What made Magadha the Most Powerful Mahajanapada?
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: November 9th, 2023
Magadha became the most powerful Mahajanapada because of its advantageous position. The Ganga river, which flows through it, enhanced transportation and made the area productive. Additionally, it was able to capture and train elephants for its armies thanks to its remote forest regions.
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Why Magadha was the Most Powerful Mahajanapada
Magadha rose to become the most powerful mahajanapada around 600 BCE. Rivers such as the Ganga and the Son flowed through Magadha, contributing to the region’s vast water supplies, water transportation, and lush land.
Magadha has a number of wooded regions where elephants might be trained for military purposes. Chariots could be made of forest wood. This region was rich in iron ore, which could be utilized to make tools and weapons.
Magadha (in modern-day Bihar) rose to prominence as the most powerful Mahajanapada between the sixth and fourth century BCE.
- Strong Rulers like Bimbisara, Ajatasatru, Dhana Nanda, Chandragupta, etc. ruled over Magadha.
- It was located in an area where agriculture was quite successful.
- Additionally, iron mines (in modern-day Jharkhand) were reachable and offered materials for tools and weaponry.
- Elephants, a significant part of the army, were discovered in the local forest.
- Additionally, the Ganga and its tributaries offered an inexpensive and practical method of communication.
- Early Buddhist and Jaina authors who wrote about Magadha attributed its strength to the actions of several ruthlessly ambitious monarchs, the most well-known of whom are Bimbisara, Ajatasattu, and Mahapadma Nanda.
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