the mahajanpadas

Magadha Empire The Magadha Empire was a significant ancient Indian kingdom, renowned for its contribution to India history and culture. Magadha Empire was Located in Current Day Bihar. Magadha Empire was founded by King Brihadratha, this foundational period, dating back to the 6th century BCE. With time it became a political and cultural hub under…

Megaliths Megaliths are large stone structures built a long time ago, during the Stone and Bronze Ages. These big stones were set up by people in different ways, like in circles or standing alone, and can be found all over the world, including places like Europe, Asia, and Africa. People in the past used them…

Satavahana Dynasty Satvahanas  succeeded the Mauryan Empire in Deccan and Central India. They are considered to be identical to Andhras mentioned in Puranas. However, the word ‘Andhra’ does not appear in the Satvahana inscriptions. The term “Satvahana” is a Prakrit word, which means “Driven by seven”, which implies Sun God’s chariot that seven horses drive…

Sangam Age The Sangam Age, a significant era in ancient Tamil history, is renowned for its rich cultural and literary achievements. The period approximately between the 3rd century B.C. and 3rd century A.D. in South India (the region lying south of river Krishna and Tungabhadra) is known as Sangam Age/Period. This period, marked by the gathering of poets and scholars…

Post Mauryan Period The period from 200 BCE onwards is known as Post-Mauryan Period. It did not witness a large empire like the Mauryas but is known for its intimate contact between Central Asia and India.

We have several sources that help us to reconstruct the Mauryan empire. These can be classified as either literary sources or Archaeological sources. Literary Sources of Mauryan Empire These are the texts that describe the Mauryan Empire. These are either contemporary or non-contemporary. Contemporary texts – These are books written during the time of the…

Mauryan Economy Direction Trade routes South-West route Sravasti to Pratishthana South-East route Sravasti to Rajgriha East-West route Taxila to Patliputra following the river course of Ganga and Yamuna, known as Uttarpatha(modern-day Grand Trunk road) Mauryan Society during the Mauryan empire Free labour Karmaharas/Bhritakas Slaves  Dasas Mortgaged Slaves Ahitaka Religion during the Mauryan Empire People in…

Mauryan Empire The Mauryan Empire, foundation to India’s historical and cultural framework, flourished from 321 to 185 BCE, establishing itself as the first extensive political entity across the Indian subcontinent. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around 321 BCE under the strategic guidance of his advisor Chanakya, this empire is renowned for its governance, economic prosperity, and…

In the post-Vedic period, a significant change occurred in the nature of Religious practices in India. We see the emergence of new religious movements, such as Jainism and Buddhism from, Shramana tradition, which impacted society, the polity and the administration for centuries to come. The Shramanic/ Shramana Tradition ‘Shramana’ means striving and working hard by…

Persian and Greek Invasion of India In the 6th century BCE, India’s northwest was a site of conflict between various principalities. Kambojas, Gandharas and Madras fought with each other. Since there was an absence of a powerful overarching kingdom, the principalities of the northwest could not be organized into one kingdom. This area was also…