Which one of the following is NOT listed as one of the sixteen mahajan

Which one of the following is NOT listed as one of the sixteen mahajana-padas in the pre-Mauryan period?

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Kuru

Vatsa

Gandhara

Kalinga

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Answer is Wrong!

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UPSC CAPF – 2020

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Ancient Indian texts, such as the Anguttara Nikaya (a Buddhist text) and the Bhagavati Sutra (a Jaina text), list sixteen Mahajanapadas (Great Kingdoms) that existed in the Indian subcontinent during the 6th-4th centuries BCE, in the pre-Mauryan period. The commonly listed Mahajanapadas are: Anga, Magadha, Kashi, Kosala, Vriji (Vajji), Malla, Chedi, Vatsa, Kuru, Panchala, Matsya (Machcha), Surasena, Asmaka, Avanti, Gandhara, and Kamboja.
Let’s check the options:
A) Kuru: Is one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas.
B) Vatsa: Is one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas.
C) Gandhara: Is one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas.
D) Kalinga: The region of Kalinga (modern Odisha) was a significant political entity, but it is not listed among the sixteen Mahajanapadas in the standard ancient lists for this period. It became particularly prominent during the reign of Ashoka, who conquered it in the 3rd century BCE.

The sixteen Mahajanapadas were prominent kingdoms in North India during the pre-Mauryan period. Kalinga was a separate kingdom that gained historical prominence later.

The lists of Mahajanapadas sometimes vary slightly between different texts. However, Kalinga is consistently absent from the lists of the sixteen Mahajanapadas of the 6th-4th centuries BCE.

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