Mauryan Empire

By – Chauhan Sir
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Vishal Chauhan

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<Chauhan_Sir_History>
Mauryan Empire
• Alexander’s invasion of the north-west India in
the early 4th century BCE gave way to
Chandragupta Maurya to lay the foundation of
the Maurya Empire in 321 BCE.
• The then ruling dynasty of Magadha — the
Nandas was overthrown by Chandragupta
Maurya with the help of Kautilya, a teacher at
Taxila.
• The Mauryan dynasty ruled from 321 to 185
BCE,
• Origin of the Mauryas
• The early years of Chandragupta’s reign are
little known, but most historians agree to
assign either a ‘low caste’ or a tribal origin to
the Maurya family.
• Some historians believe that Chandragupta
was the son of the last Nanda king (Dhana
Nanda) born to a “low born” woman called
Mura and hence comes the family name,
‘Maurya’.
• The Buddhist tradition describes Chandragupta
as a member of the Moriya clan of
Pipphalivana and the Mauryans were linked to
the tribe of the Sakyas to which the Buddha
belonged.
• This also implies that they were Kshatriyas.
• According to the Buddhist writers, Mauryas
came from the region, which was full of
peacocks (Mayura in Sanskrit and Mora in Pali),
and hence they came to be known as the
Moriyas.
• It can be said that Buddhists tried to elevate
the social position of Ashoka and his
predecessors.
• Jaina tradition relates Chandragupta as the son
of a daughter of the chief of a village of
peacock-tamers (Mayura-Poshaka).
• The Puranas describe the Mauryas to be
Shudras probably due to the fact that they
were patrons of heterodox sects.
• The Classical sources mention Chandragupta as
Sandrakottus and is described to be of low
origin.
• In the Junagarh Rock Inscription of
Rudradaman (150 CE), there is a reference to
Pusyagupta as the brother-in-law of
Chandragupta which implies Vaishya origin of
the Mauryas.
• It is also suggested that the title ‘Gupta’ in
Chandragupta’s name, and the later episode of
Ashoka’s marriage to the daughter of a
merchant of Vidisha, supports the view that
the Mauryas could have been of Vaishya
origin.
• The use of the terms such as ‘Vrishala’ and
‘Kula-hina’ for Chandragupta in the
Mudrarakshasa of Vishakadatta suggests that
he was merely an upstart of a ”unknown
family".
• Foundation of the Empire
• Chandragupta after overthrowing the last of
the Nanda kings, acceded to the throne in
around 321 BCE and founded the Maurya
Empire.
• It was Chanakya, who encouraged
Chandragupta Maurya and his army to take
over the throne of Magadha, for he thought
that Dhananada did not deserve to be king
anymore.
• The political rise of Chandragupta was also
linked to the invasion of Alexander in the
north-west region of India.
• The years 325 BCE-323 BCE were crucial as
many of the governors who were stationed in
the northwest after Alexander’s Invasion were
assassinated or had to retreat.
• This enabled Chandragupta to gain control of
this region quickly. However, it is not certain
whether Chandragupta routed the foreigners
first or defeated the Nandas.
• In any case, both these tasks were complete by
321 BCE and the stage was set for further
consolidation.
Mauryan Dynasty (321-185 BCE)
• Chandragupta Maurya (321-298 BCE)
• He founded the Mauryan empire by deposing
the Nanda ruler Dhana Nanda.
• He also liberated north western parts of the
Indian subcontinent from the Greek Governors
and Satraps appointed by Alexander.
• One of the first major military victory of
Chandragupta was in the war with Seleucus
Nikator who ruled over the area west of the
Indus, around 305 BCE.
• Eventually, peace was established with this
Greek viceroy in around 303 BCE.
• In return for 500 elephants, Seleucus gave him
eastern Afghanistan, Baluchistan and the area
west of the Indus.
• Seleucus also sent an ambassador called
Megasthenes who lived in the court of
Chandragupta for many years.
• Details of the conquest in different parts of
India are lacking, but a major of scholars
suggest that Chandragupta established his
control not only in the north-west and the
Ganges plains, but also in western India and
the Deccan except present day Kerala, Tamil
Nadu and parts of North-eastern India.
• The Greek writers mention that Chandragupta
Maurya overran the whole country with an
army of 600,000.
• The subjugation of Saurashtra or Kathiawar is
attested in Junagadh Rock Inscription of
Rudradaman (around 30-150 CE), also known
as the Girnar Rock inscription of Rudradaman,
a Sanskrit prose.
• This also refers to Chandragupta’s governor,
Pushyagupta, who is said to have constructed
the famous Sudarshana Lake.
• This implies that Chandragupta had Malwa
region also under his control.
• Regarding control over the Deccan, there are
some medieval epigraphs informing that
Chandragupta had protected parts of
Karnataka.
• According to Jaina writings, Chandragupta
gave up his throne in the beginning of the third
century BCE, when he was forty-two years old.
• He became an ascetic and migrated to south
with Bhadrabahu, the Jaina saint.
• He ended his days in Sallekhana (death by
fasting) according to Jain spiritual tradition at
Sravana Belgola in present day Karnataka.
• Bindusara (298-272 BCE)
• Bindusara, the son of Chandragupta, is said to
have ascended the throne in 298 BCE.
• He is known to the Greeks as Amitrochates
(Sanskrit, Amitraghata the destroyer of foes).
• He had contacts with the Seleucid king of Syria,
Antiochus I, whom he requested to send him
sweet wine, dried figs and a sophist.
• Pliny mentions that Ptolemy Philadeplus of
Egypt sent Dionysius as his ambassador to
India
• As per the works of the Buddhist monk
Taranath of Tibet, Bindusara is said have
destroyed kings and nobles of about sixteen
cities and reduced to submission all the
territory between the eastern and western
seas (presumably the Arabian Sea and the Bay
of Bengal).
• Many scholars believe that the extension of
the Mauryan empire beyond the Tungabhadra
to the Deccan, particularly the Mysore plateau
must have been the work of Bimbisara.
• The Ashokavadana mentions that a revolt took
place in Taxila during the reign of Bindusara as
the citizens objected to the oppression by the
higher officials.
• Bindusara sent his son Ashoka, the Viceroyship
of Ujjain, to put an end to the revolt, which he
did successfully.
• Bindusara’s religious leanings are said to have
been towards the Ajivikas.
• Buddhist sources suggest the death of
Bindusara around 273-272 BCE.
• After his death, there was a struggle for
succession among his sons for about four
years.
• Ultimately, around 269-268 BCE, Ashoka was
crowned as Bindusara’s successor.
• Ashoka (268-232 BCE)
• Ashoka emerged victorious in the war of
succession that followed the death of
Bindusara in 272 BCE.
• He is known to have killed his ninety-nine
brothers.
• According to Taranatha, Ashoka spent several
years in pleasurable pursuits after ascending
the throne and was consequently called
Kamashoka.
• Later, his extreme wickedness earned him the
name of Chandashoka and finally is conversion
to Buddhism and his adoption of peaceful
policies led him to be called Dhammashoka.
• According to Asokavadana, Subhadrangi was
the mother of Ashoka and it describes her as
the daughter of a Brahman of Champa.
• It was Ashoka who brought Kalinga under
Mauryan control.
• It was of strategic importance as it controlled
routes to South India both by land and sea.
• The westernmost extension of the Mauryan
Empire was formed by Kandahar.
• Ashokan inscriptions mention the Gandharas,
Kambojas and the Yonas as the borderers of
the empire.
• The Mauryas maintained close contacts with
their neighbours, the Seleucid Empire and the
Greek kingdoms through the north-west.
• Mauryan influence extended as far as the
Ganga delta in the east.
• Tamralipti or modern Tamluk was an
important port on the Bengal coast from
where the ships sailed for Burma, Sri Lanka as
well as for South India.
• Broach was another major port on the west
coast at the mouth of the Narmada river
• Mauryas also had close relations with Sri
Lanka.
• Ashoka Sent his son Mahindra and daughter
Sanghamitra to preach Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
• As mentioned in the Major Rock Edict II,
Asokan maintained friendly relations with
many people of the south such as the Cholas,
the Pandyas, the Satiyaputras and the
Keralaputras.
• As mentioned in the Major Rock Edict II,
Asokan maintained friendly relations with
many people of the south such as the Cholas,
the Pandyas, the Satiyaputras and the
Keralaputras.
• With the conclusion of the third Buddhist
council at Pataliputra in 250 BCE under the
chairmanship of Mogalliputta Tissa.
• .
• This shows that Ashoka was careful to make a
distinction between his personal support for
Buddhism and his duty as emperor to remain
unattached and unbiased in favour of any
religion.
• It has been mentioned in the 13th Major Rock
Edict that Ashoka exchanged diplomatic and
other missions with his contemporaries of the
Hellenic world such as Antiochus II Theos of
Syria (Amtiyoga), the grandson of Seleucus
Nikator; Ptolemy III Philadelphus of Egypt
(Tulamaya); Antigonus Gonatus of Macedonia
(Antekina); Magas of Cyrene (Maka) and
Alexander of Epirus (Alikyashudala).
• According to a tradition, Kashmir was included
in the Ashokan Empire and it was Ashoka who
built the city of Srinagar.
• Khotan in Central Asia was also supposed to
have come under Maurya control.
• As the foothills of the Himalayas were a part of
the empire, the Mauryans had close
connections with the areas of modern Nepal.
•
• The Buddhist temple was reorganized during
his reign.
• But the emperor himself does not refer to it in
his inscriptions
• One of the Ashokan’s daughters is said to have
married a nobleman from the region of Nepal.
• Ashokha built four caves an the Barabar Hills
and dedicated them to the Ajivika sect.
• Ashoka Embraces Buddhism
• The events in his personal life, like his marriage
to a Vidisha merchant's daughter and the birth
of their two children Mahindra and
Sanghamitra, are said to have had a great
influence in turning Asoka towards Buddhism.
• His conversion to Buddhism is also suggested
to have taken place after the Kalinga War.
• It is believed that Ashoka converted to
Buddhism immediately after the battle of
Kalinga, with its attendant horrors.
• Ashoka himself in Rock Edict XIII describes his
conquest of Kalinga which is said to have taken
place eight years after his consecration,
around 260 BCE.
• In this war the Kalingans were completely
routed and “One hundred thousand were slain,
and many times that number died.
• Though on the battlefield Ashoka, was
victorious, the inscription goes on to describe
his remorse, which then ultimately turned him
towards Dhamma.
• A policy of conquest through war was given up
and replaced by a policy of conquest through
Dhammavijaya.
• This was meant to work both at the State and
personal levels, and totally transformed the
attitude of the king and his officials towards
their subjects.
 Chauhan_Sir_History

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