Rise and Growth of the Magadhan Empire
Ancient History › Religious Movements, Mahajanapadas and Foreign Invasions · Topic 5.10
Magadha rose under Bimbisara (544 to 492 BC, Buddhist chronicles) through conquest of Anga and marriage alliances, grew under Ajatashatru (492 to 460 BC) who defeated Kashi, Koshala and the Lichchhavis, and under Udayin built a fort at Patna. The Shishunagas destroyed Avanti, and the Nandas under Mahapadma Nanda built a vast empire. Iron ores, rivers, fertile land, elephants and strategic capitals explain its success.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Religious Movements, Mahajanapadas and Foreign Invasions
At a Glance
- Bimbisara 544 to 492 BC
- Ajatashatru 492 to 460 BC
- Udayin 460 to 444 BC; Patna fort
- Then Shishunagas, then Nandas
- Capitals Rajgir, then Pataliputra
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Ancient History: Religious Movements, Mahajanapadas and Foreign Invasions
Where Does It Fit?
This is the tenth topic of the category on religious movements. The previous topic covered the Mahajanapadas, and this one traces Magadha’s rise. The next topic covers varna and law in the age of the Buddha. Previous topic: The Mahajanapadas and the Republican Experiment.
How Did Bimbisara Build Magadha?
In short: Bimbisara began the policy of conquest and marriage alliances that made Magadha dominant.
Magadha came into prominence under Bimbisara of the Haryanka dynasty, a contemporary of the Buddha. He began a policy of conquest and aggression that ended with Ashoka’s Rock Edict Claimed toll 150,000 deported; 100,000 killed Policy shift…">Kalinga war. He acquired Anga and placed it under his son Ajatashatru at Champa. He strengthened his position through marriage alliances with three wives. The first was the daughter of the king of Koshala and sister of Prasenajit; she brought a Kashi village yielding revenue of 100,000 as dowry, which suggests that revenues were collected in coins, and the marriage bought off the hostility of Koshala. His second wife Chellana was a Lichchhavi princess from Vaishali, who bore Ajatashatru, and the third was the daughter of the chief of the Madra clan of Punjab. Magadha’s most serious rival was Avanti under Chanda Pradyota Mahasena; the two eventually made peace, and when Pradyota had jaundice Bimbisara sent the royal physician Jivaka to Ujjain. He also received an embassy from the ruler of Gandhara. His kingdom is said to have had 80,000 villages, a conventional figure. The earliest capital Rajgir, called Girivraja, was surrounded by five hills with stone walls closing the openings. He ruled fifty-two years, roughly 544 to 492 BC.
What Did Ajatashatru and His Successors Achieve?
| Ruler | Achievement |
|---|---|
| Ajatashatru (492 to 460 BC) | Killed his father; fought Kashi and Koshala and got the best of it; Koshala gave him a daughter and left Kashi to him; ended Lichchhavi independence after sixteen years, helped by a catapult-like war engine and a mace-chariot; began fortifying Rajgir against Avanti |
| Udayin (460 to 444 BC) | Built a fort at the confluence of the Ganges and Son at Patna; kingdom from the Himalayas to Chhotanagpur |
| Shishunagas | Moved the capital temporarily to Vaishali; destroyed the power of Avanti, ending a 100-year rivalry |
| Nandas | Most powerful rulers; conquered Kalinga, bringing a jina image; Mahapadma Nanda claimed to be ekarat, sole sovereign |
Ajatashatru was no respecter of relations: though his mother was a Lichchhavi princess he made war on Vaishali, on the excuse that the Lichchhavis were allies of Koshala, and sowed dissension within their ranks, using his minister Varsakara. His reign saw the high watermark of the Bimbisara dynasty. The Nandas were fabulously rich; the Greek accounts give them 200,000 infantry, 20,000 cavalry, 2000 chariots and about 6000 elephants, and such an army could be maintained only through effective taxation. Alexander, who invaded Punjab at the time, dared not move east. The later Nandas were weak and unpopular and the Mauryas replaced them, taking the empire to its apex, as in Chandragupta Maurya and the Founding of the Mauryan Empire.
Why Did Magadha Succeed?
Enterprising rulers such as Bimbisara, Ajatashatru and Mahapadma Nanda employed all means, fair and foul, but that was not the only reason; the march of Magadha in the two centuries before the Mauryas resembles that of the Iranian empire in the same period.
| Factor | Detail |
|---|---|
| Iron | Richest iron deposits near Rajgir; good weapons not easily available to rivals |
| Rivals | Avanti also had iron, so took about a hundred years to subdue |
| Capitals | Rajgir ringed by five hills; Pataliputra at the confluence of Ganges, Gandak and Son, with the Ghaghra nearby, a true water fort (jaladurga) |
| Rivers and timber | Boats could be built; timber palisades found near Patna |
| Agriculture | Fertile alluvium and heavy rainfall; surplus taxed |
| Towns and money | Twenty towns in the Buddha’s age; tolls on trade paid the army |
| Elephants | First used in large numbers; eastern supply |
| Society | Recently Vedicised, orthodox brahmanas looked down on Kiratas and Magadhas; greater enthusiasm for expansion |
As an analytical point, geography, economy and ambitious rulers worked together: the economy described in Second Urbanisation and Rural Economy in the Age of the Buddha supplied the revenue, and iron supplied the weapons. The same factors explain why the empire could absorb the republics described in The Mahajanapadas and the Republican Experiment.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Chronology Dynasties and rulers
- Causes Standard Mains question
- Transition Leads to the Mauryas
What Came Next?
The next topic describes varna, social orders and legislation in the age of the Buddha. Next topic: Varna System, Social Orders and Legislation in the Age of the Buddha.
Key People and Terms
- Girivraja Early Rajgir
- Jaladurga Water fort
- Ekarat Sole sovereign
- Jivaka Royal physician
- Varsakara Ajatashatru’s minister
- Haryanka Dynasty of Bimbisara
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Bimbisara: 544 to 492 BC; wives from Koshala, Vaishali, Madra.
- Ajatashatru crushed the Lichchhavis in sixteen years.
- Udayin built the Patna fort.
- Shishunagas ended Avanti.
- Mahapadma Nanda: ekarat.
Do Not Confuse With
- Rajgir and Pataliputra Earlier capital versus later capital
- Haryanka and Shishunaga Bimbisara’s dynasty versus its successors
- Chellana and Koshalan wife Mother of Ajatashatru versus Prasenajit’s sister
Memory Hook
Marry to expand, fight to win; fort at Patna; then Shishunaga, then Nanda, then Maurya.
Mains Angle
Questions ask for reasons for Magadha’s supremacy. These points add depth.
- Rulers Ambitious
- Resources Iron and agriculture
- Location Rivers and forts
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Account for the rise of Magadha as the most powerful mahajanapada.”
How to Answer
- Rulers Bimbisara to Nanda.
- Iron Resources.
- Geography Capitals.
- Society Expansion.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Bimbisara expand Magadha?
Bimbisara acquired Anga and used marriage alliances with the Koshalan, Lichchhavi and Madra ruling families, which brought diplomatic prestige and paved the way for the expansion of Magadha westward and northward during his reign of about fifty-two years.
How did Ajatashatru defeat the Lichchhavis?
Ajatashatru sowed dissension within the ranks of the Lichchhavis and, after a war lasting sixteen years, ended their independence, helped by a catapult-like war engine that hurled stones and a chariot with an attached mace.
What did Udayin do?
Udayin, who ruled from 460 to 444 BC, built a fort at the confluence of the Ganges and the Son at Patna, which lay at the centre of the kingdom that now extended from the Himalayas to the hills of Chhotanagpur.
Who were the Nandas?
The Nandas, who succeeded the Shishunagas, were the most powerful rulers of Magadha. Mahapadma Nanda conquered Kalinga, claimed to be ekarat, and maintained a huge army, which deterred Alexander from advancing east when he invaded Punjab. The later Nandas proved weak and unpopular.
Why did Magadha succeed?
Magadha had nearby iron ores, rivers, timber and fertile land with surplus, strategic capitals at Rajgir and Pataliputra, towns and money for tolls, elephants in war and an unorthodox, recently Vedicised society eager for expansion.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Bimbisara married a Lichchhavi princess.
Chellana was Ajatashatru's mother.
2 Udayin built a fort at Patna.
At the confluence of Ganges and Son.
3 The Nandas preceded the Shishunagas.
The Nandas followed them.
4 Pataliputra was Magadha's earliest capital.
It was Rajgir.
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