Magadha

Region and Mahajanapada in ancient eastern India

Kingdom of Magadha

Unknown (possibly 1600 BCE) – 625 CE

Kingdom of Magadha and other Mahajanapadas during the second urbanisation

Expansion and decline of Magadha-based rule
between 6th and 2nd century BCE

Magadha-based rule under Haryanka and
Shaisunga dynasties

Magadha-based rule under Nanda dynasty

Magadha-based rule under Maurya dynasty

Magadha-based rule under Shunga dynasty

Magadha-based rule under Kanva dynasty

Territorial expansion of Magadha-based rulers 6th century BCE onwards

Capital| Rajagriha (Girivraj)
Later, Pataliputra (modern-day Patna)
Common languages| Sanskrit[1]
Magadhi Prakrit
Ardhamagadhi Prakrit
Religion

| Brahmanism
Buddhism
Jainism
Demonym(s)| Māgadhī
Magadha-based dynasties and empires|

• c. 544 – c. 413 BCE

| Haryanka dynasty

• c. 413 – c. 345 BCE

| Shaishunaga dynasty

• c. 345 – c. 322 BCE

| Nanda dynasty

• c. 322 – c. 185 BCE

| Maurya Empire

• c. 185 – c. 73 BCE

| Shunga Empire

• c. 73 – c. 28 BCE

| Kanva dynasty

• c. 1st cent. BCE – c. 2nd cent. BCE

| Extraneous rule by Mitra dynasty (Kosambi)

• c. 2nd – c. 3rd CE?

| Extraneous rule by Mahameghavahana dynasty

• c. 240 – c. 579 CE

| Gupta Empire

• c. 6th – c. 8th cent. CE

| Later Guptas
Historical era| Iron Age
Currency| Panas

Preceded by | Succeeded by

|

|  | Kikata kingdom

|

| Satavahana Empire |

|

Kalinga (Mahameghavanas) |
Vidarbha kingdom |
Today part of|

* India
* Nepal
* Pakistan
* Bhutan
* Afghanistan
* Bangladesh

Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period. The region was ruled by several dynasties, which overshadowed, conquered, and incorporated the other Mahajanapadas. Magadha played an important role in the development of Jainism and Buddhism[2] and formed the core of the Maurya Empire (ca. 320–185 BCE).

## Geography

[edit]

The territory of the Magadha kingdom proper before its expansion was bounded to the north, west, and east respectively by the Gaṅgā, Son, and Campā rivers, and the eastern spurs of the Vindhya mountains formed its southern border. The territory of the initial Magadha kingdom thus corresponded to the modern-day Patna and Gaya districts of the Indian state of Bihar.[3]

The region of Greater Magadha also included neighbouring regions in the eastern Gangetic plains and had a distinct culture and belief.

## History

[edit]

### Vedic period (semi-legendary) (ca. 1700 BCE-6th cent. BCE)

[edit]

Main article: Vedic period

In the Atharvaveda (5.22) (ca. 1200-900 BCE) the Magadhas are listed along with the Angas, Gandharis and Mujavats as non-Vedic tribes located outside of the Kuru-Panchala cultural sphere.[4][5]

#### Kikata kingdom

[edit]

Main article: Kikata kingdom

Some scholars have identified the Kīkaṭa tribe—mentioned in the Rigveda (3.53.14) with their ruler Pramaganda—as the forefathers of Magadhas because Kikata is used as synonym for Magadha in the later texts.[6] Like the Magadhas in the Atharvaveda, the Rigveda speaks of the Kikatas as a hostile tribe, living on the borders of Brahmanical India, who did not perform Vedic rituals, but Witzel argues that it is "misplaced" to locate the Kikatas within Magadha, as in the Rigveda "their [Kikata] territory is clearly described as being to the south of Kurukshetra, in eastern Rajasthan or western Madhya Pradesh, and Magadha is beyond the geographical horizon of the Rigveda".[7]

#### Brihadratha dynasty

[edit]

Main article: Brihadratha dynasty

According to the Puranas, the legendary[8] Brihadratha dynasty was the first ruling dynasty of Magadha.

### Mahajanapada (6th-4th cent. BCE)

[edit]

Cyclopean Wall of Rajgir which encircled the former capital of Magadha, Rajgir. Among the oldest pieces of cyclopean masonry in the world

#### Second urbanisation

[edit]

Much of the Second Urbanisation took place in Greater Magadha from c. 500 BCE onwards, and it was here that Jainism and Buddhism arose.[9]

#### Haryanka dynasty (544 BCE–413 BCE)

[edit]

Main article: Haryanka dynasty

There is little certain information available on the early rulers of Magadha. The most important sources are the Buddhist Pāli Canon, the Jain Agamas and the Hindu Puranas. The ancient kingdom of Magadha is also mentioned in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata. Based on Jain and Buddhist sources, it appears that Magadha was ruled by the Haryanka dynasty for some 130 years, c. 543 to 413 BCE,[10] although dates are uncertain, and could be significantly later.[11]

Two notable Haryanka dynasty rulers of Magadha were Bimbisara (also known as Shrenika) and his son Ajatashatru (also known as Kunika), who are mentioned in Buddhist and Jain literature as contemporaries of the Buddha and Mahavira. Later, the throne of Magadha was usurped by Mahapadma Nanda, the founder of the Nanda Dynasty (c. 345 – c. 322 BCE), which conquered much of north India. The Nanda dynasty was overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Maurya Empire (c. 322–185 BCE).

There is much uncertainty about the succession of kings and the precise chronology of Magadha prior to Mahapadma Nanda; the accounts of various ancient texts (all of which were written many centuries later than the era in question) contradict each other on many points. Furthermore, there is a "Long Chronology" and a contrasting "Short Chronology" preferred by some scholars, an issue that is inextricably linked to the uncertain chronology of the Buddha and Mahavira.[11] According to historian K. T. S. Sarao, a proponent of the Short Chronology wherein the Buddha's lifespan was c.477–397 BCE, it can be estimated that Bimbisara was reigning c.457–405 BCE, and Ajatashatru was reigning c.405–373 BCE.[12] According to historian John Keay, a proponent of the "Long Chronology," Bimbisara must have been reigning in the late 5th century BCE,[13] and Ajatashatru in the early 4th century BCE.[14] Keay states that there is great uncertainty about the royal succession after Ajatashatru's death, probably because there was a period of "court intrigues and murders," during which "evidently the throne changed hands frequently, perhaps with more than one incumbent claiming to occupy it at the same time" until Mahapadma Nanda was able to secure the throne.[14]

The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganges; its first capital was Rajagriha (modern day Rajgir), then Pataliputra (modern Patna).[5] Rajagriha was initially known as 'Girivrijja' and later came to be known as so during the reign of Ajatashatru. Magadha expanded to include most of Bihar and Bengal with the conquest of Vajjika League and Anga, respectively.[15]

### Expansion (413 BCE-28 BCE)

[edit]

#### Shaishunaga dynasty (413 BCE–345 BCE)

[edit]

The approximate extent of the Haryanka dynasty and the Shaisunaga dynasty between the 6th and 5th century BCE.[16]

Main article: Shaishunaga dynasty

#### Nanda dynasty (c. 345 BCE–c. 322 BCE)

[edit]

Main article: Nanda dynasty

#### Maurya Empire (322 BCE – 185 BCE)

[edit]

Main article: Maurya Empire

#### Shunga Empire (185 BCE–73 BCE)

[edit]

Main article: Shunga Empire

#### Kanva dynasty (73 BCE–28 BCE)

[edit]

Main article: Kanva dynasty

### Extraneous rule (28 BCE-c.240 CE)

[edit]

#### Mitra dynasty (Kosambi) ( 1st cent. BCE - 2nd cent. CE)

[edit]

Main article: Mitra dynasty (Kosambi)

#### Mahameghavahana dynasty (2nd-3rd cent. CE)

[edit]

Main article: Mahameghavahana dynasty

### Guptas

[edit]

#### Gupta Empire (c. 240–c. 579)

[edit]

Main article: Gupta Empire

#### Later Guptas (c. 6th century CE–c. 8th century CE)

[edit]

Main article: Later Guptas

### Later history

[edit]

Main article: Pithipatis of Bodh Gaya

From the 11th century until the late 13th century, a group of Buddhist kings known as the Pithipatis ruled parts of the Magadha region. These kings referred to themselves as Magadhādipati which translates to "Lords of Magadha".[17]

## Buddhism and Jainism

[edit]

Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, lived much of his life in the kingdom of Magadha. He attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, gave his first sermon in Sarnath and the first Buddhist council was held in Rajgriha.[18]

Several Śramaṇic movements had existed before the 6th century BCE, and these influenced both the āstika and nāstika traditions of Indian philosophy.[19] The Śramaṇa movement gave rise to diverse range of heterodox beliefs, ranging from accepting or denying the concept of soul, atomism, antinomian ethics, materialism, atheism, agnosticism, fatalism to free will, idealisation of extreme asceticism to that of family life, strict ahimsa (non-violence) and vegetarianism to the permissibility of violence and meat-eating.[20] Magadha kingdom was the nerve centre of this revolution.

Jainism was revived and re-established after Mahavira, the last and the 24th Tirthankara, who synthesised and revived the philosophies and promulgations of the ancient Śramaṇic traditions laid down by the first Jain tirthankara Rishabhanatha millions of years ago.[21] Buddha founded Buddhism which received royal patronage in the kingdom.

Magadha kingdom coin, c. 430–320 BCE, Karshapana Magadha kingdom coin, c. 350 BCE, Karshapana Chandragupta Maurya period Karshapana coin, circa 315-310 B.C.[22]

According to Indologist Johannes Bronkhorst, the culture of Magadha was in fundamental ways different from the Vedic kingdoms of the Indo-Aryans. According to Bronkhorst, the śramana culture arose in "Greater Magadha," which was Indo-Aryan, but not Vedic. In this culture, Kshatriyas were placed higher than Brahmins, and it rejected Vedic authority and rituals.[23][24] He argues for a cultural area termed "Greater Magadha", defined as roughly the geographical area in which the Buddha and Mahavira lived and taught.[23] [25]

With regard to the Buddha, this area stretched by and large from Śrāvastī, the capital of Kosala, in the north-west to Rājagṛha, the capital of Magadha, in the south-east".[26] According to Bronkhorst, "there was indeed a culture of Greater Magadha which remained recognizably distinct from Vedic culture until the time of the grammarian Patañjali (ca. 150 BCE) and beyond".[27] The Buddhologist Alexander Wynne writes that there is an "overwhelming amount of evidence" to suggest that this rival culture to the Vedic Aryans dominated the eastern Gangetic plain during the early Buddhist period. Orthodox Vedic Brahmins were, therefore, a minority in Magadha during this early period.[28]

The Magadhan religions are termed the sramana traditions and include Jainism, Buddhism and Ājīvika. Buddhism and Jainism were the religions promoted by the early Magadhan kings, such as Srenika, Bimbisara and Ajatashatru, and the Nanda Dynasty (345–321 BCE) that followed was mostly Jain. These Sramana religions did not worship the Vedic deities, instead of practising some form of asceticism and meditation (jhana) and tending to construct round burial mounds (called stupas in Buddhism).[27] These religions also sought some type of liberation from the cyclic rounds of rebirth and karmic retribution through spiritual knowledge.

### Religious sites in Magadha

[edit]

The ancient Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya prior to its restoration

Among the Buddhist sites currently found in the Magadha region include two UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya[29] and the Nalanda monastery.[30] The Mahabodhi temple is one of the most important places of pilgrimage in the Buddhist world and is said to mark the site where the Buddha attained enlightenment.[31]

## Language

[edit]

Main article: Magadhi Prakrit

See also: Ardhamagadhi Prakrit

Beginning in the Theravada commentaries, the Pali language has been identified with Magadhi, the language of the kingdom of Magadha, and this was taken to also be the language that the Buddha used during his life. In the 19th century, the British Orientalist Robert Caesar Childers argued that the true or geographical name of the Pali language was Magadhi Prakrit, and that because pāḷi means "line, row, series", the early Buddhists extended the meaning of the term to mean "a series of books", so pāḷibhāsā means "language of the texts".[32] Nonetheless, Pali does retain some eastern features that have been referred to as Māgadhisms.[33]

Magadhi Prakrit was one of the three dramatic prakrits to emerge following the decline of Sanskrit. It was spoken in Magadha and neighbouring regions and later evolved into modern eastern Indo-Aryan languages like Magahi, Maithili and Bhojpuri.[34]

## Historical figures from Magadha

[edit]

The 24th Tirthankara of Jainism, Mahavira, who was born in Magadha to a royal family

Important people from the region of Magadha include:

* Śāriputra – born to a wealthy Brahmin in a village located near Rājagaha in Magadha. He is considered the first of the Buddha's two chief male disciples, together with Maudgalyāyana.[35]
* Maudgalyāyana – born in the village of Kolita in Magadha. He was one of the Buddha's two main disciples. In his youth, he was a spiritual wanderer before meeting the Buddha.[36]
* Mahavira – the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism. Born into a royal kshatriya family in what is now Vaishali district of Bihar. He abandoned all worldly possessions at the age of 30 and became an ascetic. He is considered a slightly older contemporary of the Buddha.[37]
* Maitripada – an 11th-century Indian Buddhist Mahasiddha associated with the Mahāmudrā transmission. Born in the village of Jhatakarani in Magadha. Also associated with the monasteries of Nalanda and Vikramashila.[38]
* Dhyānabhadra \- 13th/14th century monk of Nalanda born to a minor chief in Magadha and later travelled across South and East Asia.[39]
* Subhūticandra \- 11/12th-century Indian Buddhist monk associated with Nalanda and Vikramashila who belonged to Magadha.[40]

## See also

[edit]

* Greater Magadha
* History of India
* Magadha–Vajji war
* Magadha–Anga war
* Avanti–Magadhan War
* List of Indian monarchs
* Timeline of Indian history
* Magahi culture
* Magahi language

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Jain, Dhanesh (2007). "Sociolinguistics of the Indo-Aryan languages". In George Cardona; Dhanesh Jain (eds.). The Indo-Aryan Languages. Routledge. pp. 47–66, 51. ISBN 978-1-135-79711-9.
2. ^ Damien Keown (26 August 2004). A Dictionary of Buddhism. OUP Oxford. p. 163\. ISBN 978-0-19-157917-2.
3. ^ Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1953). Political History of Ancient India: From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of Gupta Dynasty. University of Calcutta. pp. 110–118.
4. ^ Michael Witzel (1987), "On the localisation of Vedic texts and schools (Materials on Vedic Śākhās, 7)" in G. Pollet (ed.), India and the Ancient world. History, Trade and Culture before A.D. 650
5. ^ a b Ramesh Chandra Majumdar (1977). Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 81-208-0436-8.
6. ^ Macdonell, Arthur Anthony; Keith, Arthur Berriedale (1995). Vedic Index of Names and Subjects. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. ISBN 9788120813328.
7. ^ M. Witzel. "Rigvedic history: poets, chieftains, and polities," in The Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia: Language, Material Culture and Ethnicity. ed. G. Erdosy (Walter de Gruyer, 1995), p. 333
8. ^ Chakrabarty, D.K. (2010). The Geopolitical Orbits of Ancient India: The Geographical Frames of the Ancient Indian Dynasties. OUP India. ISBN 978-0-19-908832-4.
9. ^ Bronkhorst 2007, p.4: Bronkhorst "It is also in this area that a number of religious and spiritual movements arose, most famous among them Buddhism and Jainism.".
10. ^ Chandra, Jnan (1958). "Some Unknown Facts About Bimbisāra". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 21: 215–217\. JSTOR 44145194.
11. ^ a b Bechert, Heinz (1995). When Did the Buddha Live?: The Controversy on the Dating of the Historical Buddha. Sri Satguru Publications. p. 129\. ISBN 978-81-7030-469-2.
12. ^ Sarao, K. T. S. (2003), "The Ācariyaparamparā and Date of the Buddha.", Indian Historical Review, 30 (1–2): 1–12, doi:10.1177/037698360303000201, S2CID 1418978261–2&rft.pages=1-12&rft.date=2003&rft_id=info:doi/10.1177/037698360303000201&rft_id=https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:141897826#id-name=S2CID&rft.aulast=Sarao&rft.aufirst=K.+T.+S.&rft_id=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/037698360303000201&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Magadha" class="Z3988">
13. ^ Keay, John (2011). India: A History. Open Road + Grove/Atlantic. p. 141\. ISBN 978-0-8021-9550-0.
14. ^ a b Keay, John (2011). India: A History. Open Road + Grove/Atlantic. p. 149\. ISBN 978-0-8021-9550-0.
15. ^ Ramesh Chandra Majumdar (1977). Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 81-208-0436-8.
16. ^ Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical Atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 145, map XIV.1 (a). ISBN 0226742210.
17. ^ Sircar, D. C. (1978). "Bodhgayā Inscription of Pithipati Ācārya Buddhasena". Senarat Paranavitana Commemoration Volume: 255–256\. doi:10.1163/9789004646476_033. ISBN 978-90-04-64647-6.
18. ^ "Lumbini Development Trust: Restoring the Lumbini Garden". Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
19. ^ Ray, Reginald (1999). Buddhist Saints in India. Oxford University Press. pp. 237–240, 247–249\. ISBN 978-0195134834.
20. ^ Jaini, Padmanabh S. (2001). Collected papers on Buddhist Studies. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 57–77\. ISBN 978-8120817760.
21. ^ Patel, Haresh (2009). Thoughts from the Cosmic Field in the Life of a Thinking Insect [A Latter-Day Saint]. Strategic Book Publishing. p. 271\. ISBN 978-1-60693-846-1.
22. ^ "Auction 396. INDIA, Mauryan Empire , Karshapana (14mm, 3.32 g). circa 315-310 BC". www.cngcoins.com. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
23. ^ a b Bronkhorst 2007, p. [page needed].
24. ^ Long, Jeffery D. (2009). Jainism : an introduction. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-4416-3839-7. OCLC 608555139.
25. ^ Witzel, Michael (1997). "Macrocosm, Mesocosm, and Microcosm: The Persistent Nature of 'Hindu' Beliefs and Symbolic Forms". International Journal of Hindu Studies. 1 (3): 501–539\. doi:10.1007/s11407-997-0021-x. JSTOR 20106493. S2CID 144673508.
26. ^ Bronkhorst 2007, pp. xi, 4.
27. ^ a b Bronkhorst 2007, p. 265.
28. ^ Wynne, Alexander (2011). "Review of Bronkhorst, Johannes, Greater Magadha: Studies in the Culture of Early India". H-Buddhism. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
29. ^ K.T.S. Sarao (16 September 2020). The History of Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya. Springer Nature. pp. 66–. ISBN 9789811580673.
30. ^ Pintu Kumar (7 May 2018). Buddhist Learning in South Asia: Education, Religion, and Culture at the Ancient Sri Nalanda Mahavihara. Lexington Books. ISBN 978-1-4985-5493-0.
31. ^ David Geary; Matthew R. Sayers; Abhishek Singh Amar (2012). Cross-disciplinary Perspectives on a Contested Buddhist Site: Bodh Gaya Jataka. Routledge. pp. 18–21\. ISBN 978-0-415-68452-1.
32. ^ A Dictionary of the Pali Language By Robert Cæsar Childers
33. ^ Rupert Gethin (9 October 2008). Sayings of the Buddha: New Translations from the Pali Nikayas. OUP Oxford. pp. xxiv. ISBN 978-0-19-283925-1.
34. ^ Beames, John (2012). Comparative Grammar of the Modern Aryan Languages of India: To Wit, Hindi, Panjabi, Sindhi, Gujarati, Marathi, Oriya, and Bangali. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/cbo9781139208871.003. ISBN 978-1-139-20887-1.
35. ^ Prasad, Chandra Shekhar (1988). "Nalanda vis-à-vis the Birthplace of Śāriputra". East and West. 38 (1/4): 175–188\. JSTOR 29756860.
36. ^ Gunapala Piyasena Malalasekera (2007). Dictionary of Pāli Proper Names. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. pp. 403–404\. ISBN 978-81-208-3022-6.
37. ^ Romesh Chunder Dutt (5 November 2013). A History of Civilisation in Ancient India: Based on Sanscrit Literature: Volume I. Routledge. pp. 382–383\. ISBN 978-1-136-38189-8.
38. ^ Tatz, Mark (1987). "The Life of the Siddha-Philosopher Maitrīgupta". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 107 (4): 695–711\. doi:10.2307/603308. JSTOR 603308.
39. ^ Buswell, Robert; Lopez, Donald (2014). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. p. 1056\. ISBN 9780691157863.
40. ^ Deokar, Lata (2012). "Subhūticandra: A Forgotten Scholar of Magadha". Journal of the Centre for Buddhist Studies, Sri Lanka. 10: 137–154.

### Sources

[edit]

* Raychaudhuri, H.C. (1972). Political History of Ancient India. Calcutta: University of Calcutta.
* Law, Bimala Churn (1926). "4. The Magadhas". Ancient Indian Tribes. Lahore: Motilal Banarsidas.
* Bronkhorst, Johannes (2007). Greater Magadha: studies in the culture of early India (PDF). Handbook of oriental studies. Section two, India. Vol. 19\. Leiden; Boston: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-15719-4. ISSN 0169-9377. OCLC 608455986. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2015.
* Singh, Upinder (2016), A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century, Pearson, ISBN 978-81-317-1677-9

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* Early Le
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* Wari

Modern|

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| Colonial|

* American
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* attempts
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* attempts
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|

Lists|

* Empires
* largest
* Ancient great powers
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Miscellaneous|

* Academic
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* v
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Mahajanapadas

Great Indian Kingdoms
(c. 600 BCE–c. 300 BCE)|

* Anga
* Asmaka (Assaka)
* Avanti
* Chedi
* Gandhara
* Kashi
* Kamboja
* Kosala
* Kuru
* Magadha
* Malla
* Maccha (Matsya)
* Panchala
* Surasena
* Vajji
* Vatsa (Vamsa)

* v
* t
* e

Middle kingdoms of India

|  | Timeline and
cultural period  | Indus plain
(Punjab-Sapta Sindhu-Gujarat)  | Gangetic Plain | Central India  | Southern India

|
|
|
|

Upper Gangetic Plain
(Ganga-Yamuna doab)  | Middle Gangetic Plain  | Lower Gangetic Plain
IRON AGE
Culture | Late Vedic Period | Late Vedic Period
Painted Grey Ware culture | Late Vedic Period
Northern Black Polished Ware | Pre-history
6th century BCE | Gandhara | Kuru-Panchala | Magadha  | Adivasi (tribes) | Assaka
Culture | Persian-Greek influences | "Second Urbanisation"
Rise of Shramana movements
Jainism \- Buddhism \- Ājīvika \- Yoga | Pre-history
5th century BCE | (Persian conquests)  |  | Shaishunaga dynasty | Adivasi (tribes) | Assaka
4th century BCE | (Greek conquests)  | Nanda empire |
HISTORICAL AGE
Culture | Spread of Buddhism | Pre-history |
3rd century BCE | Maurya Empire | Satavahana dynasty
Sangam period
(300 BCE – 200 CE)
Early Cholas
Early Pandyan kingdom
Cheras

Culture | Preclassical Hinduism[a] \- "Hindu Synthesis"[b] (ca. 200 BC - 300 CE)[c][d]
Epics \- Puranas \- Ramayana \- Mahabharata \- Bhagavad Gita \- Brahma Sutras \- Smarta Tradition
Mahayana Buddhism |
2nd century BCE | Indo-Greek Kingdom | Shunga Empire
Maha-Meghavahana Dynasty | Satavahana dynasty
Sangam period
(300 BCE – 200 CE)
Early Cholas
Early Pandyan kingdom
Cheras

1st century BCE
1st century CE |

Indo-Scythians
Indo-Parthians

| Kuninda Kingdom |  |
2nd century | Kushan Empire
3rd century | Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom
Western Satraps | Kushan Empire | Kamarupa kingdom  | Adivasi (tribes)
Culture | "Golden Age of Hinduism"(ca. CE 320-650)[e]
Puranas
Co-existence of Hinduism and Buddhism
4th century | Kidarites | Gupta Empire
Varman dynasty | Andhra Ikshvakus
Kalabhra dynasty
Kadamba Dynasty
Western Ganga Dynasty
5th century | Hephthalite Empire | Alchon Huns | Vishnukundina
Kalabhra dynasty

6th century | Nezak Huns
Kabul Shahi
Maitraka |  |  |  | Adivasi (tribes) | Vishnukundina
Badami Chalukyas
Kalabhra dynasty

Culture | Late-Classical Hinduism (ca. CE 650-1100)[f]
Advaita Vedanta \- Tantra
Decline of Buddhism in India
7th century | Indo-Sassanids |  | Vakataka dynasty
Empire of Harsha | Mlechchha dynasty | Adivasi (tribes) | Badami Chalukyas
Eastern Chalukyas
Pandyan kingdom (revival)
Pallava
Karkota dynasty
8th century | Kabul Shahi | Pala Empire | Eastern Chalukyas
Pandyan kingdom
Kalachuri
9th century | Gurjara-Pratihara | Rashtrakuta Empire
Eastern Chalukyas
Pandyan kingdom
Medieval Cholas
Chera Perumals of Makkotai
10th century | Ghaznavids |  |  | Pala dynasty
Kamboja-Pala dynasty | Kalyani Chalukyas
Eastern Chalukyas
Medieval Cholas
Chera Perumals of Makkotai
Rashtrakuta

References and sources for table

References

1. ^ Michaels (2004) p.39
2. ^ Hiltebeitel (2002)
3. ^ Michaels (2004) p.39
4. ^ Hiltebeitel (2002)
5. ^ Michaels (2004) p.40
6. ^ Michaels (2004) p.41

Sources

* Flood, Gavin D. (1996), An Introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge University Press
* Hiltebeitel, Alf (2002), Hinduism. In: Joseph Kitagawa, "The Religious Traditions of Asia: Religion, History, and Culture", Routledge
* Michaels, Axel (2004), Hinduism. Past and present, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press

* v
* t
* e

Magadh division topics

General|

* Magadha (Mahajanapada)
* Barabar Caves

Districts|

* Arwal
* Aurangabad
* Gaya
* Jehanabad
* Nawada

Community development blocks|

* Konch, Deo Block

Rivers|

* Lilajan/Niranjana
* Mohana
* Punpun
* Son

Transport|

* NH 2
* NH 31
* NH 22
* NH 96
* NH 33
* Grand Chord
* Asansol–Gaya section
* Gaya–Mughalsarai section

Railway stations|

* Gaya Junction
* Son Nagar Junction

Lok Sabha
constituencies|

* Aurangabad
* Gaya
* Jahanabad
* Nawada

See also|

* Cities and towns in Magadh Division
* People from Aurangabad
* Bihar topics

Other divisions|

* Bhagalpur
* Darbhanga
* Kosi
* Munger
* Patna
* Purnia
* Saran
* Tirhut

* v
* t
* e

Historical regions of North India

* Ahirwal
* Awadh
* Bagelkhand
* Bagar
* Baltistan
* Bhojpur
* Braj
* Bundelkhand
* Dardistan
* Doaba
* Dhundhar
* Garhwal
* Gorwar
* Hadoti
* Jammu
* Kashmir
* Kumaon
* Ladakh
* Majha
* Marwar
* Mewar
* Mewat
* Punjab
* Malwa
* Purvanchal
* Rohilkhand
* Shekhawati
* Vagad

*[c.]: circa
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