The Maurya Empire was a geographically in depth Iron Age historical power supported by Chandragupta Maurya that dominated ancient India between 322 BCE and 187 BCE. Extending into the dominion of Magadha within the Indo-Gangetic Plain within the Japanese facet of the Indian landmass, the empire had its capital town at Pataliputra (modern Patna). The empire was the biggest to possess ever existed within the Indian landmass, spanning over 5 million sq. kilometers (1.9 million sq. miles) at its celestial point beneath Ashoka.
Chandragupta Maurya raised a military and with the help of Chanakya (also called Kauṭilya), overthrew the Nanda Empire in c. 322 BCE and speedily dilated his power westward across central and western India, taking advantage of the disruptions caused by the withdrawal westward of Alexander the Great’s armies. By 317 BCE the empire had absolutely occupied Northwestern India, defeating and subjection the satraps left by Alexander. Chandragupta then defeated the invasion junction rectifier by Seleucus I, a Macedonian general from Alexander’s army, gaining extra territory west of the Indus.
The Maurya Empire was one among the biggest empires of the planet in its time. At its greatest extent, the empire stretched to the north on the natural boundaries of the range, to the east into Assam, to the west into Baluchistan (southwest West Pakistan and southeast Iran) and also the mountain chain mountains of what’s currently Asian country. The Empire was dilated into India’s central and southern regions by the emperors Chandragupta and Bindusara, however it excluded Kalinga (modern Odisha), till it had been conquered by Ashoka. It declined for regarding fifty years once Ashoka’s rule over, and it dissolved in 185 BCE with the inspiration of the Shunga Sept in Magadha.
Under Chandragupta Maurya and his successors, internal and external trade, agriculture, and economic activities all thrived and dilated across Republic of India due to the creation of one and economical system of finance, administration, and security. once the Kalinga War, the Empire practiced nearly 0.5 a century of peace and security below Ashoka. Mauryan Republic of India additionally enjoyed associate degree era of social harmony, spiritual transformation, and growth of the sciences and of information. Chandragupta Maurya’s embrace of Jainism enhanced social and non secular renewal and reform across his society, whereas Ashoka’s embrace of Buddhism has been same to possess been the muse of the reign of social and political peace and non-violence across all of Republic of India. Ashoka sponsored the spreading of Buddhist missionaries into land, geographic region, West Asia, North Africa, and Mediterranean Europe.
The population of the empire has been calculable to be concerning 50–60 million, creating the Mauryan Empire one in all the foremost inhabited empires of Antiquity. Archaeologically, the amount of Mauryan rule South Asia falls into the age of Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW). The Arthashastra and also the Edicts of Ashoka area unit the first sources of written records of Mauryan times. The Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath has been created the national emblem of Republic of India.
Chandragupta Maurya and Chanakya
The Maurya Empire was supported by Chandragupta Maurya, with facilitate from Chanakya, at Takshashila. in step with many legends, Chanakya cosmopolitan to Magadha, a kingdom that was massive and militarily powerful and feared by its neighbors, however was affronted by its king Dhana Nanda, of the Nanda phratry. Chanakya swore revenge and vowed to destroy the Nanda Empire. Meanwhile, the gaining control armies of Alexander the nice refused to cross the Beas stream and advance additional eastward, deterred by the prospect of battling Magadha. Alexander came back to urban center and re-deployed most of his troops west of the Indus River. shortly once Alexander died in urban center in 323 BCE, his empire fragmented into freelance kingdoms LED by his generals.
The Greek generals Eudemus and Peithon dominated within the Indus depression till around 317 BCE, once Chandragupta Maurya (with the assistance of Chanakya, World Health Organization was currently his advisor) musical organization a rebellion to drive out the Greek governors, and later on brought the Indus depression beneath the management of his new seat of power in Magadha.
Chandragupta Maurya’s rise to power is shrouded in mystery and conflict. On one hand, variety of ancient Indian accounts, like the drama Mudrarakshasa (Poem of Rakshasa – Rakshasa was the prime minister of Magadha) by Vishakhadatta, describe his royal ancestry and even link him with the Nanda family. A Hindoo tribe referred to as the Maurya’s square measure remarked within the earliest Buddhist texts, Mahaparinibbana Sutta. However, any conclusions square measure laborious to form while not additional historical proof. Chandragupta 1st emerges in Greek accounts as “Sandrokottos”. As a young man he’s same to own met Alexander. he’s conjointly same to own met the Nanda king, enraged him, and created a accomplishment. Chanakya’s original intentions were to coach a guerilla army beneath Chandragupta’s command.
Conquest of Magadha
Chanakya inspired Chandragupta Maurya and his army to require over the throne of Magadha. exploitation his intelligence network, Chandragupta gathered several young men from across Magadha and alternative provinces, men upset over the corrupt and oppressive rule of king Dhana Nanda, and the resources necessary for his army to fight a protracted series of battles. These men enclosed the previous general of Taxila, accomplished students of Chanakya, the representative of King Parvataka, his son Malayaketu, and therefore the rulers of little states. The Macedonians (described as Yona or Yavana in Indian sources) might then have participated, beside alternative teams, within the armed struggle of Chandragupta Maurya against the Nanda phratry. The Mudrarakshasa of Visakhadutta moreover because the Jaina work Parisishtaparvan verbalise Chandragupta’s alliance with the mountain chain king Parvataka, typically known with Porus, though this identification isn’t accepted by all historians. This mountain chain alliance gave Chandragupta a composite and powerful army created of Yavanas (Greeks), Kambojas, Shakas (Scythians), Kiratas (Himalayans), Parasikas (Persians) and Bahlikas (Bactrians) World Health Organization took Pataliputra (also known as Kusumapura, “The town of Flowers”):
“Kusumapura was enclosed from each direction by the forces of Parvata and Chandragupta: Shakas, Yavanas, Kiratas, Kambojas, Parasikas, Bahlikas et al., assembled on the recommendation of Chanakya” in Mudrarakshasa a pair of
Preparing to invade Pataliputra, Maurya came up with a technique. A battle was proclaimed and therefore the Sanskritic language army was drawn from the town to a remote field of honor to interact with Maurya’s forces. Maurya’s general and spies in the meantime bribed the corrupt general of Nanda. He additionally managed to form an environment of war within the kingdom, that culminated within the death of the heir to the throne. Chanakya managed to persuade well-liked sentiment. Ultimately Nanda resigned, handing power to Chandragupta, and went into exile and was ne’er detected of once more. Chanakya contacted the prime minister, Rakshasas, and created him perceive that his loyalty was to Magadha, to not the Nanda phratry, demand that he continue in workplace. Chanakya additionally reiterated that selecting to resist would begin a war that may severely have an effect on Magadha and destroy the town. Rakshasa accepted Chanakya’s reasoning, and Chandragupta Maurya was licitly put in because the new King of Magadha. Rakshasa became Chandragupta’s chief authority, associate degreed Chanakya assumed the position of an elder politician.
Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta campaigned against the Macedonians once Seleucus Nicator, within the method of making the Seleucid Empire out of the japanese conquests of Alexander the good, tried to recapture the northwestern components of Asian nation in 305 BCE. general unsuccessful (Seleucid–Mauryan war), the 2 rulers finally all over a peace accord: a matrimonial treaty (Epigamia) was all over, within which the Greeks offered their blue blood for alliance and facilitate from him. Chandragupta snatched the satrapies of Paropamisade (Kamboja and Gandhara), Arachosia (Kandhahar) and Gedrosia (Balochistan), and Seleucus Nicator received five hundred war elephants that were to possess a decisive role in his finish against western Hellenic kings at the Battle of pitched battle in 301 BCE. Diplomatic relations were established and several other Greeks, like the scholarly person Megasthenes, Deimakos and Dionysius resided at the Mauryan court.
Chandragupta established a powerful centralized state with Associate in Nursing administration at Pataliputra, which, in line with Megasthenes, was “surrounded by a wood wall perforate by sixty four gates and 570 towers”. Aelian, though not expressly quoting Megasthenes nor mentionning Pataliputra, represented Indian palaces as superior in splendor to Persia’s metropolis or Ectabana. The design of town appears to possess had several similarities with Persian cities of the amount.
Chandragupta’s son Bindusara extended the rule of the Mauryan empire towards southern Asian nation. The notable Tamil writer Mamulanar of the Sangam literature represented however the Deccan upland was invaded by the Maurya army. He additionally had a Greek ambassador at his court, named Megasthenes.
Megasthenes describes a disciplined multitude below Chandragupta, WHO live merely, honestly, and don’t apprehend writing:
“The Indians all live frugally, particularly once in camp. They dislike a good undisciplined multitude, and consequently they observe smart order. larceny is of terribly rare prevalence. Megasthenes says that people who were within the camp of Sandrakottos, whereby lay four hundred,000 men, found that the thefts rumored on anyone day failed to exceed the worth of 200 drachmae, and this among people WHO don’t have any written laws, however area unit unaware of writing, and should thus all told the business of life trust to memory. They live, nonetheless, gayly enough, being easy in their manners and stinting. They ne’er drink wine except at sacrifices. Their drink could be a liquor composed from rice rather than barley, and their food is in the main a rice-pottage.”
Bindusara
Bindusara was the son of the primary Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya and his queen Durdhara. throughout his reign, the empire expanded southward. in keeping with the Rajavalikatha, a faith work, the initial name of this emperor was Simhasena. in keeping with a legend mentioned within the faith texts, Chandragupta’s Guru and adviser Chanakya accustomed feed the emperor tiny doses of poison along with his food to make his immunity against potential assassination tries by his enemies. One day, Chandragupta, not knowing concerning the poison, shared his food along with his pregnant partner, United Nations agency was seven days off from delivery. The queen folded and died at intervals jiffy. Chanakya entered the area at the terribly moment she folded, and, so as to save lots of the kid within the female internal reproductive organ, he like a shot cut open the dead queen’s belly and took the baby out. By that point a drop of poison had already reached the baby and touched its head, as a result of that the kid got a permanent chromatic spot (a “bindu”) on his forehead. Thus, the newborn was named “Bindusara”.
Bindusara, simply twenty two years recent, transmitted an oversized empire that consisted of what’s currently, Northern, Central and japanese components of India along side components of Islamic State of Afghanistan and Baluchistan. Bindusara extended this empire to the southern a part of India, as way as what’s currently referred to as Mysore. He brought sixteen states below the Mauryan Empire and so conquered most of the Indian earth (he is alleged to own conquered the ‘land between the 2 seas’ – the ground region between the Bay of geographic region and also the Arabian Sea). Bindusara did not conquer the friendly Tamil kingdoms of the Cholas, dominated by King Ilamcetcenni, the Pandyas, and Cheras. with the exception of these southern states, Kalinga (modern Odisha) was the sole kingdom in India that did not type the a part of Bindusara’s empire. it absolutely was later conquered by his son Ashoka, United Nations agency served because the viceroy of Ujjaini throughout his father’s reign.
Bindusara’s life has not been documented similarly as that of his father Chandragupta or of his son Ashoka. Chanakya continuing to function prime minister throughout his reign. in keeping with the medieval Tibetan scholar Taranatha United Nations agency visited India, Chanakya helped Bindusara “to destroy the nobles and kings of the sixteen kingdoms and so to become absolute master of the territory between the japanese and western oceans.” throughout his rule, the voters of Taxila revolted double. the explanation for the primary revolt was the maladministration of Susima, his eldest son. the explanation for the second revolt is unknown, however Bindusara couldn’t suppress it in his time period. it absolutely was crushed by Ashoka when Bindusara’s death.
Ashoka
As a young patrician, Ashoka was an excellent commander UN agency crushed revolts in Ujjain and Takshashila. As monarch he was formidable and aggressive, re-asserting the Empire’s superiority in southern and western Asian nation. however it had been his conquest of Kalinga (262–261 BCE) that proven to be the polar event of his life. though Ashoka’s army succeeded in overwhelming Kalinga forces of royal troopers and civilian units, associate calculable one hundred,000 troopers and civilians were killed within the furious warfare, together with over ten,000 of Ashoka’s own men. many thousands of individuals were adversely tormented by the destruction and fallout of war. once he in person witnessed the devastation, Ashoka began feeling regret. though the annexation of Kalinga was completed, Ashoka embraced the teachings of Buddhism, and renounced war and violence. He sent out missionaries to travel around Asia and unfold Buddhism to different countries.
Ashoka enforced principles of creed by forbiddance looking and violent sports activity and ending unfree and compelled labor (many thousands of individuals in war-ravaged Kalinga had been forced into laborious labour and servitude). whereas he maintained an oversized and powerful army, to stay the peace and maintain authority, Ashoka distended friendly relations with states across Asia and Europe, and he sponsored Buddhist missions. He undertook a colossal construction building campaign across the country. Over forty years of peace, harmony and prosperity created Ashoka one in every of the foremost roaring and far-famed monarchs in Indian history. He remains associate idealised figure of inspiration in fashionable Asian nation.
The Edicts of Ashoka, set in stone, square measure found throughout the landmass. starting from as way west as Afghanistan and as way south as Andhra (Nellore District), Ashoka’s edicts state his policies and accomplishments. though preponderantly written in Prakrit, 2 of them were written in Greek, and one in each Greek and Aramaic. Ashoka’s edicts talk to the Greeks, Kambojas, and Gandharas as peoples forming a frontier region of his empire. They conjointly attest to Ashoka’s having sent envoys to the Greek rulers within the West as way because the Mediterranean. The edicts exactly name every of the rulers of the Hellenic world at the time like Amtiyoko (Antiochus), Tulamaya (Ptolemy), Amtikini (Antigonos), Maka (Magas) and Alikasudaro (Alexander) as recipients of Ashoka’s proselytism.The Edicts conjointly accurately find their territory “600 yojanas away” (a yojanas being concerning seven miles), equivalent to the space between the middle of Asian nation and Balkan nation (roughly four,000 miles)
Ambassadors from the Seleucid Empire (such as Deimachus) and Egypt visited his courts. He maintained sensible relations with the Hellenic World. Unlike his father Chandragupta (who at a later stage regenerate to Jainism), Bindusara believed within the Ajivika sect. Bindusara’s guru Pingalavatsa (Janasana) was a Brahminof the Ajivika sect. Bindusara’s partner, Queen Subhadrangi (Queen Aggamahesi) was a Brahmin conjointly of the Ajivika sect from Champa (present Bhagalpur district). Bindusara is attributable with giving many grants to Brahmin monasteries (Brahmana-bhatto). Bindusara died in 272 BCE (some records say 268 BCE) and was succeeded by his son Ashoka.
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