Tribes in Ancient India c50.421

c50.421

The *Aṅguttara Nikāya* mentions Magadha as one of the sixteen great *janapadas* or provinces of ancient India, stating that it was full of seven kinds of gems, and had immense wealth and power.⁵ Hsüan Tsang gives a fair account of Magadha in the seventh century A.D. According to him, the country was 5,000 *li* in circuit. There were few inhabitants in the walled cities but the other towns were fully populated. The soil was rich and yielded luxurious crops. It produced a kind of rice with large grain of extraordinary fragrance. The land was low and moist, and the towns were on plateaux. From the beginning of summer to the middle of autumn, the plains were flooded, and boats could be used. The climate was hot, and the inhabitants were honest, esteemed learning, and revered Buddhism. There were above 50 Buddhist monasteries and more than 10,000 ecclesiastics, for the most part adherents of the Mahāyāna system. There were some deva temples, and the adherents of the various sects were numerous.⁶