See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305045360 Janapadas, Mahājanapadas, Kingdoms, and Republics Chapter · January 2013 CITATIONS READS 0 17,242 1 author: Karam Tej Sarao University of Delhi 90 PUBLICATIONS 21 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Encyclopedia of Indian Religions View project All content following this page was uploaded by Karam Tej Sarao on 08 July 2016. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. Editorial Note III.1. Janapadas, [This offers the first view of Indian history at the beginning of the historic period in the Ganga plain and also discusses Mahajanapadas, the basic background factors behind the rise of the contemporary complex political and economic institutions. The Buddhist Jatakas form a major source, Kingdoms, and and in view of the facts that the Jatakas depict Banaras as an independent kingdom and that it was later annexed Republics by Ajatasatru, the Jatakas may very well depict the condition of the Banaras region around 500 BC. It is also important to note that by about 1800 BC, there was a wide use of iron in the central Ganga plain agriculture and thus there is no scope to relate the agricultural use of iron to the growth of states and cities in the region, which took place only from c. 800 BC onward.] h Towards the end of the Vedic period, tribal allegiance had begun to make way for territorial allegiance and the loyalty of the people was getting transferred from tribal organisations to polito-geographical units. Such a development was also reflected in a relationship between the raja and others based on reciprocity rather than kinship, but it also indicated the emergence of a class of non-kinsmen who eventually became the cronies of the raja contributing towards the concentration of authority in the throne. By the middle of the sixth century BC, political janapadas, some with fairly well-defined boundaries, came into existence and the headquarters of these janapadas remained no longer rural. Some of these janapadas soon grew into mahajanapadas with more than one urban settlement. The legal and ideological outfit in these mahajanapadas was supported by a well- defined caste system under which the producers The Texts, Political History and Administration till c. 200 BC 184 were saddled with economic obligations as well D.i.135), donamapaka (minister measuring the as social disabilities. Such a mechanism revenue with dona. J.ii.367, 381), rajabali functioned through the establishment of a (kingís share, revenue. A.ii.68, iii.45; D.i.135, professional army and an administrative set-up 142), rajabhaga (kingís share. J.ii.378), that collected taxes and punished crimes samudaya (revenue. D.i.227), bali (tax, revenue. against property, family, and social order. D.i.135). sunka (toll tax, customs Vin.iii.52; Starting with the middle Ganga zone and iv.131; A.i.54); sunkaghata (customsí frontier. its periphery, this phenomenon became Vin.iii.47, 52), sunkatthana (customsí house. universal in the whole of India by the fourth Vin.iii.62), rajakosa (royal treasury. A.iv.95). century BC. kosarakkha (the keeper of the kingís treasury. The earliest methodical postulation A.iii.57), and kosakotthagara (treasury. Vin.i.342; regarding the origin of the state has been made D.i.134; S.i.89) indicates towards well-organized in the Ambattha (D.i.87-110) and the Agganna economic and taxation system during the (D.iii.61-77) suttantas of the Digha Nikaya which Mahajanapada period. During the same period, belong to the earliest strata of the Pali literature. local officials such as gamabhojaka, gamapati, Here it has been pointed out that as a result of gamani, gamanika, collected royal rues, settled the origin of private property and other social local disputes, maintained law and order (J.i.199, evils the golden age became gradually 483; ii.135; Vin.ii.296; S.i.61). Other officials corroded. Consequently, people got together including aggapurohita (prime minister. D.i.138; and elected a male from among themselves to J.vi.391), rajamacca (royal minister, privy be their ruler so that he may maintain order. In councillor. J.i.262; v.444), rajamahamatta lieu of his services, he was granted the right to (kingís prime minister. D.iii.44; A.i.154, 252, collect one-sixth of the produce. Since such an 279, iii.128), parisajja (councillor. D.i.136), orderly model of the origin of state was ratthika (kingdomís official. A.iii.76), propounded only when the state had become a rajakammika (a royal official. J.i.439; iv.169), firmly-established institution, state must have rajapurisa (one in the kingís service. J.iii.34), come into origin before the composition of the rajaporisa (servant of the king or government abovestated suttantas. In other words, state had servant. D.i.135; M.i.85; A.iv.281), come into origin before the Buddha and antarabhogika (a subordinate chieftain Mahavira began their ministries. (Vin.iii.47), voharika (minister of justice. Vin.i.74, The fiscal and administrative pattern iv.223), and bandhanagarika (prison-keeper. reflected in the Pali texts, especially in majority A.ii.207), helped in running the affairs of the of the Jatakas, belongs to the Mahajanapada state and maintaining law and order at different period. In this literature, the use of terms such levels of governing. Bimbisara is said to have as vetana/ bhattavetana (wages or professional called a meeting of 80,000 gamikas (village fee. Sn.24; D.iii.191; Vin.iii.222; J.iv.132), superintendents) (Vin.i.179; A.iii.76, 78, 300), donamapaka (official responsible for the which may have been a conventional number measuring of revenue. J.ii.367, 378, 381), but indicates that at Bimbisaraís time the mahantasenagutta (chancellor of the Magadhan state had become not only a large exchequer. J.v.115, vi.2), bhogagama (a settled territorial unit but had also acquired the tributary village. J.i.235), rasika (revenue. capacity to bear taxes and other associated Janapadas, Mahajanapadas, Kingdoms, and Republics 185 obligations. Texts of the mahajanapada period Vin.i.188), rajakutumba (kingís property. indicate that now the chief advisors of the kings J.i.439), rajakumara (a prince. Vin.i.269), did not necessarily belong to the families of the rajakumbhakara (royal potter. J.v.290), rajakula heads of the state. For instance, Vassakara, the (kingís palace. A.i.128; ii.205; Vin.iv.265), prime minister of Ajatasattu, was a brahmana. rajakhadaya (kingís food. Sn.831), rajaguna Moreover, collaboration and integration of the (kingís virtue. M.i.446), rajadaya (royal gift. dominant with the defeated chiefs can also be D.i.127), rajaduta (kingís messenger. Sn.411), seen during the mahajanapada period. Further, rajadhamma (norm of kingship. J.iii.274; the use of terms such as senanayaka (army- J.v.112), rajadhani (capital city. A.i.159, ii.33, general, minister of defence. Vin.i.73), anika iii.108; Vin.iii.89), rajadhita (princess. J.i.207), (army. Vin.iv.107; Sn.623), anikattha (royal rajaputti (princess. J.iv.108; v.94), rajaputta guard. D.iii.64, 148), anikadassana (troop- (prince. Sn.455), rajabhogga (in the service of inspection. D.i.6), caturini (army consisting of the king, royal, worthy of a king. D.i.87; hatthi-assa-ratha-patti, i.e., elephants, chariots, Vin.iii.221; A.i.244, ii.113), rajamalakara (royal cavalry and infantry. D.ii.190; Vin.iv.105), gardener. J.v.292), and rajavara (famous king. davika (a certain rank in the army. D.i.51), dajini Vv.321). (an army. Sn.442), senanayaka (a general. The existence of a variety of states in the Vin.i.73), senapati (a general (Vin.i.233; Sn.556; sixth century BC is demonstrated in the early Pali A.iii.38, iv.790, senapatika (a general. A.iii.76, and Prakrit texts through the use of terms such 300), senabyuha (gathering an army. Vin.iv.107; as janapada, mahajanapada, rattha, D.i.6), rajabhata (soldier. Vin.i.74, 88) indicates antararattha, tirorattha, desa, padesa, towards the existence of professional armies. janapadapadesa, mahapadesa, gana, and Apart from Magadha, at least five states in the samgha. It may be worthwhile to examine these north-western part of the Indian subcontinent terms in the geo-political context of the possessed well-organised military systems in the mahajanapada period. pre-Mauryan period. Well-developed institution of kingship with accompanying powers and The term janapada in the context of the privileges is also indicated in the early Pali mahajanapada period meant a land where literature through the use of terms such as people lived through many generations and rajagara (a kingís pleasure house. D.i.7), raja- were linked to each other not only through blood anga (royal qualification or kingís property. and geography but also through customs, Vin.i.219), rajana (kingís command. J.iii.180), religious rituals, and dialects (D.ii.349; A.i.160, rajadanda (Kingís punishment. J.i.369, 433), 178; Sn.422, 683, 995, 1102; J.i.258, 139, 300). rajanubhava (kingís power or majesty. J.iv.247), It was made up of a number of nagaras (cities) raja-antepura (the royal harem. A.v.81), nigamas (trading centres), and gamas (villages) rajabhiraja (king of kings. Sn.553), rajayatana (D.i.136; J.ii.3) and was based on a (the royal tree. Vin.i.3), raja-isi/rajisi (a royal gemeinschaft-type of society. Formed naturally, ascetic. Th.1, 1127), raja-upatthana (royal it neither had any well-defined territorial bounds audience (Vin.i.269), raja-uyyana (royal garden.