Consider the following statements regarding the ancient Indian Mahajan...
- Statement 2 is incorrect: There were also oligarchical mahajanapadas where power was exercised by a group of people.
- Statement 3 is incorrect: The term Jana and not Janapada is known from the days of the Vedic literature.
Supplementary notes:
The age of Mahajanapadas
- The sixth-century B.C was a period of intense and new political development besides socio-political and religious upheavals that brought two religions to the fore-Buddhism and Jainism. In the later Vedic age, agriculture and iron tools helped people to settle down at one particular place.
- The permanent settlement led to the foundation of the Janapadas or small territorial states under the control of a king. The main area of political activity gradually shifted from Western UP to eastern UP and Bihar. This region was not only fertile due to the rainfall and river systems but also closer to iron production centers. The use of better iron tools and weapons along with sound economic growth resulted in the transformation of some territorial states into Bigger and more powerful states, which came to be known as Mahajanapdas.
- There were 16 Mahajanapadas in ancient India.
- The formation of the state polity was not uniformly seen in the subcontinent and it was not present in peninsular India nor in the Ganga delta and in the northeastern part of the subcontinent.
- The majority of these states were monarchical but some were also republics, known as ganasangha. Ganasangha had an oligarchic system for governance where the administration was headed by an elected king who had a large council for his aid.
- The term janapada literally denotes an area where a group of people or a tribe/clan (jana) first set its foot/feet (pada). The word Janapada, therefore, clearly implies a welldefined and populated territory. The term jana is known from the days of the Vedic literature but the word janapada in the sense of territorial entity seems to have gained currency only from the post-Vedic times.
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Consider the following statements regarding the ancient Indian Mahajan...
Explanation:
The correct answer is option 'A', i.e., statement 1 only is correct. Let's analyze each statement to understand why.
Statement 1: No Mahajanapada was located in Gangetic delta.
This statement is correct. The Mahajanapadas were sixteen ancient kingdoms that emerged in the Indian subcontinent during the sixth-century B.C. These kingdoms were spread across various regions, but none of them were located in the Gangetic delta. The Mahajanapadas were primarily situated in the northern part of India, including present-day Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Madhya Pradesh.
Statement 2: All Mahajanapadas were monarchical where power was exercised by a king.
This statement is incorrect. While most of the Mahajanapadas were indeed monarchical, there were a few republics as well. For example, the Licchavis of Vaishali and the Mallas of Kushinagar were republics where power was not concentrated in the hands of a king but was shared among various ruling councils.
Statement 3: The term Janapada is known from the days of the Vedic literature.
This statement is incorrect. The term Janapada is not known from the days of Vedic literature. The term Janapada refers to a territory or country, and it gained prominence during the later Vedic period. The Vedic literature primarily focuses on the Rigvedic and early Vedic periods, while the Mahajanapadas emerged later in history.
In conclusion, only statement 1 is correct, as none of the Mahajanapadas were located in the Gangetic delta. Statement 2 is incorrect, as there were republics among the Mahajanapadas. Statement 3 is also incorrect, as the term Janapada gained prominence during the later Vedic period, not during the days of the Vedic literature.
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