New Beginnings: Cities and States

How janapadas grew into mahajanapadas, the early republics, the Second Urbanisation of the Ganga plains, the first coins and the great trade routes.

Key ideas

• A janapada was a clan territory led by a raja; assemblies called sabha and samiti advised him.
• Janapadas merged into larger states called mahajanapadas, usually listed as 16.
• Vajji and Malla were early republics, governed by assemblies (gana or sangha) instead of a single king.
• Iron tools helped clear forests and farm more land, and the surplus food fed growing cities.
• This growth of cities in the Ganga plains is the Second Urbanisation; the Harappan cities were the First.
• Cities had walls and moats to protect them from attacks.
• The first Indian coins were punch-marked silver coins, and trade moved along Uttarapatha and Dakshinapatha.

Remember

Watch out

• Mixing up a janapada (a clan territory) and a mahajanapada (a larger, merged state).
• Thinking every mahajanapada had a king: the early republics were run by assemblies.
• Rounding down the days for a journey: a part day still needs a whole day.

Worked example