☰
Kings, Farmers And Towns
How did the city of Pataliputra emerged?
Prior to Mauryan Empire Pataliputra was not a city as we do not find it being mentioned among cities in any of the early Buddhist text. Rather we find a place named Pataligram. Pataliputra's recorded history began with Ajatshatru, the second of the Magadhan kings, who established a small fort in 490 BCE at Pataligram where the Ganga and Sone Rivers met in order to better fight his enemies, the Licchavis.
In later half of 5th century BCE we find that Magadha rulers shifting their capital from Rajagaha to there. But even then it was not a big city but they renamed it as Pataliputra. However when Mauryan overthrew Nanda dynasty at the fourth century BCE and become the capital of Mauryan empire, Pataliputra became one of the major cities. Which described fondly by Megasthenes in his work Indika. But with the decline of the Mauryan empire we also see gradual decline of the city too.
Sponsor Area
Discuss the main features of Mauryan administration. Which of these elements are evident in the Asokan inscriptions that you have studied?
This is a statement made by one of the best-known epigraphists of the twentieth century, D.C. Sircar: “There is no aspect of life, culture and activities of the Indians that is not reflected in inscriptions”. Discuss.
Discuss the notions of kingship that developed in the post-Mauryan period.
To what extent were agricultural practices transformed in the period under consideration?
Compare Maps 1 and 2, and list the Mahajanapadas that may have been included in the Mauryan Empire. Are any Asokan inscriptions found in these areas?
Collect newspapers for one month. Cut and paste all the statements made by government officials about public works. Note what the reports say about the resources required for such projects, how the resources are mobilised and the objective of the project. Who issues these statements, and how and why are they communicated? Compare and contrast these with the evidence from inscriptions discussed in this chapter. What are the similarities and differences that you notice.
Collect five different kinds of currency notes and coins in circulation today. For each one of these, describe what you see on the observe and the reverse (the front and the back). Prepare a report on the common features as well as the differences in terms of pictures, scripts and languages, size, shape and any other element that you find significant. Compare these with the coins shown in this chapter, discussing the materials used, the techniques of minting, the visual symbols and their significance and the possible functions that coins may have had.
What is meant by Janapada?
What were the Mahajanapadas? Name a few important Mahajanapadas.
Which Mahajanapada emerged as the strongest one? Name any three of its important rulers.
Sponsor Area
Sponsor Area