THE BUDDHIST ERA
 
   Seventh century BC marks a decisive stage in the history of India as it is 
   hereafter that a chronological order of major historic events can be established 
   on the basis of the Buddhist and Jain scriptures.Although these works are 
   primarily devoted to their religious ideas and philosophies,they do contain some 
   mention of political organisation and condition of those times.It has now been
   established on the basis of these religious texts that during the Buddhist era 
   there was no paramount power in Northern India as the country was divided in 
   to a number of states.It has been learnt that there was sixteen great powers
   (MAHAJANAPADAS) existed in the 7th and early 6th centuries BC.Some of these 
   states were republics while the others were monarchial.Among the more important
   republics were the Sakyas of Kapilavastu and the Lichchavis of Vaishali.
 
   Buddhist works give more details of the Sakyas as Buddha himself came from this
   stock. At the helm of affairs of the Sakya republic was President who bore the 
   title of Raja and thus Buddha's father Suddhodana was a Raja. The business of 
   the republic was conducted in an open assembly where the rich and the poor and 
   the young as well as the old were present alike.The procedure adopted in these
   assemblies was gighly democratic Besides the republics,there were monarchial 
   states,among which the important ones were Kausambi(Vatsa), Magadha, Kosala 
   and Avanti.These states ruled by vigorous personalities who hed embarked upon
   the policies of aggrandisement and absorption of neighbouring states.It also
   became evident from the Buddhist works that while both the republics and the
   monarchical states existed in India during the life of Lord Buddha,there were
   distinct signs of decay in the republican states while those under the monarchs
   were flourishing and expanding. 
  
     
      |INDUS VALLEY|   |VEDIC|   |ALEXANDER|  |MAURYAS|  

      |SUNGAS|   |KANVAS|   |KUSHANAS|   |SATAVAHANAS|

     |GUPTAS|   |HARSHA|   |CHALUKYAS|   |CHOLAS|   |PALLAVAS|