The Avanti-Magadhan wars were fought between the ancient Indian empires of

Magadha Magadha was a region and one of the sixteen sa, script=Latn, Mahajanapadas, label=none, lit=Great Kingdoms of the Second Urbanization (600–200 BCE) in what is now south Bihar (before expansion) at the eastern Ganges Plain. Magadha was ruled ...

and Avanti for domination over much of North India. The ancient Indian states were almost always in conflict with one another. During the reign of

Bimbisara Bimbisāra (in Buddhist tradition) or Shrenika () and Seniya () in the Jain histories (c. 558 – c. 491 BCE or during the late 5th century BCE) was a King of Magadha (V. K. Agnihotri (ed.), ''Indian History''. Allied Publishers, New Delhi ...

of the

Haryanka dynasty The Haryanka dynasty was the third ruling dynasty of Magadha, an empire of ancient India, which succeeded the Pradyota dynasty and Barhadratha dynasty. Initially, the capital was Rajagriha. Later, it was shifted to Pataliputra, near the pr ...

,Magadha pursued an expansionist policy. This caused him to come into conflict with

Pradyota Pradyota dynasty, also called ''Prthivim Bhoksyanti'' (lit. enjoying the earth), is an ancient Indian dynasty, which ruled over Avanti and Magadha, though most of the Puranas ''(except a manuscript of the Brahmanda Purana, preserved in the Uni ...

, the ruler of Avanti. Bimbisara had to fortify

Rajgir Rajgir, meaning "The City of Kings," is a historic town in the district of Nalanda in Bihar, India. As the ancient seat and capital of the Haryanka dynasty, the Pradyota dynasty, the Brihadratha dynasty and the Mauryan Empire, as well as the d ...

due to the threat of an Avanti invasion. During the early years of the reign of

Ajatashatru Ajatasattu (Pāli ) or Ajatashatru (Sanskrit ) in Buddhist tradition, or Kunika () and Kuniya () in the Jain histories, (c. 492 to 460 BCE or early 5th century BCE) was one of the most important kings of the Haryanka dynasty of Magadha in East ...

, Avanti managed to establish its supremacy by invading certain parts of Magadhan territories.

Shishunaga: Conquest of Avanti

After the death of Ajatashatru a period of uncertainty followed and a succession of weak rulers again gave rise to a threat of a Pradyota invasion. Enraged by this, the people of Magadha overthrew the last of the Haryanka rulers and one of the ministers,

Shishunaga Shishunaga ( IAST: Śiśunāga, or Shusunaga) (c. 413 – 395 BCE) was the founder of the Shishunaga dynasty of the Magadha Empire in the present day northern India. Initially, he was an ''amatya'' (official) of the Magadha empire under the Hary ...

, usurped the throne. Shishunaga defeated the Pradyota dynasty of Avanti, removing a major threat to the Magadhan Empire.{{Cite book, last=Raychaudhuri, first=Hemchandra, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h1KObc_qaXYC&pg=PA166, title=Political History of Ancient India: From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty, date=2006, publisher=Cosmo Publications, isbn=978-81-307-0291-9, language=en

References

History of India Magadha Avanti (India) Rajgir 5th century BC in India 5th-century BC conflicts Wars involving ancient India

Shishunaga: Conquest of Avanti

See also

References