Ancient Bihar — Magadha, the Mauryas, the Guptas and Nalanda

Why Magadha Won — Five Causes, One Answer

The Anguttara Nikaya lists 16 Mahajanapadas. Four were serious contenders — Magadha, Kosala, Vatsa and Avanti — and Magadha won. The five reasons are a standard question in themselves:

1. 1.Alluvium — the most fertile land of the Gangetic plain, so the biggest agricultural surplus
2. 2.Iron — the ore of south Bihar, for weapons and for the tools that cleared forest
3. 3.Elephants — the eastern forests supplied war elephants no rival could match
4. 4.Rivers — the Ganga, Son and Gandak carried trade and troops alike
5. 5.Defensible capitals — Rajgir (Girivraja) ringed by five hills, then Pataliputra at a river confluence

Hold on to this list: it is also the reason Bihar's *geography* keeps turning up inside its *history* questions.

1. Who founded the city of Pataliputra?

2. Nalanda Mahavihara was founded by which ruler?

3. The name of the state 'Bihar' is derived from:

4. Vikramshila university, in present-day Bhagalpur district, was founded by:

5. Ashoka's edicts were deciphered in 1837 by:

6. Which Buddhist Council was NOT held in present-day Bihar?

7. Aryabhata, author of the Aryabhatiya, was born at Kusumapura, identified with:

8. Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment at: