THE GREAT ANCIENT EMPIREShave not been found in India so far. Only the towns of the Bhir Mound at
Taxila and Charsada, west of it, are attributed to the Achaemenids, but no
distinctively Persian features have been noted by the archaeologists
excavating those sites.
The origins of the early stateA new phase of political development began in the eastern Gangetic plains
in the times of Dareios and Buddha. Some of the mahajanapadas of this
region established their hegemony over others in the fifth century BC.
There emerged a kind of strategic quadrangle: Koshala and the tribal
confederation of the Vrijis held sway north of the Ganga; Vatsa, with its
capital Kausambi, dominated the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna;
and Magadha ruled the large region southeast of the Ganga.
Koshala and Magadha followed a particularly aggressive policy which
was not only aimed at victory over their neighbours but at annexation of
their territory as well. Bimbisara of Magadha seems to have started this
struggle. During his long reign he laid the foundations for the rise of
Magadha as the greatest power in India. An important step towards this
aim was the conquest of neighbouring Anga. In this way Magadha could
greatly enhance its control over the trade routes of the eastern plains and
perhaps also gain access to the trade of the east coast. Bimbisara built a
more magnificent capital at New Rajagriha to commemorate his
supremacy. There he is also supposed to have met Buddha who converted
him to his teachings. Bimbisara died a miserable death, his son Ajatashatru
imprisoned and starved him.
Ajatashatru continued the aggressive policy of his father, but soon
suffered defeat at the hands of his uncle, the king of Koshala. But this king
was soon removed by his own son, Virudhaka. Koshala and Magadha then
fought against the northern tribal republics. Koshala vanquished the tribe
of the Sakhya, to which Buddha belonged. From then on Koshala held
sway from Varanasi to the foothills of the Himalayas.
Magadha’s warfare against the strong tribal confederation of the Vrijis
is supposed to have continued for fourteen years, and it is said that Buddha
himself advised Ajatashatru against starting this war. Magadha for the first
time used heavy chariots that were armoured and catapults for hurling
huge stones against the enemies in this war. In order to wage war more
effectively two generals of Magadha fortified a village, Pataligrama, on the
banks of the river Ganga, which soon rose into prominence under its new
name Pataliputra (Patna). Vaishali, the capital of the Licchavis, the
strongest tribe of the Vriji confederation, is highly praised in Buddhist
literature. Its splendour and its multi-storey houses are specifically
mentioned. The city is said to have been governed by the assembly of the
heads of its 7,707 families who all proudly called themselves rajas. When