Some of them are quite large and were Empires, some small like the Chera Kingdom in Tamil Nadu.

It is interesting to note that these small kingdoms were as prosperous if not more than the large kingdoms’ say in the period of Ramayana,Mahabharata.

The Tamil Chera King, Perunchotru Udiyan Cheralathan fed  both the armies of the Epic battle of Mahabharata.

For more details on this  read my post on this,

He used to liaise with both the warring groups, such was the respect he commanded and so was his states prosperity.

Even During Ramayana period the prosperity of the smaller states were in evidence.

What i have gleaned from these and other historical facts, in India, Austrian Empire, i that a State is prosperous if the Government is good and there are development activities.

The academic discussion that large Sates have more resources at their disposal, smaller easy to administer …are mere arm-chair discussions.

i was curious to find how ancient Map of India looked like.

Here are some Maps of ancient India from the Ramayana, Mahabharata days.

For details of Kingdoms please check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharata_Khanda#The_boundaries_of_the_kingdoms

Bharatvarsha, India Timeline.

• . prehistoric

  Human habitation of India.
• c. 5000 BCE – c. 1900 BCE

  The Indus Valley (or Harappan) Civilization.
• c. 4000 BCE

  Indian village of Balathal inhabited.
• c. 3000 BCE – c. 2600 BCE

  The rise of the great Indian cities of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa.
• 2000 BCE

  Pepper is widely used in Indian cooking.
• c. 1700 BCE – c. 1500 BCE

  Decline of the Harappan Culture in India.
• c. 1700 BCE – 1100 BCE

  The Rig Veda written, mentioning the god Rudra (Shiva) for the first time.
• c. 1700 BCE – 150 BCE

  The Vedic Period in India.
• 1500 BCE

  The Indus Valley is invaded by Aryans – nomadic northerners from central Asia.
• c. 1000 BCE

  The Aryans expand into the Ganges valley inIndia.
• c. 700 BCE

  Indian scholars codify and reinterpret Aryanbeliefs to create the Upanishads texts forming the basis of Hinduism.
• c. 700 BCE

  India is divided into 16 Aryan states or kingdoms.
• c. 600 BCE

  Charaka and Sushruta found two schools of Ayurveda.
• 599 BCE – 527 BCE

  Life of Indian philosopher Vardhamana, founder of Jainism.
• 530 BCE

  Persia conquers the Indus Valley.
• c. 500 BCE

  The kingdom of Magadha, ruled by Bimbisara, is the most powerful state in India.
• c. 490 BCE – 410 BCE

  The life of Siddhartha Gautama or the Buddha, founder of Buddhism. The traditional date for his birth is 563 BCE, although contemporary scholarly consensus places his birth c. 490 BCE.
• 327 BCE – 325 BCE

  Alexander’s campaign in northern India.
• 320 BCE

  Chandragupta Maurya seizes the throne of Magadhan and expands the kingdom over northern and central India.
• 298 BCE

  Indian ruler Chandragupta Maurya dies.
• 298 BCE – 272 BCE

  Chandragupta’s son, Bindusara, rules and expands the Maurya Empire.
• 273 BCE – 236 BCE

  Ashoka, grandson of Chandragupta Maurya,conquers most of central and southern India.
• c. 269 BCE

  Ashoka becomes emperor of the Maurya dynasty in India.
• c. 260 BCE

  Indian ruler Ashoka conquers the kingdom of Kalinga.
• 232 BCE

  Indian ruler Ashoka dies and the Mauryaempire declines.
• c. 200 BCE

  Beginning of the Greco-Bactrian conquests inIndia.
• 186 BCE

  Demetrios wins a decisive battle in Gandhara, beginning the Yona (or Greek era) in India.
• c. 165 BCE

  The Greco-Bactrian king Eucratides invadesIndia.
• 160 BCE – 135 BCE

  Indo-Greek King Menander rules the Punjab.
• c. 130 BCE

  Eucratids flee from Bactria to India. Rivalry between Eucratids and Euthydemids takes place in the Indo-Greek kingdoms.
• 30 BCE

  Pepper is directly imported by Roman ships from India and its price decreases.
• c. 1 CE

  First non-stop voyages from Egypt to India.
• c. 1 CE – c. 100 CE

  The Mahayana movement begins in India with its belief in bodhisattva – saintly souls who helped the living.
• 320 CE

  Gupta I founds the Gupta dynasty which would rule India for 600 years.
• 380 CE – 415 CE

  Reign of Chandra Gupta II in India.
• 450 CE

  India is invaded by the White Huns across theHindu Kush.
• c. 500 CE – c. 600 CE

  In India the Tantric expands the number of deities to include helpful demons, contactable through ritual.
• c. 550 CE

  The end of the reign of Visnugupta Chandraditya, last of the Gupta rulers in India.
• 712 CE

  Muslim general Muhammed bin Quasimconquers northern India.

   

  Source:http://www.ancient.eu.com/india/

   

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