In BCE, Emperor Chandragupta Maurya led a series of campaigns to retake the satrapies left behind by Alexander the Great when he returned westward. Seleucus I fought to defend these territories, but both sides made peace in BCE. Seleucus established himself in Babylon in BC, the year used as the foundation date of the Seleucid Empire.
The Seleucid Empire was a major center of Hellenistic culture. In the areas where a Greek-Macedonian political elite dominated mostly urban , it maintained the preeminence of Greek customs. Little is known of the campaign in which Chandragupta fought with Seleucus over the Indus Valley and the region of Gandhara— a very wealthy kingdom that had submitted decades earlier to Alexander the Great. Seleucus lost the Seleucid-Mauryan War, and the two rulers reconciled with a peace treaty.
The Greeks offered a Macedonian princess for marriage to Chandragupta, and several territories, including the satrapies of Paropamisade modern-day Kamboja and Gandhara , Arachosia modern-day Kandhahar , and Gedrosia modern-day Balochistan. In addition to this treaty, Seleucus dispatched two Greek ambassadors, Megasthenes and, later, Deimakos, to the Mauryan court at Pataliputra.
Thus, continuing ties between the Hellenistic world and the Mauryan Empire. During his reign, Bindusara expanded the Maurya Empire southward, with Chanakya as his advisor. He brought 16 states under the Maurya Empire and thus conquered almost all of the Indian peninsula. As a young prince, Ashoka r. But it was his conquest of Kalinga BCE that proved to be the pivotal event of his life. Hundreds of thousands of people were adversely affected by the destruction and fallout of war.
When he personally witnessed the devastation, Ashoka began feeling remorse. Although the annexation of Kalinga was completed, Ashoka embraced the teachings of Buddhism, and renounced war and violence. He sent out missionaries to travel around Asia and spread Buddhism to other countries.
While he maintained a large and powerful army to keep the peace, Ashoka expanded friendly relations with states across Asia and Europe, and sponsored Buddhist missions. He undertook a massive public works building campaign across the country.
Among these works were the construction of stupas , or Buddhist religious structures, containing relics. Over 40 years of peace, harmony, and prosperity made Ashoka one of the most successful and famous monarchs in Indian history. He remains an idealized figure of inspiration in modern India. Perhaps one of the greatest-known accomplishments of Ashoka was his creation of his edicts, which were erected between BCE and BCE. The Edicts of Ashoka, set in stone, are found throughout the Subcontinent.
Although predominantly written in Prakrit, two of them were written in Greek, and one in both Greek and Aramaic. For this, the Edicts of Ashoka are known as an early document that promoted religious tolerance.
Kabul Museum. The Mauryan Empire encouraged economic prosperity through political stability and a unified central government. Employing a carefully organized bureaucratic system, the Maurya Empire was able to maintain security and political unity across large parts of western and southern Asia. This included a common economic system supporting stable agriculture in its vast landholdings, as well as successful trade and commerce.
Through this centralized authority, which included a powerful military, the rulers of the empire bound together the previously fractured regions of the Indian Subcontinent. Before the Mauryan Empire, the Indian subcontinent was fragmented into hundreds of kingdoms. These were ruled by powerful regional chieftains with small armies that engaged in internecine warfare.
The Mauryan Army eliminated regional chieftains, private armies, and even gangs of bandits, who sought to impose their own supremacy in small areas. The Mauryan Army, the largest standing military force of its time, supported the expansion and defense of the empire.
According to scholars, the empire wielded , infantry, 30, cavalry, and 9, war elephants, while a vast espionage system collected intelligence for both internal and external security purposes. Although Emperor Ashoka renounced offensive warfare and expansionism, he maintained this standing army to protect the empire from external threats and maintain stability and peace across Western and Southern Asia.
The Mauryan Empire was divided into four provinces, with the imperial capital at Pataliputra, near the Ganges River in the modern state of Bihar in India. The organizational structure began at the imperial level with the emperor and his Mantriparishad, or Council of Ministers.
Through this sophisticated system of bureaucracy, the empire governed all aspects of government at every level, from municipal hygiene to international trade. Maurya Empire at its greatest extent dark orange , including vassal kingdoms light orange , BCE: The Maurya Empire provided political stability with a unified central government, which in turn encouraged economic prosperity. Chandragupta Maurya, the father of the dynasty, established a single currency across India, a network of regional governors and administrators, and a civil service to provide justice and security for merchants, farmers, and traders.
Through the disciplined central authority of the Mauryan Empire, farmers were freed of tax and crop collection burdens from regional kings. Instead, they paid a nationally administered system of taxation that was strict but fair. The system operated under the principles of the Arthashastra , an ancient Indian treatise on economic policy, statecraft, and military strategy.
Written in Sanskrit and adhering to Hindu philosophies, the Arthashastra includes books on the nature of government, law, civil and criminal courts, ethics, and economic topics, including markets and trade, agriculture, mineralogy, mining and metals, forestry, and others.
Although regimental in revenue collection, the Mauryan Empire funded numerous public works projects to enhance productivity. Like his father and grandfather, Ashoka sponsored the construction of thousands of roads, waterways, canals, rest houses, hospitals, and other types of infrastructure. Under continued Mauryan rule, political unity and military security encouraged a common economic system, increased agricultural productivity, and enhanced widespread trade and commerce for the first time in West and South Asia.
Coins of the Maurya Empire: Chandragupta Maurya established a single currency across India, including these silver punch mark coins with symbols of wheel and elephant, 3rd century BCE. The Khyber Pass, on the modern boundary of Pakistan and Afghanistan, became a strategically important point of trade and interaction with the outside world. Greek states and Hellenic kingdoms in West Asia became trading partners.
Trade also extended through the Malay Peninsula into Southeast Asia. The outside world gained new scientific knowledge and technology through expanded trade with the Mauryan Empire. Mauryan emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism after witnessing the mass deaths of the Kalinga War, which he himself had waged out of a desire for conquest. Kalinga was a state that prided itself on its sovereignty and democracy. With its monarchical parliamentary democracy, it was quite an exception in ancient Bharata where there existed the concept of Rajdharma.
Rajdharma means the duty of the rulers, which was intrinsically entwined with the concept of bravery and dharma. The Kalinga War happened eight years after his coronation. When he was walking through the grounds of Kalinga after his conquest, rejoicing in his victory, he was moved by the number of bodies strewn there and the wails of the bereaved.
Edict 13 on the Edicts of Ashoka Rock Inscriptions reflect the great remorse the king felt after observing the destruction of Kalinga:. His Majesty felt remorse on account of the conquest of Kalinga because, during the subjugation of a previously unconquered country, slaughter, death, and taking away captive of the people necessarily occur, whereas His Majesty feels profound sorrow and regret.
Legend says that one day after the war was over, Ashoka ventured out to roam the city and all he could see were burnt houses and scattered corpses. The lethal war with Kalinga transformed the vengeful Emperor Ashoka into a stable and peaceful emperor, and he became a patron of Buddhism.
According to the prominent Indologist, A. However, according to Basham, the Dharma officially propagated by Ashoka was not Buddhism at all. Nevertheless, his patronage led to the expansion of Buddhism in the Mauryan empire and other kingdoms during his rule, and worldwide from about BCE. Mauryan India also enjoyed an era of social harmony, religious transformation, and expansion of the sciences and of knowledge. One of the more enduring legacies of Ashoka Maurya was the model that he provided for the relationship between Buddhism and the state.
Throughout Theravada Southeastern Asia, the model of rulership embodied by Ashoka replaced the notion of divine kingship that had previously dominated in the Angkor kingdom, for instance. Many rulers also took an active role in resolving disputes over the status and regulation of the sangha, as Ashoka had by calling a conclave to settle a number of contentious issues during his reign. This development ultimately led to a close association in many Southeast Asian countries between the monarchy and the religious hierarchy, an association that can still be seen today in the state-supported Buddhism of Thailand, and the traditional role of the Thai king as both a religious and secular leader.
Ashoka also said that his courtiers always governed the people in a moral manner. As a Buddhist emperor, Ashoka believed that Buddhism is beneficial for all human beings, as well as animals and plants, so he built a number of stupas, Sangharama, viharas, chaitya, and residences for Buddhist monks all over South Asia and Central Asia.
According to the Ashokavadana, he ordered the construction of 84, stupas to house the Buddhas relics. In the Aryamanjusrimulakalpa, Ashoka takes offerings to each of these stupas, traveling in a chariot adorned with precious metals.
He gave donations to viharas and mathas. Ashoka ordered the construction of 84, stupas to house the Buddhas relics. The use of Buddhist sources in reconstructing the life of Ashoka has had a strong influence on perceptions of Ashoka, as well as the interpretations of his Edicts.
Building on traditional accounts, early scholars regarded Ashoka as a primarily Buddhist monarch who underwent a conversion to Buddhism and was actively engaged in sponsoring and supporting the Buddhist monastic institution.
His grandson Ashoka would go on to add Kalinga and the Tamils to the empire. However, it is believed that Chandragupta had many more consorts. Chandragupta was unaware of this plan and shared some of his food with his wife Durdhara when she was pregnant with their first son.
Durdhara died, but Chanakya rushed in and performed an emergency operation to remove the full-term baby. Chandragupta's son Bindusara is likely remembered more because of his son than for his own reign. When he was in his 50s, Chandragupta became fascinated with Jainism, an extremely ascetic belief system. His guru was the Jain saint Bhadrabahu. In BCE, the emperor renounced his rule, handing over power to his son Bindusara.
He then traveled south to a cave at Shravanabelogola, now in Karnataka. There, Chandragupta meditated without eating or drinking for five weeks until he died of starvation in a practice known as sallekhana or santhara. Chandragupta's grandson Ashoka would follow in his footsteps in several ways—conquering territory as a young man and then becoming devoutly religious as he aged. In fact, Ashoka's reign in India may be the purest expression of Buddhism in any government in history.
Today, Chandragupta is remembered as the unifier of India, like Qin Shihuangdi in China, but far less bloodthirsty. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.
Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Kallie Szczepanski. History Expert. Kallie Szczepanski is a history teacher specializing in Asian history and culture.
She has taught at the high school and university levels in the U.
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