Home > Travel > Cities of India > History of Magadha
History of Magadha
History of Magadha is well known. The history of Magadha has been associated with a number of kingdoms. Some of the well known rulers of Magadha were Bimbisra, Ajatashatru, Ashoka and Chandragupta.

Share this Article:

History of MagadhaHistory says that one of the earliest and most famous kings of Magadha was Jarasandha of epic fame. The Mahabharata speaks of Jarasandha, son of King Brhadratha, as a very great and powerful king of Magadha who reigned in the city of Girivraja or Rajagriha. It has been said in the Bhagavata Purana narrates that Bhima, Arjuna, and Krishna went to Girivraja where Bhima killed Jarasandha, and Krishna made Sahadeva king of Magadha, and released all the kings imprisoned by Jarasandha.

History says that Bimbisara was appointed the king of Magadha at the age of fifteen and he had ruled the kingdom for a period of 52 years. King Bimbisara had annexed Anga to his kingdom of Magadha. Anga was a small kingdom to the east, corresponding to the modern district of Bhagalpur. The annexation of Anga was the turning point in the history of Magadha. In fact it can be said that in the history of Magadha Bimbisara was considered real founder of the Magadhan imperial power. He strengthened his position by matrimonial alliances with the two neighbouring states, viz. Kosala and Vaishali.

Thus the marriages of Bimbisara paved the way for the expansion of Magadha both westward and northward, and enabled Bimbisara to add a part of Kasi to his dominions and to launch Magadha on that career of conquest and aggrandisement which only ended when Ashoka sheathed his sword after the conquest of Kalinga.

Ajatashatru had succeeded Bimbisara as the ruler of Magadha. Ajatasatru suffered the same miserable fate as his father, being put to death by his son Udayi Bhadda. According to the genealogical lists given in the Puranas, Ajatashatru was succeeded by Darsaka. Some historical says that Ajatashatru was succeeded by hi son Aniruddha as the king of Magadha. After this the Nandas had succeeded the throne of Magadhas and had ruled for a period of 22 years. According to the Puranas, the founder and first king of the Nanda dynasty was Mahapadma Nanda, son of Mahanandin by a Sudra woman. He had usurped the throne of Magadha in or about 413 B.C.

History of Magadha The historical account says that that the Nanda dynasty was overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya with the help of his wily and astute minister, Kautilya. It can be said that Magadha which, before Bimbisara was merely a tiny state in South Bihar, had, during the interval from the time of Bimbisara to the Kalinga war of Ashoka, expanded to a gigantic empire from the foot of the Hindu Kush to the borders of the Tamil country. After the Kalinga war, the political destiny of Magadha had reversed. The empire gradually became smaller and smaller till it sank to its pre-Bimbisarian area and position.

The kingdom of Magadha had been ruled by the Sunga Dynasty, the Kanva Dynasty and a lot more. It has been mentioned that at the beginning of the fourth century A.D. the Magadhan monarchy again rose into prominence under the Guptas. Chandragupta had ascended the throne in 320 A.D., the initial date of the Gupta era. Like Bimbisara he had also strengthened his position by a matrimonial alliance with the Licchavis of Vaisali, who appear to have continued to occupy an influential position in North India.

After Chandragupta II, the Gupta power in Magadha was temporarily eclipsed by the Pusyamitras. Then followed the Huna invasion, in which the Emperor Skandagupta, was presumably victorious, and, was unable to continue the successful resistance which he had offered in the earlier days of his rule, and was forced at last to succumb to the repeated attacks of the foreigners.

But the Magadhan Empire did not wholly perish on the death of Skandagupta. It was ruled by Puragupta, Narasirnhagupta, Kumaragupta II, and Buddhagupta. History narrates that in the first half of the seventh century, Harsa, the great Kanouj monarch had overshadowed the Gupta power, which was revived by Adityasena, who assumed the titles of Paramabhattakara.

After this the throne of Magadha was occupied by a Gauda king named Gopala Then the great Magadhan empire decayed politically, being included in the Gauda empire of the Palas and Senas, but it continued to remain the centre and headquarters of Buddhist learning up to the time of the Muhammadan conquests at the close of the twelfth century, when the monasteries with their well-stocked libraries were reduced to ashes.


Share this Article:

Related Articles

More Articles in Cities of India


Ancient North Indian Cities
Ancient North Indian Cities were developed in the early era that is from the time of Mahabharata, and after the decline of Hindu kings in Northern parts. Some have become desolated and some became the archaeological ruins.
Ancient South Indian Cities
Ancient South Indian Cities witness the rise and fall of many empires from the early era.
Ancient Cities of North West India
Ancient Cities of North West India show the Rajput culture from the early phase, but in medieval era it showed the prominence after having a good relation with Mughals.
Ancient West Indian Cities
Ancient West Indian Cities are now completely in ruins, because of the heavy earthquake in some of the regions.
Holy Cities of North West India
Holy Cities of North West India are grown up in the midst of dry and thorny desert lands with Rajputana art and architecture.
Holy Cities of North India
Holy Cities of North India are having the rich history of Hinduism and the entire civilization was grown up with the hands of beliefs, rituals and the evolution of religion.
Holy Cities of South India
Holy Cities of South India gives the detailed cultural formation of Dravidians from the early era, which later developed to the world by the Pallavas and the Cholas.
Holy Cities of Central India
Holy Cities of Central India have the excellence of art and architecture in temples in the early era.
Holy Cities of East India
Holy Cities of East India refer the places of religious importance. Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism are widely spread.
Holy Cities of West India
Holy Cities in West India were established by the rulers of Rajputs and the Satvahana Dynasty and the medieval rulers of Junagadh.
Cities of West Uttar Pradesh
Cities of West Uttar Pradesh include Meerut, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Bareilly, Rampur, Agra, Aligarh, Mathura and many others. It comprises the western parts of Uttar Pradesh.
Architecture of Ladakh
Architecture of Ladakh is very typically Buddhist due to the strong influence of the religion here. The architecture is in keeping with the geography and climate of the region.
Architecture Of Madurai
Architecture of Madurai reflects the Hindu architectural pattern as is seen in the lakes, temples and palaces.
Port Cities of South India
Port Cities of South India are developed from the early phase of colonial era when the Portuguese and the French traders came to India
Vaishali Ancient City
Vaishali was an ancient prosperous metropolis, which was probably the first republic of the world.
Kudra City
Kudra, the city in Kaimaur District where agriculture is the prime occupation and in this city there is present Asia’s largest seed cold storage.
Thuraiyur in Tamilnadu
Thuraiyur is a municipality town where the inhabitants are mostly dependent on agriculture and handloom industries.
Dharapuram - Tiruppur
Dharapuram is a town located in Tiruppur district in Tamil Nadu. It is said that the Pandavas resided here in the town.
River Ghats in Haridwar
There are several river ghats in Haridwar, which are considered as popular spots among tourists.
Mataundh - Banda District
Mataundh is a prominent `panchayat town` situated in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh.