CHANDRAGPUTA MAURYA

- first historical emperor of India

- was the illegitimate son of the last Nanda king of Magadha by the maid servant
Mura, hence the name Maurya.

Aided by Kautilya, Chandragupta conspired to usurp the Magadhan rule but failed in his
first attempt. Exiled, he met Alexander in 326/325 B.C., studied the significance and
success of the Greek invasion, and bided his time.
After Alexander's death in 323 B.C., Chandragupta put an end to the Greek rule in
northwest India, returned to Magadha, killed the Nanda king, and proclaimed the Maurya
dynasty in 322. 
He employed an army of secret agents, and no method was considered unscrupulous to
destroy his enemies.

The death penalty was imposed for evasion of taxes, and maiming was inflicted for perjury.

Chandragupta seldom appeared in public.

Chandragupta's rule lasted 24 years. According to Jain tradition, in 298 he abdicated his
throne, retired to the Jain retreat at Sravana Belgola in Mysore, and eventually fasted to
death.

ASOKA
the third emperor of the Maurya dynasty, is considered ancient India's greatest ruler. He
combined the piety of a saint with the practical qualities of a king.

By the 3d century B.C. the kingdom of Magadha under the hegemony of the Mauryas
controlled almost the entire Indian subcontinent. Only the southern tip of India and Ceylon
remained free of the Mauryas' political influence. 

However, Buddhist missionaries of Asoka extended religious influence into Ceylon, which
became a stronghold of Theravada Buddhism through Asoka's efforts.

In his youth Asoka served as viceroy of Taxila and later of Ujain. He came to the throne in
273 B.C., but a disputed succession delayed his coronation until 269. In 261 he annexed
Kalinga, a vast tract between the Mahanadi and Godavari rivers, killing over 100,000 people
and taking 150,000 captives. This was the only aggressive war of his reign, and so shocked
the King's conscience that 4 years later he publicly recorded on various edicts his profound
sorrow and remorse. He devoted the rest of his life to the propagation of dharma, the
Buddhist law of piety.

His reign between 273 BC and 232 B.C. was one of the most prosperous periods in the history of
India. Ashoka’s empire consisted most of India, South Asia and beyond, stretching from present day
Afghanistan and parts of Persia in the west, to Bengal and Assam in the east, and Mysore in the
south.

Buddhist literature document Ashoka as a cruel and ruthless monarch who underwent a change of
heart after experiencing a particularly gruesome war, the Battle of Kalinga. After the war, he
embraced Buddhism and dedicated his life towards dissemination of the tenets of the religion. 

He had only one younger sibling, Vithashoka, but, several elder half-brothers. Right from his
childhood days Ashoka showed great promise in the field of weaponry skills as well as academics.
Ashoka’s father Bindusara, impressed with his skill and knowledge, appointed him as the Governer
of Avanti. 

Asoka quickly grew into an excellent warrior general and an astute statesman. His command on the
Mauryan army started growing day by day. Ashoka’s elder brothers became jealous of him and they
assumed him being favoured by King Bindusara as his successor to the throne. King Bindusara’s
eldest son Sushima convinced his father to send Ashoka far away from the capital city of Pataliputra
to Takshashila province. The excuse given was to subdue a revolt by the citizens of Takshashila.
However, the moment Ashoka reached the province, the militias welcomed him with open arms and
the uprising came to an end without any fight. This particular success of Asoka made his elder
brothers, especially Susima, more insecure.

Emperor Bindusara called back Ashoka from exile and sent him to Ujjain. The prince was injured in
the ensuing battle and was treated by Buddhist monks and nuns. It was in Ujjain that Asoka first
came to know about the life and teachings of Buddha.

In the following year, Bindusura became seriously ill and was literally on his deathbed. Sushima was
nominated successor by the king but his autocratic nature made him unfavourable among the
ministers. A group of ministers, led by Radhagupta, called upon Ashoka to assume the crown.
Following Bindusara’s death in 272 B.C.,

Ashoka attacked Pataliputra, defeated and killed all his brothers, including Sushima. Among all his
brothers he only spared his younger brother Vithashoka. His coronation took place four years after
his ascent to throne. Buddhist literatures describe Ashoka as a cruel, ruthless and bad-tempered
ruler. He was named ‘Chanda’ Ashoka meaning Ashoka the Terrible, due to his disposition at that
time. He was attributed with building Ashoka’s Hell, a torture chamber manned by an executioner to
punish offenders. 

He passed away soon not being able to bear the pain, separation and loneliness. Also many
problems arose some due to his youngest wife. Ashoka died a natural death due to the
sufferings caused by his beloved's seperation and death.
 Sri-Gupta

Gupta Empire Origins

The Gupta Empire was believed to be a dynasty of the Vaishya caste, the third of the four Hindu
castes representing merchants and farmers. Founded by Sri Gupta c. 240-280 CE, there are
contradictory theories regarding the original homeland of the Guptas.

The Gupta Empire, founded by Maharaja Sri Gupta, was an ancient Indian realm that covered
much of the Indian Subcontinent from approximately 320-550 CE. Gupta rule, while solidified by
territorial expansion through war, began a period of peace and prosperity marked by
advancements in science, technology, engineering, art, dialectics, literature, logic, mathematics,
astronomy, religion, and philosophy.

Historians believe Sri Gupta and his son may have been Kushan vassals, or rulers who swore
allegiance to the Kushan Empire. Sri Gupta’s son and successor, Ghatotkacha, ruled from c.
280-319 CE, while his son, Chandragupta, ascended the throne around 319 and ruled until 335
CE.

The Golden Age of India

The prosperity of the Gupta Empire produced a golden age of cultural and scientific
advancements.

 Prosperity in the Gupta Empire initiated a period known as the Golden Age of
India, marked by extensive inventions and discoveries in science, technology,
engineering, art, dialectic, literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion, and
philosophy.
 Chandragupta II promoted the synthesis of science, art, philosophy, and religion,
in part because his court contained the Navartna, or the Nine Jewels, a group of
nine scholars who produced advancements in many academic fields.

Aryabhata is also believed to be the first of the Indian mathematician-astronomers who

postulated the theory that the Earth moves round the Sun and is not flat, but instead is
round and rotates on its own axis. He also may have discovered that the moon and
planets shine due to reflected sunlight.

The game of chess also likely originated during this period, where its early
form, Chaturanga, contained game pieces for infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots,
each of which would evolve into the modern pawn, knight, rook, and bishop,
respectively.
Decline of the Gupta Empire

After many years of dominance, the Gupta Empire collapsed in 550 CE, due to
invasions and weak leadership of successive rulers.

Huna: A Central Asian Xionite tribe that consisted of four hordes that repeatedly
invaded Gupta territory, and helped cause the downfall of the Gupta Empire.

The succeeding rulers, beginning with Kumaragupta I and then Skandagupta, oversaw
the eventual end of the Gupta Empire through military defeats, devalued money and
withering leadership.

The empire thereafter disintegrated into numerous regional kingdoms, ruled by

chieftains. A minor line of the Gupta Clan continued to rule Magadha, one of the 16
Indian Mahajanapadas, or “Great Countries,” but the Gupta Empire fell by 550 CE.

Rajput