IRANIAN INVASION ( PERSIAN)

During the first half the sixth century BC, there were several small principalities in the north west India such as those of the kambojas gandharas and Madras.
These are did not have any powerful kingdom like magadha.
Wealth and easy to enter through the passes of hindukush.
The Iranian ruler Darius penetrated into northwest India in 516 BC and annexed punjab and Sindh.
This area constituted the twentieth province or satrapy of Iran ( total 28 provinces).
The Indian satrapy included Sindh, the northwest frontier and the port of Punjab that lay to the west of the Indus. It was most fertile and populous part of the empire.
It paid the tribute of 360 talents of gold.
Indian subjects were enrolled in Iranian army and xerxes employed indian in war against Greeks.
India continued to be a part of the Iranian empire till Alexander's invention of India.

Results

The indo-iranian contact latest for about 200yesrs.
The Iranian scribes brought into india a form of writing which came to be known as the kharosthi script. It was written from right to left like the Arabic.
Iranian influence on the Maurya sculpture is clearly perceptible.
The monuments of Ashoka's time especially the bell shaped capital,owed something to the Iranian models.
Iranian influence may also be traced in the preamble of Ashoka's edicts as well as in certain terms used in them for instance, for the Iranian term dipi, the Ashokan scribe used the term lipi.
It seems that through the Iranians the Greeks came to know about the great wealth of India, which whetted their greed and eventually led to Alexander's invention.

MAGADHA EMPIRE (NANDA DYNASTY)

Nanda dynasty was first nin Kshatriya dynasty.
The first ruler Mahapadma Nanda who asarped the throne of kalashoka.

MAHAPADMA NANDA (4TH CENTURY BC)

He is called the first historical emperor of India.
He murdered kalashoka to become the King.
His origins are not clear. As per the Puranas , he was the son of the last shisunaga king from a Sudra woman. As per some Jain texts and Greek writer curtius, he was the son of s barber and a courtesan.
He is also called "sarva kashtriyataka" destroyer of all the Kshatriyas and Ekrut.
The empire grew under the reign.
It ran from the kuru country in the north to the godavari valley in the south and from Magadha in the east to Narmada in the west.
He conquered many kingdoms including Kalinga.

DHANA NANDA (329 BC - 321 BC)

He was the last Nanda ruler.
He is reterred to as agrammes or xandramed in Greek texts.
Alexander invaded north-western india during his reign but he couldn't proceed towards the gangetic plains because of his army refusal.
He inherited a huge empire from his father, he passessed a standing army of 200000 infantry, 20000 cavalry, 3000 elephants and 2000 chariots. Because of this, he was became a powerful ruler.
He is said to be one of the 8 or 9 sons of Mahapadma Nanda.
He became unpopular with his subjects owing to an oppressive way of extorting taxes, Also his Sudra origins and an anti kshatriya policy led to a large number of enemies.
Finally he was overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya along with chanakya, which led to the foundation of the Maurya empire in Magadh.

MAGADHA EMPIRE (SHISUNAGA DYNASTY)

SHISUNAGA DYNASTY

Shisunaga (413 BC - 395 BC)

According to Sri lankan chronicles, the people of magadha revolted during the reign of Nagadasaka and placed an amatya (minister) named shisunaga as King.
Was the viceroy of kasi before becoming king of magadha.
Capital was at Girivraja.
He annexed Avanti and brought an end to the long rivalry between Magadha and Avanti.
Later shifted the capital to Vaishali.

Kalashoka ( 395 BC - 365 BC )

He was son of shisunaga.
Kalashoka shifted the capital to Patliputra.
He conducted the second Buddhist council t vaishali.
He was killed in a palace revolution that brought the nanda dynasty to the throne.

Magadha Empire (Haryanka Dynasty)

MAGADHA EMPIRE

Background of Magadha Empire

The four Mahajanapadas - Magadha, koshala, Avanti, Vatsa were vying for supremacy from the 6th century BC to the 4th century BC.
Finally, Magadha emerged victoriously and was able to gain sovercighty.
It became the most powerful State in ancient India.
Magadha is situated in modern bihar.
Jarasandha, who was a descendant of brihadratha founded the Empire in Magadha.
Both are talked about in the Mahabharata.

There was three dynasty ruled over the Magadha Empire.

1.Haryanka Dynasty.

2.Shisunaga Dynasty.

3.Nanda Dynasty.

HARYANKA DYNASTY

BIMBISARA (544 BC TO 492 BC)

Founder of Haryanka Dynasty.
Contemporary and follower of the Buddha and an admirer of Mahavira.
Had his capital at Girivraja ( rajgir - he built the city).
Also known as seniya ( the first using to have a standing army).
He started the practice of using matrimonial alliances.
He had three wives:- kosaldevi(king of kisalas doughter and the sister of prasanjit- got kushi as the dowry), chellana ( doughter of the lichchhavi chief of the vaisali), khema (doughter of the king of misra, Punjab).
He conquered Anga.

2.AJATASATRU (492 BC TO 460 BC)

Son of bimbisara and chellana.
He killed his father and became ruler.
He followed aggressive policy-gained control are kushi by attacking his maternal uncle Prasenjit.
Embraced Buddhism.
He convened the first Buddhist council at Rajgriha just after the death of Buddha in 483 BC.
Won wars against vajji , kosala and vaisali.
He built fort of Rajgriha and jaladurga at patli (bank of river Ganga).

3.UDAYIN (460 BC - 440 BC )

Son of ajatasatru.
Shifted the capital to pataliputra (patna).
Succeeded by three kings, Aniruddha, Manda and Nagadasaka respectively who all were weak.

16 Mahajanapadas

Mahajanapada:- Anga

Capilatal:- Champa
Modern location:-Munger and Bhagalpur
Significance:- Anga mahajanapada finds reference in the Mahabharata and Atharvaveda. During the rule of bimbisara, it was taken over by Magadha empire,it is situated in present day bihar and West Bengal.

Mahajanapada:-Magadha.

Capital:- Girivraja/Rajgriha.
Modern location:- Gaya and Patna.

Significance:- Magadha finds mention in the Atharvaveda which conveys that Magadha was semi Brahmanical habitation. It was located in present day Bihar close to Anga, divided by river champa. Later Magadha became a center of Jainism and the first Buddhist council was held in rajagriha.

Mahajanapada:- kasi.

Capital:- varanasi.
Modern location:- varanasi.
Significance:- it was located in varanasi, this city got its name from river Varuna and Asi ad cited in the matsya Purana.

Mahajanapada:- Vatsa.

Capital:- Kaushambi.
Modern location:- Allahabad.
Significance:- vatsa is also known as vamsa, this mahajanapada followed the monarchical form of governance.
This was a central city for economic activities. There were a prosperous trade and business scenario in 6th century BC.
After the rise of Buddha, the ruler udayana made Buddhism a state religion.
Vatsa was located around the present day Allahabad.

Mahajanapada:- Kosala.

Capital:- Shravasti.
Modern location:- Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Awadh region.

Mahajanapada:- Shurasena

Capital:- Mathura.
Modern location:- western Uttar Pradesh.
Significance:- this place was a center of Krishna worship at the time of meghasthenes. Also, there was a dominant followership of Buddha here.

Mahajanapada:- panchala.

Capital:- Ahichchatra and kampilya.
Modern location:- western Uttar Pradesh.
Significance:- It's capital for northern Panchala was Ahichchatra and kampilya for its southern region.
Later the nature of governance shifted from monarchy to republic.

Mahajanapada:- Kuru

Capital:- Indraprastha.
Modern location:- meerut and southeast Haryana.
Significance:- The area around kurukshetra was apparently the site for Kuru mahajanapada. It moved to a republic from of governance.

Mahajanapada:- matsya

Capital:- viratnagar.
Modern location:- Jaipur.
Significance:- it was situated to the west of the panchalas and South of the Kurus, it was situated around present day Jaipur.

10.

Mahajanapada:- chedi.

Capital:- sothivati.
Modern location:- Bundelkhand.
This was cited in the Rigveda.

11.

Mahajanapada:- Avanti.

Capital:- Ujjaini or mahismati.
Modern location:- Malwa and Madhya Pradesh.
Avanti was significant in relation to the rise of Buddhism.

12.

Mahajanapada:- Gandhara.

Capital:- Taxila.
Modern location:- Rawalpindi.
Gandhara is cited in the Atharvaveda
The people were highly trained in the art of war.
It was significant for international commercial activities.

13.

Mahajanapada:- kamboja.

Capital:- rajpura
Modern location:- rajori (Jammu and Kashmir) and Hajra (pakistan).
It was situated in present day Kashmir and hindukush.
Several literary sources mention that kamboja was a republic.

14.

Mahajanapada:- Ashmaka or Assaka.

Capital:- potsna/paithan
Modern location:- Bank of godavari.

15.

Mahajanapada:- vajji.

Capital:- vaishali.
Modern location:- Bihar.
The main races residing in this Mahajanapadas were licchuvis, vedehans, jnatrikas, and vajjis.

16.

Mahajanapada:- Malla

Capital:- kusinagar/pava.
Modern location:- Deoria and Uttar Pradesh.
It finds a reference in Buddhist and Jain texts and Mahabharata.
Malla was a republic region.

The Mahajanapadas

Angutara Nikaya, a Buddhist scripture- 16 great kingdoms or Mahajanapadas at the beginning of 6th century BC in India.
Emergence during the Vedic Age.
Emergence mainly due to the development of eastern Uttar Pradesh during the 6th and 4th century BCE where agriculture florished due to the availability of fertile lands and iron production increased due to availability of iron ore in large quantities.
Thus resulted in the expansion of the territories of the janapadas and later addressed as 16 highly developed regions or the Mahajanapadas.

Emergence

The Janapada - The major kingdom of Vedic period.
Aryans - The most powerful tribes and were called as "Janas" , jana means 'people' , pada means 'foot'.
By 6th century BC , there are 22 different janapadas.
Socio-economic development chiefly due to the use of iron tools in agriculture and military, along with religious and political developments lend to the rise of the Mahajanapadas from small kingdoms or janapadas.
During that period, the political centre shifted from the west of the indo gangetic plains to the eastern side of it.
This was due to better fertility of the land became of more rainfall and rivers. This region was closer to iron production centres.

Spread and architecture of Jainism

Spread of Jainism

Mahavira organised an order of his followers with admitted both men and women.
Jainism did not very clearly mark itself out from Hinduism, therefore it spread gradually into west and South India where brahminical order was weak.
The great mauryan king Chandragupta Maurya, during his last year became a jain ascetic and promoted Jainism in Karnataka.
Famine in Magadha led to the spread of Jainism in South India.
The famine lasted for 12 year and in order to protect themselves, many Jain's went to South India under the leadership of bhadrabahu.
In Orissa it enjoyed the patronage of Kalinga king of a Kharavela.

Architecture of Jainism

Lenya /gumphas (caves)

Ellora caves, Maharashtra.
Mangi Tungi cave, Maharashtra.
Gajpantha cave, Maharashtra.
Udaygiri khandagiri caves, Odisha.
Hathi gumpha caves, Odisha.
Sittanavasal cave, Tamilnadu.

Statues

Gometeshwara / Bahubali statue- Karnataka.
Statue of Ahimsa (Rishabhatha)- mangi Tungi hills, Maharashtra.

Jianalaya (Temple)

Dilwara temple- Mount Abu, Rajasthan.
Girnar and palitana temple- Gujarat.
Muktagiri temple- Maharashtra.

Others

💥Manastambha- It is found in the front side of the temple, having religious importance with an ornamental pillar structure carrying the image of Tirthankara on top and on all four cardinal directions.

💥Basadis -- Jain monastic establishment or temples in Karnataka.

Jain literature and councils

Jain literature

Jain literature is classified into two major categories:

1. Agam aur canonical literature (Agana sutras)

Agam literature consists of many texts, which are the sacred books of the Jain religion.
They are written in the ardha-magadhi, a form of Prakrit language.

2. Nan-Agam literature

Nan-Agam literature consists of commentary and explanation of Agam literature and independent works compiled by ascetics and scholars.
They are written in many languages Such as Prakrit, Sanskrit, apabhramsa, old Marathi ,Rajasthani, Gujarati ,Hindi ,Tamil, German and English.

Sacred literature written in Prakrit called Ardha-magadhi

12 Angad
12 upangas
10 parikrama
6 chhedasutras
4 mulasutras
2 sutra granthas
14 purvas/parvas- part of 12 Angas and oldest of mahaviras preachings.

Other important jain literature

Kalpasutra (Sanskrit)- written by bhadrabahu.
Bhadrabahu charita.
Parishishta parvan- written by hemachandra.

Councils

First jain council

The first council was held at pataliputra in 3rd century BC. Under patronage of Chandragupta Maurya and was presided by sthulabhadra.

Second Jain council

It was held at vallabhi in 512 AD. And was presided by Devardhi kshmasramana.
Final compilation of 12 Angas and 12 upangas.