Consider the statements related to Magadha between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE. Which of the following statements are correct?
(A) Magadha was an agriculturally productive region.
(B) Ujjain was the capital of Magadha.
(C) Bimbisara, Ajatasattu and Mahapadma Nanda were the kings of this region.
(D) Horses were found in the forests of this region.
(E) Magadha is the present-day Uttar Pradesh.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (A), (C) Only
(A) Magadha was an agriculturally productive region. Correct. One explanation of Magadha’s rise is that it was a region where agriculture was especially productive.
(B) Ujjain was the capital of Magadha. Incorrect. The capital of Magadha was initially Rajagaha (present-day Rajgir) and later, in the fourth century BCE, Pataliputra. Ujjayini lay in the mahajanapada of Avanti and was later a provincial centre of the Mauryas.
(C) Bimbisara, Ajatasattu and Mahapadma Nanda were the kings of this region. Correct. Early Buddhist and Jaina writers credited Magadha’s power to ruthlessly ambitious kings, of whom Bimbisara, Ajatasattu and Mahapadma Nanda are the best known.
(D) Horses were found in the forests of this region. Incorrect. The forests of the region provided elephants, an important component of the army, not horses.
(E) Magadha is the present-day Uttar Pradesh. Incorrect. Magadha lay in present-day Bihar.
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. Initially, Rajagaha (the Prakrit name for presentday Rajgir in Bihar) was the capital of Magadha. Interestingly, the old name means ‘house of the king’. Rajagaha was a fortified settlement, located amongst hills. Later, in the fourth century BCE, the capital was shifted to Pataliputra, present-day Patna, commanding routes of communication along the Ganga.…” |