69-718: Vaṅga was an ancient kingdom and geopolitical division within the Ganges delta in the Indian subcontinent . The kingdom is one of the namesakes of the Bengal region. It was located in southern Bengal. Vanga features prominently in the epics and tales of ancient India as well as in the history of Sri Lanka . Vanga was probably the center of the Gangaridai Empire mentioned by numerous Greco-Roman writers. The exact capital of ancient Vanga kingdom could not be identified. After
138-516: A common ancestry. They were all adopted sons of a king named Vali (Bali), born by a sage named Gautama Dirghatamas, who lived in Magadha close to the city of Girivraja. Other texts say that, because king Bali had no descendants, this deputed rishi Dirghatamaas to give birth of the children through Niyoga and thus five sons were born from the womb of the wife of Bali. The Kashmiras , the Daradas ,
207-562: A cultural area termed " Greater Magadha ", defined as roughly the geographical area in which the Buddha and Mahavira lived and taught. With regard to the Buddha, this area stretched by and large from Śrāvastī , the capital of Kosala , in the north-west to Rājagṛha , the capital of Magadha, in the south-east". According to Bronkhorst "there was indeed a culture of Greater Magadha which remained recognizably distinct from Vedic culture until
276-746: A hub of sailors. In the 5th century BCE, the Vanga king Sinhabahu 's son prince Vijaya sailed across the Bay of Bengal and established a kingdom in what is now Sri Lanka . The religious traditions of the kingdom included Buddhism , Jainism and Hinduism . Vanga is recorded as an administrative unit in the Arthashastra written by Kautilya . It is described as a notable naval power by Kalidasa . There are also records of subdivisions within Vanga, including an area called "Upa Vanga" (minor Vanga) which corresponds to Jessore and forested areas corresponding to
345-469: Is a maze of many river branches, the area is difficult to pass. Most islands are only connected with the mainland by simple wooden ferryboats. Bridges are rare. Some islands are not yet connected to the electric grid, so island residents tend to use solar cells for a bit of electric supply. Arsenic is a naturally occurring substance in the Ganga Delta that has detrimental effects on health and may enter
414-593: Is also an important activity in the delta region, with fish being a major source of food for many of the people in the area. In the last decades of the 20th century, scientists helped the poor people of the delta to improve fish farming methods. By turning unused ponds into viable fish farms and improving methods of raising fish in existing ponds, many people can now earn a living raising and selling fish. Using new systems, fish production in existing ponds has increased 800%. Shrimp are farmed in containers or cages that are submerged in open water. Most are exported. As there
483-457: Is an oceanic dolphin which enters the delta from the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges river dolphin is a true river dolphin , but is extremely rare and considered endangered . Trees found in the delta include sundari , garjan ( Rhizophora spp.), bamboo , mangrove palm ( Nypa fruticans ), and mangrove date palm ( Phoenix paludosa ). The Ganges Delta lies at the junction of three tectonic plates:
552-590: Is estimated that 30,000 chital ( Axis axis ) are in the Sundarbans part of the delta. Birds found in the delta include kingfishers , eagles , woodpeckers , the shalik ( Acridotheres tristis ), the swamp francolin ( Francolinus gularis ), and the doel ( Copsychus saularis ). Two species of dolphin can be found in the delta: the Irrawaddy dolphin ( Orcaella brevirostris ) and the Ganges river dolphin ( Platanista gangetica gangetica ). The Irrawaddy dolphin
621-535: Is good for agriculture. It is composed of a labyrinth of channels , swamps , lakes, and flood plain sediments (chars). The Gorai-Madhumati River , one of the distributaries of the Ganges, divides the Ganges Delta into two parts: the geologically young, active, eastern delta, and the older, less active, western delta. Around 280 million (180 million Bangladesh and 100 million West Bengal, India) people live on
690-495: Is inextricably linked to the uncertain chronology of the Buddha and Mahavira . According to historian K. T. S. Sarao , a proponent of the Short Chronology wherein the Buddha's lifespan was c.477–397 BCE, it can be estimated that Bimbisara was reigning c.457–405 BCE, and Ajatashatru was reigning c.405–373 BCE. According to historian John Keay , a proponent of the "Long Chronology," Bimbisara must have been reigning in
759-522: Is mentioned as the ruler of Vanga at (8:22). Probably all these rulers had a stake in the territory of Vanga. All of them were mentioned as ruling the neighbouring kingdoms of Vanga, in other passages in Mahabharata. Bhagadatta was the ruler of Pragjyotisha kingdom to the north of Vanga. Paundraka Vasudeva ruled Pundra kingdom to the east of Vanga and Karna ruled Anga kingdom to the west of Vanga. Kings of Kalinga and Vanga were mentioned as attending
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#1732773280254828-580: Is very vast, it can be divided into many periods as: There is much uncertainty about the succession of kings and the precise chronology of Magadha prior to Mahapadma Nanda; the accounts of various ancient texts (all of which were written many centuries later than the era in question) contradict each other on many points. Two notable rulers of Magadha were Bimbisara (also known as Shrenika ) and his son Ajatashatru (also known as Kunika ), who are mentioned in Buddhist and Jain literature as contemporaries of
897-416: The 14,600 square kilometres (5,600 sq mi) protected. Where the delta meets the Bay of Bengal, Sundarbans mangroves form the world's largest mangrove ecoregion, covering an area of 20,400 square kilometres (7,900 sq mi) in a chain of 54 islands. They derive their name from the predominant mangrove species, Heritiera fomes , which are known locally as sundri or sundari . Animals in
966-981: The Bay of Bengal with the combined waters of several river systems , mainly those of the Brahmaputra River and the Ganges River . It is also one of the most fertile regions in the world, thus earning the nickname the Green Delta . The delta stretches from the Hooghly River in the west as far as the Meghna River in the east. The Ganges Delta has the shape of a triangle and is considered to be an "arcuate" (arc-shaped) delta. It covers more than 105,000 km (41,000 sq mi) and lies mostly in Bangladesh and India, with rivers from Bhutan , Tibet , and Nepal draining into it from
1035-496: The East India Company , and related these practices to major ecological changes wrought about by forest and land management practices. Debjani Bhattacharyya has shown how Calcutta was constructed as an urban centre through tracing ecological changes wrought upon by colonial powers involving land, water and humans throughout the mid-18th to the early 20th centuries. In terms of recent scholarship that focuses more on
1104-463: The Ganges ; its first capital was Rajagriha (modern day Rajgir ), then Pataliputra (modern Patna ). Rajagriha was initially known as 'Girivrijja' and later came to be known as so during the reign of Ajatashatru . Magadha expanded to include most of Bihar and Bengal with the conquest of Vajjika League and Anga , respectively. The kingdom of Magadha eventually came to encompass Bihar , Jharkhand, Orissa , West Bengal, eastern Uttar Pradesh , and
1173-469: The Ganges River Basin, making it the most populous river basin in the world. Most of the Ganges Delta has a population density greater than 200/km (520 people per square mile), making it one of the most densely populated regions in the world. Three terrestrial ecoregions cover the delta. The Lower Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests ecoregion covers most of the delta region, although
1242-759: The Indian Plate , the Eurasian Plate , and the Burma Plate . The edge of the Eocene paleoshelf runs approximately from Kolkata to the edge of the Shillong Plateau . The edge of the paleoshelf marks the transition from the thick continental crust in the northwest to the thin continental or oceanic crust in the southeast. The enormous sediment supply from the Himalayan collision has extended
1311-1192: The Kaurava army at (7:158). Many foremost of combatants skilled in elephant-fight, belonging to the Easterners, the Southerners, the Angas, the Vangas, the Pundras, the Magadhas, the Tamraliptakas, the Mekalas, the Koshalas, the Madras , the Dasharnas , the Nishadas united with the Kalingas (8:22). Satyaki , pierced the vitals of the elephant belonging to the king of the Vangas (8:22). Bhagadatta
1380-886: The Kingdom of Magadha or the Magadha Empire , was a kingdom and empire , and one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period, based in southern Bihar in the eastern Ganges Plain , in Ancient India . Magadha was ruled by the Brihadratha dynasty (1700-682 BCE), the Haryanka dynasty (544–413 BCE), the Shaishunaga dynasty (413–345 BCE), the Nanda dynasty (345–322 BCE),
1449-1194: The Kuntis , the Kshudrakas, the Malavas , the Angas , the Vangas , the Kalingas , the Videhas , the Tamraliptakas, the Rakshovahas, the Vitahotras, the Trigartas , the Martikavatas were all vanquished by Bhargava Rama (7:68). Karna captured the Angas, and the Vangas, and the Kalingas, and the Mandikas, and the Magadhas. the Karkakhandas; and also included with them the Avasiras, Yodhyas, and
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#17327732802541518-756: The Mauryan dynasty (322–184 BCE), the Shunga dynasty (184–73 BCE), the Kanva dynasty (73–28 BCE), the Gupta dynasty (240-550 CE) and the Later Gupta dynasty (490–700). Kanva dynasty lost much of its territory after being defeated by the Satavahanas of Deccan in 28 BCE and was reduced to a small principality around Pataliputra . However, with the rule of Gupta Empire (240-550 CE), The Gupta Empire regained
1587-523: The Nanda Empire ( c. 345 – c. 322 BCE ), Maurya Empire ( c. 322 –185 BCE), Shunga Empire ( c. 185 –78 BCE) and Gupta Empire ( c. 240 –550 CE). The Pala Empire also ruled over Magadha and maintained a royal camp in Pataliputra . The Pithipatis of Bodh Gaya referred to themselves as Magadhādipati and ruled in parts of Magadha until
1656-605: The Pithipatis of Bodh Gaya ruled as tributaries to Pala Empire. Several Śramaṇic movements had existed before the 6th century BCE, and these influenced both the āstika and nāstika traditions of Indian philosophy. The Śramaṇa movement gave rise to diverse range of heterodox beliefs, ranging from accepting or denying the concept of soul, atomism, antinomian ethics, materialism, atheism, agnosticism, fatalism to free will, idealization of extreme asceticism to that of family life, strict ahimsa (non-violence) and vegetarianism to
1725-528: The Sundarbans . The rulers of the Vanga kingdom remain mostly unknown. After the 2nd century BCE, the territory became part of successive Indian empires, including Mauryans , Guptas , Shashanka 's reign, Khadgas , Palas , Chandras , Senas and Devas . The term Vangala was often used to refer to the territory. For example, an inscription of the South Indian Chola dynasty referred to
1794-400: The food chain , especially in key crops such as rice. The Ganges Delta lies mostly in the tropical wet climate zone, and receives between 1,500 to 2,000 mm (59 to 79 in) of rainfall each year in the western part, and 2,000 to 3,000 mm (79 to 118 in) in the eastern part. . Hot, dry summers and cool, dry winters make the climate suitable for agriculture. In November 1970,
1863-694: The sramana traditions and include Jainism , Buddhism and Ājīvika . Buddhism and Jainism were the religions promoted by the early Magadhan kings, such as Srenika, Bimbisara and Ajatashatru , and the Nanda Dynasty (345–321 BCE) that followed was mostly Jain. These Sramana religions did not worship the Vedic deities , practised some form of asceticism and meditation ( jhana ) and tended to construct round burial mounds (called stupas in Buddhism). These religions also sought some type of liberation from
1932-682: The 13th century. The territory of the Magadha kingdom proper before its expansion was bounded to the north, west, and east respectively by the Gaṅgā , Son , and Campā rivers, and the eastern spurs of the Vindhya mountains formed its southern border. The territory of the initial Magadha kingdom thus corresponded to the modern-day Patna and Gaya districts of the Indian state of Bihar . The region of Greater Magadha also included neighbouring regions in
2001-867: The Ahikshatras (3:252). The Angas, the Vangas, the Kalingas, the Magadhas, the Kasis , the Kosalas , the Vatsyas , the Gargyas, the Karushas and the Paundras were mentioned to be vanquished by Vasudeva Krishna (7:11). Arjuna defeated the countries of the Vangas, the Pundras, and the Kosalas (14:82) in his military campaign after Kurukshetra War . The kings of Anga, Vanga and Pundra were mentioned as attending
2070-584: The Bengal/Ganges delta is that most of the scholarship is limited to the 18th to the 21st centuries, with a general dearth of ecological history of the region prior to the 18th century. One of the greatest challenges people living on the Ganges Delta may face in coming years is the threat of rising sea levels caused by climate change . An increase in sea level of 0.5 metres (1 ft 8 in) could result in six million people losing their homes in Bangladesh. Important gas reserves have been discovered in
2139-516: The Buddha and Mahavira. Later, the throne of Magadha was usurped by Mahapadma Nanda , the founder of the Nanda Dynasty ( c. 345 – c. 322 BCE ), which conquered much of north India. The Nanda dynasty was overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya , the founder of the Maurya Empire ( c. 322 –185 BCE). Furthermore, there is a "Long Chronology" and a contrasting "Short Chronology" preferred by some scholars, an issue that
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2208-569: The Glory of Magadh. Under the Mauryas , Magadha became a pan-Indian empire, covering large swaths of the Indian subcontinent and Afghanistan . The Magadh under the Gupta Empire emerged as the most prosperous kingdom in the history of Ancient India. Magadha played an important role in the development of Jainism and Buddhism . It was the core of four of northern India's greatest empires,
2277-419: The Hindu epic Mahabharata , which is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of India. The other epic, the Ramayana , mentions the kingdom as an ally of Ayodhya . The Vanga kingdom emerged in the lower Ganges delta during the Northern Black Polished Ware Period. It controlled many of the islands of the delta with its naval fleet and embarked on overseas exploration. Ancient Indian records refer to Vanga as
2346-399: The Kalingas, the Magadhas, the Tamraliptas, the Supundrakas, the Dauvalikas, the Sagarakas, the Patrornas, the Saisavas, and innumerable Karnapravaranas, were found waiting at the gate (2:51). Vanga army was skilled in handling war elephants . They sided with the Kauravas . Vangas sided with Duryodhana in the Kurukshetra War (8:17) along with the Kalingas. They are mentioned as part of
2415-405: The Kashi province. Accounts differ slightly as to the cause of King Ajatashatru's war with the Licchavi , a powerful tribe north of the river Ganges . It appears that Ajatashatru sent a minister to the area who worked for three years to undermine the unity of the Licchavis. To launch his attack across the Ganges River, Ajatashatru built a fort at the town of Pataliputra . Torn by disagreements,
2484-461: The Licchavis fought with Ajatashatru . It took fifteen years for Ajatashatru to defeat them. Jain texts tell how Ajatashatru used two new weapons: a catapult, and a covered chariot with swinging mace that has been compared to a modern tank. Pataliputra began to grow as a centre of commerce and became the capital of Magadha after Ajatashatru's death. The Haryanka dynasty was overthrown by the Shishunaga dynasty . The last Shishunaga ruler, Mahanandin ,
2553-412: The Theravada commentaries, the Pali language has been identified with Magahi , the language of the kingdom of Magadha, and this was taken to also be the language that the Buddha used during his life. In the 19th century, the British Orientalist Robert Caesar Childers argued that the true or geographical name of the Pali language was Magadhi Prakrit , and that because pāḷi means "line, row, series",
2622-423: The Vangas, however, quickly jumping down from that elephant, alighted on the ground (6:93). At (2:29) two rulers Samudrasena and Chadrasena were mentioned. It is not clear if they were rulers of Vanga kingdom. Karna is mentioned as the ruler of Anga and Vanga at (2:43). Paundraka Vasudeva, an ally of Jarasandha and enemy of Vasudeva Krishna is mentioned as king of Vanga, Pundra and the Kiratas at (2:14). Bhagadatta
2691-468: The areas that are today the nations of Bangladesh and Nepal . The ancient kingdom of Magadha is heavily mentioned in Jain and Buddhist texts . It is also mentioned in the Ramayana , the Mahabharata and the Puranas . There is little certain information available on the early rulers of Magadha. The most important sources are the Buddhist Pāli Canon , the Jain Agamas and the Hindu Puranas . Based on these sources, it appears that Magadha
2760-416: The court of Yudhishthira at (2:4). The Vangas, Angas, Paundras, Odras , Cholas , Dravidas and Andhrakas were mentioned to be giving tribute to Yudhishthira (3:51). The Angas, the Vangas, the Punras, the Sanavatyas, and the Gayas—these good and well-born Kshatriyas distributed into regular clans and trained to the use of arms, brought tribute unto king Yudhishthira by hundreds and thousands. The Vangas,
2829-443: The cyclic rounds of rebirth and karmic retribution through spiritual knowledge. Among the Buddhist sites currently found in the Magadha region include two UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya and the Nalanda monastery. The Mahabodhi temple is one of the most important places of pilgrimage in the Buddhist world and is said to mark the site where the Buddha attained enlightenment. Beginning in
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2898-438: The deadliest tropical cyclone of the twentieth century hit the Ganges Delta region. The 1970 Bhola cyclone killed 500,000 people (official death toll), with another 100,000 missing. The Guinness Book of World Records estimated the total loss of human life from the Bhola cyclone at 1,000,000. Another cyclone hit the delta in 1991, killing about 139,000 people. It also left many people homeless. People have to be careful on
2967-413: The delta about 400 kilometres (250 mi) seaward since the Eocene . The sediment thickness southeast of the edge of the paleoshelf beneath the Ganges Delta can exceed 16 km (9.9 mi). Approximately two-thirds of the Bangladesh people work in agriculture and grow crops on the fertile floodplains of the delta. The major crops that are grown in the Ganges Delta are jute , tea, and rice. Fishing
3036-459: The delta include the Indian python ( Python molurus ), clouded leopard ( Neofelis nebulosa ), Indian elephant ( Elephas maximus indicus ) and crocodiles , which live in the Sundarbans. Approximately 1,020 endangered Bengal tigers ( Panthera tigris tigris ) are believed to inhabit the Sundarbans. The Ganges–Brahmaputra basin has tropical deciduous forests that yield valuable timber: sal , teak , and peepal trees are found in these areas. It
3105-426: The delta, despite risks from floods caused by monsoons , heavy run-off from the melting snows of the Himalayas , and North Indian Ocean tropical cyclones . A large part of the nation of Bangladesh lies in the Ganges Delta; many of the country's people depend on the delta for survival. It is believed that upwards of 300 million people are supported by the Ganges Delta; approximately 400 million people live in
3174-572: The delta, such as in the Titas and Bakhrabad gas fields. Several major oil companies have invested in exploration of the Ganges Delta region. To offset land loss , tidal river management has been implemented in the delta. This method has been implemented in 5 beels and resulted in benefits including decreased waterlogging , creation of agricultural areas , improved navigation and land creation. 22°42′N 89°40′E / 22.700°N 89.667°E / 22.700; 89.667 Magadha (Mahajanapada) Magadha , also called
3243-513: The early Buddhists extended the meaning of the term to mean "a series of books", so pāḷibhāsā means "language of the texts". Nonetheless, Pali does retain some eastern features that have been referred to as Māgadhisms . Magadhi Prakrit was one of the three dramatic prakrits to emerge following the decline of Sanskrit. It was spoken in Magadha and neighbouring regions and later evolved into modern eastern Indo-Aryan languages like Magahi , Maithili and Bhojpuri . The history of Magadha region
3312-670: The east; Pundravardhana in the north; and Magadha , Anga , Suhma and Radha in the west. The Vanga kingdom encompassed the many islands of the Ganges delta and the Sundarbans mangrove forest. Chandraketugarh and Wari-Bateshwar ruins are the major archaeological site of the kingdom. At (6:9), Anga , Vanga, and Kalinga were mentioned as close kingdoms in Bharata Varsha (Ancient India). All regions of sacred waters and all other holy palaces there were in Vanga and Kalinga, Arjuna visited all of them, during his pilgrimage lasting for 12 years throughout ancient India . The founders of Angas , Vangas, Kalingas , Pundras and Suhmas shared
3381-405: The eastern Gangetic plains and had a distinct culture and belief. Much of the Second Urbanisation took place here from ( c. 500 BCE ) onwards and it was here that Jainism and Buddhism arose. Some scholars have identified the Kīkaṭa tribe—mentioned in the Rigveda (3.53.14) with their ruler Pramaganda—as the forefathers of Magadhas because Kikata is used as synonym for Magadha in
3450-510: The eastern part of the Bengal/Ganges Delta, Iftekhar Iqbal argues for the inclusion of the Bengal Delta as an ecological framework within which to study the dynamics of agrarian prosperity or decline, communal conflicts, poverty and famine, especially throughout the colonial period. Iqbal has tried to show how resistance movements such as the Faraizi movement can be studied in relation to colonial ecological management practices. A strong criticism of environmental history scholarship with regards to
3519-504: The forests have mostly been cleared for agriculture and only small enclaves remain. Thick stands of tall grass, known as canebrakes, grow in wetter areas. The Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests ecoregion lies closer to the Bay of Bengal; this ecoregion is flooded with slightly brackish water during the dry season, and fresh water during the monsoon season. These forests, too, have been almost completely converted to intensive agriculture, with only 130 square kilometres (50 sq mi) of
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#17327732802543588-409: The kingdom. According to Indologist Johannes Bronkhorst , the culture of Magadha was in fundamental ways different from the Vedic kingdoms of the Indo-Aryans . According to Bronkhorst, the śramana culture arose in " Greater Magadha ," which was Indo-Aryan, but not Vedic . In this culture, Kshatriyas were placed higher than Brahmins , and it rejected Vedic authority and rituals. He argues for
3657-401: The late 5th century BCE, and Ajatashatru in the early 4th century BCE. Keay states that there is great uncertainty about the royal succession after Ajatashatru's death, probably because there was a period of "court intrigues and murders," during which "evidently the throne changed hands frequently, perhaps with more than one incumbent claiming to occupy it at the same time" until Mahapadma Nanda
3726-400: The later texts; Like the Magadhas in the Atharvaveda, the Rigveda speaks of the Kikatas as a hostile tribe, living on the borders of Brahmanical India, who did not perform Vedic rituals. The earliest reference to the Magadha people occurs in the Atharvaveda , where they are found listed along with the Angas , Gandharis and Mujavats. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of
3795-428: The meeting with his officer Coenus , was persuaded that it was better to return and turned south, conquering his way down the Indus to the Ocean. Around 321 BCE, the Nanda Dynasty ended with the defeat of Dhana Nanda at the hands of Chandragupta Maurya who became the first king of the Mauryan Empire with the help of his mentor Chanakya . The Empire later extended over most of India under King Ashoka The Great , who
3864-474: The north. 67% of the delta is inside Bangladesh and only 33% belongs to West Bengal. Most of the delta is composed of alluvial soils made up by small sediment particles that finally settle down as river currents slowdown in the estuary. Rivers carry these fine particles with them, even from their sources at glaciers as fluvio-glacial . Red and red-yellow laterite soils are found as one heads farther east. The soil has large amounts of minerals and nutrients, which
3933-445: The permissibility of violence and meat-eating. Magadha kingdom was the nerve centre of this revolution. Jainism was revived and re-established after Mahavira , the last and the 24th Tirthankara , who synthesised and revived the philosophies and promulgations of the ancient Śramaṇic traditions laid down by the first Jain tirthankara Rishabhanatha millions of years ago. Buddha founded Buddhism which received royal patronage in
4002-423: The region as Vangaladesha during a war with the Chandra dynasty of Samatata region of Bengal . After the Muslim conquest of Bengal , the region was referred to as Bangalah , which may have evolved from Vangala . The names are the precursors of the modern terms Banga and Bangla . The core region of Vanga lay between the Padma - Meghna river system in the east and the Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system in
4071-489: The river delta as severe flooding also occurs. In 1998, the Ganges flooded the delta, killing about 1,000 people and leaving more than 30 million people homeless. The Bangladesh government asked for $ 900 million to help feed the people of the region, as the entire rice crop was lost. The history of the Bengal delta has been a concern of emerging scholarship by environmental historians. Indian historian Vinita Damodaran has extensively profiled famine management practices by
4140-401: The rule of the Gupta Empire , ancient Bengal was divided into two independent kingdoms – Gauda and Vanga. Historically, Chandraketugarh , present-day Berachampa , has been identified as the capital of the Vanga kingdom. Indian and Greco-Roman writers referred to the region's war elephants . In Indian history, Vanga is notable for its strong navy . There are numerous references to Vanga in
4209-447: The self choice ceremony of the Panchala princess, along with Vasudeva the king of Pundra. Ganges delta The Ganges Delta (also known the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta , the Sundarbans Delta or the Bengal Delta ) is a river delta predominantly covering the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent , consisting of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal . It is the world's largest river delta and it empties into
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#17327732802544278-408: The time of the grammarian Patañjali (ca. 150 BCE) and beyond". The Buddhologist Alexander Wynne writes that there is an "overwhelming amount of evidence" to suggest that this rival culture to the Vedic Aryans dominated the eastern Gangetic plain during the early Buddhist period. Orthodox Vedic Brahmins were, therefore, a minority in Magadha during this early period. The Magadhan religions are termed
4347-451: The very front of Duryodhana's car. With that elephant he completely shrouded the car of thy son. Beholding then the way (to Duryodhana's car) thus covered by the intelligent king of the Vangas, the eyes of Ghatotkacha became red in anger. He ruled that huge dart, before upraised, at that elephant. Struck with that dart hurled from the arms of Ghatotkacha, that elephant, covered with blood and in great agony, fell down and died. The mighty king of
4416-411: The west. In the east, it encompassed the modern Bangladeshi Khulna Division excluding pre-1947 Jessore District i.e. Upa Vanga which is in Paschim (West) Vanga and Barisal Division , as well as the southwestern part of Dhaka Division . In the west, it included Presidency Division of West Bengal and may have extended to Burdwan Division and Medinipur division . Its neighbors included Samatata in
4485-447: Was assassinated by Mahapadma Nanda in 345 BCE, the first of the so-called "Nine Nandas", i. e. Mahapadma and his eight sons, last being Dhana Nanda . In 326 BCE, the army of Alexander approached the western boundaries of Magadha. The army, exhausted and frightened at the prospect of facing another giant Indian army at the Ganges, mutinied at the Hyphasis (the modern Beas River ) and refused to march further east. Alexander, after
4554-406: Was at first known as 'Ashoka the Cruel' but later became a disciple of Buddhism and became known as ' Dharma Ashoka'. Later, the Mauryan Empire ended, as did the Shunga and Khārabēḷa empires, to be replaced by the Gupta Empire . The capital of the Gupta Empire remained Pataliputra in Magadha. During the Pala-period in Magadha from the 11th to 13th century CE, a local Buddhist dynasty known as
4623-423: Was killed by his minister Pulika, who established his son Pradyota as the new king. Pradyota dynasty was succeeded by Haryanka dynasty founded by Bimbisara . Bimbisara led an active and expansive policy, conquering the kingdom of Anga in what is now West Bengal . King Bimbisara was killed by his son, Ajatashatru . Pasenadi , king of neighbouring Kosala and brother-in-law of Bimbisara, promptly reconquered
4692-452: Was mentioned as the ruler of the Pragjyotisha kingdom that took part in the Kurukshetra War. Behind Duryodhana proceeded the ruler of the Vangas, with ten thousand elephants, huge as hills, and each with juice trickling down (6:92). The ruler of the Vangas (Bhagadatta) mounting upon an elephant huge as a hill, drove towards the Rakshasa, Ghatotkacha . On the field of battle, with the mighty elephant of great speed, Bhagadatta placed himself in
4761-428: Was ruled by the Haryanka dynasty for some 200 years, c. 543 to 413 BCE. Gautama Buddha , the founder of Buddhism , lived much of his life in the kingdom of Magadha. He attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya , gave his first sermon in Sarnath and the first Buddhist council was held in Rajgriha . The Hindu Mahabharata calls Brihadratha the first ruler of Magadha. Ripunjaya, last king of Brihadratha dynasty,
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