Avanti (Mahajanapada)

Avanti lay in the west, in the Malwa region. It had two capital cities, one in the north and one in the south.

1. Which Mahajanapada was Avanti?

Avanti is one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas, the great countries of the Buddha’s time. It stands fourteenth in the Pali list. It is the last country of the Middle Country, called Majjhimadesa.

The Pali books also call it one of four great monarchies of the Buddha’s day. The other three were Magadha, Kosala and Vamsa.

2. Why did Avanti have two capitals?

The Pali books usually name Ujjeni as the capital. One text, the Digha Nikaya, names Mahissati as the capital for some time.

The Pali dictionary quotes Bhandarkar’s theory. Ancient Avanti was probably split in two parts. The northern part had its capital at Ujjeni. The southern part, called Avanti Dakkhinapatha, had its capital at Mahissati.

The Mahabharata supports this idea. It names Avanti and Mahishmati as two different countries.

3. Where was Mahishmati?

Mahishmati stood on the banks of the Narmada, which old writers also call the Reva. The Raghuvamsa says the river circled the city like a girdle.

Wilford identified Mahishmati with Maheshwar in west Nimar, Madhya Pradesh. This is a scholar’s identification, not a certainty.

A Pali verse, Sutta Nipata 1011, names Mahissati along with Ujjeni. That links the city to Avanti.

4. How did the CDS exam ask about Mahishmati?

The question came in the Combined Defence Services (CDS) II 2022 General Knowledge paper, as Q39.

The answer is (c) Narmada. Mahishmati stood on the Narmada, so only that river fits. The Sarayu, Son and Godavari flow elsewhere.

5. What was special about Ujjayini?

Ujjayini is the Sanskrit name of Ujjeni. It is the modern Ujjain in Malwa. A Sanskrit dictionary calls it one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus.

The same entry says it was the first meridian of Hindu geographers. They calculated longitude from it.

A note on Kalidasa’s work says Avanti grew rich on overseas trade. That trade passed through Ujjayini.

Pajjota was the king of Avanti in the Buddha’s time. He is remembered for his temper and his speed.

6. Who was Pajjota?

Pajjota ruled Avanti in the Buddha’s time. He had a violent temper, so he was called Canda Pajjota.

Another account says the name may also point to a power equal to the rays of the sun. The Pali dictionary calls this a second possible reason.

A modern note on Kalidasa’s work calls Pradyota, the Sanskrit form, very powerful in the sixth century BCE.

7. How did Jivaka cure Pajjota?

Pajjota fell ill with jaundice. He asked Bimbisara to lend him the physician Jivaka, because no other doctor could cure him.

The cure was ghee, and Pajjota hated it. Jivaka hid the ghee in an astringent drink. He then fled on the king’s she-elephant, Bhaddavatika, before the king found out.

Pajjota sent his slave Kaka in pursuit. Jivaka gave Kaka a purgative, and the delay let the medicine work. Later, Pajjota sent Jivaka costly presents, including a garment of Siveyyaka cloth.

8. What happened between Pajjota and Udena of Vatsa?

Pajjota wished to conquer Kosambi, where Udena was king. Pajjota took Udena captive by using his fondness for elephants. In the end Udena eloped with Pajjota’s daughter, Vasuladatta.

The Pali dictionary’s Avanti entry puts it differently. It says Pajjota’s plans did not work out as he thought. Vasuladatta became Udena’s wife, and the two countries stayed friendly.

So the books tell the same story with different details. Learn the result: Udena married Vasuladatta.

9. What were Pajjota's fast conveyances?

Pajjota owned five fast conveyances. They were the she-elephant Bhaddavatika, the slave Kaka, two mares and an elephant.

The mares were Celakanthi and Munjakesi. Each could cover one hundred leagues in a day. The elephant Nalagiri could cover one hundred and twenty leagues a day.

The text says he earned these in a past life, by sending a meal to a Pacceka Buddha. That is a Buddhist tale of merit, not a record of fact.

The Buddha did not go to Avanti himself in these accounts. His pupil Kaccana carried the teaching there.

10. Who was Maha Kaccana?

Maha Kaccana was born at Ujjeni. He was the son of the chaplain of King Candappajjota. He studied the Vedas and, after his father died, became chaplain himself.

Pajjota heard of the Buddha and sent Kaccana with seven others to invite him to Ujjeni. After hearing the Buddha, the messengers became arahants. The Buddha sent them back to teach in Avanti.

The Pali dictionary says Kaccana converted Pajjota. It adds that he often stayed at Kuraraghara.

11. Did Buddhism spread fast in Avanti?

No. The Pali dictionary says the new religion did not spread widely until much later.

Maha Kaccana struggled to find ten monks for the higher ordination of Sona Kutikanna. It took three years. Sona then asked the Buddha for special rules for monks of Avanti Dakkhinapatha and other border lands. The Buddha agreed.

Famous monks and nuns from Avanti include Maha Kaccana, Sona Kutikanna, Dhammapala, Isidatta and Isidasi.

Later books say Magadha ended the Pradyota line. Here is that claim, and a quick recall list.

12. Who ended the Pradyota line?

The Purana Index says Shishunaga became ruler after rooting out the Pradyotas. It adds that he ruled for forty years at Benares.

This is a Puranic claim. The Puranic encyclopaedia muddles the story, so check the details before you trust them.

13. What is the quick comparison for exams?

• List: one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. One of four great monarchies.
• Capitals: Ujjeni in the north, Mahissati in the south.
• River: Mahishmati stood on the Narmada.
• King: Pajjota, called Canda for his temper.
• Doctor: Jivaka, sent by Bimbisara.
• Son-in-law: Udena of Kosambi, who married Vasuladatta.
• Monk: Maha Kaccana, born at Ujjeni.