Best Magadha Podcasts (2024)

In the Season 3 Finale, we explore South Asia at the time of its most famous ancient figure: Ashoka Maurya, ruler of the largest empire seen in the subcontinent to that point. Anirudh meets a rude South Indian visiting one of Ashoka's inscriptions and hears the words of the emperor himself to uncover the nature, structure, and sobering truths about…

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The Emperor is Naked: How History Forgot the Ajivikas and Remembered the Mauryas 31:24

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3y ago31:24

31:24

The forgotten religion of the Ajivikas can tell us a great deal about the religions and empires of the early Gangetic Plains. Anirudh visits the medieval Jain site of Shravanabelagola near Bangalore, recounts the story of the mysterious Ajivika teacher Makkhali Goshala, and explains how the rise of the mighty empire of the Mauryas is connected to t…

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Alexander the Brute: Building Empires in the Ancient World 34:04

3y ago34:04

34:04

The invasion of Alexander III of Macedon is a landmark event in South Asian history. Join Anirudh as he explores the conqueror's camp, meets an Indian mercenary who served in Alexander's campaigns, and uncovers the mystery of the fall of the Nanda dynasty and the rise of the mighty Gangetic empire of the Mauryas that succeeded them. Anirudh is tryi…

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Thrones of Blood: Ajatashatru's Wars and the First Buddhist Council 31:05

3y ago31:05

31:05

How did the kingdom of Magadha lay the foundations for India's first empire? And how did the successors of Siddhartha Gautama establish the tradition now known as Buddhism? Episode 7 brings us to the early city of Rajagaha, where we explore its marketplaces and caves in search of answers. Anirudh is trying to bring the history of South Asia alive t…

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The Great Extinguishing: Memories of the Death of Buddha and the Rise of Magadha 34:48

3y ago34:48

34:48

Death inevitably comes to us all. But how do memories of the dead shape our world? Witness the last months and hours of Siddhartha Gautama as he travels across the Gangetic Plains desperately trying to protect his legacy - and see what our struggles against death teach us about the nature of history and history telling. Anirudh is trying to bring t…

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So I Have Heard From the Blessed One: Anirudh Speaks to the Buddha 35:13

3y ago35:13

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What might Siddhartha Gotama, the Buddha, have actually thought of himself? Did he genuinely believe in what he preached? How do we, sitting in the 21st century, grapple with his complexities and flaws? Anirudh travels back through time to talk to the man himself, one quiet night on Vulture Peak near the great city of Rajagaha in Magadha. Anirudh i…

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Nun of Your Business: Women, Society, and the Sangha in Early Buddhism 37:58

3y ago37:58

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Episode 4 of Echoes of India brings us to witness the burgeoning power of the Buddhist Sangha in the early Gangetic Plains. How did Siddhartha Gotama, the Buddha, deal with the struggle of becoming a leader of thousands? How did he navigate the tides of public opinion and ensure that his rules were followed across this sprawling organisation? And w…

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Buddha the Prophet: The Republics, Slaves and Ethics of Early India 39:45

3y ago39:45

39:45

In Episode 3 of Echoes of India, we'll begin to follow the extraordinary career of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. How did one person, emerging from the forests in the 5th century BCE, become a prophet, leading thousands of people in one of the most important religious movements in human history? How was he perceived in his time? And as one of the …

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Gargi's Fires: Gender, Caste, Rebirth, and the Metaphysics of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 37:25

3y ago37:25

37:25

The Episode 2 of Echoes of India brings us to the 8th century BCE, where we will see the origins of many of the ideas that shape India today. How did some of the oldest systematic ideas about the universe and reality, the concepts of karma, atman, and rebirth originate? Who were the people who came up with them, and why? Join us as we meet the anci…

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Buddha Goes to Sarnath: How Cities and Civilisations are Born 30:05

3y ago30:05

30:05

The Season 3 premiere for Echoes of India returns us to the vibrant world of ancient India. We'll meet the strange mix of peoples who together made the early cities of the Gangetic Plains, and set the stage for the extraordinary life which we'll follow this season: that of Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha, one of the most important figu…

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Harsha's Laughter 26:44

5y ago26:44

26:44

What happened in India after the fall of the Gupta Empire? Some of the most incredible states and people in the subcontinent's history emerged. This is their story. Notes and sources are at https://www.anirudhkanisetti.com/home/episode-22 Or get in touch with Anirudh @AKanisetti on Twitter or @aniruddhadevaraya on Instagram! You can listen to this …

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End of an Era 24:12

5y ago24:12

24:12

This is the story of the Hun who tried to be an Indian emperor, and a story of the human costs of war: a story of grief, destruction, and of creation and inspiration against all odds. Notes and sources are at https://www.anirudhkanisetti.com/home/episode-21 Or get in touch with Anirudh @AKanisetti on Twitter or @aniruddhadevaraya on Instagram! You …

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A Day in Ancient Ujjain 23:18

5+ y ago23:18

23:18

What was life in an ancient Indian city like? What were its sights and smells, and what kind of eccentric characters would it have been home to? Join us on a walk through Ujjain, one of South Asia's oldest cities, to find out. Notes and sources are at https://www.anirudhkanisetti.com/home/episode-20 Or get in touch with Anirudh @AKanisetti on Twitt…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Magadha Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

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Ajatshatru by Jaishankar Prasad

Krity

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(now moved) The History of India Podcast

The History of India Podcast

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Echoes Of India: A History Podcast

IVM Podcasts

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11. Trutiya Ank Part 4 12:41

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10. Trutiya Ank Part 3 18:07

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9. Trutiya Ank Part 2 17:33

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8. Trutiya Ank Part 1 15:09

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7. Dvitiya Ank Part 4 9:02

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6. Dvitiya Ank Part 3 30:33

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5. Dvitiya Ank Part 2 20:30

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4. Dvitiya Ank Part 1 19:14

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3. Pratham Ank Part 3 24:31

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2. Pratham Ank Part 2 21:27

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1. Pratham Ank Part 1 19:25

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0. Katha Prasang 29:43

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Beloved of the Gods: Ashoka Maurya in His Time and Ours 1:07:07

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The Emperor is Naked: How History Forgot the Ajivikas and Remembered the Mauryas 31:24

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Alexander the Brute: Building Empires in the Ancient World 34:04

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Thrones of Blood: Ajatashatru's Wars and the First Buddhist Council 31:05

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The Great Extinguishing: Memories of the Death of Buddha and the Rise of Magadha 34:48

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So I Have Heard From the Blessed One: Anirudh Speaks to the Buddha 35:13

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Nun of Your Business: Women, Society, and the Sangha in Early Buddhism 37:58

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Buddha the Prophet: The Republics, Slaves and Ethics of Early India 39:45

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Gargi's Fires: Gender, Caste, Rebirth, and the Metaphysics of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 37:25

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Buddha Goes to Sarnath: How Cities and Civilisations are Born 30:05

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Harsha's Laughter 26:44

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End of an Era 24:12

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A Day in Ancient Ujjain 23:18

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