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Kings, Farmers And Towns
How do the modern historians explain the development of Magadha as the most powerful Mahajanpada? Explain.
The rise of Magadha as a powerful Mahajanapada:
(i) Magadha was a region where agriculture was especially productive.
(ii) Besides, iron mines were accessible and provided resources for tools and weapons.
(iii) Elephants, an important component of the army, were found in forests in the region.
(iv) Also, the Ganga and its tributaries provided a means of cheap and convenient communication.
(v) Magadha attributed its power to the policies of individuals: ruthlessly ambitious kings of whom Bimbisara, Ajatasattu and Mahapadma Nanda are the best known, and their ministers, who helped implement their policies.
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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.
What was the early capital of Magadha? Tell its one feature. In the 4th century BCE, which city was made the capital of Magadha?
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