Magadha

The Kingdom of Magadha in the 6th to 4th centuries BC BC and its territorial expansion

Magadha and other Mahajanapadas in the Post-Vedic Period, around 500 B.C. Chr.

Magadha was a north-east Indian kingdom of the 6th and 5th centuries BC .

It was one of 16 great tribes (the so-called Mahajanapadas ) and roughly encompassed the area of today's Indian state of Bihar . Magadha's capital was Rajagriha (later capital: Pataliputra , today's Patna ). From the Kingdom of Magadha developed in the 3rd century BC The empire of the Maurya dynasty, the first Indian empire. Its most outstanding ruler was Emperor Ashoka , under whom Magadha not only experienced its greatest expansion, but also a cultural heyday. Around 180 BC The Shunga dynasty took power.

Magadha is also the origin of Buddhism (see also the history of Buddhism ). The ancient Buddhist centers such as Bodh-Gaya and Nalanda , from which the new religion expanded to other parts of India after the third Buddhist council, are also located in it.

Kings

There is little reliable information about the early rulers of Magadha. The main sources are Buddhist chronicles from Sri Lanka , the Puranas, and various Buddhist and Jain sacred texts.

Based on these sources, it looks as if Magadha was ruled by the Sisunaga dynasty (see there) for about 200 years (about 550 to 350 BC).

The Shishunaga dynasty was overthrown by Mahapadma, the first of the nine so-called Nandas (the Nanda or Navananda dynasty). His eight sons followed him. According to the Sri Lankan Chronicles, the Nanda dynasty lasted only 22 years, while the Puranas say that Mahapadma ruled for 28 years and his sons for 12 years. The Nanda dynasty was likely destroyed by Chandragupta Maurya , the first king of the great Maurya dynasty.

It used to be assumed that the language spoken in Magadha, the Magadhi , was identical to the Pali of the Buddhist canon. This assumption is now considered refuted.

literature

Hermann Kulke , Dietmar Rothermund : History of India. From the Indus culture to today. 2nd updated special edition. CH Beck, Munich 2010, ISBN 978-3-406-60414-0 .

Individual proof

^ Joseph E. Schwartzberg (ed.): A Historical Atlas of South Asia (= The American Association for Asian Studies. Reference Series. 2). 2nd impression, with additional material, 1st printing. Oxford University Press, New York NY et al. 1992, ISBN 0-19-506869-6 .

[1] Joseph E. Schwartzberg (ed.): A Historical Atlas of South Asia (= The American Association for Asian Studies. Reference Series. 2). 2nd impression, with additional material, 1st printing. Oxford University Press, New York NY et al. 1992, ISBN 0-19-506869-6 .