BeauGleason6763 at 15:30, 28 March 2026

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{{short description|Ancient kingdom in India}}
{{About|the historical region of Asmaka|the kingdom in Indian Epic Literature|Asmaka kingdom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox former country
| native_name = Aśmaka
| conventional_long_name = Asmaka
| common_name = Assaka
| era = [[Iron Age]]
| government_type = [[Monarchy]]
| year_start = c. 700 BCE
| year_end = 425 or 345 BCE
| s1 = Nanda Empire{{!}}Magadha
| image_map = Mahajanapadas_(c._500_BCE).png
| image_map_alt =
| image_map_caption = Asmaka and other [[Mahajanapadas]] in the Post [[Vedic]] period.
| leader1 =
| capital = [[Paithan]]<ref name="Indian History">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MazdaWXQFuQC&q=assaka+mahajanapada&pg=SL1-PA173|title=Indian History|date=1988|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=978-81-8424-568-4|language=en}}</ref> Potali Podana
| common_languages = [[Prakrit]] [[Sanskrit]]
| religion = [[Historical Vedic religion]] [[Jainism]] [[Buddhism]] [[Hinduism]]
| currency =
| title_leader =
| today = [[Maharashtra]], [[Telangana]] and [[Andhra Pradesh]]
| demonym =
| area_km2 =
| area_rank =
| GDP_PPP =
| GDP_PPP_year =
| HDI =
| HDI_year =
}}

'''Aśmaka''' or '''Assaka''' was a [[Mahajanapadas|Mahajanapada]] in ancient South Asia which existed between 700 BCE and 425 or 345 BCE according to the [[Buddhist texts]] and ''[[Puranas]]''. It included areas in present-day [[Maharashtra]] and [[Telangana]] in south-central India.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LzHpZ5N5MhcC&pg=PA18|title=Geography from Ancient Indian Coins & Seals|last=Gupta|first=Parmanand|date=1989|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|isbn=9788170222484|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Tiwari |first=Anshuman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qQ5kDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT307 |title=Laxminama: Monks, Merchants, Money and Mantra |date=2018-08-10 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=307 |isbn=978-93-87146-80-8 |language=en}}</ref> In [[Gautama Buddha]]'s time, many of the Assakas were located on the banks of the [[Godavari River]] (south of the [[Vindhya]] mountains).The capital of Aśmaka was the city variously named Podana, Potali, Paudanyapura, and Potana. Most scholars identify it with present-day [[Bodhan]] in [[Telangana]], while some correspond it to modern-day [[Paithan]] in [[Maharashtra]].<ref name="Indian History" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra Nath |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=potana&pg=PA109 |title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization |date=1999 |publisher=New Age International |isbn=978-81-224-1198-0 |pages=109 |language=en}}</ref>

In ancient India, during the 6th century BCE, there were sixteen [[Mahajanapadas]]. Among them, Ashmaka (or Assaka) was the only Mahajanapada located in [[South India]].

Ashmaka or Assaka was one of the 16 Mahajanapadas of ancient India. In the sixth century BC i.e. 2600 years ago, Its capital was Pratishthana (other names included Potna, Potli, Paithan), today's [[Paithan|Paithan city]]. Which is today situated in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) district of Maharashtra. Ashmak Mahajanapada was ruled by the descendants of [[Rama]] i.e. the kings of Ikshvaku Dynasty. A king named Ashmak of [[Solar dynasty|Ikshvaku dynasty]] established this Mahajanapada, hence it is called Ashmak Mahajanapada.<ref>{{cite book |last=नाहर |first= डॉ रतिभानु सिंह|title= प्राचीन भारत का राजनैतिक एवं सांस्कृतिक इतिहास |year= 1974 |publisher= किताबमहल|location= इलाहाबाद, भारत|id= |page= 112|editor= }}</ref>

== Location ==
Aśmaka was located on the [[Godavari River|Godāvarī]] river,{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1953|p=89}} between Mūlaka and [[Kalinga (historical region)|Kaliṅga]].{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1953|p=89}} The capital of Aśmaka was the city variously named Podana, Potali, Paudanyapura, and Potana, which corresponds to modern-day [[Bodhan]] in [[Telangana]].{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1953|p=89}}

==History==
The Aśmaka kingdom already existed at the time of the [[Brahmana|{{Transliteration|sa|Brāhmaṇa}}]]s, when its king Brahmadatta was mentioned in the {{Transliteration|pi|Mahāgovinda Suttanta}} as a contemporary of Reṇu of [[Videha]] and Dhataraṭṭha or Dhṛtarāṣṭra of [[Kingdom of Kashi|Kāsī]].{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1953|p=89}}

[[Pāṇini|Panini]] who lived in about the seventh century B.C. makes mention of Asmaka which was in the interior of the Deccan watered by the Godavari, which is identified with modern [[Nizamabad district|Nizamabad]] district.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pushpavathi |first=Kore |title=The early social history of Andhra Desa |url=https://www.historyjournal.net/article/20/2-1-1-898.pdf |journal=International Journal of History |pages=33}}</ref>

Aśmaka annexed the small kingdom of Mūlaka located to its west during the [[Mahajanapadas|Mahajanapada]] period, after which it became the southern neighbour of the kingdom of [[Avanti (Ancient India)|Avanti]].{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1953|p=143-144}}

The [[Hathigumpha inscription]] of [[Kharavela]] (2nd century BCE) mentions Kharavela's threat to a city variously interpreted as "Masika" (Masikanagara), "Musika" (Musikanagara) or "Asika" (Asikanagara). N. K. Sahu identifies Asika as the capital of Asmaka.<ref name="NKSahu_1984">{{cite book|author1=N. K. Sahu|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xlMhAAAAMAAJ|title=Khâravela|author2=Kharavela (King of Kalinga)|publisher=Orissa State Museum|year=1984}}</ref>{{rp|127}} According to [[Ajay Mitra Shastri]], "Asika-nagara" was located in the present-day village of Adam in [[Nagpur district]] (on the [[Wainganga River]]). A terracotta seal excavated in the village mentions the Asmaka [[janapada]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Ajay Mitra Shastri|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S0puAAAAMAAJ|title=The Sātavāhanas and the Western Kshatrapas: a historical framework|publisher=Dattsons|year=1998|isbn=978-81-7192-031-0|page=56}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Inguva Karthikeya Sarma|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JDsaAAAAYAAJ|title=Early Brāhmī Inscriptions from Sannati|author2=J. Vara Prasada Rao|date=1 January 1993|publisher=Harman Publishing House|isbn=978-81-85151-68-7|page=68}}</ref> Asmaka also included Mulaka area around [[Paithan]] known in ancient times as [[Pratishthana]].<ref name="Indian History">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MazdaWXQFuQC&q=assaka+mahajanapada&pg=SL1-PA173|title=Indian History|date=1988|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=978-81-8424-568-4|language=en}}</ref> According to ''[[Sutta Nipata]]'' Saketa or [[Ayodhya]] was first halting place on the southward road ([[Dakshinapatha]]) from [[Shravasti]] to Pratishthana.{{sfn|Bakker, Ayodhya, Part 1|1984|p=5}}

[[Aṅguttara Nikāya|Anguttara Nikaya]] like the Puranas tells that Assaka was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas of [[Jambudvīpa]]. It had abundance of food and gems. It was wealthy and prosperous. One of the oldest works of the Pali-Buddhist literature, the [[Sutta Nipata|Sutta-Nipata]] (verses 976-7) speak of a Brahman guru called Bavarl, as having left the [[Kosala]] country and settled near a village on the Godavari in the Assaka territory in the Dakshinapatha.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Lectures on the Ancient History of India on the period from 650 to 325 B.C. |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.csl.7014/page/n15/mode/2up?q=asmaka |journal=Internet Archive | date=1919 |pages=15}}</ref>

== Puranas ==
Source:<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |title=Journal Of The Asiatic Society Of Bengal 1924 Vol Xx |url=https://www.discoveringbuddha.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Asmakas-or-Assakas-in-Ancient-India-BC-Law-JASBgl-1924-NS20-p47.pdf |journal=Discovering Buddha}}</ref>
* [[Naradiya Purana|Brihannaradiya Purana]] narrates entire story of the origin of Asmakas. King [[Saudasa]], also known as [[Kalmashapada]]. After killing a tiger, a vengeful monster assumes the form of his priest, Vasistha, and tricks him into offering human flesh as a sacrifice. Vasistha curses [[Saudasa]] to become a monster for twelve years. Despite his efforts to avoid his fate, Sudas eventually succumbs to the curse. Every night, he took the form of a monster and used to kill human beings. One night in spite of the requests of a Brahmani, he ate up her husband. As a result, he is further cursed to die during union with his wife. After twelve years, [[Saudasa]] is freed from Vasistha's curse but remains haunted by the Brahmani's curse. With Vasistha's help, his queen, MadayantI, conceives a son named Asmaka. Asmaka's grandson, Narikavaca, is saved by naked women and is named accordingly. [[Dilīpa]] the forefather of the Lord [[Rama]], is a descendant of Narikavaca, establishing a connection between the [[Ikshvaku clan|Ikshvakus]] and the Asmakas.
* [[Bhavishya Purana]] also mentions Asmaka as the son of [[Saudasa]].

== Jataka tales ==
Source:<ref name=":0" />
* [[Jataka tales]], narrates a story of King Assaka of Potali, who is deeply grieved by the loss of his beautiful queen. The Bodhisattva, witnessing the king's sorrow, decides to intervene. A young Brahmin informs the king about the [[Bodhisattva|Bodhisattva's]] ability to communicate with the dead. The Bodhisattva reveals to the king that his queen has been reincarnated as a tiny dung-worm. Despite the king's pleas and declarations of love, the dung-worm, speaking in a human voice, reveals that she now prefers the life of a worm over her former existence. The king is astonished by this revelation and learns a valuable lesson from the Bodhisattva.
* Another story of the Assaka country and its connection with [[Kalinga (region)|Kalinga]] is narrated in the Jataka tales. King Assaka of Potali, in the Assaka country, faced a challenge when King Kalinga of Dantapura sent his four beautiful daughters on a royal tour. Kalinga declared that any king who desired his daughters would have to fight him. Despite the initial resistance, Assaka's minister, Mandisena, welcomed the princesses and persuaded Assaka to marry them. Upon hearing this, Kalinga invaded Assaka, but was ultimately defeated through Nandisena's diplomacy. Kalinga was forced to send a portion of his daughters' dowry to Assaka. From then on, the two kings maintained a peaceful relationship.This story shows that the Assakas and the Kalingas were neighbours and that their countries bordered on each other. Evidently, it is the southern Assaka country on the [[Godavari River|Godavari]].

==See also==
*[[Asmaka kingdom]]
*[[Kingdoms of Ancient India]]
*[[Mahajanapada]]
*[[Janapada]]
*[[History of India]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Bakker |first=Hans |title=Ayodhya, Part 1: The History of Ayodhya from the seventh century BC to the middle of the 18th century |publisher=Egbert Forsten |location=Groningen |year=1984 |isbn=9069800071 |ref={{sfnref|Bakker, Ayodhya, Part 1|1984}}}}
*{{cite book |last=Raychaudhuri |first=Hemchandra |author-link=Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri |date=1953 |title=Political History of Ancient India: From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of Gupta Dynasty |url= |location= |publisher=[[University of Calcutta]] |isbn=}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Mahajanapada |state=collapsed}}

{{Andhra Pradesh}}
{{Maharashtra}}
{{Telangana}}

[[Category:Mahajanapadas]]

Asmaka - Revision history

BeauGleason6763 at 15:30, 28 March 2026