MAHAJANAPADAS

Mahajanapadas literally means "Great kingdoms".

The word has taken from Sanskrit Maha = great, Janapada = foothold of tribe = country.

By 500 BC, sixteen monarchies and 'republics' known as the Mahajanapadas stretched across the Indo-Gangetic plains from modern-day Afghanistan to Bangladesh.

The Buddhist and other texts only incidentally refer to sixteen great nations (Solasa Mahajanapadas) which were in existence before the time of Buddha.

The Buddhist Anguttara Nikaya, at several places, gives a list of sixteen nations:

1. Kasi

2. Kosala

3. Anga

4. Magadha

5. Vajji (or Vriji)

6. Malla

7. Chedi

8. Vatsa (or Vamsa)

9. Kuru

10. Panchala

11. Machcha (or Matsya)

12. Surasena

13. Assaka

14. Avanti

15. Gandhara

16. Kamboja