Sixteen Mahajanapadas: India was not united in the sixth century BC. Originally from Buddhist and Jain scriptures, it is known that at that time India was divided into sixteen kingdoms or Mahajanapadas.
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| Source: www.facts-about-india.com |
16 Mahajanapadas and Their Capitals in English
| Janapadas & Mahajanapadas | Capital | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Anga | Champa | Munger and Bhagalpur in present day Eastern Bihar. |
| Magadha | Earlier Rajgriha, later Patliputra. | Patna, Gaya and parts of Sahaba in present day southern Bihar. |
| Malla | Capitals at Kusinara and Pawa | Deoria, Basti, Gorakhpur and Siddhartha Nagar in present day Uttar Pradesh |
| Vajji | Vaishali | northern region of present day Ganges in Bihar. |
| Kashi | Varanasi | Present day Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh |
| Clark | Sravasti | Ayodhya in present day Uttar Pradesh |
| Chedi | Shuktimati | Region between Jamuna and Narmada |
| Vatsa | Kaushambi | Allahabad and Mirzapur in present day Uttar Pradesh |
| Kuru | Indraprastha | Present Thaneshwar, Delhi and Meerut region |
| Kamboja | Capital at Rajapura in modern-day Kashmir | South-West Kashmir |
| Ashmaka | Patana | South of present day Godavari |
| Avanti | Ujjaini and Mahishmati | Present Malay |
| Sursena | Mathura | Alwar, Bharatpur and Jaipur regions of present day Rajasthan |
| Matsya | Viratanagara | Covered the areas of Alwar, Bhartpur and Jaipur in Rajasthan. |
| Panchala | Ahichhatra(Uttara Panchala) and Kampilya( Dakshina Panchala) | Western part of present Uttar Pradesh, Berili, Badayun and Farakkabad |
| Gandhara | Taxila | Peshawar and Rawalpindi in present day Pakistan |
Although most of these Mahajanapadas were monarchies, republics were established in one or two states (e.g. Briji and Malla). Conflicts and rivalries between the states for political supremacy continued. Gradually the four kingdoms (Magadha, Kosala, Avanti and Batsa) became stronger by swallowing the other kingdoms. Then those four kingdoms went to war to form empires. Eventually Magadha won the war and established the first united empire in India.
See Also
Ancient History
Reference
Wikipedia.org/Mahajanapadas
A History of Aceaint India and Medieval India
 Mahajanapadas and Their Capitals in English){kind=link}
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