THE MAURYAN EMPIRE
Introduction
The establishment of the Mauryan Empire brought in a new era in the history of India. The Mauryan Empire expanded from East of Afghanistan, Baluchistan and the area west of Indus River to the Deccan. It also spread towards present day Bihar, large parts of Orissa and Bengal. It was for the first time that a kingdom had spread to such a huge area within the subcontinent. The Mauryan Empire and its expansion were so significant that it finds elaborate mention in numerous sources both literary and epigraphical. These sources come from within as well as outside the Indian subcontinent.
Learning Objectives
In this chapter, you will learn about:
Mauryan Kings
Greatest Mauryan Ruler – Ashoka
Mauryan Administration
Mauryan Art and Architecture
Most Important Literary Sources of Mauryan History
| Literary Source | Author |
|---|---|
| Arthasastra | Kautilya |
| Mudrarakshasa | Visakadatta |
| Indica | Megasthenes |
Note: Buddhist literature such as Jatakas was also very popular during the Mauryan period.
Mauryan Kings (Chronological Order)
The three most important kings of the Mauryan Empire were: Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara and Ashoka.
Mauryan Kings Flowchart
Chandragupta Maurya (322 BC – 298 BC) → Bindusara (298 BC – 273 BC) → Ashoka (269 BC – 232 BC)
Chandragupta Maurya (322 BC – 298 BC)
Important Facts
He was the founder of Mauryan Empire.
He succeeded in rising to power with Kautilya, also known as Chanakya, by his side. Kautilya, a Brahman remained his chief counsel during his years of reign. He overthrew the last Nanda ruler – Dhanananda.
Chandragupta Maurya, before acquiring the throne from Nandas, spread his reign to North Western India. He also acquired his hold over larger parts of Orissa, Bihar, Bengal and Deccan. He thus founded a vast empire with Patliputra as his capital.
His important victory was against Alexander’s general of North-West India, Seleucus Nikator, in 305 BC. He subsequently married his daughter, Cornelia.
Chandragupta Maurya had substantial diplomatic exchanges including a marriage with Greek rulers in the north-west. He is referred to in Greek texts as Sandrocottos and is said to have met Alexander as a young man before his rise.
A Greek ambassador, Megasthenese, was sent to his court by Seleucus.
It is said that he gave 500 elephants as a gift to Seleucus.
The Junagarh rock inscription of Rudradaman says that his governor, Pushyagupta, constructed a dam on Sudarshana Lake for irrigation.
As per Jain tradition, Chandragupta Maurya was an ardent Jaina and abdicated the throne for his son Bindusara. He went to Shravan belagola (near Mysore) in South India and ended his life by slow starvation in orthodox Jain manner.
Bindusara (298 BC – 273 BC)
Important Facts
He succeeded his father, Chandragupta Maurya.
He patronized Ajivikas, a religious sect.
Under his leadership, the kingdom expanded further towards South as far as Mysore.
Greeks called him Amitrochates, meaning slayer of foes.
He received Deimachus as ambassador from the Greek king Antiochus I.
He asked for sweet wine, dried figs and a sophist from Greek’s Antiochus I.
He appointed his son Ashoka as the governor of Taxila and Ujjain.
Ashoka (269 BC – 232 BC)
Important Facts
He is considered as the greatest Mauryan ruler.
Before being a Mauryan king, Ashoka was Ujjain’s Governor and also suppressed a revolt in Taxila during his father, Bindusara’s reign.
The Ceylonese Chronicles state that Ashoka captured power after killing his ninety nine brothers including his elder brother, Susima.
During his reign, the Mauryan kingdom stretched through the entire subcontinent (except from extreme South)and included Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Kashmir and Nepal.
He assumed the title of Devanam Piyadassi, meaning beloved of Gods or just Devanampiya.
The most important event of his reign was his epic war with Kalinga in 261 BC, that occurred in the 9th year of his reign and which he won.
Ashoka’s Hellenistic Contemporaries
| Name | Country |
|---|---|
| Antiochus II Theos | Syria |
| Ptolemy II Philadelphus | Egypt |
| Antigonus Gonatus | Macedonia |
| Alexander | Epirus or Cyprus |
| Magas | Cyrne |
Hellenistic relates to the post-classical Greek history and culture from the death of Alexander the Great to the accession of Augustus.
The Greatest Mauryan Ruler – Ashoka
According to a famous writer H.G. Wells,
“Amidst the tens and thousands of names of monarchs that crowd the columns of history, the name of Asoka shines and shines almost alone, a star”.
Ashoka and Buddhism
Ashoka fought a war to conquer Kalinga – coastal Orissa’s ancient name. However, he was so horrified when he saw the violence and bloodshed that he decided not to fight any more wars.
He is the only king in the history of the world who gave up conquest after winning a war.
He converted to Buddhism as result of the Kalinga war. Subsequently, under the Buddhist monk, Upagupta, he adopted Buddhism.
In 241 BC, he visited Lumbini Garden, Buddha’s birth place, near Kapilavastu.
He sent a mission to Ceylon or Sri Lanka under his son Mahinda and daughter Sangamitra, who planted the branch of the original Bodhi tree there.
He convened the 3rd Buddhist Council at Pataliputra in 240 BC to strengthen the Sangha – an assembly of Buddhist monks and nuns.
Ashoka’s Dhamma
Dhamma is the Prakrit word for the Sanskrit term Dharma.
Ashoka’s dhamma did not involve worshipping a God or performing a sacrifice, but it was the essence of all the religions. He appointed officials known as the Dhamma Mahamatta, who went from place to place, teaching people about his dhamma.
He also sent messengers to spread ideas about dhamma to other lands, such as Syria, Egypt, Greece and Sri Lanka.
Ashoka’s Inscriptions and Edicts
Ashoka built rock and pillar edicts depicting Buddhism’s expansion through his kingdom.
Referred to as Edicts of Ashoka, these are a collection of 33 inscriptions on pillars of Ashoka, boulders and cave walls, spread across modern-day Pakistan, Nepal and India.
He was the first ruler who tried to take his message to the people through inscriptions.
The inscriptions of Ashoka were first deciphered by James Princep in 1837.
These inscriptions are in Karoshti script and the language used in them is Pali as well as Prakrit in some places.
There are fourteen major Rock Edicts which include Ashoka’s principle of government and policy of Dhammaand are located at places such as Dhauli, Girnar and Junagarh.
Major Rock Edicts of Ashoka
| Name of Edict | Description |
|---|---|
| First major rock edict | Prohibition on animal slaughter |
| Second major rock edict | Mention of places of Cholas, Pandyans, Satayaputras and Keralaputras |
| Third major rock edict | Directions to Predeshikas, Yuktas and Rajukas for propagation of Dhamma |
| Fourth major rock edict | Impact of Dhamma on society |
| Fifth major rock edict | Appointments of Dhammamahamattas |
| Sixth major rock edict | Welfare measures |
| Seventh major rock edict | Propagation of peace, balance of mind and faith |
| Eighth major rock edict | Details of visit to Bodhi tree |
| Ninth major rock edict | Stress on ceremony of Dhamma |
| Tenth major rock edict | Ashoka’s desire to gain popularity for Dhamma |
| Eleventh major rock edict | Appraisal of Dhamma |
| Twelfth major rock edict | Promotion to religion of different faiths |
| Thirteenth major rock edict | Largest of all: Victory over Kalinga, Destruction of war, Mention of Greek rulers |
| Fourteenth major rock edict | Nature of all other rock edicts, inclusion of Ashoka into Sangha, bilingual nature |
Besides the major rock edicts, there were some minor Rock edicts as well as major Pillar edicts.
Other Rock Edicts
Minor Rock Edicts
Found at Bairat, Brahmagiri, Maski, Sasaram, Gujarra, etc.
Inscriptions in the Maski and Gujarra edicts refer his name as Asoka.
Important edicts under this category include:
Queen’s edict: Relates to the 2nd Queen – Karuvaki and is located at Kaushambi in Allahabad
Bhabra edict: Depicts Ashoka’s faith in Buddhism
Major Pillar Edicts
These are seven in number and have been found at Topra (Delhi), Meerut, Kaushambi, Rampurva, Champaran, Mehrauli.
The edict found at Topra and Meerut was shifted to Delhi by Firoz Shah Tuhlaq and is famous as Delhi-Topra and Delhi-Meerut edict.
Some minor Pillar edicts have been found at Sanchi, Sarnath, Rummindei (Lumbini), Nigalisagar.
Mauryan Administration
The Mauryan Empire had an elaborate administration.
The metropolitan areas were directly governed. The provinces were placed under a prince of the royal family.
Centres of provincial administration were in Taxila, Ujjain, Dhauli, Suvarnagiri and possibly Girnar.
The Mauryan state had a well-organized civil service. Pradeshikas were senior officers who would tour the provinces every five years and audit the administration.
He had a council of ministers that were free to advise him but the decision lay in the hands of the King.
There was a chief commander, chief minister, a chief priest, a treasurer, a chief collector. Then, there were soldiers, accountants, clerks and artisans. All of these people were paid salaries known as panas.
Land revenue was normally fixed within one sixth and quarter of the produce.
State owned land was called Sita land.
Rajukas were in charge for delivering justice in both cities and rural areas. They also were in charge of assessment work.
The Mauryan army was well organized and was under the control of a Senapati. Soldiers’ salaries were paid in cash.
According to the Greek author Pliny, the Mauryan army consisted of 600,000 foot soldiers, 30,000 cavalry, 9,000 elephants and 8,000 chariots.
Mauryan Art and Architecture
The pillars erected by Ashoka are the finest specimen of Mauryan art.
Ashokan pillars with inscriptions were found in places such as Delhi, Allahabad, Rummindai, Sanchi and Sarnath.
The Saranath pillar with four lions standing back to back is the most magnificent. The Indian government adopted this pillar, with some modifications, as its state emblem.
Ashoka built a number of stupas (probably 84,000) throughout his empire, but majority of them were destroyed during foreign invasions. The best example of these stupas is the famous Sanchi stupa, which has massive dimensions.
The Lomasrishi caves at Barabar hills near Bodh Gaya are wonderful pieces of Mauryan architecture.
Coins used by Mauryans were termed as Karshapana and were mostly made of silver.
The Mauryans standardized the particular shape and size of the coins and fixed the number of punch marks to be imposed on them.
These coins then came to be referred as Punch Mark coins and were introduced in four denominations as Pana, Ardha-pana, Pada and Asta-bhaga or Ardhapadika.
These coins were circulated beyond Mauryan borders as well.
Summary
Mauryan Empire
The Mauryan Empire expanded from East of Afghanistan, Baluchistan and the area west of Indus River to the Deccan. It also spread towards present day Bihar, large parts of Orissa and Bengal. It was for the first time that a kingdom had spread to such a huge area within the subcontinent.
Most important literary sources of Mauryan history are: Arthasastra by Kautilya, Mudrarakshasa by Visakadatta and Indica by Megasthenes.
Mauryan Kings
The three most important kings of the Mauryan Empire were: Chandragupta Maurya (322 BC-298 BC), Bindusara (298 BC-273 BC) and Ashoka (268 BC-232 BC).
Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of Mauryan Empire.
His important victory was against Seleucus Nikator in 305 BC.
As per Jain tradition, Chandragupta Maurya abdicated the throne for Bindusara.
Bindusara patronized Ajivikas.
Ashoka is considered as the greatest Mauryan ruler.
Due to Kalinga war, he converted to Buddhism under the Buddhist monk, Upagupta.
Ashoka built rock and pillar edicts depicting Buddhism’s expansion.
Mauryan Administration
Centres of provincial administration were Taxila, Ujjain, Dhauli, Suvarnagiri and Girnar.
The Mauryan state had a well-organized civil service.
Land revenue was normally fixed within one sixth and quarter of the produce.
Mauryan Art and Architecture
The pillars erected by Ashoka are the finest specimen of Mauryan art.
The Sarnath pillar is India’s state emblem.
Sanchi Stupa and Barabar caves are remarkable architectural achievements.
