Magadha
Kingdom of Magadha | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown (by 1200 BCE) – 625 CE | |||||||||||||
Kingdom of Magadha and other Mahajanapadas during the second urbanisation | |||||||||||||
Territorial expansion of Magadha-based rulers 6th century BCE onwards | |||||||||||||
| Capital | Rajagriha (Girivraj) Later, Pataliputra (modern-day Patna) | ||||||||||||
| Common languages | Sanskrit Magadhi Prakrit Ardhamagadhi Prakrit | ||||||||||||
| Religion | Brahmanism Buddhism Jainism | ||||||||||||
| Demonym | Māgadhī | ||||||||||||
| Magadha-based dynasties and empires | |||||||||||||
• c. 544 – c. 413 BCE | Haryanka dynasty | ||||||||||||
• c. 413 – c. 345 BCE | Shaishunaga dynasty | ||||||||||||
• c. 345 – c. 321 BCE | Nanda dynasty | ||||||||||||
• c. 321 – 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 Kushan Empire and Mahameghavahana dynasty | ||||||||||||
• c. 240 – c. 579 CE | Gupta Empire | ||||||||||||
• c. 6th – c. 8th cent. CE | Later Guptas | ||||||||||||
| Historical era | Iron Age | ||||||||||||
| Currency | Panas | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Today part of | |||||||||||||
| Part of a series on the |
| History of Bihar |
|---|
Empires of Magadha
Mahajanapada Period
Magadha among the 16 great ancient kingdoms.
Haryanka Dynasty
Early territorial expansion under Bimbisara and Ajatashatru.
Nanda Empire
Magadha's dominance over Northern India.
Maurya Empire
Pan-Indian expansion originating from Pataliputra.
Shunga Empire
Post-Mauryan dynasty controlling central and eastern India.
Gupta Empire
The Classical Age centered in Magadha.
Magadha (IPA: [məɡəd̪ʰaː]) 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 and formed the core of the Maurya Empire (c. 320–185 BCE).