Vedic Age and Mahajanapadas

Chapters for Module II

•R. S. Sharma
12. The Age of the Rig Veda
13. The Later Vedic Phase: Transition to State and Social Orders
15. Territorial States and the Rise of Magadha

•NCERT VI-
3. IN THE EARLIEST CITIES
5. KINGDOMS, KINGS AND AN EARLY REPUBLIC

•NCERT XI
•THEME TWO-KINGS, FARMERS AND TOWNS-Early States and Economies
Aryan Migration and the Vedas
 Aryan Culture and
Migration
•The word ‘Aryan’ is not a racial
term but a linguistic one. They
spoke Indo-European languages.

•C e n t r a l A s i a n O r i g i n t o t h e
subcontinental languages and
European languages

•Close affinities between Sanskrit

and some principal languages of
Europe such as Greek, Latin,
Gothic (Teutonic or Germanic),
Celtic (English) and Persian
Aryans/Arya are
considered the
authors of the Vedas,
Vedic Age
who gave genesis to
Sanskrit language

Early Vedic Later Vedic

or Rig Vedic Age
(1500-1000 (1000-600
BCE) BCE)
 Early Vedic Period
Polity- Chieftain Structure

•The administration was tribal in nature. No full-fledged monarchical state

•Every tribe was ruled by an elder called Pramukha/Jyestha. He took

the title of ‘Rajan’. The tribal chief was also known as janasya gopa.

•Words such as gopa or gopati (lord of the cattle) indicates that protecting
and increasing the cattle herd was his other major role.

•He waged wars to protect the cattle. In the Rig Veda, we have noted that
gifts (bali) were received by the rajan from members of the clan. . No
system of taxation
 Administrative Terminologies
Purohita: Priest, was next in position to Jana-Rajan (tribal
the Rajan chief)
Senapati: Commander
Vrajapati: Incharge of pasture lands Vis- Vishpati
(Social & administrative unit)
Gramani: Head of a grama (village)
Purapati: Incharge of forts (mud forts)
Grama- Gramani
Jeevagribha or Ugra: Police, in-charge
of law and order
Kula-
Spasa: Intelligence officer, spy Kulapati/Grihapati;
Duta: Messenger Basic unit of political organisation
 Administrative Institutions

Samiti- Samiti appears to

have been a larger
Sabha- It is a small elite
assembly of all tribal
gathering of tribal elders
members presided over
by the Rajan.
Vidhatha-Tribal assembly
with diverse functions.
Refers to a local
congregation of people
meeting to perform socio-
religious rituals and
ceremonies for the well-
being of the settlement.
 Economy
• Animals such as horses, goats, and sheep are mentioned but cattle were clearly prized the
most.

• Words for war with the infix gau— such as gavishti, gaveshana, goshu, and gavya— suggest
that many battles were in effect cattle raids.

• Rudimentary Agriculture- The words vap (to sow) and krish (to cultivate) occur, along with
references to various agricultural implements.

• Phala, langala, and sira are words for the plough, which must have been made of wood.
Other implements included the hoe (khanitra), sickle (datra, srini), and axe (parashu,
kulisha).
•Hymns refer to warriors, priests, cattle-rearers, farmers, hunters, barbers, and
vintners.

•The crafts mentioned include chariot-making, cart-making, carpentry, metal

working, tanning, the making of bows and bowstrings, sewing, weaving, and
making mats out of grass or reeds.

•Barter was the mode of exchange and cattle an important unit of value. The
word nishka seems to have meant ‘a piece of gold’ or ‘gold necklace’, and
there is no indication of the use of coins.

•The Rig Veda refers to enslavement in the course of war or as a result of debt.
The terms dasa and dasi used for male and female slaves.
 Society
•Early Vedic literature has several words for household units— durona,
kshiti, dam/ dama, pastya, gaya, and griha

•It was a Patriarchal and patrilineal society. The Rig Veda attaches
importance to the institution of marriage and refers to various types
of marriage— monogamy, polygyny, and polyandry.

•Relative freedom to Women- Gargi, Viswavara, Apala, Swayamvara,

Lopamudra

•Egalitarian Society
Features in a nutshell
 Later Vedic Age
Polity-Emergence of Monarchical Strucutre

•Later Vedic texts reflect a transition from a tribal polity based on

lineage to a territorial state.

•The rajan of later Vedic texts is a leader in battle and also a

protector of settlements and of people, especially Brahmanas.

•He is a custodian of the social order and sustainer of the rashtra.

Hereditary kingship was emerging.
•Ritualized Kingship- Ashwamedha, Vajapeya sacrifice and rajasuya
sacrifice.

•The ‘Vidhata’ completely disappeared. Sabha and Samiti continued

to hold ground, but their character changed and they were no more
representative of the will of the majority.

•Members of Sabha chosen by the king.

•Tax C o l l e ct i o n a n d w e r e de p o s i t e d w i t h a n o ff i ce r cal l e d
‘sangrahitri’

•‘Bagha’(kings share) which was 1/10 t h to 1/6th of the total

 Administrative Terms
Baghadugha Collector of taxes
Kshata Chamberlain (in charge of Royal Household)
Stapati Governor or Chief Justice
Vaccabhumik Inspector of Cowpens
a
Govikartana Keeper of Games and forest
Purapati Incharge of Forts and cities
Palagala Messenger
Akshavapa Accountant (earlier Dice thrower)
Mahishi Chief Queen
Suta Court minstrel or Chronicler
Gramani Village in charge
 Economy
• Agriculture and the use of Iron

• Cereals such as barley (yava), wheat (godhuma), and rice (vrihi) are mentioned, and there
are several references to agricultural operations such as sowing, ploughing, reaping, and
threshing.

• Land was occupied by extended families, and the clan seems to have exercised general
rights over land. The household was the basic unit of labour.

• Concentration of wealth in the hands of rulers and exchanges between kings and priests.

• Later Vedic texts mention various kinds of artisans, such as carpenters, chariot makers,
bow-and-arrow makers, metal workers, leather workers, tanners, and potters.
•Wagons drawn by oxen were probably the most frequent mode of
transport. Chariots (rathas) were used for war and sport, and people
rode on horses and elephants. Boats are also mentioned.

•Exchange was still via barter, as there is no clear reference to coinage.

•Kshetra: Most fertile Gapatasarah- Pasture land Khila- Waste land

Vasti- Habitable land Aprahata- Forest land
 Society
• Crystallization of Varna System

• Social Discrimination

• Subordination of Women

• Marriage (vivaha) was important for the continuation of the patrilineage. Relations between
husband and wife (pati and patni) and father and son were hierarchically organized.

• Women came to be increasingly identified in terms of their relations with men. Words such as stri,
yosha, and jaya were closely associated with wifehood and motherhood.

• The grihapati had control over the productive resources of the household unit and the reproductive
potential of his wife.
Features in a nutshell
Sixth Century BCE
 Changing Milieu
•Iron Implements Clearing of Forests Doab Region

•Eastward Expansion

•Improvement in Agriculture and Surplus Production

•State Formation and Complex Societies

•Rise of Janapadas and Mahajanpadas

 Mahajanpadas
1)Kashi 12) Kuru
2)Kosala 13) Panchala
3)Anga 14) Kamboja Republics
4)Magadha 15) Vajji
5)Assaka 16) Malla
6)Avanti Monarchy
7)Chedi
8)Gandhara
9)Vatsa
10)Matsya
11)Surasena
Mahajanapada Capital Government Significance Location

Anga Champa Monarchy C a p t u r e d b y Bihar- East of

Bimbisara. Magadha

Mallas K u s i n a r a & Republic North East U.P.

Pava

Vajji Vaishali Republic C o n f e d e r a c y o f 8 Bihar, north of Ganga

clans- Lichchavis were upto Nepal
the most powerful

Kashi Varanasi Monarchy Earlier most powerful Eastern U.P.

but conquered by
Koshala
Mahajanapada Capital Government Significance Location

Magadha R a j g i r ( o r Monarchy F i r s t m e n t i o n e d i n t h e Bihar (Patna and

Girivraja), later A t h a r v a v e d a i n Gaya districts)
Pataliputra derogatory terms for not
following Varna system

Koshala Shravasti; Monarchy Koshala conquered tribal Eastern U.P.

Ayodhya was an republic of the Shakyas of
important city. Kapilavastu (home of
Buddha). King Prasenjit
was a contemporary of
the Buddha.

Vatsa Kaushambi Monarchy Ruled by a branch of the Around Allahabad

Kuru in U.P.
Mahajanapada Capital Government Significance Location

Avanti M a h i s m a t i & Monarchy Main rival of Magadha MP

Ujjain

Gandhara Taxila Monarchy According to Herodotus it A f g h a n i s t a n -

was the 20 th province of Pakistan
Achaemenid empire of
Darius.

Shaurasena Mathura Monarchy Avantipura, king of the Western UP

Shaurasenas was one of
the chief disciples of the
Buddha
Mahajanapad Capital Government Significance Location
a
Matsya Viratnagar Tribal Polity Matsya at one time formed a Rajasthan
part of the Chedi kingdom,
before its final absorption into
the Magadhan empire

Chedi Suktimati Monarchy M.P.

 Rise of Magadha
•Of the 16 Mahajanapadas, Magadha, Kosala, Vatsa and Avanti were
more powerful.

•They fought amongst themselves for political pre-eminence for about a

hundred years.

•Ultimately, Magadha, under the leadership of Bimbisara and

Ajatashatru emerged victorious.

•The victory of Magadha was a victory for the monarchical system,

which was now firmly established in the Ganges plain.
Haryanka Shishunaga
• Bimbisara (544–492 BCE)
• Ajatashatru (492–460 BCE)
• Shishunaga (413–395 BCE)
• Udayin (460–444 BCE) • Kalashoka (395–367 BCE)
• Anuruddha (444–440 BCE) • Nandivardhana 367-355
• Munda (440–437 BCE) BCE
• Nāgadāsaka (437–413 BCE)
• Mahanandin 355–345 BCE

Nanda
•Mahapadma Nanda
•Dhana Nanda
 Economic Milieu
• Literary testimony and evidence reflect an expansion in the number and size of village
settlements and a process of population growth in the Ganga valley during c. 600–300
BCE.

• Emergence of Punch Marked Coins. Pali texts contain the first definite references to coins,
e.g., kahapana, nikkha, kamsa, pada, masaka, and kakanika.

• The emergence of the idea of private property in land is evident from references to the gift
and sale of land.

• Buddhist texts refer to dasas, dasis, kammakaras, and porisas working in households and
on land. The words dasa and dasi for male and female slaves.

• Emergence of Urban Centres. Cities had different kinds of functions and identities, as
centres of political control, craft production, or trade; some combined all these.
•Pura meant a town or city, often associated with fortifications.

•Nagara was a fortress or town. Nigama refered to a market town,

midway between a gama and nagara in terms of size and social
complexity, and was frequently associated with commercial
activities.

•Rajadhani was a capital city. Nagaraka was a small town,

mahanagara a big city.

•Champa, Rajagriha, Shravasti, Saketa, Kaushambi, and Varanasi

were mahanagaras.
Trade Routes
• The Uttarapatha was the major
trans-regional trade route of
northern India.
• The northern sector ran through
Lahore, Jalandhar, Saharanpur,
along the Gangetic plains to Bijnor,
a n d t h e n t h r o u g h G o r a k h p u r,
towards Bihar and Bengal. The
southern sector connected Lahore,
Raiwind, Bhatinda, Delhi,
Hastinapura, Kanpur, Lucknow,
Varanasi, and Allahabad, and then
moved on towards Pataliputra and
Rajagriha.

•The Dakshinapatha the great

southern trade route stretched from
Pataliputra in Magadha to
Pratishthana on the Godavari, and
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