• Epigraphy - study of Inscriptions.

• Palaeography- study of the handwritings of the past

• Janapada - land Where a jana (a people, clan or Tribe) settles.
• EIC officer James Prinsep deciphered 2 scripts - Brahmi and Kharosthi / mentioned a king as
Piyadassi – meaning “pleasant to behold”

Earliest States
• 6th cent BCE – era of early states, cities, growing use of iron, coinage development, etc./ growth of
diverse systems of thought, including Buddhism & Jainism
• Most imp Mahajanapadas among 16- Vajji, Magadha, Koshala,Kuru, Panchala, Gandhara and Avanti
• Mahajanapadas - ruled by king /Each had capital city Often fortified / army & beaurocracy/
Collection of taxes & tribute from cultivators, traders & artisans
• Ganas or Sanghas were ruled by group of people (oligarchy)/ Mahavira & Buddha belonged to such
ganas
• Dharmasutras- Sanskrit texts/ norms for ruler/ composed by Brahmanas
• Raids on Neighbouring states recognised as a legitimate Means of acquiring wealth

First amongst the sixteen: Magadha

• Capital was Rajagriha (present-day Rajgir in Bihar)/ later shifted to Pataliputra (present-day Patna).
• Magadha- Near Ganga basin/ Region of productive agriculture/ iron mine access / elephant
availability in forest (imp army component)

An Early Empire
Mauryan Empire

• sources
o Arthashastra / by Kautilya or Chanakya ( minister of Chandragupta Maurya)/ details of
administrative and military organisation
o Megasthenes work (Greek Ambassador in court of Chandragupta Maurya)
o Edicts of Asoka / Asoka was 1st ruler who inscribed his instructions on stone surfaces –
natural rocks as well as polished pillars / Pillar Edict VII – for Dhamma promotion
• Five major political centres – capital Pataliputra and provincial Centres of Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali and
Suvarnagiri.
• Suvarnagiri (golden mountain) was Possibly important for tapping the gold mines Of Karnataka.
• Special officers, known as Dhamma Mahamatta appointed to spread message of dhamma.
• Devanampiya & piyadassi – Title adopted by Ashok
New Notions of Kingship
Chiefs and kings in the south

• Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas in Tamilakam (Ancient Tamil country name, includes
Present-day Andhra Pradesh , Kerala, Tamil Nadu)/ Sources - Sangam texts in Tamil
• Kushana (1BCE-1BC)
o Colossal statues of Kushana rulers Found in a shrine at Mat near Mathura (Uttar Pradesh)/
indicates that Kushanas considered themselves godlike. Many Kushana rulers also adopted
the title Devaputra, or “son of god”.
o Notions of kingship best evidenced in their Coins & sculpture.
• Gupta Empire (4BC)
o Samantas were military leaders who provided the king with troops whenever he needed
them. They were not paid regular salaries. Instead, some of them received grants of land,
consider as Subordinate Ruler
o Prayaga Prashasti (also known as Allahabad Pillar Inscription) composed in Sanskrit by
Harishena ,court poet of Samudragupta & most powerful Gupta ruler)

Changing Countryside
Manusmrti- written in
• Popular perceptions of kings Sanskrit
o Jatakas- story tale/ Written in pali
o Gandatindu Jataka- describe evil king nature/Written in pali
• Strategies for increasing production
o Plough Agriculture
o iron ploughshare
o Irrigation / Sudarshana lake- artificial reservoir / built by Maurya king Chandragupta
maurya/ later repaired by Shaka ruler Rudradaman.
o Transplantation
• Differences in rural society
o Gahapati- lord of House & owner of resources – land, animals, and other things, that
belonged to household
Harshacharita=biography Of
o Categories of people living in villages –
Harshavardhana, the ruler of
▪ Large Landowners or vellalar
Kanauj/In Sanskrit /by his court
▪ ploughmen or uzhavar
poet, Banabhatta (7CE).
▪ Slaves or adimai
• Land grants and new rural elite
o Agrahara
Towns and Trade

• Capitals of Mahajanapadas location= along routes of Communication ( near land route/ sea coast/
river)
• Votive inscriptions record gifts Made to religious institutions.
• Successful merchants, designated as Masattuvan In Tamil and Setthis & satthavahas in Prakrit
• Coins-
o First coins bearing names & images of Rulers were issued by the Indo-Greeks (who
Established control over north-western part of subcontinent 2 BCE)
o Kushanas issued the largest hoards of gold coins, first gold coins 1 CE.
o Most spectacular gold coins were Issued by the Gupta ruler
• Yaudheyas- Tribal republic of Punjab & Haryana
PYQ NOTES