Haryanka Dynasty (544 BC – 412 BC)

Haryanka Dynasty (544 BC – 412 BC)

Bimbisara (Shronika): 544 BC – 492 BC

• He was the founder of the Haryanka dynasty.

• Magadha came into prominence under the leadership of Bimbisara.

• He was a contemporary of Gautama Buddha.

• He married the princesses of

  • Kosala (Kosaldevi/Mahakosala – daughter of Kosal King Prasenjit)

  • Lichchhavi (Chellana – sister of Lichchhavi Head Chetaka)

  • Madra (Khema – daughter of the Madra king)

• They helped him in his expansionist policy.

• He gained a part of Kashi as dowry in his marriage with the sister of King Prasenjit of Kosala.

• He conquered Anga.

• He sent a royal physician, Jivaka, to Ujjain when the Avanti King Pradyota suffered from jaundice.

• Known as Seniya, he was the first Indian king to have a regular and standing army.

• He built the city of New Rajagriha.

Ajatashatru (Kunika): 492 BC – 460 BC

• Bimbisara was succeeded by his son Ajatashatru.

• Ajatashatru killed his father and seized the throne.

• Ajatashatru followed a more aggressive policy.

• He gained complete control over Kashi and broke the earlier amicable relations by attacking his maternal uncle, Prasenjit, the king of Kosala.

• The Vajji confederation was Ajatashatru's next target of attack.

• This war was a lengthy one, and tradition tells us that after a long period of 16 years, he was able to defeat the Vajji only through deceit, by sowing seeds of discord amongst the people of Vajji.

The three things that played an important role in defeating Vajji—

1. Sunidha and Vatsakar – Ajatashatru's diplomatic ministers,

2. Rathamusala – a kind of chariot to which a mace was attached,

3. Mahashilakantaka – a war engine that catapulted big stones.

In this way, Kashi and Vaishali (the capital of Vajji) were added to Magadha, making it the most powerful territorial power in the Ganges Valley.

He built the fort of Rajagriha and a watch-fort (Jaladurga) at a village called Patali, on the banks of the Ganges.

Udayin: 460 BC – 440 BC

• Ajatshatru was succeeded by his son Udayin.

• His reign is important because he laid the foundations of the city of Patliputra at the confluence of the Son and the Ganges and shifted the capital from Rajagriha to Patliputra.

• Udayin was succeeded by Anuruddha, Munda, and Naga-Dasak, respectively, who were all weak and committed parricides.

Shisunaga Dynasty: 412 BC – 344 BC

• Nag-Dasak was an unworthy ruler.

• So the people got disgusted and elected the minister of the last king, Shisunaga, as King.

• The most important achievement of Shisunaga was the destruction of the Pradyota dynasty of Avanti.

• This brought to an end the hundred-year-old rivalry between Magadha and Avanti.

• From then on, Avanti became a part of the Magadha rule.

• Shisunaga was succeeded by Kalashoka (Kakavarna).

• His reign is important because he convened the Second Buddhist Council in Vaishali (383 BC).

Nanda Dynasty: 344 BC – 323 BC

• The Shisunaga dynasty was overthrown by Mahapadma, who established a new line of kings known as the Nandas.

• Mahapadma is known as Sarvakshatrantak, i.e., Uprooter of all the Kshatriyas (Puranas), and Ugrasena, i.e., Owner of a huge army (Pali texts).

• The Puranas call Mahapadma Ekrat, i.e., the sole monarch.

• He seems to have overthrown all the dynasties that ruled at the time of Shisunagas.

• He is often described as 'the first empire builder of Indian history".

• Mahapadma was succeeded by his eight sons.

• Dhanananda was the last one.

• The last king Dhanananda is possibly identical with the Agrammes or Xandrames of the Greek texts.

• It was during the rule of Dhanananda that the invasion of Alexander took place in north-west India in 326 BC.

According to Greek writer Curtius, Dhanananda commanded a huge army – 20,000 cavalry, 2,00,000 infantry, 2,000 chariots, and 3,000 elephants. It was the might of Dhanananda that terrorised Alexander and stopped his march to the Gangetic Valley.

The Nanda dynasty came to an end about 322–21 BC and was supplanted by another dynasty known as the Uryas, with Chandragupta Maurya as the founder.

Final Thoughts

The rise of Magadha marked a transformative period in ancient Indian history. From the strategic diplomacy of Bimbisara and military innovations of Ajatashatru to the administrative foresight of Udayin and expansion under the Nandas, Magadha steadily grew into a dominant empire.

Its central location, political acumen, and strong leadership helped it absorb rival states like Anga, Kosala, and Avanti.

By the end of the Nanda dynasty, Magadha stood as the most powerful kingdom in the subcontinent, paving the way for the emergence of the Mauryan Empire under Chandragupta Maurya.