The Iron Age

During the Iron Age, a number of small kingdoms or city states covered the subcontinent. The largest were Magadha, Kosala, Kuru and Gandhara. At that time the Sanskrit was the educated speech, while the general population of northern India was speaking Prakrit.

Kuru kingdom

Location: modern Haryana state, India;
Major cities: Indraprastha, capital.

The kingdom was a major cultural center; its name is mentioned in the epic Mahabharata.

Gandhara kingdom

Location: today northern Pakistan and southern Afghanistan;
Major cities: Peshawar, Taxila.

It was one of the most powerful kingdoms and also appeared in the Mahabharata epic, as an ally of the Kuru kingdom.

Kosala kingdom

Location: the area of Oudh, Uttar Pradesh state, India;
Major cities: Ajodhya, capital.

The kingdom name was mentioned in the Sanskrit epic Ramayana and was visited by Buddha and Mahavira.

Anga kingdom

Location: the area of Bhagalpur and Monghyr, Bihar state, India;
Major cities: Champa (former Malini), capital.

The capital of the Anga kingdom was known as an important commerce center.

Magadha kingdom

Location: modern districts of Patna and Gaya in southern Bihar, India, and parts of Bengal in the east;
Major cities: Rajagriha, capital.

This ancient kingdom is mentioned in Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas and even in Buddhist and Jaina texts.

*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "History of India".