Assaka or Asmaka Janapada

The Assaka (Asmaka) Mahajanapada in Ancient Telangana (700 BC - 300 BC)
Founder : Unknown (Believed to be Asmaka)
Capitals : Potana or Potali or Paudanya of Mahabharata (identified with modern Bodhan in Nizamabad district of Telangana)
Languages : Prakrit
Religion : Budhism, Jainism, Hinduism
Region : The core territory of Asmaka is described as being in the Godavari River Valley.

1. Chronology and Identity:
The period following the Megalithic (Iron Age) in the Deccan saw the rise of the Assaka (in Prakrit) or Asmaka (in Sanskrit) Mahajanapada.
The name means "stony region," aptly describing parts of the Deccan plateau.
It was one of the shodasa (sixteen) mahajanapadas of ancient India, as mentioned in the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya.

2. Geographical Extent and Capitals:
Located in Dakshinapatha (Southern India), the Assaka janapada was situated south of the Vindhya mountains on the banks of the Godavari River.
Its capital was Potali (or Potana), which corresponds to the Paudanya mentioned in the Mahabharata.
Modern Correlations: Archaeological evidence suggests that modern-day Bodhan (Nizamabad district) and Kotilingala (Karimnagar district) in Telangana were significant urban centers of the Assaka janapada.
Excavations at Kotilingala have revealed punch-marked coins of local rulers like Gobada, Narana, and Samagopa, proving the region had an advanced economy and administration.

3. Historical and Literary References:
Vedic/Puranic: The Vayu Purana links the founders of Asmaka to the Ikshvaku family.
Buddhist Jatakas: Multiple Jataka stories provide rich details:
The Assaka Jataka mentions its capital, Potali.
The Chulla Kalinga Jataka tells of King Aruna of Assaka defeating the king of Kalinga.
The Mahagovinda Suttanta lists King Brahmadatta of Assaka as a contemporary of other powerful kings.
Jain Texts: At the time of Lord Mahavira, the ruler of Assaka had a son named Sujatha.
Mahabharata: An Asmaka prince was killed by Abhimanyu in the Kurukshetra war, and the warrior Karna is credited with conquering the Asmakas.

4. Political Significance:
The inclusion of Asmaka among the sixteen great mahajanapadas confirms that the Telanganaregion had developed a sophisticated, state-level society (janapada) by the 6th century BCE.
It was a contemporary and sometimes a rival of other southern powers like Avanti and Kalinga.
The janapada was eventually annexed into the Magadhan Empire by Mahapadma Nanda (c. 345-329 BCE), the founder of the Nanda Dynasty, who was known as the "Destroyer of Kshatriyas."

5. Distinction from the Northern Asmaka:
It is important to distinguish this Deccan-based Asmaka from a northern region of the same name (Assakenus of Greek accounts) located in the Swat Valley (now in Pakistan). The Telangana region's history is linked to the southern Asmaka on the Godavari.

6. Transition to the Mauryan Era:
By around 300 BCE, the Mauryan Empire, under Chandragupta Maurya (c. 322 – 298 BCE) and his son Bindusara (c. 298 – 272 BCE), expanded into the Deccan. The territories of the former Assaka mahajanapada, along with much of peninsular India (modern Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh), became part of the vast Mauryan Empire.

Summary of Known Rulers of Assaka:
Brahmadatta (Mentioned in Buddhist texts)
Sujatha (Prince, mentioned in Jain texts)
Aruna (Mentioned in the Chulla Kalinga Jataka)
Local chieftains like Gobada, Narana, and Samagopa (Known from coinage)

http://ijellh.com/papers/2014/September/50-506-515-sept-2014.pdf
http://www.forgottenbooks.com/readbook_text/Political_History_of_Ancient_India_from_the_Accession_of_Parikshit_to_1000202384/93
Dictionary of Pāli Proper Names, Volume 1 By Gunapala Piyasena Malalasekera
http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/features/05-13/features2808.htm