Emergence of Mahajanapadas (600-321 BC)
In the later Vedic period, the tribal organisations changed its identity and gradually shifted to the territorial identity, and the area of settlement were now regarded as janapadas or states. In transition from tribe to monarchy, they lost the essential democratic pattern of the tribe but retained the idea of government through an assembly representing the tribes. These states consisted of either a single tribe such as Shakyas, Kolias, Malas etc. The people in the lower Ganges Valley and Delta, which were outside the Aryan pale, were not incorporated. There was, therefore, a strong consciousness of the pure land of the Aryans called Aryavarta. Each janapada tried to dominate and subjugate other janapadas to become Mahajanapadas.
| The 16 Mahajanapadas |
| Mahajanapadas | Capitals | Locations |
| Gandhara | Taxila | Covering the region between Kabul and Rawalpindi in North Western Province. |
| Kamboja | Rajpur | Covering the area around the Punch area in Kashmir |
| Asmaka | Potana | Covering modern Paithan in Maharashtra; on the bank of River Godavari |
| Vatsa | Kaushambi | Covering modern districts of Allahabad and Mirzapur |
| Avanti | Ujjain | Covering modern Malwa (Ujjain) region of Madhya Pradesh. |
| Surasena | Mathura | Located in the Mathura region at the junction of the Uttarapath & Dakshinapath |
| Chedi | Shuktimati | Covering the modern Budelkhand area |
| Maila | Kushinara, Pawa | Modern districts of Deoria, Basti, Gorakhapur in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Later merged into Maghada Kingdom |
| Kurus | Hastinapur/Indraprastha | Covering the modern Haryana and Delhi area to the west of River Yamuna |
| Matsya | Virat Nagari | Covering the area of Alwar, Bharatpur and Jaipur in Rajasthan |
| Vajjis | Vaishali | Located to the north of the River Ganga in Bihar. It was the seat of united republic of eight smaller kingdoms of which Lichhavis, Janatriks and Videhas were also members. |
| Anga | Champa | Covering the modern districts of Munger and Bhagalpur in Bihar. The Kingdoms were later merged by Bindusara into Magadha. |
| Kashi | Banaras | Located in and around present day Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. |
| Kosala | Shravasti | Covering the present districts of Faizabad, Gonda, Bahraich, etc. |
| Magadga | Girivraja/Rajgriha | Covering modern districts of Patna, Gaya and parts of Shahabad. |
| Panchala | Ahichhatra (W. Panchala),
Kampilya (S. Panchala) | Present day Rohilkhand and part of Central Doab in Uttar Pradesh. |
Important Republics: The kings in these states had the supreme authority. The Mahajapandas of Vriji, Malla, Kuru, Panchal and Kamboj were republican states and so were other smaller states like Lichhavi, Shakya, Koliya, Bhagga, and Moriya. These republican states had a Gana-parishad or an Assembly of senior and responsible citizens. This Gana-Parishad had the supreme authority in the state. All the administrative decisions were taken by this Parishad. Again, the republics were basically of two types: (a) the republics comprising a single tribe like those of the Sakyas, the Kolias and the Mallas, and (b) the republics comprising a number of tribes or the republics of confederacy like the Vrijjis.
| Difference between Republics and Monarchies |
- In republics, every tribal oligarch claimed share in revenues from peasants. In the monarchies, the king claimed to be the sole recipient of such revenues.
- In the tribal oligarchy or republic, each raja (tribal oligarch) was free to maintain his own little army under his senapati. In a monarchy, the king maintaind his regular standing army. He did not permit any other armed forces within his boundaries.
- Republics functioned under the leadership of the oligarchic assemblies, while a monarchy functioned under the individual leadership of the king.
- The Brahamanas had a considerable influence on the monarchial administration, while they were relegated to the background in the republics.
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