Magadha: the land of Mahavira and Buddha

Lisa Roy

Magadha: the land of Mahavira and Buddha

As time passed in Ancient India, Magadha became the center of political activity in north India and the most powerful of all the kingdoms. The Magadha empire rose to prominence due to geographical advantages. But do you know Magadha was also religiously advanced? It was the center of the world's two major religions at the time, Jainism and Buddhism.

Rise of religion in Magadha; Image Source- Different truth

According to legend, it is believed that religion originated as a result of fear and ignorance. When humans were merely savages, they were unable to explain natural forces such as lightning, rain, wind, and fire they used to pray for their lives, thus this way god came into existence. As per Hindu mythology, Agni was the god of fire; Varuna was the god of thunder; Rudra was the god of lightning; Vayu was the god of the wind, and Surya was the god of the sun. The term "religion" is derived from the Latin word "religio," which means "bonding." Humans gradually began to believe in bonds, which they later regarded as gods.

Initially, Lord Vishnu was considered a minor deity who later became one of the three major Hindu gods. People used to believe that the best way to appease the gods and win their favor was through ritual sacrifice, known in Sanskrit as yajna. During those days there were no temples, rather people used to perform Yajnas in the open air around a fire because the fire was considered the purest of all elements at the time, and it still plays an important role in Hindu ceremonies. These yajnas used to be performed by the Brahman priests.

This mode of worship dominated the Indo-Gangetic plain. Around the sixth-century BCE other trends emerged in the northeast around Magadha. According to Indologist Johannes Bronkhorst, Magadha had a distinct culture that developed independently of the orthodox culture of the Indo-Gangetic plain.

According to some sources, Magadhans were against the ritual of slaying and sacrifice of animals, and thus from here the idea of Karma which states that ‘ As a man sow, so shall he reap’ originated along with the concept of rebirth and liberation. All of these terms are related to one another.

They used to believe that a person who tortured someone would be punished and reborn to suffer the consequences of his actions. Later, this concept became the central idea of both Buddhism and Jainism, and these people were soon referred to as 'Hindus’ worldwide. This is the main reason why Buddhism and Jainism were so popular among the Magadha. Even the founder of these two religions, Gautam Buddha and Mahavira were also from the kingdom of Magadh.

Not only Magadha, but also people from other mahajanapadas, were drawn to Buddhist and Jain beliefs that emphasise personality over ritual sacrifice. As time passed, these beliefs spread throughout the world, gaining a large number of followers. Still, today, both Jainism and Buddhism have the same social value in India.

Magadha was said to be one of the strongest empires of that time.

Before the sixth century, many religious movements occurred that influenced both Astika (one who believes in God) and Nastika (one who does not believe in God) traditions. These movements gave birth to a wide range of unconventional beliefs, including atheism, accepting or rejecting the concept of soul, strict ahimsa or nonviolence, vegetarianism, the permissibility of violence and meat-eating, and many others. And the center of all the revolution was the Magadha kingdom that rose to prominence during the reigns of Bimbisara and Ajatshatru.