Magadha formed one of the sixteen
mahajanapadas (
Sanskrit: "Great Countries") of ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of
Bihar south of the
Ganges; its first capital was Rajagriha (modern
Rajgir), then
Pataliputra (modern
Patna). Rajagriha was initially known as 'Girivrijja' and later came to be known as so during the reign of Ajatashatru. Magadha expanded to include most of Bihar and
Bengal with the conquest of
Licchavi and
Anga, respectively, followed by much of eastern
Uttar Pradesh and
Odisha. The ancient kingdom of Magadha is heavily mentioned in
Jain and
Buddhist texts. It is also mentioned in the
Ramayana, the
Mahabharata and the
Puranas. A state of Magadha, possibly a tribal kingdom, is recorded in Vedic texts much earlier in time than 600 BCE.