Maurya empire
India, 322–185 BCE. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Maurya Empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE and lasted in a loose-knit form until 185 BCE. Chandragupta Maurya defeated the Nanda dynasty and extended his rule as far west as Afghanistan and as far south as the northern Deccan. Under Chandragupta's grandson Ashoka, who ruled around 268 to 232 BCE, the empire briefly controlled the major cities and routes of the subcontinent except the deep south. After the Kalinga War, in which Ashoka's troops visited much violence on the region, he embraced Buddhism and promoted its tenets in edicts around South Asia.
Seat of power: Pataliputra
Rulers
Chandragupta Maurya
Head of government, 322–297 BCE
He started a war against the unpopular Nanda dynasty in Magadha, defeated them and established his own dynasty. His administration was decentralised, with provinces and local governments.
Portrait of Chandragupta Maurya: आशीष भटनागर at Hindi Wikipedia, Public domain, file
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Bindusara
Head of government, 297–272 BCE
Bindusara consolidated the empire created by his father. A 16th century Tibetan Buddhist author credits his administration with extensive territorial conquests in southern India, but some historians doubt the historical authenticity of this claim.
Portrait of Bindusara: Photo Dharma from Penang, Malaysia, CC BY 2.0, file
Ashoka
Head of government, 272–232 BCE
His edicts state that in his eighth regnal year he conquered Kalinga after a brutal war. He then devoted himself to the propagation of dhamma, or righteous conduct, the major theme of the edicts. A patron of Buddhism, he is credited with an important role in the spread of Buddhism across ancient Asia.
Portrait of Ashoka: Photo Dharma from Sadao, Thailand, CC BY 2.0, file
Dasaratha Maurya
Head of government, 232–224 BCE
He presided over a declining empire, and several territories broke away from central rule during his reign. He continued the religious and social policies of Ashoka.
Portrait of Dasaratha Maurya: Abhisal2408Cunningham, 1871, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
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Samprati
Head of government, 224–215 BCE
According to Jain tradition, he built 150,000 Jain derasars and made 15 million Jain idols. According to a Jain text, the provinces of Saurashtra, Maharashtra, Andhra and Mysore broke away from the empire shortly after Ashoka's death, but were reconquered by Samprati.
Portrait of Samprati: Zenmodeone, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Salisuka
Head of government, 215–202 BCE
The Yuga Purana section of the Gargi Samhita mentions him as a quarrelsome, unrighteous ruler, but he is also noted as being of righteous words.
Portrait of Salisuka: CNG Coins, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Devavarman
Head of government, 202–195 BCE
According to the Puranas, he reigned for a short period of seven years.
Portrait of Devavarman: Photo Dharma from Penang, Malaysia, CC BY 2.0, file
Satadhanvan
Head of government, 195–187 BCE
According to the Puranas, he reigned for eight years.
Portrait of Satadhanvan: Photo Dharma from Penang, Malaysia, CC BY 2.0, file
Brihadratha Maurya
Head of government, 187–180 BCE
He was overthrown and assassinated by his general, Pushyamitra Shunga, who went on to establish the Shunga Empire. The Mauryan territories had shrunk considerably from the time of Ashoka to when he came to the throne.
Portrait of Brihadratha Maurya: Photo Dharma from Penang, Malaysia, CC BY 2.0, file
Culture
- The Mauryan economy was helped by the earlier rise of Buddhism and Jainism, by coinage and by the use of writing.
- To promote trade, the Maurya dynasty built roads, most prominently the Uttarapath, which connected eastern Afghanistan to their capital Pataliputra.
- Ashoka's edicts forbade both the killing of wild animals and the destruction of forests.
- In July 1947 Jawaharlal Nehru proposed that the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath be the State Emblem of India. The proposal was accepted in December 1947.
Picture
The pillars of Ashoka are a series of monolithic columns that stand throughout the Indian subcontinent, erected by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka.
Image: Bpilgrim (talk · contribs), CC BY-SA 2.5, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.