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Q35 (CDS-I/2014) History & Culture › Ancient India › Mahajanapadas and Buddha Answer Verified

Which one of the following statements about ancient Indian Mahajanapadas is correct?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

Ancient Indian history identifies sixteen major states known as Mahajanapadas during the sixth century BCE [2]. Early Buddhist texts, such as the Anguttara Nikaya, and Jaina texts like the Bhagavati Sutra provide lists of these sixteen states [2]. While the specific names in these lists vary slightly, they consistently recognize sixteen entities [5]. Regarding the other options: not all Mahajanapadas were oligarchies; many were monarchies ruled by kings, while others like the Vajji were ganas or sanghas (oligarchies) [2]. Geographically, they were not restricted to eastern India; they spanned from Gandhara in the northwest to Ashmaka in central India near the Godavari River [6]. Furthermore, these states maintained organized military forces, as evidenced by Magadha's use of elephants and iron weapons for conquest [4]. Therefore, only the statement regarding the Buddhist and Jaina lists is correct.

Sources

  1. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 3: Rise of Territorial Kingdoms and New Religious Sects > Sixteen Mahajanapadas > p. 35
  2. [2] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Kings, Farmers and Towns > 2.1 The sixteen mahajanapadas > p. 29
  3. [5] Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: New Beginnings: Cities and States > Janapadas and Mahājanapadas > p. 69
  4. [6] https://www.britannica.com/place/India/The-beginning-of-the-historical-period-c-500-150-bce
  5. [3] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Emergence of State and Empire > 4.1 Rise of Magadha under the Haryanka Dynasty > p. 47
  6. [4] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Kings, Farmers and Towns > 2.2 First amongst the sixteen: Magadha > p. 31
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