The dominant kingdom of northeastern India from the 7th century BCE, Magadha served as the political engine of the subcontinent — spawning the Nanda and Maurya empires and hosting the birth of both Buddhism and Jainism.
The kingdom of Magadha was absorbed into the Maurya Empire when Chandragupta Maurya overthrew the last Nanda king c. 321 BCE and made Pataliputra the imperial capital, with Magadha continuing as the imperial heartland rather than ending as a distinct entity; as an independent kingdom it effectively ceased under the Nanda in 343 BCE.
The atlas holds 3 border frames for Magadha — the shape you scrub through changes in 684 BC · 450 BC · 361 BC.
Covers Magadha's rise and its centrality to the emergence of imperial India.
Remains a compelling survey of this foundational period in Indian history.