In ancient India, a number of kingdoms emerged during the Vedic Age that were sp read across the Indo-Gangetic

plain. These kingdoms were also called as republic s 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 l iterature 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, rough ly by 600 B.C they grew into bigger political entities by grabbing land. The six teen mahajanapadas are given here in detail. 1. Anga The kingdom of Anga is mentioned in the Atharva Veda and was located rou ghly 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. Ang a was one of the most flourishing cities and was an important center of trade an d commerce. It was regarded as one of the six principal cities of early India. 2. 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 tha t Assaka was situated roughly at the place where modern day Maharashtra is locat ed. 3. Avanti Avanti was a very important kingdom located in Western India and was c onsidered to be one of the four important monarchies during the time Buddhism be gan 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 t he state of Madhya Pradesh is located now. Avanti was an important center of Bud dhism and later became a part of Magadhan Empire. 4. 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. 5. Gandhara The Gandharas established themselves since the Vedic Age s of River Kubha till the River Indus. With time, they crossed Indus d their territory into Punjab. The Gandharas were very aggressive in were masters of the art of warfare. It is said that this kingdom was the son of Aruddha known as Gandhara. on the bank and expande nature and founded by

6. Kamboja Kamboja was said to have been located on either sides of the Hindukus h. 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 h ave both Indian and Iranian similarities. 7. 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. 8. Kosala Kosala was located around 70 miles to the north west of present day Go rakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. It was flanked in the south by River Ganga, in the nor th by the Himalayas and in the east by the River Gandak. The ruler was called ki ng Prasenjit who was succeeded by his son Vidudabha. During his son's reign, Kos ala was combined with Magadha. The three chief cities of Kosala were Ayodhya, Sa keta and Sravasti.

9. 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 Himal ayan ranges. It is said that the founder of Kururashtra in Kurukshetra was the s on of Samvarsana called Kuru. The Kurus were known for their profound wisdom and sound health. The Kurus switched to republic form of government from monarchy d uring 5th Century B.C. 10. Machcha/Matsya The kingdom of Matsya or Machcha is said to have comprised th e region of the present day Jaipur in Rajasthan along with Alwar and Bharatpur. The founder of this kingdom was king Virata and the capital of this kingdom was named Viratanagara after him. The Matsya once formed a part of the Chedi kingdom as there are evidences that show that this place was ruled by the king of Chedi . 11. Magadha The Magadhas are referred to in the Atharva Veda. According to the e arly scriptures, the Magadhas were not fully Brahmins. Thus, they were loathed a t and were spoken of in contempt. Except for King Pramaganda, no other ruler is mentioned in the Vedas. It is stated in the Mahabharata that Magadha came into t he limelight under the king Bimbisara and later under his son Ajatasatru. It was one of the chief empires of India during those times. The kingdom of Magadha wa s situated roughly where the present day Bihar is located. 12. Malla Most of the scriptures of the Jains and Buddhists mention the Mallas. Their tribe was supposed to be quite powerful and they lived somewhere towards t he Eastern India. The Mallas had a republic form of society and their dominant t erritory comprised of nine provinces. Two of these nine provinces (Pava and Kusi nara) gained much importance in due course of time when Buddha came over here an d took his last meal before breathing his last at Kusinara. 13. Panchala The Panchalas were located in the north of India and had their prov ince to the east of the Kurus. They were located between the Himalayan ranges an d river Ganga. One can say that it was located roughly at the place where the mo dern day Uttar Pradesh is located. The Panchalas were originally monarchial in n ature and later transformed to the republican form of government during the 5th Century B.C. They are mentioned in Kautilya's Arthashastra as following the cons titution of the king. 14. Surasena The location of the Surasena was around the west side of river Yamu na and had its capital city at Mathura. The king of Surasena, Avantiputra played a vital role in promoting Buddhism in his kingdom. He was one of the chief disc iples of Buddha and aimed at spreading his knowledge and wisdom all through his kingdom. The capital city of Mathura was an important center for the worship of Lord Krishna. With time, the kingdom of Surasena was annexed by Magadha Empire. 15. Vajji/Vriji The Vajji or Vriji comprised of eight to nine allied races and t his kingdom became an important center of cultural and political activities. It was essentially located in northern India. Out of the nine races, the Licchhavis , the Vedehans, the Jnatrikas and the Vajjis were the most important. The Licchh avis were an independent clan and their capital was called Vaishali. It was an i mportant center of Buddhism and the headquarters of the powerful republic of Vaj jis. Buddha is supposed to have visited Licchhavis on many occasions. As time pa ssed, the kingdom of Licchhavis was conquered by the king of Magadha, Ajatasatru . 16. Vamsa/Vatsa Considered to be an offshoot of the Kurus, the kingdom of Vatsa or Vamsa was roughly situated at the location of modern day Allahabad in Uttar P radesh. The capital city was known as Kaushambi, which was a prosperous city. A number of rich merchants dwelled here. It was an important gateway for goods and people coming from the North West and south. The ruler of Vatsa was known as Ud yana and he was a very powerful ruler. He became a follower of Buddha and adopte

d Buddhism as the religion for his kingdom. Facts of Mahajanapadas 1. River Gandak was known as Sadaneera 2. Gandhara king Pukkusati exchanged gifts with Bimbisara and went on foot to me et Buddha 3. Bimbisara was known as Srenika and Ajashatru as Kunika 4. Shishunaga transferred the capital to Vaishali but Kalashoka transferred it p ermanently to Patliputra 5. Nagadassaka was the last Haryanka ruler 6. Mahapadmananda was known as Sarvakshatrantaka and also Ekrat and Ekachhatra.H e was also known as Ugrasena 7. Vatsa king Udayin fell in love with Basabdutta, wife of Chandro Prodotya Maha daya.This has been the subject matter of Bhasa'a Swapnobasabdutta 8. Vassakara was the wicked minister of Ajatshatru 9. In Shatpatha Brahmana king was called as Viswamatta or eater of the peopleIn 10. Bimbisara defeated Brahmadatta, the ruler of Anga 11. Capital of Magadha initially was Kusumpura 12. Anguttara Nikaya gives an account of the 16 mahajanapadas 13. In Ramayana Magadha was known as Vasumati 14. Devdatta a cousin of Buddha instigated Ajatshatru to kill Bimbisara 15. Bhahrut inscription talks about Buddha's meeting with Ajatshatru 16. Panini hailed from Gandhara 17. The function of Tudiyas and Akasiyas was tax collection 18. Kalashoka was known as Kakavarna 19. Malla was a non monarchial state 20. In the Battle of Aspasioi, Alexander was injured by the Malavas