2.14 Ancient India Part XIV, 16 Mahajanapadas, Rise of Magadh under Haryanka Dynasty (544 BC – 413 BC)

In the melee of the sixteen(16) Mahajanapadas, four(4) emerged supreme: Magadh, Avanti, Kosala, Vatsa. These four competed for pre-eminence and Magadh emerged victorious under the leadership of Haryanka dynasty. Haryanka had great kings like Bimbisara, Ajatashatru and Udayin. The Haryankas were related to Vardhaman Mahavir, the 24rth Jain Tirthankara and were patrons of Buddhism. Both Bimbisara and Ajatashatru had met Siddhartha Gautam, The Buddha, in their lifetime. Both were great military leaders and the father was perhaps better than his son, when it came to diplomacy. We shall cover it all in this episode