16 Mahajanapadas and their Capitals

The 16 Mahajanapadas with their capitals, monarchies and republics coloured apart, with the UPSC map and pair questions.

On this map (19)

Magadha — Rajgriha (Girivraja), Rajgir · Bihar — Monarchy · first capital of Magadha. Stone walls founded by Bimbisara (544–492 BC); Ajatashatru fortified it against Avanti
Magadha — Pataliputra (Patna) · Bihar — Monarchy · later capital of Magadha. Udayin moved the capital; under the Shishunagas it shifted to Vaishali and later returned
Kashi — Varanasi · Uttar Pradesh — Monarchy. A leading textile centre
Koshala — Shravasti (Sahet-Mahet) · Uttar Pradesh — Monarchy. Ruled by Prasenjit, Buddha’s contemporary
Anga — Champa (near Bhagalpur) · Bihar — Monarchy. Bihar plus parts of Bengal
Vajji — Vaishali · Bihar — Republic · confederacy of 8 clans. Confederacy of eight clans; the Licchavis were the strongest
Malla — Kusinagara (and Pava) · Uttar Pradesh — Republic. Buddha died at Kusinagara; Mahavira at Pavapuri
Vatsa — Kaushambi · Uttar Pradesh — Monarchy. King Udayana — the Udayana–Vasavadatta romance belongs here
Avanti — Ujjaini (Ujjain) · Madhya Pradesh — Monarchy · northern capital. Capitals: Mahishmati (south) and Ujjaini (north)
Avanti — Mahishmati (Maheshwar) · Madhya Pradesh — Monarchy · southern capital. Usually identified with Maheshwar–Mandhata
Surasena — Mathura · Uttar Pradesh — Republic. King Avantiputra was a chief disciple of the Buddha
Kuru — Indraprastha · Delhi — Monarchy. In Buddha’s time ruled by the titular chief Korayya
Panchala — Ahichhatra (north) and Kampilya (south) · Uttar Pradesh — Republic. Kanauj lies in Panchala
Panchala — Kampilya (Kampil, Farrukhabad) · Uttar Pradesh — Republic · southern capital. Kampil, near Farrukhabad
Matsya — Viratnagar (Bairat) · Rajasthan — Tribal. Once part of the Chedi kingdom
Chedi — Shuktimati (approx. Bundelkhand) · Uttar Pradesh — Monarchy · identification approximate. Kharavela of Kalinga belonged to the Chedi line
Assaka — Potali / Potana (Bodhan) · Telangana — Monarchy · the only southern one. Identified with Bodhan (Telangana); Assaka lay in the Godavari basin
Gandhara — Taxila (Takshashila) · Pakistan — Monarchy · Uttarapatha. Herodotus: the 20th province of Darius’ Achaemenid empire
Kamboja — Rajpur (Rajauri, approximate) · Jammu & Kashmir — Republic · Uttarapatha. Capital Rajapura is commonly identified with Rajauri — the identification is not certain

Asked in exams

UPSC 1999Initially the most powerful city-state of the 6th century BC → Magadha (options: Gandhara, Kamboja, Kashi)
UPSC 2000North India at the time of Alexander’s invasion was ruled by the Nandas
UPSC 1999Kashi is the trap option — the answer to “most powerful city-state” was Magadha
UPSC 2025Kosala – Sarayu ✓
UPSC 1997Anga — one of the four marked on the 1997 map
UPSC 1997Vatsa — one of the four marked on the 1997 map
UPSC 1997Avanti — one of the four marked on the 1997 map
UPSC 2025Avanti – Mahanadi ✗ (Avanti is Malwa, on the Narmada/Shipra side)
UPSC 1997Map question: the four Mahajanapadas marked were Matsya, Avanti, Vatsa and Anga
UPSC 2025Asmaka – Godavari ✓
UPSC 2006Takshashila lay between the Indus and the Jhelum
UPSC 2025Kamboja – Vipas ✗ (Vipas is the Beas; Kamboja lay in the north-west)

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