Asmaka

2021-08-16T17:39:37Z

2402:8100:30AB:7B2A:1:0:19DD:2C82: Vidarbha

{{About|the historical region of Assaka Maharattha|the kingdom in Indian Buddhist Literature|Assaka}}
{{short description|Ancient kingdom in India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox former country
| native_name = [[Vidarbha Kingdom]] Andhrabhrittya
| conventional_long_name = Assaka Mahajanapada
| common_name = Assaka
| era = [[Bronze Age]], [[Iron Age]]
| government_type = [[Monarchy]]
| year_start = c. 700 BCE
| year_end = 425 or 345 BCE
| s1 =
| image_map = Mahajanapadas_(c._500_BCE).png
| image_map_alt =
| image_map_caption = Assaka and other Mahajanapadas in the Therveda period.
| leader1 =
| capital = Potali or Podana (present day [[Bodhan]]), <br />Assaka
| common_languages = [[Pali]], [[Sanskrit]]
| religion = [[Buddhism]]<br />[[Ajivikas]]<br />[[Jain]]
| currency =
| title_leader = [[Maharaja]]
| today = [[India]]
| demonym =
| area_km2 =
| area_rank =
| GDP_PPP =
| GDP_PPP_year =
| HDI =
| HDI_year =
}}

[[File:North India in 540 BCE.png|thumb|Map depicting 16 [[mahajanapada]]s kingdoms and other kingdoms of [[vedic era]] India in 540 BCE.]]
{{HistoryOfSouthAsia}}

'''Assaka''' ([[IAST]]: {{IAST|Assaka}}) or '''Assaka''' (Pali) was a [[Mahajanapadas|Mahajanapada]] in [[ancient India]] which existed between 700 BCE and 425 or 345 BCE according to the Buddhist text ''[[Aṅguttara Nikāya|Anguttara Nikaya]]''. It was located around and between the [[Godavari River|Godavari]] river<ref name=":0" /> in present-day [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Telangana]], and [[Vidarbha]] [[Maharashtra|ofMaharashtra]]. Its capital is variously called Potali or Podana, and is identified as present-day [[Bodhan]] in Telangana.<ref name=":1" />

== History ==
Asmaka was located around and between the river Godavari.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LzHpZ5N5MhcC&q=assaka+aurangabad&pg=PA18|title=Geography from Ancient Indian Coins & Seals|last=Gupta|first=Parmanand|date=1989|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|isbn=9788170222484|language=en}}</ref> It included areas in present-day [[Telangana]], and [[Vidarbha|Vidarbha presently in Maharashtra]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qQ5kDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT307|title=Laxminama: Monks, Merchants, Money and Mantra|last1=Tiwari|first1=Anshuman|last2=Sengupta|first2=Anindya|date=2018-08-10|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=9789387146808|pages=307|language=en}}</ref> It was one of the ''shodasa'' (sixteen) [[Mahajanapadas]] in the 6th century BCE, mentioned in the Buddhist text ''[[Aṅguttara Nikāya|Anguttara Nikaya]]''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YApuAAAAMAAJ|title=Tribes in Ancient India|last=Law|first=Bimala Churn|date=1973|publisher=Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute|pages=180|language=en}}</ref> Puranas mention Asmaka as one of the conquered territories of the [[Nanda Empire|Nandas]] in the 5th or 4th century BCE.

The capital is variously called Potali or Podana, which is identified as present-day [[Bodhan]] in Telangana.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA109|title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization|last=Sen|first=Sailendra Nath|date=1999|publisher=New Age International|isbn=9788122411980|pages=109|language=en}}</ref> The Buddhist text ''Mahagovinda Suttanta'' mentions about a ruler of Asmaka, Brahmadatta who ruled from Potali.<ref>Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1972) ''Political History of Ancient India'', University of Calcutta, mumbai, p.80</ref> The [[Matsya Purana]] (ch. 272) lists twenty-five rulers of Aśmaka, contemporary to the [[Shishunaga]] rulers of [[Magadha]]. [[Pāṇini|Panini]] in his 'Aṣṭādhyāyī' mentions Asmaka Kingdom in connection with Dakshinatya and [[Kalinga (historical region)|Kalinga]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gupta|first=Kalyan Kumar Das|date=1972|title=The Aśvakas: an Early Indian Tribe|journal=East and West|volume=22|issue=1/2|pages=33–40|jstor=29755742|issn=0012-8376}}</ref>

Asmaka is also identified as Assaka and [[Aśvakas]] in [[Buddhist]] literature and [[Gatha Saptashati]] of king [[Hāla]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

The [[Hathigumpha inscription]] of [[Kharavela]] (2nd century BCE) mentions Kharavela's threat to a city variously interpreted as "Maharattha" as known as Assaka.<ref name="NKSahu_1984">{{cite book|author1=N. K. Sahu|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xlMhAAAAMAAJ|title=Khâravela|author2=Kharavela (King of Kalinga)|publisher=Orissa State Museum|year=1984}}</ref>{{rp|127}} According to [[Ajay Mitra Shastri]], "Asika-nagara" was located in the present-day village of Adam in [[Nagpur district]] (on the [[Wainganga River]]). A terracotta seal excavated in the village mentions the Assaka [[janapada]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Ajay Mitra Shastri|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S0puAAAAMAAJ|title=The Sātavāhanas and the Western Kshatrapas: a historical framework|publisher=Dattsons|year=1998|isbn=978-81-7192-031-0|page=56}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Inguva Karthikeya Sarma|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JDsaAAAAYAAJ|title=Early Brāhmī Inscriptions from Sannati|author2=J. Vara Prasada Rao|date=1 January 1993|publisher=Harman Publishing House|isbn=978-81-85151-68-7|page=68}}</ref> Assaka also included Mulaka area around [[Paithan]] known in ancient times as [[Pratishthana]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MazdaWXQFuQC&q=assaka+mahajanapada&pg=SL1-PA173|title=Indian History|date=1988|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=978-81-8424-568-4|language=en}}</ref> According to ''[[Sutta Nipata]]'' Saketa or [[Ayodhya]] was first halting place on the southward road ([[Dakshinapatha]]) from [[Shravasti]] to Pratishthana.{{sfn|Bakker, Ayodhya, Part 1|1984|p=5}}

==See also==
*[[Kingdoms of Ancient India]]
*[[Mahajanapada]]
*[[History of India]]
*[[History of Maharashtra]]
*[[Janapada]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Tribes and kingdoms of the Mahabharata}}
{{Mahajanapada |state=collapsed}}

{{Telangana}}

[[Category:Mahajanapadas]]

{{India-hist-stub}}

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Asmaka