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The First Territorial States — Mahajanapadas - Short Trick

The sixteen, capitals, Magadha’s dynasties and kings, invasions — one sentence each

1 trick sentences16 pairs5 parts
0 / 2 learned · 0%
How to read
  • Guru Ram Each coloured word = one name in the list, shown below in the same colour
  • Panda Two colours in one word = two names
  • ➜ Order the numbered order matters · ⇄ Any order no order
1

The Sixteen and Their Capitals

The three geographical groups and each state’s capital — one keyword per state throughout the chapter.

Trick 1

The sixteen Mahajanapadas — three groups

➜ lines: East (6) → Middle (6) → West & South (4) — any order within a line

East (6)Kavita’s koala ate Anju’s Maggie in the van at the mall.

Middle (6)Vatsal’s panda ate Chetan’s kulfi on Sunil’s mattress.

West & South (4)Ashish and Avni planted gajar for Kamal.

  1. 1Kashi
  2. 2Kosala
  3. 3Anga
  4. 4Magadha
  5. 5Vajji
  6. 6Malla
  7. 7Vatsa
  8. 8Panchala
  9. 9Chedi
  10. 10Kuru
  11. 11Surasena
  12. 12Matsya
  13. 13Ashmakathe only one south of the Vindhyas
  14. 14Avanti
  15. 15Gandhara
  16. 16Kamboja

6 + 6 + 4 = 16 · the list comes from the Anguttara Nikaya (Buddhist) · a belt from Gandhara to Anga, with Avanti and Ashmaka beyond the Vindhyas.

Pairs

Mahajanapada — capital

16 sentences

Kavita wore a Banarasi sari.

Kashi=Varanasi — strongest at the start of the period · cotton cloth and a horse market

The koala met Shravan.

Kosala=Shravasti — Ayodhya region (Awadh)

Anju wears champa flowers.

Anga=Champa — east Bihar (Bhagalpur) · taken by Bimbisara

Maggie cooked at Rajgir among the hills.

Magadha=Girivraja / Rajagriha — south Bihar · Rajagriha was ringed by five hills

A van to Vaishali

Vajji=Vaishali — a league of eight clans led by the Licchavis

The mall sells pav and cushions.

Malla=Kushinara and Pava — a republic · the Buddha passed away near Kushinara

Chetan met Sukesh.

Chedi=Suktimati — eastern Bundelkhand · a branch later ruled Kalinga (line of Kharavela)

Vatsal met Kaushik.

Vatsa=Kaushambi — near Prayagraj

The kulfi vendor rode an elephant to Indu’s house.

Kuru=Indraprastha / Hastinapur — Meerut–Delhi area · only a nominal ruler, Koravya, in the Buddha’s time

The panda went camping with a chhatri.

Panchala=Ahichchhatra (north), Kampilya (south) — Rohilkhand and the central Doab

A mattress for Viraj

Matsya=Viratnagar (Bairat) — Jaipur region · in Kotputli-Behror district since 2023

Sunil brings Mathura pedas.

Surasena=Mathura — Braj · its king Avantiputra was a disciple of the Buddha

Ashish carries a potli.

Ashmaka=Potana / Potali — Godavari valley · the only southern Mahajanapada · Ikshvaku rulers

Avni met Ujjwal and Mahi.

Avanti=Ujjain (north) and Mahishmati (south) — Malwa

Gajar halwa in a taxi

Gandhara=Taxila (Takshashila) — Peshawar–Rawalpindi · seat of learning, linked with Panini and Kautilya

Kamal met Raju.

Kamboja=Rajapura — the Hindu Kush to Rajouri · a republic

The Mallas’ Pava stood near Kushinagar — not Pavapuri in Nalanda district.

2

Strongest States, Republics and Sources

The four strongest, the republics, the texts that list the sixteen and the smaller republics of the Buddha’s time.

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3

Rise of Magadha

The order of Magadha’s dynasties, what each key king did, the rival kings and why Magadha won.

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4

Economic Terms

Words for farming, trade and society in the age of the Buddha.

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5

Foreign Invasions

The Persian kings, the script they left behind and the key figures of Alexander’s invasion.

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Read the full chapter for the complete notes — a trick helps you remember the list; understanding comes from the notes.