Important Notes on History ( Mauryan Dynasty)

First Empire

The Mauryan Empire was the first major empire in the history of India, ruled by Mauryan Dynasty from 321BC. to 185 BCE.

• Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of this dynasty. Other important rulers were his son Bindusara & Bindusara’s son Asoka.
• Mauryan Empire was one of the largest empires to rule the Indian subcontinent. It stretched to the natural boundaries of Himalayas & to the east stretching into what is now Assam. To the west, it stretched beyond modern Pakistan, annexing Baluchistan, including heart & Kandhar provinces. 
• Most of our knowledge about the Maunyan period, in general & the rule of Chandragupta is obtained from 2 sources (literary)

1. Arthashastra written by Chanakya
2. Indica, written by the ancient Greek writer Megasthenes.

• The Arthashastra talks about the principles of governance & lays dawn the rules of administration. 
• The Indica of Megasthenes, on the other hand, gives vivid description of the ‘Mauryan Society. Megasthenes described the glory of Maurjan capital Pataliputra, & talked about the lifestyle in the lilies & villages & the prosperities of the Mauryan lilies. 
• Chandragupta had united the whole of N. India under one rule. Thus Mauryan Empire was the first large, powerful, centralized state in India. 
• During Chandragupta’s reign, the state regulated trade, levied taxes & standardized weights & measures. Trade & commerce also flourished. King was the head of the centralized administrative system & was ably assisted by the council of ministers. 
• Chandragupta Maurya becomes the first monarch to initiate as religious transformation at tightest level, when he embraced Jainism. However Bindusara, his son, preserved Hindu traditions while Asoka embraced Buddhism.
•  The Mauryans implemented a common economic system & enhanced trade & commerce with increased agricultural productivity under the suidance of chanakya.
•  An international network of trade expanded during Asoka’s reign under the Indo-Greek treaty. Like the kyber pass (on the boundary Pakistan & Afghanistan) became inp. Part of trade & commerce. Greek states & Hellenic kingdoms in W. Asia became trade partners of India. Trade also extended through the Malay Penisula to S.E. Asia. India’s export included silk goods & textiles, spices & exolic food, gold & precious stones.
• Ashoka sponsored the construction of roads, waterways, canals, hospitals, rest houses & other public works.
•  Asoka was the most famous Mauryan ruler, who tried to take his message to the people through the inscriptions. Most of the inscriptions were in Prakrit & were written in Brahmi script.
•  The war of kalinga was a turning point in Asoka’s life. The large scale carnage moved Asoka & he embraced. Buddhism, shunning all farms of vidence. He is the only king to give up conquest after winning a war.
•  He believed in high ideals, which according to him could lead people to be virtuous & peace loving. This he called “Dhamma” (Prakrit form of Sanskrit word Dharma). His rock edicts & pillar inscriptions propagate the true essence of Dhamma.

Asoka asked the different religious groups (Brahmins, Buddhists & Jains (to live in peace. His lofty ideals included

1. Shunning violence & was
2.  Stopping animal sacrifice
3.  Respect for elders
4.  Respect of staves by their masters
5. Vegetarism  

• Asoka sent edicts to different parts of the Empire, where they were engraved on rocks & pillars for common man to see tread. 
• Asoka sent his son Mahendra to Srilanka to propagate Buddhism. He propagated Buddhims to Chola & Pandya Kingdoms in the southern part of India & then Buddhist missions to Burma & S.E. Asia too. 
•   Asoka introduced a new cadre of officials – Dhamma Mahamatta, who was sent across the empire to spread the message of Asoka’s Dhamma.

 Important Facts:

·         3 most imp. Cities of Mauryan period

1.  Pataliputra
2. Taxila
3. Ujjain

• Before ascending the throne Asoka served as a viceroy of Taxila. 
•  Taxes & tributes were collected by the Mauryan officials. Taxes were collected on regular basis from farmers, herders, craftsmen & tracers. Tributes were collected as an when it was possible from people who gave a variety of thins, more or less willingly. exmaple

1. Elephant, timber, honey & wax was collected from forested region of C. India.
2. Gold & precious stones from S. India.
3.  Blankets from N.W. India.

The Mauryan Empire collapsed about 2200 yrs. ago.

• They were followed by the Indo-Greek rulers for 100 yrs. in the N.W., & parts of N. India.
• The, the Central Asian people known as the Sakas set up kingdoms in N.W., North & Western India. Saka Kingdom lasted for about 500 yrs.
• Shakas fought several battles with Satavahanas who ruled over western & parts of central India. The Satuahanas who established about 2100 yrs. ago lasted for 400 yrs. around 1700 years ago, a new rulings family known as the Vakatakas became powerful in Central & western India.
• In the north & parts of C. India, Pushya Mitra Sugna, a general of Mauryas set up a kingdom. They were followed by Kanvas & by rolers of other families till the establishment of Gupta Empire about 1700 yrs. ago.