MAURYAN EMPIRE - 15 Mints Seminar Notes

Mauryan Empire (321 – 184 BC)

The foundation of the Mauryan Empire opens a new era in the history of India and for the first time, the political unity was achieved in India

Chandragupta Maurya (322 – 298 B.C.)

Chandragupta Maurya was the first ruler who unified entire country into one political unit, called the Mauryan Empire.
He had captured Pataliputra from Dhanananda, who was the last ruler of the Nanda dynasty.
He didn’t do achieve this feat alone, he was assisted by Kautilya, who was also known as Vishnugupta or Chanakya. Some scholars think that Chanakya was the real architect of this empire.
After establishing his reign in the Gangetic valley, Chandragupta Maurya marched to the northwest and conquered territories upto the Indus. In the north, he occupied the region north of river Narmada.
In 305 B.C., he defeated Selukas Niketar, who was controlling the northwestern part of India that was under greek control.
A treaty was concluded, under which, Selukas Niketar ceded the territories of Kabul, Kandhar, Herat, Baluchistan – to the Mauryan Empire.
Seleucus sent Megasthenes to the Mauryan court as Greek ambassador. Greeks called him Sandrocottas.
He established a vast empire, extending from Afganistan to Assam and from Kashmir to Karnataka(except Kalinga). Chandragupta embraced Jainism and stepped down from the throne for his son Bindusara to take over.

Bindusara (298 – 273 B.C.)

Bindusara was called by the Greeks as “Amitragatha” meaning slayer of enemies.
He is said to have conquered the Deccan up to Mysore. Taranatha, the Tibetan monk states that Bindusara conquered 16 states comprising ‘the land between the two seas
The Sangam Tamil literature also confirms the Mauryan invasion of the far south. The Mauryan Empire under Bindusara extended up to Mysore. Bindusara received Deimachus as ambassador from the Syrian king AntiochusI.
Bindusara wrote to Antiochus I asking for sweet wine, dried figs and a sophist. The latter sent all but a sophist because the Greek law prohibited sending a sophist.Bindusara supported the Ajivikas, a religious sect.
Bindusara appointed his son Asoka as the governor of Ujjain.

CHANAKYA

Teacher of Chandragupta Maurya, who was also his Chief Minister.Brahmin by birth, he was a teacher and scholar at Taxila.
Other names are Vishnugupta and Chanakya. He was also a minister in the court of Bindusara.
He is credited to be the master strategist behind the usurping of the Nanda throne and the rise of the Mauryan Empire through his student, Chandragupta.
He wrote Arthashastra which is a treatise on statecraft, economics, and military strategy.
Arthashastra was rediscovered by R Shamasastry in 1905 after it had disappeared in the 12th century.

The work contains 15 books and 180 chapters. The main theme is divided into:o King, Council of Ministers and Departments of the Government

Civil & criminal law
Diplomacy of war
Chanakya is also called ‘Indian Machiavelli”.

Asoka the Great (273 – 232 B.C.)

Asoka acted as Governor of Ujjain and also suppressed a revolt in Taxila during his father Bindusara’s reign.
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.
The Ceylonese Chronicles, Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa state that Asoka captured power after killing his ninety-nine brothers including the his elder brother Susima.
The youngest brotherTissa was spared. According to Taranatha of Tibet, Asoka killed only six of his brothers.
Asoka’s Edict also refers to his brothers acting as officers in his administration.The most important event of Asoka’s reign was his victorious war with Kalinga in 261 B.C.
Although there is no detail about the cause and course of the war, the effects of the war were described by Asoka himself in the Rock edict XIII:
“A hundred and fifty thousand were killed and many times that number perished…” After the war he annexed Kalinga to the Mauryan Empire.
Another most important effect of the Kalinga war was that Asoka embraced Buddhism under the influence of Buddhist monk, Upagupta.

Extent of Asoka’s EmpireExtent of Asoka’s Empire

Asoka’s inscriptions mention the southernmost kingdoms – Cholas, Pandyas, Satyaputras and Keralaputras as border states. Therefore, these states remained outside the Mauryan Empire

Literary Sources

Kautilya’s Arthshashtra

Written in Sanskrit by Chanakya / KauFtilya / Vishnugupta / Indian Machiavelli
Contains 15 books & 180 chapters; with main theme divided into 3 parts
King & his council and departments of government
Civil & criminal law
Diplomacy of war

Vishakadatta’s Mudrarakshasa

A drama in Sanskrit written during Gupta’s period
Describes how Chandragupta maurya with the help of Kautilya overthrew Nandas Gives socio – economic picture of condition under mauryas

Megasthene’s Indica

Megasthene was a Greek ambassador in court of Chandragupta maurya
His book is survived in fragments & provides detail about mauryan administration & military organization, particularly of capital city (Patliputra).

Art & Architecture

Court Art

Palaces

Pillars

Lion Capital i.e. Sarnath Pillar is the most important one.
It symbolizes Dhammachakrapravartana (the first Sermon by Buddha).

Pillar

Stupas

Stupas are burial mounds where.

the relics and the ashes of the dead are kept. Stupas were popularised by the Buddhists.
Stupa, Vihar and Chaitya are part of Buddhist and Jaina monastic complexes.

Popular Art

Caves

Caves were generally used as viharas(living quarters for Jain and Buddhist monks).
Initially they were used by the ajivika sect, later, they became popular as Buddhist monasteries.
Examples: Nagarjuni caves in Bihar.
Rock-cut cave at Barabara Hills near Gaya is also called Lomus Rishi Cave.

Pottery