Kings and Kingdoms of Early Times

The Jana (people) used to choose the KIngs or Rajas and then their heirs became kings in the early civilizations. These kings made the rule for the citizens and for their kingdoms. The King was responsible for the protection of the kingdom. The list of kings of early times of India is quite long and some famous kings of early times are Ajatashatru, Ashoka, Bindusar, Chandragupta, Samundragupta, and Harshavardhan, etc. 

Here, we will learn about how Ashvamedha sacrifice, Janapadas and mahajanpadas, the tax system in and kingdoms of kings and kingdoms of the early period. 

Ashvamedha or Horse Sacrifice for Kingdoms

Around 3000 years ago horse sacrifice for the kingdom was popular. It was a mark of the power and glory of the king. Who successfully performed the sacrifice of Ashvamedha was recognized as King of Rajas. In this sacrifice, a horse was set free to run and wander freely in other kingdoms and it was guarded by the people of the king. If the horse entered into the regions of other rajas and they stopped it that means they are challenging the owner of the horse and wanted to fight. If they allowed it to pass then they accepted that the raja whose horse have entered their region was stronger than them. In those times every king wanted to perform this ritual to show their power but everyone can not perform Ashvamedha easily as they have to fight with many kings.

Janapadas and Mahajanapadas

The literal meaning of the word ‘janapada’ is the land where the Jana set its foot and settled down. Thus the King of janapadasa was called the ‘Raja of Janapadas’.Rajas or kings of janapadas perform big sacrifices to show their power to the other kings

With the passing of the years, some Janapadas gained more relevance and importance than the others. Then these powerful Janapadas evolved as Mahajanapadas. Most Mahajanapadas contain a capital city and a fort to protect. The big fort was made from huge walls made of stones and wood which provides protection to the kingdoms from attacks from other kings. The Rajas made these forts to show their power and richness.

Tax System in Mahajanapadas

The main occupation of the people of the early times was agriculture hence taxes were collected on crops. Usually, the tax was fixed by the ruling authority at 1/6th of what was produced. This was called a share or bhaga. The craftspersons also pay taxes to the king. The taxes were also imposed on the herders in the form of animals and animal products. The buying and selling of the goods through the trade also fell under the category of taxation  The forest products were given by hunters and gatherers to the king as a tax.

Agricultural Changes During this Period

Some agricultural changes have been witnessed during this time such as the use of wooden ploughshares and transplanting paddy. The first important change that can be seen as farmers started using wooden ploughshares. So the iron ploughshares replaced their wooden predecessors. This was helpful in farming since farmers could turn over the heavy and clayey soil better leading to more grain production. The second change was the transplantation of paddy became popular during this time. Before that plants would sprout out of the seeds scattered on the ground. But later formers replaced seeds with pre-grown saplings which leads to increased production.

A Closer Look on Mahajanapas

There were sixteen Mahajanapadas namely  Magadha, Kasi, Anga, Vajji, Surasena, Kamboja, Malla,  Panchala, Chedi, Gandhara, Vatsa, Kuru, Machcha, Kosala Avanti, and Assaka. The location of these Mahajapadas is given in the following map. 

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Let’s have a look at the following two Mahajapadas for a better understanding of the ancient kingdom.

Magadha

Around 200 hundred years ago, the most powerful Mahajanapada was Magadha. Rivers Ganga n flowed through it which provided water, medium of transportation and was helpful in making the land fertile. In some of the forested parts of Magadha, other activities were performed such as animals such as horses and elephants used to captured and trained for the army.

The list of powerful kings of Magadha is long. The popular rulers are Bimbisara, Ajatasattu, Mahapadma Nanda, etc. The present-day Rajgir in Bihar; at that time it was called Rajagriha was the capital of Magadha for many years. Later Pataliputra or Patna became the capital of Magadha.

Vajji

Mahajanapada Vajji was under a different kind of government - called the Gana or Sangha. The capital of this Mahajapada was Vaishali (Bihar). there are many rulers of the janapada. The ruler of each janapads was called a Raja. These assemblies did not permit women, slaves, and labourers to be a part of them.

Kings and Kingdoms of the Early Medieval Period

There are many dynasties or kingdoms of the early Medieval period. Some of them are mentioned kings and kingdoms of the early medieval period below.

• Pratihara dynasty was the last largest dynasty of northern India which ruled from the 6th century to the 11th century in most of the parts of India. It was the rivalry of the Gupta empire.

• Chalukya dynasty ruled between the 6th to 12th centuries in most of the western Deccan and some of South India. Their capital was at Badami and language wad Kannada.

• Rashtrakuta dynasty was a Kannada Dynasty that ruled between the 6th and the 10th centuries on the large parts of the Indian subcontinent. They are the ones who built the World Heritage center in Ellora, Maharashtra.

• A South Indian Kannada dynasty whose kingdom referred to as Eastern Chalukyas was situated in the present-day Andhra Pradesh they were the descendants of Western Chalukyas.

• The Pallava dynasty ruled from the 6th century to the 9th century. They were rulers of Telugu and some Tamil areas.

• The last major Buddhist rulers were Pala Empire who ruled from the 8th to 12th centuries in Bengal. 

• Chola Empire was a South Indian empire that ruled from the 9th century to the 13th century in Tamil Nadu and extended to include Southeast Asian territories at its height. 

• The Vardhan Dynasty was under the control of Harsha in most of north India

• The Kakatiya Dynasty ruled in Andhra Pradesh in the Early Medieval Period and it was a Telugu dynasty that ruled from 1083 to 1323 CE.

Did You Know?

There is a popular story about Alexander who was from Macedonia in Europe. He was desired to conquer the world. To fulfill his desires he came to India and reached the banks of river Beas to march eastwards but his army refused since they had heard about the powerful Nanda Empire of Magadha with vast armies of foot soldiers and elephants.

Hence the history of kings and kingdoms of early times and the early medieval period is very interesting. We have learned about how janapadas evolved as Mahajanapas and understand the tax system and agricultural changes during that period. This history is often asked in the examination hence it is very useful for the students.