Greater Magadha

Greater Magadha is a concept in studies of the early history of India.^[1] It is used to refer to the political and cultural sphere that developed in the lower Gangetic plains (Johannes Bronkhorst defines the region to comprise modern day Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh) during the Vedic age.

The Śramaṇa culture of Greater Magadha developed parallel to but separate from the Vedic culture to its west,^[3]^[4] that was characteristic of the upper Ganges basin (Ganga-Yamuna doab).

According to Bronkhorst, the sramana culture arose in "Greater Magadha," which was Indo-Aryan, but not Vedic. In this culture, Kshatriyas were placed higher than Brahmins, and rejected Vedic authority and rituals.^[1]^[5]

^ ^a ^b ^c Bronkhorst (2007).
^ Samuel 2010.
^ Olivelle, Patrick (1993). The āśrama system: the history and hermeneutics of a religious institution. New York. pp. 11–16. ISBN 978-0-19-534478-3. OCLC 496313855.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Padmanabh S. Jaini, ed. (2001). Collected papers on Buddhist studies. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. p. 48. ISBN 81-208-1776-1. OCLC 47208728.
^ Long, Jeffery D (2009). Jainism. I.B. Tauris. doi:10.5040/9780755624966. ISBN 978-1-84511-625-5.

[FOOTNOTEBronkhorst2007-1] Bronkhorst (2007).

[FOOTNOTESamuel2010-2] Samuel 2010.

[3] Olivelle, Patrick (1993). The āśrama system: the history and hermeneutics of a religious institution. New York. pp. 11–16. ISBN 978-0-19-534478-3. OCLC 496313855.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[4] Padmanabh S. Jaini, ed. (2001). Collected papers on Buddhist studies. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. p. 48. ISBN 81-208-1776-1. OCLC 47208728.

[long_2009-5] Long, Jeffery D (2009). Jainism. I.B. Tauris. doi:10.5040/9780755624966. ISBN 978-1-84511-625-5.

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