Mauryan Period
6. Mauryan Period
6.1. Timeline
327 BC: Alexander the Great of Macedonia invades the Indus valley, fights the famous battle with Poru
304 BC: Magadha king Chandragupta Maurya buys the Indus valley and establishes the Maurya dynasty with Pataliputra as the capital
300 BC: Ramayana, a famous epic is composed
300 BC: Chola dynasty establishes his kingdom over southern India with capital in Thanjavur
290 BC: Chandragupta Maurya s son Bindusara, extends the empire to the Deccan region
259 BC: Mauryan emperor Ashoka converts to Buddhism and sends out Buddhist missionaries to nearby regions
220 BC: Maurya dynasty expands to almost all of India
200 BC: Mahabharata, another famous epic is composed 200 BC: Andhras occupy the east coast of India
184 BC: Maurya dynasty ends and marks the beginning of Sunga dynasty
150 BC: Patanjali writes the "Yoga Sutras"
100 BC: Bhagavata Gita is composed
78 BC: End of Sunga dynasty
6.2 Magadha
Empire originated from 16 Mahajanapadas in 684 B.C. The two great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata mention the Magadha Empire. Brihadratha Dynasty, Pradyota Dynasty, Harayanka Dynasty, Sisunaga Dynasty ruled Magadha from 684 - 424 BC. Afterwards the Nanda Dynasty, Maurya Dynasty, Sunga Dynasty, Kanva Dynasty, Gupta Dynasty expanded beyond Magadha.
Amongst the sixteen Mahajanapadas,Magadha rose to prominence under a number of dynasties that peaked with the reign of Asoka Maurya, one of India's most legendary and famous emperors.
Some of the greatest empires and religions of India originated here. The Gupta Empire and Mauryan Empire started here. The great religions,Buddhism and Jainism were founded in Magadha Empire.
Magadha Empire gained much power and importance during the rule of King Bimbisara and his son and successor Ajatshatru of Haryanka dynasty. The Magadha Empire in India extended in the modern day Bihar and Patna and some parts of Bengal. Magadha Empire was a part of the 16 Mahajanapadas. The empire extended up to River Ganges and the kingdoms of Kosala and Kashi were annexed. The places that came under the Magadha Empire administration were
divided into judicial, executive and military functions.
The Magadha Empire fought gruesome battles with most of its neighbors. They had advanced forms of weaponry and the opposed forces did not stand a chance against them. Ajatshatru even built a huge fort at his capital Pataliputra. This was the place that Buddha prophesized would become a popular place of trade and commerce. With an unmatched military force, the Magadha Empire naturally had an upper hand over
conquering neighborhood places and spreading the territory. This is what made it a major part of the 16 Mahajanapadas.
However, after the death of King Udayan, the Magadha Empire started to decline very rapidly. Internal disturbances and corruption within the kingdom led to its decline. The Magadha Empire was finally taken over by the powerful Nanda dynasty who then ruled here for a good amount of time before being taken over by the Mauryas.
The Mauryas: Indian dynasty in the fourth-third centuries BCE, which unified the subcontinent for the first time and contributed to the spread of Buddhism.
In the last weeks of 327 BCE, the Macedonian king Alexander the Great invaded the valley of the river Kabul, and in the next months, he conquered Taxila, defeated the Indian king Porus at the river Hydaspes, and reached the eastern border of the Punjab. He wanted to continue to the kingdom of Magadha in the Lower Ganges valley, but his soldiers refused to go any further. Many Indians now resisted the invaders. By the end of 325, the Macedonian king had left the area of what is now Karachi, and his admiral Nearchus was forced out of Patala.
Alexander's conquests had been spectacular, but he had not conquered India. On the
contrary, not even the Punjab and the Indus valley were safe possessions of his
kingdom. Before Alexander had died in 323, he had redeployed nearly all his troops
west of the Indus. For the first time, he had lost part of his empire. On the other hand,
his invasion changed the course of Indian history. In Taxila, a young man named
Chandragupta Maurya had seen the Macedonian army, and -believing that anything a
European could do an Indian could do better- decided to train an army on a similar
footing. In 321, he seized the throne of Magadha. The Mauryan Empire was born.
6.3. Chandragupta Maurya (c.321-c.297)
Chandragupta was a pupil of a famous teacher, Kautilya (Chanakya)
Once Chandragupta had conquered the Nanda throne, he invaded the Punjab. He was lucky. In 317, one of Alexander's successors, Peithon, the satrap of Media, tried to subdue the leaders of the eastern provinces, who united against him. This civil war offered Chandragupta the opportunity he needed and he was able to capture Taxila, the capital of the Punjab.
When the situation in Alexander's former kingdom had stabilized, one of his successors, Seleucus, tried to re-conquer the eastern territories, but the war was inconclusive, and the Macedonian and Chandragupta signed a peace treaty. The latter recognized the Seleucid Empire and gave his new friend 500 elephants; Seleucus recognized the Mauryan Empire and gave up the eastern territories, including Gandara and Arachosia (i.e., the country northeast of modern Qandahar). Finally, there was epigamia, which can mean that either the two dynasties intermarried, or the unions of Macedonians/Greeks with Indians were recognized.
Megasthenes was a Greek ambassador sent, in about 300 BCE, to the court of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan Empire. Megasthenes represented Seleucus Nicator (lived 358-281 BCE), ruler of the eastern part of the Hellenistic Greek Empire after Alexander the Great's death. Megasthenes' account of his visit (which survives only in fragments) has provided scholars with an understanding of the nature of Mauryan rule under Chandragupta. Megasthenes described the Indian caste system, the absolute rule of the Mauryan king and the sophisticated bureaucracy that had been developed to enforce this rule. He also discussed the standing army that he says comprised 60,000 professional soldiers. Megasthenes' accounts of more mundane Indian produce such as sugarcane and cotton plants drew disbelief among his readers back in Greece who could not believe in plants that produced "sugar syrup" and "wool."
Chandragupta had now united the Indus and Ganges valley - a formidable empire. There was a secret service, there were inspectors, there was a large army, and the capital at Patna became a beautiful city. His adviser Kautilya (Chanakya) wrote a guide to statecraft which is known as Arthasastra. In 301 BC Chandragupta decided to become a Jainist monk. To do so, he had to give up his throne.
6.4 Ashoka Maurya (c.272-c.232)
Texts from southern India mention the Mauryan chariots invading the country "thundering across the land, with white pennants brilliant like sunshine". Indeed, Ashoka, who succeeded his father Bindusara in 272, was a great conqueror, and the first The beloved of the gods [Ashoka]conquered Kalinga eight years after his coronation.Onehundred and fifty thousand peoplewere deported, one hundred thousand were killed and many more died from other causes. After the Kalingas had been conquered,the beloved of the gods came to feel a strong inclination towards the dhamma, a love for the dhamma and for instruction in dhamma. Now the beloved of the gods feels deep remorse for having conquered the Kalingas.
Indeed, the beloved of the gods is deeply pained by the killing, dying and deportation that take place when an unconquered country is conquered. But the beloved of the gods is pained even more by this -that Brahmans, ascetics, and householders of different religions who live in those countries, and who are respectful to superiors, to mother and father, to elders, and who behave properly and have strong loyalty towards friends, acquaintances, companions, relatives, servants and employees- that they are
injured, killed or separated from their loved ones. Even those who are not affected by all this suffer when they see friends, acquaintances, companions and relatives affected. These misfortunes befall all as a result of war, and this pains the beloved of the gods.
It seems that Ashoka was sincere when he proclaimed his belief in ahimsa (non-violence) and cooperation between religions ("contact between religions is good"). He never conquered the south of India or Sri Lanka, which would have been logical, and instead sent out missionaries -as far away as Cyrenaica- to convert others to the same beliefs, and sent his brother to Sri Lanka. He erected several stupas, founded Buddhist monasteries, softened the harsh laws of Bindusara and Chandragupta, forbade the brutal slaughter of animals, and organized a large Buddhist council at Patna, which had to establish a new canon of sacred texts and repress heresies.
6.5 Asoka Pillars
Asoka's pillars are a series of pillars that are spread all over the northern part of the Indian sub continent. These pillars were set up during the time Emperor Ashoka reigned in India. Most of the pillars, though damaged to some extent still stand upright and are protected by the concerned authorities. Out of all the pillars, the most famous is the Ashokan pillar located at Sarnath. Most of King Asoka's pillars have inscriptions of Ashoka's Dhamma (philosophies). The appearance of the pillar is quite imposing. At the base of the pillar is an inverted lotus flower which forms a platform for the pillar. At the top of the pillar are four lions sitting back to back facing the four prime directions. Other illustrations on the pillar include the Dharma Chakra (Wheel) with 24 spokes which can be seen on the Indian national flag as well. The pillar at Sarnath is made of sandstone and is maintained in proper shape even today.
After the death of Ashoka, the Mauryan Empire declined.
300 BC: Ramayana, a famous epic is composed. There is general consensus that books
two to six form the oldest portion of the epic while the first book Bala Kanda and the
last the Uttara Kanda are later additions. The author or authors of Bala Kanda and
Ayodhya Kanda appear to be familiar with the eastern Gangetic basin region of northern
India and the Kosala and Magadha region during the period of the sixteen janapadas as
the geographical and geopolitical data is in keeping with what is known about the
region.
200 BC: Mahabharata, another famous epic was composed, the dates are approximate. Rama Came before Mahabharata. Based on which passage is interpreted the dates somewhat vary. We encourage the readers to read more up on the date. IT is our intention to bring this closer to the period.
100BC: Bhagavat Gita was composed.
