Hinglish

The Rise of Magadha and the Arrival of the Greeks

Class 7 Social Science · Chapter 5: The Rise of Empires · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 5.3

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Between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, one mahājanapada, Magadha (south Bihar), rose above the rest. It had fertile land, forests for timber and elephants, iron ore in nearby hills for ploughs and weapons, and the Ganga and Son rivers for trade. Kings like Ajātaśhatru made it dominant; the Buddha and Mahāvīra lived in his time. Surplus grain let more people work as artisans, and trade filled the treasury.

Mahāpadma Nanda founded the Nanda dynasty, united many kingdoms, issued coins and kept a large army. But the last Nanda, Dhana Nanda, though very rich, oppressed his people and became unpopular. In this age the grammarian Pāṇini wrote the Aṣhṭādhyāyī, the rules of Sanskrit grammar in 3,996 short sūtras.

Meanwhile, Alexander of Macedonia conquered the Persian Empire and, in 327–325 BCE, pushed into northwest India. He defeated Porus in Punjab (asked how he wished to be treated, Porus said, "Like a king") but met fierce resistance; Greek records say women fought beside men. His exhausted soldiers refused to go on, and he retreated, dying in Babylon at 32. His empire split among generals and satraps (governors). Greek accounts also tell of his meeting with Indian sages they called Gymnosophists, whose wise answers impressed him: a meeting of two great traditions.

Explore: who is it?

  1. Sort each clue.

Remember

  • Magadha rose through fertile land, forests, iron and river trade; the Nandas unified much of the north.
  • Alexander reached northwest India, defeated Porus, then retreated; satraps were left behind.

Quick check

Which resource from nearby hills helped Magadha's farming and army?

  1. iron ore
  2. salt
  3. silk
  4. coal
Answer

iron ore. Iron ploughs and sharper iron weapons.

Think about it

Why do you think Alexander's soldiers refused to go further into India?

One answer

They had marched for years far from home, were exhausted, had faced fierce resistance and heard of the large armies further east, such as the Nandas'.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.