How Nandas created the First Indian Empire

In this video, we are going to talk about how the Nanda Empire became the first empire in Indian history. In order to understand how the Nanda Empire came into existence, we have to first go back to the period after the death of Ajat Shatru. In the previous videos, we have discussed how Ajat Shatru, who in the end was killed by his own son, had made Magadh the pre-eminent power in eastern India. The period after the death of Ajat Shatru was a period of decline for Magadh. Udain, who became the king after killing his father Ajat Shatru, was also killed by his son. The frequent assassination of Magadhan kings had made Magadh internally very weak. We find that during this period of turmoil, Magadh also faced the growing threat from Avanti. Avanti, who was the rival power of Magadh, during this period expanded and it conquered the Mahajanpada of Vats. Having conquered Mahajanpada of Vats, now the Avantian territory touched the borders of Magadh. The Magadhan people and the Magadhan elite realized that the next target for Avantian army was Magadh. Now, in order to secure Magadh from the Avantian threat, the Magadhan people and the Magadhan elites realized that they needed a strong leadership. The ruling house of Magadh did not have the capacity to provide Magadh the strong leadership that it needed. The Magadhan people and the Magadhan elite decided that in order to have a strong leadership for Magadh, they have to first drive out the ruling house. So, they drove out the ruling house of Magadh and in turn, they elected a new king. The new king, Shishunag during this period was governing the Mahajanpada of Kashi. He was an Amatya and Amatya during this period was the term used for high official. Since he was an Amatya, he knew the art of governing. When Shishunag became the new Magadhan king, the first thing he did was he decided to make Vaishali the second capital of Magadh. The reason behind this shift has to do with the fact that Rajagriha was much closer from the Avantian border. In a future conflict, Rajagriha would be the first target for the Avantian army. Vaishali, on the other hand, was situated on the other side of the Ganga and it also provided a strategic depth which Rajagriha lacked. We do not have much evidence of how the war between Magadh and Avanti unfolded but we do know that during the end of Shishunag reign, he was able to conquer the Mahajanpada of Avanti. Having conquered the Mahajanpada of Avanti, Magadh now became the pre-eminent power in Northern India. Shishunag was succeeded by Kaalashok and during Kaalashok reign, we find that no further conquest took place. But during this period, we find that Kaalashok did shift his capital. The old capital during this period was Rajagriha and we find that Pataliputra in this period has emerged as a centre of trade and commerce. So, Kaalashok decided to shift his capital from Rajagriha to Pataliputra. Since Pataliputra was situated on the banks of river Ganga, it was much easier for Pataliputra to govern the far-flung territories of the Magadhan kingdom. The end of Kaalashok, like many Magadhan kings, was a tragic one. He was killed in the vicinity of Pataliputra. The person who killed him became the founder of the Nanda empire. The Jain, Buddhist and the Puranic sources identify this person differently. According to Puranic sources, the person who had killed Kaalashok was Mahapadmanand. On the other hand, Buddhist sources claim that he was called Ugrasen. The Jain, Buddhist and the Puranic sources provide different details about the origin of the Nandas. But all of these sources agree upon the fact that there were 9 Nanda kings. But we do know that during this period, the Nandas were able to extend their territories. It was during this period we find that the Mahajanpada of Panchal, Saurasen, Matsya and Kuru were conquered. The Nandas were also able to conquer the Mahajanpada of Ashma. From an inscription which was found in a cave in Odisha, it appears that the Nanda empire was able to conquer the kingdom of Kalinga as well. With these conquests, the Nandas became the first dynasty to establish an empire in Indian history. The supremacy which the Nanda kings enjoyed can also be corroborated from the fact that the Purana use the epithet Ekarat to describe the Nanda kings. Ekarat means sole sovereign and from these facts, we can say that the Nandas managed to create the first empire in Indian history. Around 327 BC when Alexander had invaded India, we find that the Greek and Roman sources which talk about Alexander's invasion, they also talk about the Nanda empire. They mention that beyond the river Bayas, an empire exists which had huge army. In the next video, we will talk about how Chandragupt destroyed this Nanda empire and how he founded the Mauryan empire. Thank you for watching.