Historical Geography of Ancient India c5.s5.2

c5.s5.2

The *Aṅguttara Nikāya*⁵ of the Pali Sutta Piṭaka mentions sixteen *Mahājanapadas* in Jambudīpa. They are as follows:—Aṅga, Magadha, Kāsī, Kosala, Vajji, Malla, Ceti, Vaṃsa, Kuru, Pañcāla, Maccha, Sūrasena, Assaka, Avanti,⁶ Gandhāra and Kamboja, each named after the people who settled there or colonized it. As many as fourteen of these great states may be said to have been included in the Madhyadeśa, and the remaining two countries, Gandhāra and Kamboja, may be said to have been located in Uttarāpatha or Northern Division. The *Dīgha Nikāya*⁷ gives a list of twelve only, omitting the last four, while the *Cullaniddesa*⁸ adds Kaliṅga to the list and substitutes Yona for Gandhāra. The *Indriya-Jātaka*⁹ mentions the following *janapadas*: Suraṭṭha (Surat), Lambacūlaka, Avanti, Dakkhiṇāpatha, Daṇḍaka forest (Daṇḍakārañño), Kumbhavatinagara and the hill tract of Arañjara (Arañjaragiri) in the Majjhimapadesa.