question_answer

How do the modem historians explain the development of Magadha as the most powerful Mahajanpada? Explain.

Answer:

Modern Historians explain Magadha as the most powerful reason because oi: various reasons:

1. Magadha was a region where agriculture was especially productive. Agriculture was very important for the economy of any empire.

2. There is abundance of minerals in Magadh area, iron mines were accessible and provided resources for tools and weapons.

3. Magadh army was a powerful army and they had elephants in their army Elephants were found in forests in the region.

4. Also, the Ganga and its tributaries provided a means of cheap and convenient communication, which is very important to have information about other kingdoms and served economy also. Changing the capital from rajgriha to patiliputra also helped because it commanded routes of communication along the Ganga.

5. Buddhist and Jaina writers also attributed its power to the policies of ruthlessly ambitious kings such as Bimbisara, Ajatasatru and Mahapadma Nand etc.

6. There were five major political centers in the empire - the capital Pataliputra and the provincial centres of Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali and Suvarnagiri. The empire ranged from the present-day North West Frontier Provinces of Pakistan, to Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Uttaranchal in India, thus signifying the power of Magadha Janapada.