Mauryan Empire (मौर्य साम्राज्य)

Chandragupta Maurya (322-298B.C.)

·         Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Mauryan Empire. With the help of Kautilya or Chanakya or Vishnugupta he at the age of 25 captured Pataliputra from Nandas.

·         In 305 B.C he marched against Selukas Niketar ,who was Alexander’s  General controlling the north-western India.

·         Megasthenes was sent to the court of Maurya as a Greek ambassador.

·         Chandragupta maurya was defeated selukas Niketar with the help of Chanakya and  a treaty was signed between Chandragupta and Selukas Niketar. beside this he also married his Daughter Helana to Chandragupta Murya .

·         At the last stage of life he adopted Jainism and stepped down from the throne in favour of his son Bindusara.

·         He went to sravana Belgola , near Mysor along with Jain monks led by Bhadrabhagu and starved himself till death.

·         Greek used to call Chandragupta Maurya by the name of Sandocotus and Andocotus.

Bindusara (298-273 B.C.)

·         Mother was Durdhara.

·         In jain Literature he is known as Simhasena.

·         Bindusara was called by the Greek as “Amitragatha” means Slayer of enemies.

·         He is said to conquered the Deccan up to Mysore.

·         The Sangam Tamil literature also confirms the Mauryan invasion of south.

·         Bindusara received Deimachus as Ambassador from the Syrian king Antiochus.

·         Bindusara wrote to Antiochus I asking for sweet wine , dried figs and a sophist. later he sent all but not sophist because the Greek law prohibited sending of sophist.

·         Bindusara supported the Ajivikas a religious sect. He appointed his son Ashoka as the Governor of Ujjain. 

Ashoka (273-232 B.C.)

 

·         It is said that Ashoka had murderd  his 99 Brothers including his elder brother Susima to get throne.

·         He acted as the Governor of Ujjain and also suppressed the revolt of taxila during his father reign.

·         Mother was Dharma or Subhadrangi.

·         His first wife was devi and her son was mahendra and daughter was sanga mitra, both were went to sri lanka for spreading Buddhism.

·         Ashoka’s only son whose name mentioned on Incriptions was Tivara who was born to Karuvaki. The name of Karuvaki and Tivara are mentioned in Queen’s edict.

·         The important event of Ashoka’s reign was his victorious war with kalinga in 261 B.C. Although there is no detail of cause and course of the war, the effects of the war was described by Ashoka himself in the Rock edict 13^th .he fought the war in his 8^th year of reign.

·         After the war Ashoka appointed Dhamma Mahamantra for moral and material welfare for public.

·         Ashoka was the first Indian great king who loved stones.

·         There were 14^th Rock edict inscription, 17 Minor edicts and 12 Pillar edicts.

·         In his inscription four types of Script  were used.

Brahmi.

Kharoshti.

Armaic.

Greek.

·         After the war the heart of Ashoka was changed.

·         Ashoka’s Inscription was first discovered in 1750.

·         Ashokan edicts were deciphered by james prinsep in 1837.

·         Maski, gujara, Nittur and Odegolan edict mention the name of Ashoka.

·         In the edicts Ashoka generally refers to himself by the title Devanampiya  Priyadarshi.
     
      During the Ashoka's reign Kashmir became a part of Mauryan and Buddhism was Introduced in Kashmir.
 
     Karnataka had performed a part of Ashokan Empire and Ashokan Inscriptions are found in some part like Koppal. The word Karnataka is found in Varahamihir's Brahatsanhita in Six Centuary B.C.

Kautilya’s Arthasastra – 

·         Arthasastra was written by Kautilya , a contemporary of Chandragupta Maurya. He wasd also  called Indian Machiavelli.

·         The manuscript of Arthasastra was first discovered by R.sharma Sastri in 1904.

·         The Arthasastra contains 15 books and 180 chapters but it can be divided into three parts  the first deals with king and his council and the department of government . the second with civil and criminal law . and the third with diplomacy and war.

·         It is the most important literary source for the history of the Mauryas.