

He was a contemporary of Alexander and his empire seems to have extended up to the frontiers of Punjab. He was a powerful king and kept a large army. But he was cruel and miserly. He accumulated fabulous wealth at the expense of his subjects by means of excessive taxation and extractions. Therefore, he was unpopular among his subjects.

Chandra Gupta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan dynasty took advantage of his unpopularity and succeeded in killing him and captured the throne of Magadha.

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Tags: ajatasatru, avanti, kakavarna, kosala, magadha, mohapadma, nanda dynasty, pataliputra, puranas, sisunaga, successors, vaisali, vatsa

The Factors That Led To Rise of Magadha

The kingdom of Magadha rose to pre-eminence during the period the period of Bimbisara and became the first great empire in India by the time of the Nandas.

Apart from ambitious and powerful rulers, other geographical, economic and cultural factors also contributed to its rise. There were certain permanent factors also which enabled it to rise to to the zenith of political greatness.

Magadha occupied a strategic position of geographical importance. The river Ganges and its tributaries Son, Gandak and Gagra served as means for defence, communication and trade. The older, capital Rajagriha was protected by seven hills and the later one Pataliputra being at the junction of the Ganges and the Son had natural means of defence.

The natural facilities of communication and trade helped it in its economic prosperity.

The land of Magadha was also fertile which yielded rich harvests. Land taxes could be kept high which proved to be regular and substantial sources of income to the state without which the maintenance of a big army could not be possible and the empire could neither be built up nor consolidated.

Besides, while neighbouring forests provided timber for building and elephants for the army, its own iron ore deposits made profitable the manufacture of better implements and weapons and a profitable trade in iron. Thus Magadha became an economically prosperous and militarily strong state.

Magadha, being in the East, was a place where a balanced synthesis between the Aryan and the non-Aryan cultures took place. The Brahmanic culture could not claim dominance in Magadha because by the time it reached there it had lost much of its strength and, therefore, liberal traditions in religion and society could be maintained in Magadha, Jainism and Buddhism which took their birth within the territories of Magadha were, probably, the results of liberal traditions and they participated in further enhancing these traditions.

Liberal traditions also contributed to the building of a strong empire in Magadha.

The administrative system of Magadha, wherein the state was ruled by a hereditary monarch who had the opportunity to enhance his financial and military resource, was also one of the causes of its rise.

The foundation of the Magadha empire was laid by Bimbisara and Ajatastru. Both were ambitious rulers and extended the boundaries of Magadha both by war and diplomacy.

After Ajatasatru, Sisunaga pursued the policy of empire-building and then came the Nandas who finally succeeded in establishing the first great empire in India.They created an extensive empire in India and left it to their successors, the Mauryas in a state when it was extremely prosperous and militarily strong so that the Mauryas became powerful enough to turn the foreigners, the Greeks out of India and also succeeded in completing the task began by Bimbisara and Ajatasatru of consolidating Indian into a big empire.

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Tags: ajatastru, bimbisara, cause of rise, nandas, pataliputra, rajagriha, rise of magadha, sisunaga

Rise of Magadha

Magadha was a very ancient kingdom but for quite a long time it remained only a small state. It came into the limelight under Brihadratha, a Chedi prince. The famours Jarasandha who once defeated Krishna in the Mahabharata times was probably a son of Brihadratha.

The descendants of Brihadratha were overthrown in 600 B.C. by Sisunaga who founded the Sisunaga dynasty. The first well-known ruler of this kingdom was Bimbisara. Bimbisara ruled for forty-nine years. He made Rajagriha his capital. A man of determination and political foresight he realized the importance of a large kingdom decided to make Magadha such a state. He pursued his ambition both by wars and a policy of matrimonial alliances.

Bimbisara had five hundred wives. He entered into dynastic relations based n marriage with several important royal families of his time which helped him much in his political career. His first wife was a sister of Prasenjait, the king of Kosala, who gave him a part of the kingdom of Kasi in dowry.

His second wife Chellana was the daughter of the Lichchhavi king, Chetaka, one the most important feudatory chief of the republican state of the Vrijis with its capital at Vaisali. His third wife was Vasavi, princes of the kingdom of Vaideh and Khema was the daughter of the king of Madra of Central Punjab.

These marriage alliances of definitely enhanced his prestige besides helping in the extension of his territories.

Bimbisara conquered the state of Anga. The conquest marked the beginning of the greatness of Magadha. Bimbisara’s father had been defeated by Brahadatta, king of Anga. Probably, it was to avenge this defeat that Bimbisara attacked Anga and succeeded in conquering it.

Bimbisara, for the first time, laid down the foundation of an efficient administration in Magadha. He constructed several canals and roads, appointed several new officers for administrative purposes and arranged for the regular collection of revenue. It helped him in increasing his financial resources and military strength.

Bimbisara proved to be an able ruler who recognized the necessity of an officient administration. There were several ministers who helped the king in administration. They were chosen on merit and their advice was generally not ignored. Besides, there were different officers who were divided into different categories according to the nature of their work. The executive or administrative officers were called Sabbatthakas, the judicial officers Voharikas and the military officers Senanayakas.

However, the basic units of administration were the villages. Each village was under the jurisdiction of a headman who was responsible for the collection of taxes and handing them over to the other officials of the state. Theoretically, the land belonged to the king though nobody was displaced from the land till he paid 1/6th of the produce, which was regarded the king’s share.

Mostly Sudras worked as cultivators though they were not masters of the land. They were engaged as labourers. This had lowered their status. Therefore, a new class of Sudras, that is untouchables, came to be recognized during this period.

Bimbisara was very tolerant in religious affairs. He revered both Jainism and Buddhism equally. Therefore, both the Jains and Buddhists claimed Bimbisara as their follower.

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Tags: ajasatru, ancient india, bimbisara, brihadratha, jarasandha, of magdha, sisunaga