The Mauryan Empire was established in 321 BCE in the wake of Alexander the Great's conquest of

part of India. The empire was led by three major emperors, Chandragupta Maurya (321-298 BCE),
Bindusara (298-272 BCE), and Asoka (272-232 BCE). Feb 4, 2015

People also ask

Who was the last king of the Mauryan empire?

Brihadratha Maurya

Brihadratha (IAST: Brihadratha Maurya) was the last ruler of the Maurya Empire. He ruled from c.
187 – c. 180 BCE. He was killed by his general, Pushyamitra Shunga, who went on to establish the
Shunga Empire.

Brihadratha Maurya - Wikipedia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brihadratha_Maurya

Search for: Who was the last king of the Mauryan empire?

Who was the greatest ruler of the Mauryan empire?

Chandragupta Maurya

Chandragupta Maurya and Asoka are the most famous rulers of Mauryan Dynasty, Bindusara and
Dasratha are worth mentioning too. Chandragupta Maurya - the first historical emperor of India-
laid the foundation of Mauryan Dynasty after defeating Dhanananda-last ruler of Nanda Dynasty.

Who is the most famous ruler of the Mauryan Empire? - Quora

https://www.quora.com/Who-is-the-most-famous-ruler-of-the-Mauryan-Empire

Search for: Who was the greatest ruler of the Mauryan empire?

How did the Maurya dynasty end?

Shailendra Gautam has very described the decline of the Mauryan empire. After Asoka the great,
the successive rulers didn't have the capacity to rule such a large empire and it began to weaken and
eventually ended. ... It happened with the Roman empires after the Ceasers.

What are the causes of the downfall of the Maurya empire? - Quora

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-causes-of-the-downfall-of-the-Maurya-empire

Search for: How did the Maurya dynasty end?

Who ruled Magadha after Maurya dynasty?

3 Answers
Soumya Shekhar MauryaStudying from last 15 yrs

Former Student

B tech Computer Science and System Engineering, KIIT UniversityExpected 2022

Lives in Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh, India1999-present

3.7k answer views1k this month

Knows Hindi

Soumya Shekhar Maurya, B tech Computer Science and System Engineering, KIIT University (2022)

Answered Sep 10 2018

any great empire can’t be build single handly there were many contributor’s.

Some of the important rulers who ruled the Magadha dynasty:

Chandragupta Maurya (322 – 298 B.C.)
Chandragupta Maurya was supposed to be the founder of the Mauryan Empire. Scholars suggest
that he was only 25 years when he captured Patliputra from the ruler of Nanda Dynasty,
Dhanananda. As it has been already mentioned, in this task he was assisted by Chanakya/ Kautilya/
Vishnupgupta. First of all he established his power in Indo-Gangetic plains and later marched
towards northwest. Chandragupta soon conquered th

any great empire can’t be build single handly there were many contributor’s.

Some of the important rulers who ruled the Magadha dynasty:

Chandragupta Maurya (322 – 298 B.C.)
Chandragupta Maurya was supposed to be the founder of the Mauryan Empire. Scholars suggest
that he was only 25 years when he captured Patliputra from the ruler of Nanda Dynasty,
Dhanananda. As it has been already mentioned, in this task he was assisted by Chanakya/ Kautilya/
Vishnupgupta. First of all he established his power in Indo-Gangetic plains and later marched
towards northwest. Chandragupta soon conquered the whole region of Punjab. Seleucus Nicator a
Greek general (Alexander’s general) held some of the land in the extreme north. Therefore,
Chandragupta fought a long battle against him and at last defeated him around 305 B.C. and a treaty
was signed. According to this treaty, Selukas Niketar ceded the trans-Indus territories – namely Aria
(Heart), Arachosia (Kandhar), Gedrosia (Baluchistan) and Paropanishae (Kabul) – to the Mauryan
Empire and in exchange Chandragupta made a gift of 500 elephants to Selukas. He (Selukas) also
gave his daughter in marriage to the Mauryan prince or it is supposed that Chandragupta married
Seleucus's daughter (a Greek Macedonian princess) as a gift from Seleucus to formalize an alliance.
In this way he took his control over Indus region, some part of which is now in modern Afghanistan.
Later he moved towards Central India and occupied the region, north of Narmada River.

In addition to this treaty, Megasthenese was sent by Seleucus to the court of Chandragupta and
Deimakos to Bindusar’s court as Greek ambassadors. Chandragupta embraced Jainism towards the
end of his life and stepped down from the throne in favour of his son Bindusara. Later he
(Chandragupta) along with Jain monks led by Bhadrabhagu went to Sravana Belgola, nearby Mysore
and starved himself to death in typical Jaina fashion.
Trade flourished, agriculture was regulated, weights and measures were standardized and money
came into use. Taxation, sanitation and famine relief became the concerns of the state.

Bindusara (297 – 272 B.C.)

Chandragupta ruled for around 25 years and after that he left his throne for his son Bindusara.
Bindusara was called by the Greeks as “Amitragatha” meaning Slayer of enemies. According to some
scholars Bindusara have conquered the Deccan upto Mysore. Bindusara conquered 16 states
comprising ‘the land between the two seas’ as confirmed by Taranatha, the Tibetan monk. According
to Sangam Literature Maurya invaded up to far south. Therefore it can be said that during the rule of
Bindusara, the Mauryan dynasty extended as far as Mysore and therefore included almost the whole
India but excluded a small portion of unexplored trial and forested regions near Kalinga (Orisaa) and
the kingdoms of extreme south were not the part of empire.

Bindusara also had contact with the Selucid Syrian king Antiochus I who sent Deimachus as
ambassador to his court (Bindusara). Bindusara asked to Antiochus I asking for sweet wine, dried figs
and a sophist. The later sent all but not a sophist because sending a sophist was prohibited by the
Greek law. Bindusara kept interest in the Ajivikas, a religious sect. Bindusara appointed his son
Ashoka as the governor of Ujjain who later suppressed a revolt at Taxila.

Asoka the Great (268 – 232 B.C.)

Under Ashoka, Mauryan Empire reached its climax. For the first time, the whole subcontinent,
leaving out the extreme south, was under imperial control. There was an interval of four years
between Asoka’s accession to the throne (273 B.C.) and his actual coronation (269 B.C.). Therefore,
it appears from the available evidence that there was a struggle for the throne after Bindusara’s
death.

However, it is clear that the succession of Asoka was a disputed one. The most important event of
Asoka’s reign was his victorious war with Kalinga in 261 B.C. There was no evidence about the actual
cause of the war but both the side suffered heavy losses. Ashoka was saddened by the wounds and
he himself described the effects of war in the Rock edict XIII. Right after the completion of war he
(Ashoka) annexed Kalinga to the Mauryan Empire and decided further no more wars. Another most
important effect of the Kalinga war was that Asoka embraced Buddhism under the influence of
Buddhist monk, Upagupta.

While he maintained a large and powerful army to maintain peace and authority, Ashoka expanded
friendly relations with states across Asia and Europe, and sponsored Buddhist missions. Missionaries
to the kingdoms of Cholas and Pandyas and five states ruled by Greek kings were sent by Ashoka. He
also sent missionaries to Ceylon and Suvarnbhumi (Burma) and also parts of South East Asia.

Mahendra, Tivara (the only one mentioned in an inscription), Kunala and Taluka were prominent
among Ashoka’s sons. Two of his daughters Sanghamitra and Charumati were known.

 Who was the founder of the Mauryan Empire?

 In your own words, what can be said about the most prominent rulers of the Mauryan
Empire?

 What is the origin of the Mauryan Empire?

 How did the Mauryan Empire end?

 Why is the Mauryan empire called the first empire of India?

Rishabh Shukla, Bsc geology from Sgrr Pg College Dehradun

Answered Apr 20, 2018

Answered Apr 20, 2018

. Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka are the most famous rulers of Mauryan Dynasty, Bindusara
and Dasratha are worth mentioning too.

Chandragupta Maurya - the first historical emperor of India-laid the foundation of Mauryan
Dynasty after defeating Dhanananda-last ruler of Nanda Dynasty. Many texts(Puranas and
Mudraraksha) claimed that he was a shundra which i strongly oppose. He was a kshatriya
belonging to Mura dynasty from Pipplivana. He defeated Seleucus Nicator, Viceroy of Alexander
and consolidated his empire eastern Afghanistan and Baluchistan. The marriage alliance indicated
Chandragupta.

Chris Young, works at Pensioner

Answered Apr 4, 2018 · Author has 3.3k answers and 1.2m answer views

Outside India and the adjacent territories that were part of it, I think the only Maurya emperors that
even fairly aware people have ever heard of are Chandragupta and Ashoka. I wouldn’t like to bet on
which was better known: in the UK people are more familiar with the name of Ashoka, because it’s
commonly used as the name of a restaurant, but I’d guess that not more than 0.1% of the people
who dine in restaurants named after him have a clue who Ashoka was.

Outside India and the adjacent territories that were part of it, I think the only Maurya emperors that
even fairly aware people have ever heard of are Chandragupta and Ashoka. I wouldn’t like to bet on
which was better known: in the UK people are more familiar with the name of Ashoka, because it’s
commonly used as the name of a restaurant, but I’d guess that not more than 0.1% of the people
who dine in restaurants named after him have a clue who Ashoka was.

I would also say that almost nobody in Britain learns any ancient history at all, even of their own
country, let alone others. I would like to think that other countries do better, but I take leave to

Related Questions

 Why is the Mauryan empire considered the greatest empire in Indian history?

 Why is the Mauryan administration known as the first empire?

 Who were the vassals of the Mauryan Empire?

 What was the downfall of Mauryan empire?

 What Mauryan ruler was the first to adopt Buddhism?

 In 80–100 words, what are the three most prominent rulers of the Mauryan Empire?

 What were the fertile areas of Mauryan empire?

 Who ruled in Ancient India between the Mauryan Empire and the Gupta Empire?

 What are the sources of the Mauryan Empire?

 Who are the three most influential rulers of the Mauryan dynasty and what did they do?
Related Questions

 Who was the founder of the Mauryan Empire?

 In your own words, what can be said about the most prominent rulers of the Mauryan
Empire?

 What is the origin of the Mauryan Empire?

 How did the Mauryan Empire end?

 Why is the Mauryan empire called the first empire of India?

 Why is the Mauryan empire considered the greatest empire in Indian history?

 Why is the Mauryan administration known as the first empire?

 Who were the vassals of the Mauryan Empire?

 What was the downfall of Mauryan empire?

 What Mauryan ruler was the first to adopt Buddhism?

Chandragupta

emperor of India

Written By:

 The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

See Article History

Alternative Titles: Candra Gupta Maurya, Chandra Gupta, Chandragupta Maurya, Maurya

Chandragupta, also spelled Chandra Gupta, also called Chandragupta Maurya or Maurya, (died c.
297 bce, Shravanbelagola, India), founder of the Mauryan dynasty (reigned c. 321–c. 297 bce) and
the first emperor to unify most of India under one administration. He is credited with saving the
country from maladministration and freeing it from foreign domination. He later fasted to death in
sorrow for his famine-stricken people.

India: Chandragupta Maurya

Chandragupta overthrew the Nanda power in Magadha and then campaigned in central and
northern India. Greek sources report…
Chandragupta was born into a family left destitute by the death of his father, chief of the migrant
Mauryas, in a border fray. His maternal uncles left him with a cowherd who brought him up as his
own son. Later he was sold to a hunter to tend cattle. Purchased by a Brahman politician, Kautilya
(also called Chanakya), he was taken to Taxila (now in Pakistan), where he received an education in
military tactics and the aesthetic arts. Tradition states that while he slept, following a meeting with
Alexander the Great, a lion began licking his body, gently waking him and prompting in him hopes of
royal dignity. Upon Kautilya’s advice, he collected mercenary soldiers, secured public support, and
ended the autocracy of the Nanda dynasty in a bloody battle against forces led by their commander
in chief, Bhaddasala.

Ascending the throne of the Magadha kingdom, in present-day Bihar state, about 325 bce,
Chandragupta destroyed the sources of Nanda power and eliminated opponents through well-
planned administrative schemes that included an effective secret service. When Alexander died in
323, his last two representatives in India returned home, leaving Chandragupta to win the Punjab
region about 322. The following year, as emperor of Magadha and ruler of the Punjab, he began
the Mauryan dynasty. Expanding his empire to the borders of Persia, in 305 he defeated an
invasion by Seleucus I Nicator, a Greek contender for control of Alexander’s Asian empire.

Ranging from the Himalayas and the Kābul River valley (in present-day Afghanistan) in the north and
west to the Vindhya Range in the south, Chandragupta’s Indian empire was one of history’s most
extensive. Its continuation for at least two generations is attributable in part to his establishment of
an excellent administration patterned on that of the Persian Achaemenid dynasty (559–330 bce) and
after Kautilya’s text on politics, Artha-shastra (“The Science of Material Gain”). Chandragupta’s son,
Bindusara, continued to expand the empire to the south.

Traditionally, Chandragupta was influenced to accept Jainism by the sage Bhadrabahu I, who
predicted the onset of a 12-year famine. When the famine came, Chandragupta made efforts to
counter it, but, dejected by the tragic conditions prevailing, he left to spend his last days in the
service of Bhadrabahu at Shravanabelagola, a famous religious site in southwestern India, where
Chandragupta fasted to death.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kenneth Pletcher, Senior Editor.

India: Chandragupta Maurya

Chandragupta overthrew the Nanda power in Magadha and then campaigned in central and
northern India. Greek sources report that he engaged in a conflict in 305 bce in the trans-Indus
region with Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander’s generals, who, following the death

Buddhism: Expansion of Buddhism

The first Mauryan emperor, Chandragupta (c. 321–c. 297 bce), patronized Jainism and, according
to some traditions, finally became a Jain monk. His grandson, Ashoka, who ruled over the greater
part of the subcontinent from about 268 to 232 bce, traditionally played an important role in
Buddhist history because of

ancient Iran: The Seleucids

…forced to abandon these to Chandragupta, the founder of the great Maurya empire in India. This
was a serious loss to the Seleucids, for they lost not only the Indian territory conquered by
Alexander but also frontier districts west of the Indus River. As recompense, Seleucus received 500
elephants, which…

chronology: Reckonings dated from a historical event

…Empire, to the court of Chandragupta Maurya, Aśoka’s grandfather. According to Megasthenes,

the people of the Magadha kingdom, with its capital Pāṭaliputra (Patna), kept very long dynastic lists,
preserved in the later Sanskrit Purāṇas (legends of the gods and heroes) and later Buddhist and Jain
chronicles. They generally indicate, in…

epigraphy: Ancient India

…Megasthenes to the Maurya king Chandragupta (Greek Sandrokottos) at Pataliputra (Greek

Palimbothra; modern day Patna) in Magadha (modern day Bihar). The Maurya dynasty was
continued in the early 3rd century bce by Chandragupta’s son Bindusara (Amitrochates in the Greek
sources) and had extended its power over much of the subcontinent.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Chandragupta

Mauryan Empire

https://www.ancient.eu/Mauryan_Empire/

Definition

by Anindita Basu
published on 06 October 2016
The Mauryan Empire (322 BCE - 185 BCE) supplanted the earlier Magadha Kingdom to assume
power over large tracts of eastern and northern India. At its height, the empire stretched over parts
of modern Iran and almost the entire Indian subcontinent, barring only the southern peninsular tip.
The empire came into being when Chandragupta Maurya stepped into the vacuum created by
Alexander of Macedon's departure from the western borders of India. Chandragupta subjugated
the border states, recruited an army, marched upon the Magadha kingdom, killed its tyrannical king
who was despised by the populace, and ascended the throne. He thus founded the Mauryan
dynasty. In his rise to power, he was aided and counselled by his chief minister Kautilya (also known
as Chanakya), who wrote the Arthashastra, a compendium of kingship and governance.

Consolidation of power

Chandragupta embarked upon an aggressive expansion policy. Seleucos I Nicator, who was
Alexander's satrap for the eastern Macedonian conquests, was defeated and had to cede the
entire territory under him to Chandragupta, along with a daughter and considerable money. He
also sent Megasthenes, who wrote the Indica, to the Mauryan court as the Greek ambassador.

Chandragupta used marriage alliances, diplomacy, trickery, and war to extend his kingdom. Under
him, the Mauryan empire stretched from eastern Iran to the western borders of the Burmese hills,
and from the Himalayan tribal kingdom to the southern plateaus of peninsular India. After ruling for
about 25 years, Chandragupta abdicated in favour of his son, Bindusara, and became a Jain monk.
Bindusara maintained his father's large dominions efficiently and extended the southern borders to
cover the peninsular plateau of India. When he died, his son Ashoka seized the throne after a
fratricidal succession dispute. The empire that Ashoka inherited was large, but a small kingdom on
the east coast, Kalinga, was outside its pale. Ashoka decided to conquer it. The war that ensued was
bloody and long. Kalinga resisted to the last man but fell. After Kalinga, Ashoka did not attack any
kingdom but proceeded on a mission of peace. He erected several pillars throughout his kingdom,
exhorting people to give up violence and live in harmony with each other and with nature. He
actively patronised Buddhism, built several stupas and repaired older ones, and sent evangelical
missions abroadMaurya Empire

Description

The Maurya Empire was a geographically-extensive Iron Age historical power based in Magadha
and founded by Chandragupta Maurya which dominated the Indian subcontinent between 322
and 187 BCE. Wikipedia

Capitals: Pataliputra, Patna

Founder: Chandragupta Maurya

Disestablished: 185 BC

Government: Absolute monarchy

Emperor of India

भारत के सम्राट

Imperial

Coat of Arms of India

Incumbent
 " height="219" >
Sikandar Maurya
since 2012

Details

Style His/Her Imperial Highness

Heir apparent None

First monarch Chandragupta Maurya

Formation 320 BC

Residence Imperial Palace of India

The Emperor of India is the head of state of and head of the government of India.

Contents

Name

The Emperor of India (Hindi:सम्राट, Samraat) or the Empress of India (Hindi:साम्राज्ञी, Samrani) are the
most common names. The Emperor or Empress also hold numerous titles.

Line of Succession

There is no current line of succession, Sikandar Maurya is the last known member of the Maurya
Dynasty.

History

The Maurya Empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya. The empire was at that time an
absolute, divine and hereditary monarchy. Women were also excluded from inheriting the throne.
The Maurya Empire collapsed in 185 BC and was re-established in 2012 after the Mauryan
Restoration. From late 1600s till 2012 the Maratha Empire remained the super power.

Today, India is a limited, hereditary, constitutional, parliamentary and democratic monarchy. The
emperor/empress is responsible for all political and military affairs. The parliament with its head,
the Prime Minister is responsible for all other affairs. The current Emperor and Empress are
Sikandar Maurya Kothari and Satyana Kothari Maurya. But there is still a Peshwa-Khan (legacy of
the Maratha Empire) and he is a relative of Sadhashivarao X (the last Maratha Peshwa-Khan), he is
Peshwa Vivekarao.

List of Emperors

List of Emperors of India

Number Name of Emperor Reign

1 Chandragupta Maurya 322 BC - 298 BC

2 Bindusara 298 BC - 272 BC

3 Ashoka 274 BC - 232 BC

4 Dasaratha 232 BC - 224 BC

5 Samprati 224 BC - 215 BC

6 Salisuka 215 BC - 202 BC

7 Devavarman 202 BC - 195 BC

8 Satadhanvan 195 BC - 187 BC

9 Brihadatha 187 BC - 185 BC

Maurya Empire was formally abolished in 185 BC.

Empire was re-established in 2012 after the Indian revolution.

10 Sikandar Maurya 2012 - present

10 Satyana Maurya 2012 - present

<img style=""
src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/althistory/images/6/68/ChandraguptaMaurya.jpg/revision/
latest/scale-to-width-down/310?cb=20121117181655" title="ChandraguptaMaurya.jpg (112 KB)"
class="thumbimage" alt="ChandraguptaMaurya" data-image-name="ChandraguptaMaurya.jpg"

data-image-key="ChandraguptaMaurya.jpg">
Chandragupta Maurya

<img style=""
src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/althistory/images/8/88/Ashoka.jpg/revision/latest/scale-
to-width-down/219?cb=20121117181713" title="Ashoka.jpg (28 KB)" class="thumbimage"
lt="Ashoka" data-image-name="Ashoka.jpg" data-image-key="Ashoka.jpg">

Ashoka

<img style="" src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/althistory/images/d/dd/Sikandar-to-width-

down/217?cb=20121117182 alt="Sikandar2" data-image-name="Sikandar2.jpg" data-image-

key="Sikandar2.jpg">

Sikandar Maurya

<img style=""
src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/althistory/images/b/ba/SatyanaKothari.jpg/revision/latest/
scale-to-width-down/310?cb=20121111200511" title="SatyanaKothari.jpg (32 KB)"
class="thumbimage" alt="SatyanaKothari" data-image-name="SatyanaKothari.jpg" data-image-

key="SatyanaKothari.jpg">

Satyana Maurya

Retrieved from
"https://althistory.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Emperors_of_Hindustani_Empire_(Great_Empires)?old
id=15ad, two of which comprised his own son and daughter

Statue of Mauryan Emperor Chandragupta

...various animals were declared to be protected — parrots, mainas, aruna, ruddy geese, wild ducks,
nandimukhas, gelatas, bats, queen ants, terrapins, boneless fish, vedareyaka, gangapuputaka,
sankiya fish, tortoises, porcupines, squirrels, deer, bulls, okapinda, wild asses, wild pigeons, domestic
pigeons and all four-footed creatures that are neither useful nor edible. Those nanny goats, ewes
and sows which are with young or giving milk to their young are protected, and so are young ones
less than six months old. Cocks are not to be caponized, husks hiding living beings are not to be
burnt and forests are not to be burnt either without reason or to kill creatures. One animal is not to
be fed to another. On the three Caturmasis, the three days of Tisa and during the fourteenth and
fifteenth of the Uposatha, fish are protected and not to be sold. During these days animals are not to
be killed in the elephant reserves or the fish reserves either. On the eighth of every fortnight, on the
fourteenth and fifteenth, on Tisa, Punarvasu, the three Caturmasis and other auspicious days, bulls
are not to be castrated, billy goats, rams, boars and other animals that are usually castrated are not
to be. On Tisa, Punarvasu, Caturmasis and the fortnight of Caturmasis, horses and bullocks are not
be branded.
(Pillar edict)

The successors of Asoka were not strong enough to hold the empire together. It started
disintegrating bit by bit, and in 185 BCE, almost 150 years after Chandragupta had overthrown the
Magadha king, the last Mauryan ruler was assassinated by his commander-in-chief while
inspecting his troops.

Economy

Trade and enterprise were public-private affairs: the state could own and engage in business
activities just like ordinary citizens could. The royal revenue was drawn from taxes (and war booty).
Additionally, the king owned timber land, forest land, hunting groves, and manufacturing facilities,
and their surplus was sold off. The state had monopoly over coinage, mining, salt production, arms
manufacture, and boat building.

The state could own & engage in business activities just like ordinary citizens could. Additionally, it
had A monopoly over coinage, mining, salt production, arms manufacture, & boat building.

Farmers comprised the largest part of the population, and agriculture was taxed. Tradespeople were
organized into guilds that held both executive and judicial authority and also functioned as banks.
Craftspeople engaged in a particular industry tended to live together. Goods could not be sold at the
place where they were produced; they had to be brought to specific markets. Tolls were collected
for roads and river crossings; and goods sold within the kingdom were taxed, as were imports and
exports. The state fixed the wholesale price of goods and inspected weights and measures. Barter
was prevalent, as were gold, bronze, and copper coins. Money was lent on interest against
promissory notes.

The main road that ran through the entire kingdom and connected it to the western Greek world
was well maintained and well patrolled, with pillars and signposts marking the distances and the by-
roads. Ships sailed down the Ganges and its tributaries, and to foreign shores such as Sri Lanka,
China, and the African and Arabian harbours, and the state took care to destroy pirates.

Administration

The king was the head of the state and controlled the military, executive, judiciary, and legislature.
He took advice from a council comprising the chief minister, the treasurer, the general, and other
ministers. The kingdom was divided into provinces under governors, who were often royal princes.
Provinces were further composed of towns and villages under their own district and village
administrators. It was a large bureaucracy that the king employed. Like today, the rungs in the civil
services were clearly defined, and those at the very top were far removed from the lower grades.
For example, the ratio of a clerk's salary to the chief minister's has been estimated at 1:96. With
such high levels of salary, we can assume that the higher officers were expected to carefully oversee
the functioning of their departments.
 Ashoka's pillar

There were departments to govern, look after, and control almost every aspect of social life:
industrial art, manufacturing facilities, general trade and commerce, foreigners, births and deaths,
commercial taxes, land and irrigation, agriculture, forests, metal foundries, mines, roads, and public
buildings. The high-ranking officers were expected to go on inspection tours to ensure that the
bureaucracy was discharging its duties well.

He who causes loss of revenue eats up the king's wealth, he who produces double the [anticipated]
revenue eats up the country, and he who spends all the revenue [without bringing any profit] eats
up the labour of workmen.
(Arthashastra, 2.9.13, 15, 17)

The empire also had a large spy network and maintained a large standing army. The king's army was
not really disbanded even after the third Mauryan king, Ashoka, gave up war. Next to the farmers, it
was the soldiers who formed the bulk of the population. Soldiers were expected to only fight and
were not required to render any other service to the king; when there was no war, they could amuse
themselves in whatever manner that caught their fancy. There were separate departments for the
infantry, cavalry, navy, chariots, elephants, and logistics. Soldiers not only drew their salary from the
exchequer but were also provided with arms and equipment at the state's expense. We have
descriptions of some of the arms that these soldiers carried: foot soldiers carried man-length bows
(and arrows), ox-hide bucklers, javelins, and broadswords. The cavalry rode bareback and used
lances and bucklers.

... nor do they curb them with bits like the bits in use among the Greeks or the Kelts but they fit
around the extremity of the horse's mouth a circular piece of stitched raw ox-hide studded with
pricks of iron or brass pointing inwards, but not very sharp. If a man is very righ, he uses pricks of
ivory. Within the horse's mouth is put an iron prong like a skewer to which the reins are attached.
When the rider, then, pulls the reins, the prong controls the horse and the pricks, which are

attached to this prong, goad the mouth... Sasa

Jataka Narrative Sculpture
Religion

Chandragupta, the founder of the Maurya dynasty, was a Hindu. In later life, he became a Jain. His
grandson Ashoka put the state's entire resources to promote Buddhism, but whether he formally
converted to the faith remains unclear. The populace, by and large, belonged to one of these three
religions while other noticeable groups were atheists, agnostics, or those who subscribed to
primitive faiths.

Downfall

About 50 years after Ashoka's death, the Mauryan king was killed by his general-in-chief,
Pushyamitra, who founded the Shunga dynasty. Scholars give several reasons for the empire's
downfall, the major ones being its size and its weak rulers after Ashoka. Border states had started
asserting their independence right after Ashoka's death. The empire started shrinking under
Ashoka's successors. By the time Pushyamitra seized the throne, the mighty Mauryan Empire was a
fraction of its size, reduced to only the three city-states of Pataliputra, Ayodhya, and Vidisha, and
some parts of the Punjab.

Editorial Review This Article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic
standards prior to publication.

About the Author

https://www.ancient.eu/Mauryan_Empire/

Anindita Basu

Anindita is a technical writer and editor. Her off-work interests include Indology, data visualization,
and etymology.

Lesson Transcript

Instructor: Amy Troolin

https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-mauryan-empire-in-india-rulers-edicts.html

Amy has MA degrees in History, English, and Theology. She has taught college English and religious
education classes and currently works as a freelance writer.

In this lesson, we will study India's Mauryan Empire. We will learn about its rulers, explore its
government and economy, delve into its religious life, and examine its decline and disappearance.

Three Great Emperors

In 326 BCE, Alexander the Great crashed into India in his quest for world domination. He found a
collection of small and large states ruled by independent kings and governors. Although he never
progressed further than India's northwest corner (Alexander died in 323 BCE), his presence was
enough to upset India's proverbial apple cart and make way for the rise of a powerful new Indian
dynasty. That dynasty was waiting in the wings in the person of Chandragupta Maurya, who knew an
opportunity when he saw one and reached out to grasp it.

Chandragupta was the ruler of the Magadha region in the northeast, but with the help of his
shrewd political adviser, Kautilya, he marched across India, drove Alexander's successors out of
the region, and established his domain in 321 BCE. Soon, he was the emperor of nearly five million
square miles of land and between 50 and 60 million people. Chandragupta's son, Bindusara,
ascended to the throne in 298 BCE and reigned until 272. During this time, he extended the empire
even further, taking the lands of central India. Even areas not under his direct control paid him
tribute. Even this, however, was not quite enough for the next emperor, Bindusara's son, Ashoka,
who reigned from 272 to 232 BCE.

Ashoka soon proved to be a brilliant and brutal military leader bent on extending his empire south
and east, and he didn't much care who died or was destroyed in the process. About 261 BCE,
Ashoka's army marched against the eastern coastal kingdom of Kalinga, which refused to pay him
tribute. By the end of the campaign over 100,000 residents of Kalinga were dead, and another
150,000 were homeless. Even more died from starvation and disease after the battle. Ashoka
looked at what he had done and was horrified. He converted to Buddhism and renounced all war,
adopting the principles of non-violence, respect, and tolerance.

Government

These three emperors—Chandragupta, Bindusara, and Ashoka—created an efficient central

government that allowed their empire to prosper and expand. They gathered a council of advisers
and established a bureaucracy to handle day-to-day affairs in the great capital city of Pataliputra.
They divided the empire into provinces and sent members of the royal family to govern them,
administer justice, collect taxes, and build up public works, like hospitals, wells, and roads. They
kept a close eye on all of this activity through frequent inspections and, more importantly, a
network of spies.

The emperors also maintained a massive army. Ancient sources describe the Mauryan military as
consisting of thousands of infantry soldiers, cavalrymen, and even war elephants. The Mauryans
knew how to intimidate their foes, and their forces were large enough to conquer and hold vast
areas of land and millions of people.

Trade and Agriculture

Because the Mauryan emperors maintained a stable, organized government, their empire benefited
from many opportunities for trade and agricultural growth. Transportation networks with good
roads and waterways, well-maintained rest houses, and the secure protection of the military allowed
merchants to move through the empire and beyond, trading their spices, textiles, and silks. The
emperors also maintained a common currency throughout India, which helped merchants and
traders maintain consistent fees and profits.

Farmers, too, had much to be grateful for under Mauryan rule. The government sponsored projects
to help them clear land and build irrigation systems, and agriculture prospered accordingly. Farmers
also appreciated the central system of taxation, which eliminated multiple taxes and crop sharing
with regional rulers and allowed them to keep more of their money and crops for their own use or to
sell to others.
Religion

Religion was another key element of the Mauryan Empire. The emperors recognized and allowed
multiple religions, including the traditional Hinduism as well as new faiths like Buddhism and
Jainism. Chandragupta was a Hindu who converted to Jainism, while Bindusara seems to have
maintained his Hindu roots. Ashoka, however, was probably the most religious of the three
emperors. He converted to Buddhism after the Kalinga War and promoted his new faith widely,
sponsoring the building of temples, schools, universities, and stupas (sites of prayer and Buddhist
relics), and encouraging (but not requiring) his subjects to embrace his new faith.

Ashoka further spread his Buddhist ideas through his rock and pillar edicts, which combined religion
and administration. Ashoka ordered edicts, or official proclamations, carved into rocks or cave walls
all across his empire. He also raised 40-50 foot high stone pillars along major roads and inscribed
them with more edicts. Some rocks and pillars instructed the people in religious principles. Others
recorded Ashoka's accomplishments and victories. Still others made apologies for the emperor's past
actions, especially at Kalinga, and promises of future care.

No matter what they said, these pillar edicts, as they are usually called, were direct messages from
an emperor to his subjects, and they were spread from one end of the empire to the other. Ashoka
did not want to leave anyone out.

Decline and Disappearance

When Ashoka died in 232 BCE, he was replaced by a series of weak rulers who proved incapable of
managing the huge Mauryan Empire. Provinces rebelled and split off; conflict and competition
arose within the government and the bureaucracy. The emperors just could not hold things
together. One by one, they came and went over 50 years, and the empire fragmented further. In
185 BCE, the last Mauryan emperor, Brihadratha, was overthrown by the leader of a new dynasty,
and the Mauryans passed into history.

Lesson Summary

The Mauryan Empire was established in 321 BCE in the wake of Alexander the Great's conquest of
part of India. The empire was led by three major emperors, Chandragupta Maurya (321-298 BCE),
Bindusara (298-272 BCE), and Ashoka (272-232 BCE). Chandragupta established and spread the
empire. Bindusara expanded it further. Ashoka, who was a great military leader, enlarged it
further yet, often violently as in the war against the eastern coastal kingdom of Kalinga about 261.

The Mauryan emperors established a strong central government with a council of advisers and a
bureaucracy, divided the empire into carefully administered provinces, created systems for taxation
and public works, and supported a large military force. They also bolstered trade and agriculture,
leading India into a time of prosperity.

Religion was a critical element of the Mauryan Empire, and the emperors recognized Hinduism,
Buddhism, and Jainism. Ashoka was particularly religious. He converted to Buddhism after the
Kalinga War and spread its teachings, as well as his own accomplishments, apologies, and promises
throughout the empire by having edicts carved into rocks and pillars as personal messages from an
emperor to his subjects.

The Mauryan Empire declined after Ashoka's death because of a series of weak emperors. It finally
disappeared in 185 BCE after the last Mauryan emperor, Brihadratha, was overthrown by the
leader of a new dynasty.