Anga, the kingdom 2

Anga was an ancient Indian kingdom that flourished on the eastern Indian subcontinent and one of the sixteen mahajanapadas (“large state”).[1] It lay to the east of its neighbour and rival, Magadha, and was separated from it by the river Champa. The capital of Anga was located on the bank of this river and was also named Champa. It was prominent for its wealth and commerce.[2] Anga was annexed by Magadha in the 6th century BCE.

Counted among the “sixteen great nations” in Buddhist texts like the Anguttara Nikaya, Anga also finds mention in the Jain Vyakhyaprajnapti’s list of ancient janapadas. Some sources note that the Angas were grouped with people of ‘mixed origin’,[3] generally in the later ages.

Contents

Etymology History Location Capital
List of rulers See also Notes References

Etymology

According to the Mahabharata (I.104.53-54) and Puranic literature, Anga was

named after Prince Anga, the founder of the kingdom. A king Bali, the

Vairocana and the son of Sutapa, had no sons. So, he requested the sage,

Dirghatamas, to bless him with sons. The sage is said to have begotten five

sons through his wife, the queen Sudesna.[4] The princes were named Anga,

The Ramayana (1.23.14) narrates the origin of name Anga as the place where Kamadeva was burnt to death by Siva and where his body parts (angas) are scattered.[6]

History

Anga

unknown (~1100 BCE)–c. 500 BCE

Vanga, Kalinga, Sumha and Pundra.

Religion

Government

Janaka (King or Chief)

Historical era

• Established
• Disestablished

Vedic Hinduism Buddhism

Monarchy

Bronze Age, Iron Age

unknown (~1100 BCE)
c. 500 BCE

The earliest mention occurs in the Atharvaveda (V.22.14) where they are listed alongside the Magadhas, Gandharis and the Mujavatas, all apparently as a despised people. Puranic texts place the janapadas of the Angas, Kalingas, Vangas, Pundras (orPundra Kingdom – now some part of Eastern Bihar, West Bengal and Bangladesh), Vidarbhas, and Vindhya-vasis in the Purva-Dakshina division.[7]

The Puranas also list several early kings of Anga. The Mahagovinda Suttantarefers to king Dhatarattha of Anga. Jain texts refer to Dhadhivahana, as a ruler of the Angas. Puranas and Harivamsa represent him as the son and immediate successor of Anga, the eponymous founder of the kingdom. Jain traditions place him at the beginning of sixth century BCE. According to the Mahabharata, Duryodhana had named Karna the King of Anga.

Between the Vatsas and the realm of Anga, lived the Magadhas, who initially were comparatively a weak people. A great struggle went on between the Angas and its eastern neighbours. The Vidhura Pandita Jataka describes Rajagriha (the Magadhan Capital) as the city of Anga and Mahabharata also refers to a sacrifice performed by the king of Anga at Mount Vishnupada (at Gaya). This indicates that Anga had initially succeeded in annexing the Magadhas and thus its borders extended to the kingdom of Matsya country.

This success of Angas did not last long. About the middle of 6th century BCE, Bimbisara, the crown prince of Magadha had killed Brahmadatta, the last independent king of Anga and seized Champa. Bimbisara made it as his headquarters and ruled over it as his father’s Viceroy. Thenceforth, Anga became an integral part of growing Magadha empire (PHAI, 1996).

Location

Sabhaparava of Mahabharata (II.44.9) mentions Anga and Vanga as forming one country. The Katha-Sarit-Sagara also attests that Vitankapur, a city of Anga was situated on the shores of the sea. Thus the boundaries of Anga may have extended to the sea in the east. Anga was bounded by riverKaushiki on the north.[8]

Capital

The capital of Anga was Champa (IAST: Campā,

one of the greatest cities of the 6th century BCE. It was situated at the confluence of

the Ganga and the Champa (now probably the Chandan) rivers.[10] It was a notable

centre of trade and commerce and its merchants have been described as sailing to

formerly known as Malini ),

distant Suvarnabhumi (probably in Southeast Asia). Mahabharata tradition places

The 16 Mahajanpadas; Anga is the easternmost, south ofVrijji and east of Magadha

it on river Kaushiki.
Champapur and Champanagar about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi)west of Bhagalpur in the state of southern Bihar.
the ancient city had an occupation of theNorthern Black Polished Ware culture, with a surrounding fortification and moat.

The city has been linked with the present-day villages of

Archaeologically, During his pilgrimage there in the end of the 4th century, the Chinese monk Faxian noted the numerous Buddhist temples that still

existed in the city, transliterated Chanpo in Chinese (瞻波 pinyin: Zhānbō; Wade–Giles: Chanpo) then had long ceased to exist; it had been known as Yāngjiā鴦( 伽) in Chinese.[N.B. 2]

List of rulers

Anga – (eponymous founder of the kingdom and son of King aVli) Karna
Brihadratha
Vrishaketu – Son. ‘Chief of the Angas’.

Samudrasena – Possible king of Vanga?.
Chandrasena – Possible king of Vanga?.
Tamralipta
Lomapada – (a friend of the King of Kosala Dasaratha). Chitraratha

Vrihadratha
Vasuhoma
Dhatarattha (noted in the Mahabharata). Dhadivahana (also noted in the Mahabharata).

. The kingdom of Anga by

Brahmadatta – Last king of Anga.

See also

Kingdoms of Ancient India Anga Lipi

Notes

1. Jha 1999, p. 78.

2. Jha 1999, p. 79.

3. Bodhayana Dharma Sutra

4. Devendrakumar Rajaram Patil (1946).Cultural History from the Vāyu Purāna(https://books.google.com/books?id=J mnm-smZm6oC&lpg=PA46). Motilal Banarsidass Pub. p. 46.

5. Gaṅgā Rām Garg (1992).Encyclopaedia of the Hindu World, Volume 1 (https://books.google.com/books?id=w9pmo 51lRnYC&lpg=PA18&dq=Bali%20Kalinga%20Vanga&pg=PA18#v=onepage&q=Bali%20Kalinga%20Vanga&f=false). Concept Publishing Company. Retrieved 28 October 2012. The prince Vanga founded Vanga kingdom, in the current day region of southernBangladesh and the eastern part of southernWest Bengal. The prince Kalinga founded the kingdom of Kalinga, in the current day region of coastal Orissa, including the North Sircars. Also the price Pundra founded Pundra consisting of the northern regions ofWest Bengal and Bangladesh. The prince Suhma founded Suhma Kingdomin the western part of southernWest Bengal.

6. Balakanda Book I, Chapter 23(http://www.valmikiramayan.net/bala/sarga23/bala_23_frame.htm)

7. The Garuda Purana55.12; V.D. I.9.4; theMarkendeya Purana56.16-18

8. Mahabharata Tirthayatra Parva CX(https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-mahabharata-third-book/d/doc738 9.html)

9. Malalasekera 2003, Campā.

10. Singh 2008, p. 262.

11. Mahabharata Tirthayatra Parva(https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-mahabharata-third-book/d/doc7392.ht ml)

12. Singh 2008, pp. 262,284.

13. Singh 2008, pp. 384.

14. 佛光電子大辭典 (Buddha’s Light Electronic Dictionary). Taiwan: Buddha’s Light Publishing F( o Guang Shan)

1. Campā (Indian, not Vietnamese) was also transliterated, besides瞻波, in the records as Zhanbopo (瞻博婆) and Zhanpo (瞻婆、瞻匐、瞻蔔、詹波、闡蔔、閻波、占波)[14]

2. Anga was also transliterated, besides鴦伽, in the records as鴦迦 (different radical for jiā), 泱伽 (same pronunciation), Yāngjué (鴦掘), Àng’é (盎誐). Sometimes bymetonymy, the kingdom would be called the ‘State of

   [14]

Jha, D. N. (1999). Ancient India : in historical outline. New Delhi: Manohar Publishers & Distributors. ISBN9788173042850.

Singh, Upinder (2009). A history of ancient and early medieval India : from the Stone Age to the 12th centu.ryNew Delhi: Pearson Longman.ISBN 9788131716779.

Malalasekera, G. P. (2003) [1937].Dictionary of Pali Proper Names. Asian Educational Services. ISBN9788120618237.