Mod 5: The Last Shishunagas โ Ten Sons, Nandivardhana and Mahanandin, and the Rise of Mahapadma Nanda (c. 344 BCE)
Concept
7.9 The last Shishunagas
๐ซ School level ยท NCERT Class 6โ12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Ten sons, Nandivardhana and Mahanandin
The last decades of the Shishunagas are obscure. Buddhist texts say the ten sons of Kalashoka ruled together for 22 years; the Mahabodhivamsa names the eldest as Bhadrasena. The Puranas instead give a line of single kings ending with Nandivardhana and Mahanandin. All traditions agree that by about 344 BCE power had passed to a new man of humble birth โ Mahapadma Nanda.
The Puranas list Nandivardhana and Mahanandin as the last Shaishunaga kings and say Mahapadma was Mahanandinโs son by a Shudra woman. Exam keys often treat Nandivardhana (Mahanandin) as the last Shishunaga ruler. The Hathigumpha inscriptionโs โNandarajaโ who took a Jina image from Kalinga is sometimes identified with Nandivardhana โ a debated link.
- Buddhist: ten sons of Kalashoka (eldest Bhadrasena) ruled 22 years (Mahabodhivamsa).
- Puranic: last kings Nandivardhana and Mahanandin; Mahapadma son of Mahanandin by a Shudra.
- Question: Who was the last Shishunaga king in the Puranas? Answer: Nandivardhana / Mahanandin.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
Question 3: According to Puranic king-lists, who was the last monarch of the Shishunaga Dynasty?
[BPSC level] According to the Mahabodhivamsa, how many sons of Kalashoka ruled after him?
[UPSC level] The eldest of Kalashokaโs ten sons, per the Mahabodhivamsa, was:
[BPSC level] For how many years did the ten sons rule, according to Buddhist tradition?
[School] The Shishunaga dynasty was followed by the:
[UPSC level] The Puranas describe Mahapadma Nanda as the son of Mahanandin by a:
[BSSC pattern] Which Shishunaga king is sometimes linked with the โNandarajaโ of the Hathigumpha inscription?
One-liners
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Who was the last Shishunaga king in the Puranas?
Nandivardhana / Mahanandin.Concept
7.10 The fall of the dynasty
๐ซ School level ยท NCERT Class 6โ12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Weak heirs and the rise of the Nandas
| Cause | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Murder of Kalashoka | A violent end left minor sons on the throne |
| Divided rule | Ten brothers ruling jointly weakened central authority |
| Palace intrigue | The future Nanda founder became guardian (regent) of the princes |
| Ambition of a new class | A low-born but able man commanded the army and treasury |
Brahmanical texts call the Nandas โShudraโ kings and say โfrom now on kings will be of Shudra birthโ. Whether or not this was literally true, it shows that the throne of Magadha was now open to men outside the old Kshatriya families โ a sign of the changing, more open society of the Ganga valley.
- Fall: Kalashokaโs murder, joint rule, regency intrigue, ambitious Mahapadma.
- c. 344 BCE: Nanda dynasty begins; โShudra kingsโ (Puranas).
- Question: When did the Nandas come to power? Answer: About 344 BCE.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
Question 4: In approximately which year did Mahapadma Nanda overthrow the Shishunaga dynasty to establish the Nanda Empire?
[BPSC level] Which was a cause of the fall of the Shishunagas?
[UPSC level] Brahmanical texts said of the Nandas that โfrom now on kings will beโ:
[BSSC pattern] According to Curtius, the barber who killed the king later acted as:
[UPSC level] The change from Shishunaga to Nanda shows that:
[School] Mahapadma Nanda founded the:
[BPSC level] Which pair of tradition and claim is correct?
One-liners
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When did the Nandas come to power?
About 344 BCE.Concept
๐ฏ UPSC ยท BPSC ยท BSSC ยท State PSC level: PYQs, traps and mains
| Exam | What it asks from this module |
|---|---|
| UPSC | Social origin of the Nandas; sources for the transition |
| BPSC | Last Shishunaga king; year 344 BCE; founder of the Nandas |
| BSSC | Ten sons (Mahabodhivamsa); Mahanandin |
In about which year did Mahapadma Nanda overthrow the Shishunagas? (a) 412 BCE (b) 383 BCE (c) 344 BCE (d) 321 BCE
- 412 = rise of Shishunaga; 383 = Second Council; 344 = rise of the Nandas; 321 = rise of Chandragupta Maurya (some books 322).
- Nandivardhana (Shishunaga, Puranic) is a different person from the Nanda kings.
- Ten sons โ Buddhist (Mahabodhivamsa); Mahanandin โ Puranic.
- Mahapadma is called โson of a Shudra womanโ in the Puranas and โson of a barberโ in Jain texts.
Model question: Why did the Shishunaga dynasty collapse within seventy years? Points: violent end of Kalashoka; joint rule of ten sons; regency and intrigue; ambition of Mahapadma; control of army and treasury; social change allowing a non-Kshatriya king.
- Ten sons = Buddhist; Mahanandin = Puranic; barber = Jain/Greek.
- Question: Who ended the Shishunaga dynasty? Answer: Mahapadma Nanda.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] In about which year did the Nandas replace the Shishunagas?
[UPSC level] Which statement about Nandivardhana is correct?
[BSSC pattern] The Mahabodhivamsa is a:
[UPSC level] Arrange: 1. Second Council 2. Rise of Shishunaga 3. Rise of Mahapadma Nanda 4. Death of Kalashoka
[BPSC level] The exam key often names the last Shishunaga king as:
[School] Who succeeded Kalashoka, according to Buddhist tradition?
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Who ended the Shishunaga dynasty?
Mahapadma Nanda.