The Kingdom of Magadha, later known as the Magadha Empire, was a kingdom and later empire in ancient north India. Many significant houses ruled the kingdom and its empire over the centuries until it was defeated by the Satavahana Empire in .
All dates are given in a single continuous BCE calendar. The chronological anchor is the accession of Chandragupta Maurya in 321 BCE, corroborated by Greek accounts of Megasthenes and the Arthashastra. The Brihadratha total of 1000 years (per Vayu Purana and Vishnu Purana) is back-calculated from the fixed endpoint of 682 BCE (fall of Ripunjaya). A gap of approximately 138 years (682–544 BCE) exists between the last Brihadratha king and Bimbisara; Indian texts are silent on this period. Dates for the post-Sahadeva Brihadratha kings use reign lengths as given in the Vayu Purana. The Pradyota dynasty is deliberately excluded; it was based in Avanti (Ujjayini), not Magadha, and ruled concurrently as a parallel dynasty.
House of Brihadratha
The Brihadratha dynasty was the first ruling house of Magadha. Brihadratha (son of Uparichara Vasu) founded this dynasty in 1682 BCE. This dynasty lasted for more than ten centuries, ruling Magadha from 1682 to 682 BCE.The Capital City of Brihadratha Dynasty was Girivraja mentioned in Mahabharata which many scholars significantly Identified this ancient capital with Modern Rajgir.
Sr. No. King Dynasty Notes 1 Brihadratha I Brihadratha dynasty Founder of the dynasty; son of Uparichara Vasu, king of Chedi; established capital at Girivraja (modern Rajgir); the 1000-year total reign of the dynasty is back-calculated from the fall of Ripunjaya in 682 BCE 2 Kushagra Brihadratha dynasty Son and immediate successor of Brihadratha I 3 Amna Brihadratha dynasty Female successor of Kushagra; mentioned in all major Puranic recensions; one of the very few female rulers recorded in ancient Indian dynastic lists 4 Vrishava (Rishava) Brihadratha dynasty Son of Kushagra 5 Pushpavanta (Pushyavanta) Brihadratha dynasty Son of Vrishava 6 Satyahita (Satyadhrita) Brihadratha dynasty Son of Pushpavanta 7 Sudhanvana (Sudharmana / Dhanusha) Brihadratha dynasty Son of Satyahita; name has multiple variant forms across Puranic recensions — Vishnu Purana gives Sudharmana, Vayu Purana Dhanusha 8 Sarva (Urja / Jantu / Jahu) Brihadratha dynasty Son of Sudhanvana; the most heavily variant name in the entire list — called Urja in the Vishnu Purana, Jantu and Jahu in other recensions 9 Sambhava Note: Lists Sambhava as direct father of Jarasandha, diverging from the Vishnu and Vayu Puranas which insert Brihadratha II between Sambhava and Jarasandha. Brihadratha dynasty Son of Sarva; the Agni Purana makes him the direct father of Jarasandha, while the Vishnu Purana and Vayu Purana insert one further king (Brihadratha II) between them 10 Brihadratha II Brihadratha dynasty Son of Sambhava; listed between Sambhava and Jarasandha in the Vishnu and Vayu Puranas; the actual father of Jarasandha; commonly and erroneously conflated with the dynasty founder Brihadratha I 11 Jarasandha Note: Birth, reign, military campaigns and death of Jarasandha described in detail}} Brihadratha dynasty Greatest ruler of the dynasty; attacked Mathura repeatedly; killed by Bhima in single combat on the counsel of Krishna as narrated in the Sabha Parva of the Mahabharata; his capital Girivraja is identified with modern Rajgir 12 Sahadeva Brihadratha dynasty Son of Jarasandha; placed on the throne of Magadha by the Pandavas after his father's death; subsequently fought on the Pandava side at the Kurukshetra War; killed in battle by Shakuni 13 Somadhi (Somapi / Somphi) Brihadratha dynasty the post-Sahadeva succession is given with specific year-lengths in the Vayu Purana; dates are calculated continuously from the 682 BCE endpoint backward 14 Srutasravas Brihadratha dynasty 15 Ayutayus Brihadratha dynasty 16 Niramitra Brihadratha dynasty 17 Sukshatra Brihadratha dynasty 18 Brihatkarman Brihadratha dynasty 19 Senajit Brihadratha dynasty 20 Srutanjaya Brihadratha dynasty 21 Vipra Brihadratha dynasty 22 Suchi Brihadratha dynasty 23 Kshemya Brihadratha dynasty 24 Subrata (Suvrata) Brihadratha dynasty 25 Dharma Brihadratha dynasty 26 Susuma (Sushruma) Brihadratha dynasty 27 Dridhasena Brihadratha dynasty 28 Sumati Brihadratha dynasty 29 Subala Brihadratha dynasty 30 Sunita Brihadratha dynasty 31 Satyajit Brihadratha dynasty 32 Vishvajit (Viswajit) Brihadratha dynasty 33 Ripunjaya Brihadratha dynasty }
Gap of approximately 138 years (682–544 BCE) — Indian texts are silent on this period.
House of Haryanka
The Haryanka dynasty was the second ruling house of Magadha. This dynasty was founded by Bimbisara in 544 BCE. This dynasty lasted for 131 years, ruling Magadha from 544 to 413 BCE.
Sr. No. MonarchsDynastyStart(BCE)End(BCE)DurationNote 34 Bimbisara (Shrenika) Haryanka dynasty 544 492 52 First historically verifiable king of Magadha; contemporary of both the Buddha and Mahavira; expanded Magadha through marriage alliances with Kosala, Vaishali and Madra; built royal highway from Rajgir; imprisoned and killed by his son Ajatashatru; the Haryanka dynastic name does not appear in the Puranas and is attested exclusively in Buddhist and Jain sources 35 Ajatashatru (Kunika) Haryanka dynasty 492 460 32 Imprisoned and killed his father Bimbisara; waged a sixteen-year war against the Vajji confederacy; constructed the first fortifications at Pataliputra; contemporary of the Parinirvana of the Buddha 36 Udayabhadra (Udayin) Haryanka dynasty 460 444 16 Son of Ajatashatru; permanently shifted the capital of Magadha from Rajgir to Pataliputra (modern Patna); also reported by Buddhist sources to have killed his father Ajatashatru 37 Aniruddha (Anurudha) Haryanka dynasty 444 436 8 Reign length from the Mahavamsa 38 Munda Haryanka dynasty 436 428 8 Reportedly killed his father Aniruddha; the dynasty's pattern of parricide is noted repeatedly in Buddhist chronicles 39 Nagadasaka (Darshaka) Haryanka dynasty 428 413 24 Last king of the Haryanka dynasty; the dynasty's repeated parricides caused a popular revolt; the people of Magadha installed Shishunaga, a minister, on the throne in his place
House of Shaishunaga
Shishunaga Dynasty (~413–345 BCE)
The Shaishunaga dynasty, also called Shishunaga, was the third ruling house of Magadha. Shisunaga, who was originally a minister of King Nagadashaka, overthrew him in a popular rebellion and ascended the throne in 413 BCE. This dynasty lasted for only 68 years, ruling Magadha from 413 to 345 BCE.
# King Reign (years) Approx. BCE Notes 40 Shishunaga 40 413–395 A minister installed by popular revolt after the fall of the Haryankas; permanently destroyed the power of Avanti 41 Kalashoka (Kakavarna) 28 395–367 Presided over the Second Buddhist Council held at Vaishali (~383 BCE); the Puranas mention his ten sons who ruled either simultaneously or in quick succession after him 42 Kshemadharman 20 367–347 43 Kshemavarman (Kshatraujas) 8 347–339 44 Nandivardhana 40 339–319 45 Mahanandin 43 319–345 Last king of the Shishunaga dynasty; his illegitimate son by a Shudra woman, Mahapadma Nanda, killed his half-brothers and usurped the throne, founding the Nanda dynasty
House of Nanda Nanda Dynasty (~345–321 BCE)
Primary sources: Vishnu Purana (Book IV), Vayu Purana, the Sanskrit drama Mudrarakshasa by Vishakhadatta, and Greek accounts — Curtius and Diodorus refer to Dhana Nanda as Agrammes or Xandrames
# King Reign (years) Approx. BCE Notes 46 Mahapadma Nanda (Ugrasena) 88 345–336 Called "Destroyer of all Kshatriyas" (Sarvakshatranta-kara) in the Puranas; first empire-builder of pan-Indian scale;son of Mahanandin by a Shudra woman 47 Pandhuka — — Son of Mahapadma Nanda 48 Panghupati — — Son of Mahapadma Nanda 49 Bhutapala — — Son of Mahapadma Nanda 50 Rashtrapala — — Son of Mahapadma Nanda 51 Govishanaka — — Son of Mahapadma Nanda 52 Dashasiddhaka — — Son of Mahapadma Nanda 53 Kaivarta — — Son of Mahapadma Nanda 54 Dhana Nanda Note: Curtius refers to the Nanda king as Agrammes/Xandrames. — ~336–321 Last of the Nanda dynasty; the Nanda king whose army Alexander's troops refused to fight (~326 BCE); overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya with the strategy of Chanakya/Kautilya as described in the Mudrarakshasa
House of Maurya
The Maurya dynasty was the sixth and greatest ruling house of Magadha. Chandragupta Maurya founded this dynasty with help of his mentor and grand advisor Chanakya in 322 BCE after organizing a large army and overthrowing King Dhana Nanda subsequently ruling Magadha from 322 to 184 BCE.
List of monarchs This dynasty ruled for a considerably longer period than the previous house and had nine rulers.
Sr. NoNameDynastyStart (BCE)End (BCE)DurationNote 55 Chandragupta Maurya Maurya dynasty 321 297 24 Chronological anchor — 321 BCE; founder of the Maurya Empire; overthrew Dhana Nanda with the counsel of Chanakya; defeated Seleucus I Nicator c. 305–303 BCE; corroborated by Megasthenes' Indica, the Arthashastra, and the Mudrarakshasa; abdicated in favour of his son and became a Jain monk according to tradition 56 Bindusara (Amitraghata / Bhadrasara) Maurya dynasty 297 272 25 Son of Chandragupta; called Amitrochates ("Slayer of Enemies") by Greek sources; extended the empire southward into the Deccan; maintained diplomatic correspondence with Seleucid and Ptolemaic courts; received Greek ambassadors Deimakos and Dionysius 57 Ashoka (Devanampiya Piyadasi) Maurya dynasty 272 236 36 Greatest ruler of the dynasty; conquered Kalinga (c. 261 BCE) and renounced military expansion thereafter; propagated Dhamma throughout his empire; issued the Edicts of Ashoka — the only contemporaneous epigraphic source for the Mauryan period; dispatched Buddhist missions to Hellenistic kingdoms; known in his own inscriptions exclusively as Devanampiya Piyadasi 58 Kunala (Suyashas) Maurya dynasty 236 228 8 Son of Ashoka; the Vishnu Purana names him Suyashas, identified by scholars with Kunala; according to the Divyavadana and Ashokavadana, he was blinded at the instigation of a jealous stepmother 59 Dasharatha Maurya Maurya dynasty 228 220 8 Grandson of Ashoka; dedicated the Nagarjuni Hill caves to the Ajivikas; his cave inscriptions use the title Devanampiya, identical to Ashoka's; the empire appears to have divided between Dasharatha (east, Pataliputra) and Samprati (west, Ujjain) following Ashoka's death 60 Samprati Note: Jain text; describes Samprati as a devout Jain who spread Jainism across India and built thousands of temples Maurya dynasty 220 211 9 Son of Kunala (per Buddhist and Jain sources) or son of Dasharatha (per Puranas); devout Jain whose patronage of Jainism is described in Hemachandra's Parishishtaparvan; credited with building thousands of Jain temples across the subcontinent 61 Shalishuka (Salisuka) Note: Describes Shalishuka as quarrelsome, irreligious, and oppressive toward his subjects; marks the onset of serious Mauryan imperial decline. Maurya dynasty 211 198 13 Described in the Garga Samhita as quarrelsome, cunning, irreligious and oppressive; his reign marked the onset of serious imperial fragmentation; the Yuga Purana records that Indo-Greek (Yavana) forces began pressing on the empire's northwestern frontiers during this period 62 Devavarman Maurya dynasty 198 191 7 Named in both Vishnu and Vayu Puranas; continued decentralization of imperial authority 63 Shatadhanvan (Shatadhanush) Maurya dynasty 191 183 8 Named consistently in all Puranic recensions; the Vayu Purana variant gives the name as Shatadhanush 64 Brihadratha Maurya Maurya dynasty 183 185 3 Last emperor of the Maurya Empire; the Harshacharita of Banabhatta (7th century CE) describes how his general Pushyamitra Shunga murdered him during a military review parade in 185 BCE; with his death the Maurya imperial line ended
House of Shunga