Mauryan Empire (322-185 BC)

The Maurya Empire (322-185 BC) was the first great effort to unify the innumerable fragments of distracted India. Chandragupta Maurya, the founder not only overthrew the Nandas from Magadha but also the Greek Satraps from the North-West frontier.

::Prominent Rulers of Maurya Empire::

1. Chandragupta Maurya (322-298 BC): 

•  He defeated last Nanda emperor Dhanananda with the help of Chanakya (also known as Kautilya or Vishnugupta, who wrote 'Artha-Shastra' - work on administration, justice and politics of Maurya Empire).
• He expanded his boundaries into Persia and Central Asia, conquering the Gandhara region.
• He defeated Seluscas Nikator (who acquired Babylon after the death of Alexander) with a peace treaty in year 303 BC.
• In the treaty, Seleucus Nikator ceded the following Satrapies to Chandragupta-
• Arachosia (Kandahar), 
• Paropanisade (Kabul), 
• Aria (Herat); and 
• Gedrosia (Baluchistan) 
• Chandragupta gave 500 war elephants to Selucus.
• Seluscas sent Meghasthenes as an ambassador to Mauryan court. He wrote 'Indika'.
• Classical Greek writers mentioned Chandragupta Maurya as Sandrocottus or Androcottus in their works.
• The first Greek traveller to give a first-hand written description of India, Skylax visited Mauryan Empire.
• His Governor (Rashtriya) Pushyagupta constructed a dam for irrigation on Girnar situated in the province of Anarta and Saurashtra (Gujrat). (Ref. 150 AD's Girnar Rock inscription of Rudradaman I.)
• Chandragupta abdicated the throne in favour of his son Bindusara and embraced Jainism. He followed Bhadrabahu to South-India, Chandragiri hills, Shravanbelgola in Karnataka state.
• He starved himself to death there in the approved Jain manner - Sallekhana (also Santhara, Samadhi-marana or Sanyasana-marana)

2. Bindusara (298-273 BC): 

• The Greek historians call him 'Amitrichates' or 'Allitrochades' (Sanskrit 'Amitraghata', slayer of enemies; and 'Amilrakhada', devourer of enemies).
• Bindusara extended Maurya empire from sea to sea by conquering sixteen states except Kalinga. (Some historians disagree with this statement.)
• Antiochus' Greek ambassador Deimechus visited Bindusara's court.
• Bindusara wrote to Antiochus, "send me sweet wine, dry fig and a sophist (philosopher)" but he refused to send a sophist.
• During the initial years of reign, Bindusara subdued a revolt in Taxila and Avanti. He sent Ashoka to suppress these.
• Egypt's Ptolemy Philadelphus sent Dionysius as ambassador to Bindusara's court.

3. Ashoka, the great (268-232 BC)

• He was viceroy of Avanti (Ujjaini) during the rule of Bindusara.
• The Sri Lankan texts represent Asoka as “wading through a pool of Blood” quoting that he terminated all 99 of his brothers except his uterine brother Tishya.
• He conquered Kalinga,a vast tract between the Mahanadi and Godavari rivers, in the 9th year is his reign i.e. 261 BC, which he has described in 13th Rock Edict.
• Ashoka arranged the third Buddhist Council at Pataliputra in 250 BC under the chairmanship of  Moggaliputta Tissa. 
• Abhidhamma Pitaka ( the Pali Canon of the Theravada, consisting of seven books) was established in this council.
• He assumes two titles Devanampiya and Piyadassi in his inscriptions.
• Asoka propagated the concept of Dhamma or Dharma.
• Asoka’s Dhamma was a moral code of ethics.
• The Pillar Edict II of Ashoka says: Dhamma sadhu, kiyam cu dhamme ti? Apasinave, bahu kayane, daya, dane, sace, socaye, madave, sadhave cha (Dhamma is good, but what constitutes Dhamma? (It includes) little evil, much good, kindness, generosity, truthfulness, purity, politeness and asceticism).
• Ashoka appointed a special class of officers, 'dhamma mahamatras', to propagate morality (major rock edict V). He asked them to be teachers first, magistrates afterward.
• Ashoka considered himself to be the trustee of his people's welfare rather than a ruler.
• Edict XIII of Ashoka’s Great Rock Inscriptions mentions The Kalinga War and Dhamma-Vijaya.
• Prosecuting the scheme of 'Dhamma-Vijaya' or moral conquest, Ashoka sent missionaries to the Hellenistic rulers in the Mediterranean world: to the Yona (Greek) king, Antiyoka (Antiochos II of Syria, 261 to 246 BC), Turamaya (Ptolomaios II Philadelphos, 285–247), Antikini (Antigonos Gonatas of Macedonia, 276–239), Maka (Magas of Cyrene, c.300–250), Alikasudara (probably Alexander of Epirus, 272–255). Moreover, his son Mahinda brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka and two monks to Burma. 
• Here is the detailed list of Buddha missionaries sent by Ashoka to spread Buddhism all over
• Majjhantika - Kashmir and Gandhara
• Maharakshit - Greece / Yavan
• Majjhim - Himalayan Countries
• Dharmarakshit - Aprantaka
• Mahadharmarakshit - Maharashtra
• Mahadev - Mahishmandal (Maisore and Mandhata)
• Rakshit - Banvasi (North Kannada)
• Sona and Uttara - Subarnabhumi
• Mahindra and Saghamitra - Cylon / Lanka
• Bharhut Stupa* (Satna, MP) and Sanchi (MP) Stupa were built during his period.
• Ashoka's lion seal carved on the Sarnath pillar has become independent India's state seal, and 24-spoked Ashoka's wheel is represented on the central stripe of India's flag.
• Emperor Ashoka as a great ruler of India and as a promoter of Buddhism holds an important role in the history of the world.
• After the death of Ashoka, the Maurya Empire fell because of the weak successors, the vastness of the empire, independence of the provinces, highly centralized administration (Romila Thapar), foreign invasion, and internal revolt.
• The last king of Maurya empire, Brihadratha was assassinated in 185 BC by the Brahmin general Pushyamitra Shunga with the foundation of the Shunga dynasty in Magadha.

Bibliography:

1. Ancient India: A Historic Outline by D. N. Jha

2. History and Culture of Ancient India by K. C. Shrivastava

3. Early India by Romila Thapar

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