🗺 History by state

History of Bihar

Kingdoms and empires17

Events on the map37

Historic places3

Population (2011)103,804,637

👑 Who held this land

Kingdoms, empires and cultures whose territory, as drawn on our map, covered a large part of today’s Bihar, or that were based here. Extents are approximate, so treat this as a guide to who held the region — not as exact borders.

Videha c. 1,100–600 BCE · based here

Anga c. 700–540 BCE · based here

Magadha c. 700–321 BCE · based here

Vajji / Vrijji Confederacy c. 600–468 BCE · based here

Licchavi c. 600–468 BCE · based here

Mauryan Empire c. 321–185 BCE

Shunga Dynasty c. 185–73 BCE

Kanva Dynasty c. 73–28 BCE · based here

Gupta Empire c. 240 CE – c. 550 CE

Later Guptas of Magadha c. 490 CE – c. 750 CE · based here

Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty c. 500 CE – c. 647 CE

Pala Empire c. 750 CE – c. 1161 · based here

Delhi Sultanate 1206 – 1526

Mughal Empire 1526 – 1857

Sur Empire 1540 – 1556

British East India Company 1600 – 1858

Nawabs of Bengal 1717 – 1765

1,100 BCE1950

📅 Events in Bihar

c. 800 BCE Early Upanishads composed · Videha
c. 599 BCE Birth of Vardhamana Mahavira · Kundagrama, Vaishali
c. 540 BCE Bimbisara annexes Anga · Champa
c. 528 BCE The Buddha's enlightenment at Bodh Gaya · Bodh Gaya
c. 527 BCE Mahavira's nirvana at Pavapuri · Pavapuri
c. 492 BCE Ajatashatru becomes king of Magadha · Rajagriha
c. 483 BCE First Buddhist Council at Rajagriha · Rajgir
c. 468 BCE Ajatashatru defeats the Vajji confederacy · Vaishali
c. 460 BCE Pataliputra becomes Magadha's capital · Pataliputra
c. 413 BCE Shishunaga dynasty replaces the Haryankas · Magadha
c. 383 BCE Second Buddhist Council at Vaishali · Vaishali
c. 345 BCE Mahapadma Nanda founds the Nanda dynasty · Pataliputra
c. 321 BCE ★ Chandragupta Maurya overthrows the Nandas · Pataliputra
c. 302 BCE Megasthenes at Pataliputra writes the Indica · Pataliputra
c. 268 BCE Ashoka's accession · Pataliputra
c. 250 BCE Third Buddhist Council at Pataliputra · Pataliputra
c. 232 BCE Death of Ashoka · Pataliputra
c. 185 BCE ★ Pushyamitra Shunga assassinates Brihadratha · Pataliputra
c. 28 BCE Satavahanas end the Kanva dynasty · Magadha
c. 240 CE Sri Gupta founds the Gupta line · Magadha
c. 319 CE ★ Gupta era begins · Pataliputra
c. 320 CE Chandragupta I marries the Licchavi princess Kumaradevi · Pataliputra
c. 335 CE Samudragupta becomes emperor · Pataliputra
c. 405 CE Faxian travels in India · Pataliputra
c. 415 CE Kumaragupta I becomes emperor · Pataliputra
c. 427 CE ★ Nalanda Mahavihara founded · Nalanda
c. 467 CE Death of Skandagupta · Pataliputra
499 CE ★ Aryabhata writes the Aryabhatiya · Kusumapura (Pataliputra)
c. 550 CE ★ Fall of the imperial Guptas · Magadha
c. 636 CE Xuanzang studies at Nalanda · Nalanda
c. 800 CE Vikramashila university founded · Vikramashila
c. 1200 Destruction of Nalanda · Nalanda
c. 1203 Destruction of Vikramashila · Vikramashila
1764 ★ Battle of Buxar · Buxar
1816 ★ Treaty of Sugauli · Sugauli
1908 Khudiram Bose executed · Muzaffarpur
1917 Champaran Satyagraha · Champaran

🏛 Historic places

Pataliputrac. 490 BCE Bodh Gayac. 250 BCE Nalandac. 427 CE

How this is made: nothing here is new — it is YugMap’s own map data sorted by today’s states. A kingdom is listed if its territory on our map covered at least 40% of the state at some point, or if its centre or capital lies here; events and places are listed where their map point falls inside the state. State outlines follow India’s official map.