Was Mahapadma the founder of Nanda Dynasty (Magdha) a Kumaoni Khasa (421 BCE)??????/

Historical Aspects of Uttarakhand in Nanda Dynasty Time (421-320 BCE)

                         History of Kumaon, Garhwal (Uttarakhand) - Part 39  

Historical Aspects of Ancient communities of Kumaon-Garhwal (Uttarakhand), Himalayas-36   

History of   Kumaon and Garhwal (Uttarakhand) during the Time of Buddha and afterwards Buddhism part -5               

 (All the History write ups are dedicated to great Historians Hari Krishna Raturi, Badri Datt Pandey and Dr Shiv Prasad Dabral) 

                     Bhishma Kukreti 

  Mahapadma is said to be the founder of Nanda Empire in Magadha. Mahapadma destroyed Khsatriyas and won Panchals, Kasis, Haihayas, Kalingas, Asmakas, Kurus, Maithalis, Saursenas and Vitihotras. Mahapadma dethrone the Shishunag dynasty and Shishunag is said to be an Uttarakhandi soldiery occupant.  

 The Nanda rule was extended from Bengal to Punjab, up to Vindhyachal range. Mahapadma is said to be creator of empire in India. He had big armies composed of 2lakh infantry, 2o thousand cavalry,2 thousand war chariots and 3 thousand war elephants.  

Many historians have opinions that Mahapadma was an Uttarakhandi soldier and he killed the Shishunag king. The reasons are given for Mahapadma being as Uttrakhandi are –

1-Kulinda the word Nanda came from Kulinda .Since ‘Ku’ word was inauspicious Mahpadma might have deleted ‘Ku’ word from Kulinda . One of kings from Nanda dynasty had been Govishanaka. Govishan was region of Uttarakhand (today’s Kumaon) in that time.

2-The historian Edward James Rapson (1923) writes in his Cambridge History of India (Volume -1, page 280), “As to origin of the Nandas, we have no certain information, but the name is probably tribal, and it may be connected with the Nandas, who lived near river Ramganga between Ganges and the Koshi in Himalyan region……It is possible that the Shishunag and Nandas may have been the descendants of the mountain chieftains who won the kingdom of Magadha by conquest.”

There were twelve kings of Nanda dynasty.

Mahapadma (424 BCE?)

Pandhuka

Bhutapala

Rashtrapala

Govishanka

Dasasiddkhaka

Kaivarta

Mahendra

Dhana Nanda or Ghana Nanda (321 BCE?)

There are distinct views about relationship between Uttarakhand and Nanda dynasty. If Mahapadma was Khas (so called Shudra from Sanskrit pundit point of view as Panini) of Uttarakhand then there is probability of some or complete part of Uttarakhand being part of Nanda dynasty.  Chandra Gupta Maurya and then Asoka ruled over Uttarakhand but history is silent over Chandra Gupta or Asoka attacking Uttarakhand regions. That shows that Nanda dynasty founder Mahapadma was Uttarakhandi and he was ruler of complete or some part of Uttarakhand.

Mahapadma the believer in monopolistic way of ruling- Mahapadma believed in monopoly for ruling

Mahapadma as great donor- since, Mahapadma was Shudra  (Khas from  Uttarakhand) the Brahmin history scholars did not provide him respects, however, Mahapadma was great donor.  

Measurment Units- The measurement units came in existence first time in India in Nanda dynasty.

Paying Attention on Agriculture- Mahapadma paid maximum attention on agriculture development and he inaugurated first ever Indian way of water management system in Orissa (Jayswal – Kharwel ka Shila lekh)

Respecting scholars- Mahapadma and his successors used to respect scholars.

Army and Armed force Management- Mahapadma and his successors brought modernity in war management and strategies that Alexandra the great was afraid of attacking India.

Taxation- Mahapadma also developed taxation system to suit the empire management.

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti 11/05/2013

(The write up is aimed for general readers)

History of Garhwal – Kumaon (Uttarakhand) to be continued… Part -40

Ancient communities of Kumaon-Garhwal (Uttarakhand), Himalayas- to be continued…37

History of Kumaon and Garhwal (Uttarakhand) during the Time of Buddha and afterwards Buddhism to be continued…part -6               

References and Further Reading Suggestions:

Ajaya Rawat, History of Garhwal

Alexander Cunningham, 1996, Coins of Ancient India: From Earliest times down to the Seventh century 

Badri Datt Pandey, 1937, Kumaun ka Itihas, (second edition.) Shyam Prakashan, Almora (page 155-179)

B.P. Kamboj, 2003, Early Wall painting of Garhwal

C.M Agarwal history of Kumaon

Dabral, Shiv Prasad, 1968, Uttarakhand ka Itihas Bhag-2, (pages117 to321), Veer Gath Press, Dogadda, India

Dabral, Shiv Prasad, 1992, Kulinda Janpada

Dinesh Prasad Saklani, 1998, Ancient Communities of the Himalayas

D.D Sharma, 2009, Cultural History of Uttarakhand

D.P Agarwal, Jeewan Singh Kharakwal, 1995, Cist Burials of the Kumaun Himalayas

D.P Agarwal, J Kharakwal, 1995, Kumaon Archeology and Tradition, Almora Book, Almora

Gyan Swarup Gupta, 199,India: From Indus Valley civilization to Mauryas

Hari Krishna Raturi, 1921, Garhwal ka Itihas

Imana Simha Cemjonga, 2003, History and Culture of Kirat People

Jagdish Bahadur , 2003 Indian Himalayas

J.C. Agarwal, S.P.Agarwal, S.S. Gupta, 1995, Uttarakhand: Past, Present and Future

John Whelpton, 2005, History of Nepal (page 22 , Khasa)

Khadak Singh Valdiya , 2001, Himalaya: Emergence and Evolution , Uni Press, Hyderabad,  India

Khemanand Chandola, 1987 Across the Himalaya through Ages: a study of relations between Central Himalayas and Westren Tibet

K.P.Nautiyal, B.M. Khanduri, 1997, Him Kanti (page 85 for Khasa)

Kanti Prasad Nautiyal, 1969, The Archeology of Kumaon including Dehradun

K.P Nautiyal, B.M. Khanduri, 1991, Emergence of Early culture in Garhwal, Central Himalaya

Lalan Ji Gopal and Vinod Chandra Shrivastava , History of Agriculture in India  (up to 1200AD(article of Dr K.P Nautiyal et all – Agriculture in Garhwal Himalayas o to 1200AD, page 162)

Maheshwar Prasad Joshi, 1990, Uttaranchal (Kumaon-Garhwal) : An Essay in Historical Anthropology, Shri Almora Book, Almora

Maheshwar Prasad Joshi, 1989, Morphogenesis of Kunindas, Cir 200B.C.-cir A.D.300

Mathpal, Yashodhar, 1998, Kumaon Painting: A Story of Living Tradition of Painting in Kumaon 

Minyan G. Singh, 199, Wooden temples in Himachal

M.C.Joshi, 1978, the Khasas in the History of Uttarakhand, Swasti Sri, edited by K.V.Ravi , p.10),ND

M.S. S Rawat (editor), Himalaya: a Regional Perspective

Mamta Chaudhari, 1977 Tribes of Ancient India

Narendra Singh Bisht and T. S Bankoti, 2004, Encyclopedic Ethnography of the Himalayan Tribes (Page for Khasa – 736)

Dr. Naval  Viyogi, Professor M A Ansari, 2010  History of the Later Harappans and Shilpkara Movement (two volumes) Kalpaz Publication, Delhi, India

Nitya Nand Mishra, 1994, Sources Materials of Kumauni History, Shri Almora Book Depot.

O.C. Handa, 2003, History of Uttaranchal (Page 22 for Khashas)

O.C. Handa, 2009, Art and Architecture of Uttarakhand

O.P Kandari and O.P Gusain, 2001, Garhwal Himalaya (Pages for Khasa- 309/360) 

Parmannad Gupta, 1989, Geography from Ancient Indian Coins and Seals

Prem Hari Har Lal, 1993, The Doon valley Down the Ages, Dehradun, India 

R.C. Bhatt, K.P. Nautiyal, 1987-88Trans Himalayan Burials, visa vis Malari, an Assessment, JOSHARD, Vol11-12 (pp 95-101)

R.C. Naithani, 1999, Radiant Himalayas,

Ram Naresh Pandey (A.S.I), Ancient and Medieval History of Western Nepal 

S  S.S. Negi, Back and beyond, Garhwal Himalaya: Nature, Culture and Society                       

S.S.S. Negi, Himalayan Rivers, lakes and Glaciers

Sukhdev Singh Charak, 1979, History and Culture of Himalayan states

Savita  Saxena, 1995, The geographical Surveys of Puranas

Surendra Singh, 1995, Urbanization in Garhwal Himalaya: a geographical Interpretation

Upinder Singh, 2008, History of Earlier and Medieval India.

Vishwa Chandra Ohri, 1980, Himachal Art and Archeology, State Museum, Shimla , Pages 3,5 and 65)

H. Sarkar, A.Banerji 2006, Hari Smriti , Chapter ‘ The Kunindas and their Archeology in Garhwal  Himalaya (pages-391-398).  

Http://www.thefreeliberary.com/cist +burial+Himalayas-a017422774

New cultural Dimension in the Central Himalayas, region of Uttarakhand, an Archeological assessment:

http://opar.unior.it/664/1/5/Annali 1986 (f1)K.p.nautiyal-B.M.Khanduri  

Carleton Stevens Coon, 1962, The Origin of Race

C.S. Coon, The Races of Europe

Uttar Pradesh District gazetteers, 1989, Volume-23

Plant, Richard, J., 1979, Greek, Semitic, Asiatic Coins and how to read them

R.C Majumdar, Ancient Colonies in the Far East

Shiv Pad Sen, 1988, Sources of History of India, Volume -5

 Vishwa Chandra Ohri, 1980, Himachal Art and Archeology

World Archeological Bulletin, 1989.p 18

Radheshyam Chaurasiya, 2002, History of Ancient India: Earliest time to 1000 AD

R.K. Nehra, 2010, Hinduism and Its Military Ethos

Chapters on African Presence in Early Asian Civilizations: A Historical Overview, Journal of African Civilizations, August 1995, Vol .X No.X pages 21-121

Radha Kumud Mukarji, 1988, Chandragupta Maurya and his Time

Om Gupta, 2006, Encyclopedia of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

Edward James Rapson, 1923, Cambridge History of India (7 Volumes)