5.1 ‘Jana’ and Janapadas
Vedic people used the term Jana to
designate a group of people, united under a
common bond of singular kinship structure.
Their settlement was known as ‘Grama’. A
cluster of gramas consisting of the same jana
was known by the name of that particular
jana. In the beginning, however, the concept
of jana included only an extended family
(kul), its settlement (grama) and the cattlepen (goshtha-gotra-gaulwada). The concept
of jana was not yet inclusive of the concept
of territoriality. Hence, the geographic
boundaries of a jana were not defined.
In the last lesson we saw that the Vedic
people migrated and spread from the
Saptasindhu region to the delta region of the
Ganga. Vedic jan as gradually began to settle
in the new region. The concept of jana
increasingly acquired the sense of territoriality.
The sense of territoriality instilled the sense
of geographic boundaries among the janas. It
resulted into the emergence of informal local
administrative structures among the janas.
Thus, independent Janapada came into
existence. A region occupied by a janas was
called as Janapada. Gradually the Janapadas
had more formal administrative structures
transforming them into independent states.
These were the first well-established states of
ancient India. However, this does not
necessarily mean that every Janapada evolved
into an independent state.
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When the successive generations got
established in a geographic periphery, the
newly emerging social organisation was also
changing. Now, it was not confined only to
the basic kinship structure. People from the
outside of the kinship framework also got
included in the janapadas. The social
organisation of the janapadas, which was
based on collective functioning began to
change and one’s immediate family became
more important. Accordingly, the social
organisation came to revolve around the head
of the family and family based rituals. Cooperation at individual level and among the
families became the base of the social
organisation.
This period also saw the rise of the
warrior class. These people were well-trained
in warfare. This class of warriors played a
major role in the shift of the primary
organisation of the janapadas to more
complex state organisation. Janapadin is a
term mentioned in Panini’s Ashtadhyayi, used
to indicate the warrior class.
5.2.2 Expansion and Development of the
Janapadas
The expansion and development of the
janapadas seem to have occurred in three
different ways:
1. Expansion and development of a
society formed into a Jana by uniting of a
number of generations of a singular kula
(family). For example, the janapadas, namely,
Matsya, Chedi, Gandhara, Kashi, Kosala,
etc.
2. Janapadas rising out of the union of
more than one kula. For example, the
Panchala janapada. Who were the five janas
united under the name of Panchalas, is not
exactly known. According to the renowned
historian, Hemchandra Raychaudhuri
following were the janas who merged together
as Panchalas : Krivi, Turvasha, Keshi,
Shrinajaya and Somaka. Later, Kurus and
Panchalas are mentioned together as KuruPanchalas. By the time of Mahabharata the
kula (clan) known as the Bharatas in
Rigveda, got merged with the Kurus. The
two kulas united to such extent that the
people in Bharata clan came to be regarded
as the ancestors of the Kurus.
3. The more powerful janapadas
conquered the less powerful ones.
For additional information: Some of
the ancient janapadas and the literary texts
that mention their names.
• Praachya : Anga, Magadh
(Atharvaveda)
: Kikata (Rigveda and
Atharvaveda)
Pundra (Mahabharata)
• Praatichya : Anu, Alin, Bhalan,
Druhyu, Parashu,
Pakhta, Puru, Turvasha,
Yadu (Rigveda),
Gandhara (Rigveda and
Athrvaveda),
Shalva (Mahabharata)
• Udichya : Krivi, Vaikarna
(Rigveda)
Balhik (Atharvaveda)
• Dakshina : Andhra (Mahabharata)
Pulinda (Emperor
Ashoka’s edicts)
• Madhyadesha : Aja, Chedi, Bharata,
Matsya, Shigru, Trutsu,
Ushinara, Yakshu
(Rigveda), Kuru,
Shrinjaya (Rigveda and
Atharvaveda)
5.3 Federation of States (Ganarajya)
The Later Vedic literature, Jaina and
Buddhist literature indicate that most of the
janapadas were monarchic states. However,
some of the janapadas were of oligarchic
type. The ancient literature mentions different
types of states. Terms like Rajya, Svaarajya,
Bhaujya, Vairajya, Maharajya, Saamrajya
and Parmeshthya occur in this context.
However, nothing more can be said about the
nature of these states. We get to know that
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For additional information : Ancient
Indian literature mentions two more types
of ganasanghas. ‘Ayudhjivi’ sangh and
‘Varta-Shastropajivi’ sangh. They existed
in the northwest regions of the Indian
subcontinent. The ganasangha of the
Trigartas was mentioned as Ayudhajivi.
These people were skilled warriors and
warfare was the means of their livelihood.
For example Yaudheya, Malava and
Kshudraka. ‘Varta’ means trade and
commerce. The people in the VartaShastropajivi ganasanghas lived by trade
and commerce, agriculture and animal
husbandry, as well as their skills in
warfare. People in the Kamboj and
Surashtra ganasanghas earned their
livelihood by these means.
Uttar Kuru and Uttar Madra were of
‘Vairajya’ type. It means that the state was
not ruled by a monarch but the members of
the janapada run the state collectively. The
ancient literature mention such type of states
as ‘ganasangha or sangharajya’ (oligarchy/
republic).
‘Gana’ means the ruling class comprising
members of equal social status. Similarly
sangha means a state formed by many kulas
or janapadas by coming together. By 6th
century B.C.E. many sangharajyas had come
into existence.
There were three main types of the
ancient federation of states in India.
(1) Ganarajya of the members of the same
kula. For example, Malava and Shibi.
(2) Ganarajya created by more than one
kulas coming together. For example,
Vajji Ganasangha. It included eight
kulas. Vajji, Lichchhavi, Dnyatruk and
Videha were the important ganas among
them. Lichchhavi was most influential
gana of them.
(3) More than one ganrajyas coming together
to create a sangharajya. For example
Yaudheya-Kshudrak Sangh.
We can get a glimpse of the administrative
system of the ancient ganasanghas in the
Buddhist texts. Each ganasangha had its own
system of decision making and its
implementation. We may find approximate
parallels of these systems in the following
types:
1. Democratic States : Some of the
ganasanghas were divided into regional zones
called ‘Khanda’. They functioned through a
group of elected individuals, who were found
capable. Each of the elected members
represented his respective khanda. These
elected members were installed with collective
authority for the smooth running of the
ganasangha. This was a democratic system.
Ganasanghas which functioned in this
democratic way existed in Punjab and Sindh
at the time of Alexander’s invasion.
Each elective representative of respective
regional zone was designated as
‘Ganamukhya’. Every ganamukhya was the
member of the assembly known as
‘ganaparishada’. Ganaparishada was the
highest decision-making authority concerning
all the administrative matters of the
ganasangha. The decisions made by the
ganaparishada, were implemented by
designated functionaries of various cadre.
The ganapramukha was the principal
functionary presiding over the administrative
system. He was known as the ‘Adhyaksha’
or ‘Raja’. The rest of the main designated
functionaries included, Uparaja
(Upadhyaksha), Senapati and Bhandagarika
(Koshadhyaksha).
2. Oligarchic States : In this type the
elite class in the society held all the powers
of decision-making and administration. Panini
and Kautilya mention them as
‘Rajshabdopajivi’ sangh. Panini includes
Vajji, Andhaka, Vrishni, Yaudheya in the
Rajashabdopjivi type. Kautilya includes the
Vrijji or Vajji, Madrak, Kuru, Panchala, etc.
in this type. This type of ganasanghas were
more prevalent in the eastern region of Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar.
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By the Way : The ganasanghas
of Vajji, Shakya, Lichchhavi and Malla
were closely associated with the life of
Gautama Buddha. Gautama Buddha was
born in the Shakya family. His father
Shuddhodan was an elected president
(Rajan) of the Shakya Ganaparishad.
We have seen that the janapadas mainly
emerged as the result of the sense of
geographic boundaries (territoriality) and
autonomous functioning. Some of the powerful
janapadas expanded and developed to the
extent that they were acknowledged as
‘Mahajanapadas’ by the 8th
century B.C.E.
In the next lesson we will study the sixteen
mahajanapadas of ancient India