The founder of the Nanda dynasty of Magadha was
- A.Dhana Nanda
- B.Udayin
- C.Mahapadma Nanda
- D.Shishunaga
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Mahapadma Nanda. He founded the Nanda dynasty and the Puranas describe him as a ruler of humble birth who destroyed all the Kshatriya houses, calling him Ekarat, the sole sovereign. He raised an enormous army, taxed heavily and carried Magadhan power into Kalinga, where the later Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela recalls a canal dug by a Nanda king.
Option A, Dhana Nanda, was the last ruler of the same dynasty, not its founder; he was on the throne when Alexander reached the Beas and was overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya. Option B, Udayin, belonged to the earlier Haryanka dynasty and is remembered for founding Pataliputra. Option D, Shishunaga, founded the dynasty that came between the Haryankas and the Nandas and is remembered for annexing Avanti. Keep the founder and the last ruler of the Nandas clearly apart, since both names appear together in option sets.
Read the full article: Mahajanapadas and Rise of Magadha: Capitals and Dynasties
Practice Questions
View allThe list of sixteen mahajanapadas of the sixth century BCE is found in which of the following texts?
- A.Arthashastra
- B.Anguttara Nikaya
- C.Mahabhashya
- D.Ashtadhyayi
Show answer
It is a text of the Sutta Pitaka of the Buddhist canon and it names the sixteen great states of the age of the Buddha, from Magadha and Kosala in the east to Gandhara and Kamboja in the north-west.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following mahajanapadas was situated south of the Vindhyas?
- A.Assaka
- B.Chedi
- C.Matsya
- D.Surasena
Show answer
Of the sixteen mahajanapadas only Assaka lay in the Deccan, on the banks of the Godavari, with its capital at Potana, also written Potali.
Read the full explanation →Ujjain was the capital of which mahajanapada?
- A.Vatsa
- B.Kosala
- C.Avanti
- D.Panchala
Show answer
Avanti covered the Malwa region and had two capitals: Ujjain in its northern half and Mahishmati on the Narmada in its southern half.
Read the full explanation →Bimbisara, a contemporary of the Buddha, belonged to which dynasty?
- A.Shishunaga dynasty
- B.Nanda dynasty
- C.Maurya dynasty
- D.Haryanka dynasty
Show answer
Bimbisara was the first great ruler of the Haryanka line of Magadha, traditionally dated from about 544 BCE, with his capital at Girivraja, also called Rajgriha.
Read the full explanation →The First Buddhist Council was held at Rajgriha under the patronage of which ruler?
- A.Ajatashatru
- B.Kalashoka
- C.Ashoka
- D.Kanishka
Show answer
The First Buddhist Council met at Rajgriha soon after the death of the Buddha, with Ajatashatru of the Haryanka dynasty as its patron and Mahakassapa presiding, and it settled the Vinaya Pitaka and the Sutta Pitaka as recited by Upali and Ananda.
Read the full explanation →