Mahajanapadas

In ancient India, a number of kingdoms emerged during the Vedic Age that were spread across the Indo-Gangetic plain. These kingdoms were also called as republics and 16 of them were regarded the greatest of all. These 16 kingdoms were known as the 16 Mahajanapadas. These 16 Maha Janapadas are mentioned in the ancient literature and scriptures. The term Maha Janapada actually means "great country" and is derived from Sanskrit. The sixteen mahajanapadas rose before the start of Buddhism in India. Though these places were tribal settlements initially, roughly by 600 B.C they grew into bigger political entities by grabbing land. Following are few main items covered here

Mahajanapadas : Anga

The kingdom of Anga is mentioned in the Atharva Veda and was located roughly at the site of the present day Bihar and some parts of West Bengal. On the north was River Ganga and it was separated from the Magadha by River Champa. Anga was one of the most flourishing cities and was an important center of trade and commerce. It was regarded as one of the six principal cities of early India.

Mahajanapadas - Assaka / Ashmaka

Assaka, also known as Ashmaka was a kingdom that was located in the south of India. During the time of Buddha, this tribe was located on the banks of river Godavari. The capital city of Assaka was known as Potana. It was situated in central India and extended till southern India. It is estimated that Assaka was situated roughly at the place where modern day Maharashtra is located.

Mahajanapadas - Avanti

Avanti was a very important kingdom located in Western India and was considered to be one of the four important monarchies during the time Buddhism began in India. River Vetravati used to flow right through Avanti thus dividing it into north and south provinces. Avanti was located roughly at the place where the state of Madhya Pradesh is located now. Avanti was an important center of Buddhism and later became a part of Magadhan Empire.

Mahajanapadas - Chedi / Cheti

There were two different settlements of the Chedis, also known as Cheti. One was in the mountainous regions of Nepal while the other was located near River Yamuna. The southern boundaries of Chedi went till the banks of River Narmada. The Chedis are mentioned in Rig Veda, which is regarded as the oldest scripture. This means that Chedis were prevalent here since a long time.

Mahajanapadas - Gandhara

The Gandharas established themselves since the Vedic Age on the banks of River Kubha till the River Indus. With time, they crossed Indus and expanded their territory into Punjab. The Gandharas were very aggressive in nature and were masters of the art of warfare. It is said that this kingdom was founded by the son of Aruddha known as Gandhara.

Mahajanapadas - Kamboja

Kamboja was said to have been located on either sides of the Hindukush. In early scriptures and literature, Kamboja is mentioned along with Gandhara, Darada and the Bahlika quite a number of times. The Kambojas were supposed to have both Indian and Iranian similarities.

Mahajanapadas - Kasi

The Aryans who had settled around Varanasi were known as Kasis. The city was flanked by the rivers Varuna and Asi from which the place derives its name. Kasi was the most powerful kingdom of the sixteen Janapadas before the rise of Buddhism. During the rise of Buddha, it was converted into Kosala. This place is mentioned as Kausika / Kausaka in the Matsya Purana.

Mahajanapadas - Kosala

Kosala was located around 70 miles to the north west of present day Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. It was flanked in the south by River Ganga, in the north by the Himalayas and in the east by the River Gandak. The ruler was called king Prasenjit who was succeeded by his son Vidudabha. During his son's reign, Kosala was combined with Magadha. The three chief cities of Kosala were Ayodhya, Saketa and Sravasti.

Mahajanapadas -Kuru

The origin of the Kuru clan can be traced to the Puru - Bharata family. Some of them were settled in central India and some were living beyond the Himalayan ranges. It is said that the founder of Kurura

The 16 Mahajanapadas & their capital cities from Ancient Indian history

1. Kashi : Capital -Varanasi : Present day location- Around Varanasi
2. Kosala : Capital- Shravasti : Present day location- Eastern UP
3. Anga : Capital -Champanagri : Present day location - Bhagal and Munger distts of Bihar
4. Magadh : Capital- Girivraj or Rajgriha : Present day location-Patna and Gaya distt
5. Vajji : capital –Vaishali : Present day location - Vaishali distt of Bihar
6. Malla : Capital-Kushinagar & Pavapuri : Present day location-South of Vaishali distt
7. Chedi : Capital- Shuktimati : Present day location-Eastern parts of modern Bundelkhand
8. Vatsa : Capital- Koushambi : Present day location-around modern Allahabad
9. Kuru : Capital- Hastinapur, Indraprastha & Isukara : Present day location: Around the Delhi-Meerut region
10. Paanchal : Capital Ahichhatra and Kampilya : Present day location- Rohilkhand
11. Matsya : Capital -Viratnagar : Present day location-Jaipur-Bharatpur-Alwar distts
12. Surasen : Capital Mathura : Present day location- Mathura region
13. Assaka : Capital-Paudanya : Present day location-Near Paithan in Maharashtra
14. Avanti : Capital- Ujjaini : Present day location- Ujjain distt
15. Gandhara: Capital- Takshashila : Present day location- Between Kabul and Rawalpindi
16. Kamboj : Capital- Rajpur : Present day location-Punchh area in Kashmir