Which of the following was not the reason for the rise of Magadha as the most powerful Mahajanapada?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Policies of Hoysala rulers.
Between the sixth and the fourth centuries BCE, Magadha (in present-day Bihar) became the most powerful mahajanapada. Modern historians explain this by its productive agriculture, its iron mines, its elephants and the Ganga and its tributaries as a cheap means of communication. Early Buddhist and Jaina writers gave the credit to the policies of Magadha’s own ambitious kings — Bimbisara, Ajatasattu and Mahapadma Nanda — and their ministers.
Option (1) A region with productive agriculture. — Correct statement. Magadha was a region where agriculture was especially productive.
Option (2) Accessibility to iron mines provided resources for tools and weapons. — Correct statement. Iron mines in present-day Jharkhand were accessible and provided resources for tools and weapons.
Option (3) Elephants for army were found in the forests of the region. — Correct statement. Elephants, an important part of the army, were found in the forests of the region.
Option (4) Policies of Hoysala rulers. — Incorrect statement. The Hoysalas ruled in Karnataka, far from Magadha; their state is named among those whose lands later came within the Vijayanagara Empire, many centuries after Magadha’s rise. The policies that writers credited were those of Magadha’s own kings.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.2 First amongst the sixteen: Magadha … Between the sixth and the fourth centuries BCE, Magadha (in present-day Bihar) became the most powerful mahajanapada. Modern historians explain this development in a variety of ways: Magadha was a region where agriculture was especially productive. Besides, iron mines (in present-day Jharkhand) were accessible and provided resources for tools and weapons. Elephants, an important component of the army, were found in forests in the region. Also, the Ganga and its tributaries provided a means of cheap and convenient communication. However, early Buddhist and Jaina writers who wrote about Magadha attributed its power to the policies of individuals: ruthlessly ambitious kings of whom Bimbisara, Ajatasattu and Mahapadma Nanda are the best known, and their ministers, who helped implement their policies.… 2. Rayas, Nayakas and Sultans … Some of the areas that were incorporated within the empire had witnessed the development of powerful states such as those of the Cholas in Tamil Nadu and the Hoysalas in Karnataka. Ruling elites in these areas had extended patronage to elaborate temples such as the Brihadishvara temple at Thanjavur and the Chennakeshava temple at Belur.…” |