HISTORY ESSAY CLASS 6

The nomadic Aryan tribe of the Early Vedic Period roamed from place to place in search of new pastures for their animals. During the Later Vedic Period they started to settle down in one place and started to cultivate land. They used tools and implements that were made from iron to clear the forests to obtain more lands for cultivation.

Agricultural practices of the people developed with the passage of time. Improved cultivation techniques led to increased yields of crops. Surplus yields lead to increased economic prosperity which in turn instilled in the people the desire to expand further. This resulted in the emergences of janapadas or large states. The term janapadas means the place where people rest their feet. The more powerful janapadas were referred to as mahajanapadas.

Each of the janapadas comprised of several villages and few towns and cities. People's loyalty shifted from their tribes or janas to their janapadas, i.e. the territories to which they belonged. Some of these janapadas and mahajanapadas were ruled by kings who used to inherit the throne as hereditary. While some of them were democratic republics and were ruled by representatives who were nominated by the people, e.g. the Lichchhavis and the Shakyas.

The proof of the existence of about 16 mahajanapadas can be found in the Vedic, Jain and Buddhists literature of the 6th century BCE. Most of these mahajanapadas were located to the north of the Vindhyas. During this era, the political history of India was full of clashes and conflicts for supremacy. Out of the 16 janapadas, only four powerful kingdoms arose and they were - Vatsa, Kosala, Avanti and Magadha. Out of these four kingdoms only Magadha became the supreme kingdom.

The Magadha Kingdom

Bimbisara
 
Bimbisara was the first king of Magadha kingdom. He ruled for about 52 years. He made Magadha the most powerful kingdom of that time by expanding its territories through matrimonial alliances and conquests.

He got control of the important river port of Champa by conquering Anga. This enabled Magadha to enjoy flourishing trade that ultimately made it prosperous and rich. Further, the rich deposits of iron ore in this region also immensely led to the development of a stable and strong economy in Magadha.

Ajatashatru

Ajatashatru was the son of Bimbisara. After the death of king Bimbisara, Ajatashatru became the king in his stead and ruled Magadha for about 32 years. He adopted the policy of expansion. He seized the adjoining states and transformed Magadha in a very powerful and affluent kingdom in the North India. He constructed a huge fort in the Pataligram village. Pataligram later developed into a capital city which was later called as Pataliputra. However, the successors of Ajatashatru were weak and were overthrown by the other neighbouring kings.

The Nandas

One of the kings of the Nanda dynasty, Mahapadma Nanda, conquered Magadha in the 4th century BCE. Mahapadma Nanda transformed Magadha in such a powerful kingdom that even the army of Alexander declined from facing the mighty army of Magadha. The last king of the Nanda dynasty, Dhana Nanda, was a very cruel ruler. His cruelty made him quite unpopular among the people. He was overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya.

The invasion of the Alexander the Great

Alexander was one of the most remarkable kings in the world history. He was the king of Macedonia in Greece. His main ambition was to conquer and rule the entire world. He conquered huge territories which comprised of Syria, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Persian Empire which stretched as far as the Rajasthan deserts.

In 326 BCE the north-west India was divided into different kingdoms. The kings of these kingdoms were always at war with each other. Alexander took advantage of this situation and captured their kingdoms. The ruler of Taxila, Ambhi, surrendered to Alexander without any resistance. However, Alexander faced tough resistance from Porus, who was the ruler of the area that was situated between river Chenab and Jhelum. Porus was the enemy of Ambhi. So Ambhi offered help to Alexander for defeating Porus.

Porus fought with valour to defend his territories but was eventually defeated in the end. When he was summoned before Alexander the Great, Alexander asked him that how he would like to be treated. Porus promptly replied, 'as one king should treat another king.' Alexander was very much impressed with this reply. He not only set Porus free but also returned all his territories that he seized. Thereafter, both Porus and Alexander became good friends.

After this Alexander moved on towards the river Beas. Ahead of this river was the powerful Magadha Empire. At this point Alexander's army declined to advance any further. They refused to fight a battle against the mighty army of Magadha as they were homesick and war-weary. As a result, Alexander was forced to return back. He divided his territories into three parts which were directly under his control. Each part was under the administration of a Greek general. Alexander died as a result of a mysterious fever at an age of 33 on his way back home.

Consequences of Alexander's Invasion

i. The historians of Alexander have left records of his campaigns along with their respective dates. The records and dates enabled the Indian historians to chronologically reconstruct the Indian history.

ii. As a result of the Alexander's campaign a direct trade link was set-up between India and Europe. This led to the establishment of four different trade routes through sea and land.

iii. Alexander's invasion completely tarnished the power of the small states of the north-west India. Chandragupta Maurya took advantage of this situation to expand in these areas and to political unify India under the Mauryas.

iv. The cultural ties with the Greeks paved the way for the development of the Gandhara School of Art, an Indo-Greek school of art.

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Fact Sheets:

Alexander rode Bucephalus, his horse, in every battle in Asia and Greece. In the battle that was fought between Porus and Alexander, Bucephalus was badly wounded and died. Alexander was grief-stricken at its demise. He founded a city and named it after his horse.