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Tripartite Struggle

2026-07-24T08:46:32Z

Devanam:

{{Short description|Ninth-century struggle for control in Northern India}}{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2017}}
[[File:The Tripartite struggle between Rashtrakuta, Gurjara-Pratihara and Pala Empire.jpg|thumbnail|300px|Tripartite struggle]]

The '''Tripartite Struggle''' for control of northern India took place in the ninth century, among the [[Pratihara dynasty|Pratihara Empire]], the [[Pala Empire]] and the [[Rashtrakuta dynasty|Rashtrakuta Empire]].<ref name=Sen>Sen, S.N., 2013, A Textbook of Medieval Indian History, Delhi: Primus Books, {{ISBN|9789380607344}}</ref>{{rp|20}}

Epigraphist [[Dineschandra Sircar]], however, added a different perspective to this struggle. According to Sircar, the struggle between the [[Pratihara Empire]] and the [[Rashtrakuta]] Empire had begun earlier than the struggle over [[Kannauj]] (Kanyakubja). These two powers shared a common frontier in the [[Gujarat]] and [[Malwa]] regions. The frontier was a shifting one and far from permanent, causing enmity between the two powers. Even before the struggle over [[Kannauj]] started, [[Dantidurga]], the founder of the [[Rashtrakuta]] Empire, had defeated [[Nagabhata I]] of the [[Pratihara]] dynasty, as evident from the Dashavatara Temple inscription of [[Dantidurga]] at [[Ellora]] and the [[Sanjan inscription]] of [[Amoghavarsha I]], both belonging to the [[Rashtrakuta]] dynasty. On the other hand, the conflict between the [[Palas]] of [[Bengal]] and [[Bihar]] and the [[Ayudha dynasty]] of north India was the continuation of an old power struggle that had started between [[Harshavardhana]] of the [[Pushyabhuti]] dynasty and [[Sasanka]] of [[Gauda Kingdom|Gauda]] in the seventh century and would continue till the twelfth century. These regional struggles were escalated to a greater pitch over the issue of succession of the Ayudha dynasty. Also, the involvement of the four powers, i.e. the [[Pratihara Empire]], the [[Pala Empire]], the [[Rashtrakuta Empire]], and the Ayudha dynasty meant that it was actually a four-power.

{{Part of History of India}}

Towards the end of the successor of [[Nagabhata II]] (of the [[Pratihara dynasty]]), he successfully attacked [[Kanauj]] and established control there. This was short-lived as he was soon after defeated by the Rastrakuta ruler, [[Govinda III]]. However, the Rastrakutas also formed a matrimonial relationship with the Gangas and defeated the kingdom of [[Vengi]]. By the end of the 9th Century, the power of the Rastrakutas started to decline along with the Palas. This was seen as an ideal opportunity by the feudal king [[Tailapa II|Taila II]] who defeated the Rastrakuta ruler and declared his kingdom there. This came to be known as the [[Western Chalukyas|Later Chalukya dynasty]]. Their kingdom included the states of Karnataka, Konkan, and the northern Godavari. By the end of the tripartite struggle, the Pratiharas emerged victoriously and established themselves as the rulers of central India.

== History ==
Not much is known about the kingdom of the Kannauj after [[Harshavardhan|Emperor Harsha]]'s death in 647 AD resulting in great confusion due to the absence of his heirs. Kannauj came for a short period under the hands of [[Arunasva]] who attacked Wang Hstian-tse who came to the court of king Harsha as an ambassador of the Chinese emperor Tai-Tsung. However, Wang Hstian-tse succeeded in capturing Arunasva who was taken back to China to spend his days in attendance on the Tang Emperor.

About AD 730, [[Yashovarman]] established a kingdom at Kannauj. His invasion of Gauda formed the subject of the [[Prakrit]] poem ''Gaudavaho'' (Slaying of the king of Gauda), composed by his courtier [[Vakapatiraja]] in the 8th century.

After Yashovarman, three kings — Vijrayudha, Indrayudha, and Chakrayudha — ruled over Kannauj between the close of the 8th century until the 820s. Taking advantage of the weakness of these Ayudha rulers and attracted by the immense strategic and economic potentialities of the kingdom of Kannauj, the rajput Pratiharas of Bhinmal (Rajasthan), the Palas of Bengal and Bihar and the Rashtrakutas of the Manyakheta (Karnataka) fought against each other. This tripartite struggle for Kannauj lingered for almost two centuries and ultimately ended in favour of the rajput Pratihara ruler Nagabhata II who made the city the capital of the Pratihara state, which ruled for nearly three centuries.

== References ==
{{reflist}}
*{{citation |title=Ancient India |first=Ramesh Chandra |last=Majumdar |author-link=R. C. Majumdar |edition=Reprinted |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1977 |orig-year=1952 |isbn=9788120804364 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XNxiN5tzKOgC&pg=PA282}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tripartite Struggle}}
[[Category:Military history of India]]
[[Category:8th-century conflicts]]
[[Category:Natural resource conflicts]]
[[Category:9th-century conflicts]]
[[Category:10th-century conflicts]]
[[Category:Conflicts in India]]
[[Category:8th-century establishments in India]]
[[Category:Geopolitical rivalry]]

Mahajanapadas

2026-07-24T08:43:34Z

Devanam:

{{Short description|Kingdoms in the Indian subcontinent (c. 600 BCE–c. 345 BCE)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox country
|native_name = Mahājanapadas
|conventional_long_name =
|common_name = Mahājanapada
|era = [[Iron Age India|Iron Age]]
|status =
|event_start =
|year_start = c.600

BCE
|date_start =
|event1 =
|date_event1 =
|event_end =
|year_end = c. 345 BCE
|date_end =
|p1 = Painted Grey Ware culture
|p2 = Vedic period
|flag_p1 = Late Vedic Culture (1100-500 BCE).png
|p3 = Janapada
|p4 = Kuru Kingdom
|s1 = Nanda Empire
|image_flag =
|flag_type =
|image_coat =
|image_map = Mahajanapadas of ancient India.jpeg
|image_map_caption = Map of the 16 Mahājanapadas.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lal |first1=Deepak |title=The Hindu Equilibrium: India C.1500 B.C. - 2000 A.D. |date=2005 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-927579-3 |page=xxxviii |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dps-A5gOmA8C&pg=PR38 |language=en}}</ref>
|capital = ''Various''
|common_languages = [[Pali]], [[Prakrit]]s and [[Sanskrit]]
|religion = [[Historical Vedic religion|Ancient Hinduism]] [[Śramaṇa]] ([[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]])
|government_type = [[Republic]]s ([[Gaṇa sangha]]) [[Monarchies]]
|leader1 =

|year_leader1 =
|leader2 =
|year_leader2 =
|title_leader =
|legislature =
}}
{{Part of History of India}}
{{HistoryOfSouthAsia}}
The '''Mahājanapadas''' ({{lang-sa|great realm}}, from ''maha'', "great", and ''[[janapada]]'' "foothold of a people") were sixteen [[Realm|kingdoms]] or [[oligarchy|oligarchic]] [[republic]]s that existed in [[History of India|ancient India]] from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE during the [[History_of_India#Second_urbanisation_(c._600_–_200_BCE)|second urbanisation]] period.<ref>Vikas Nain, "Second Urbanization in the Chronology of Indian History", ''International Journal of Academic Research and Development'' '''3''' (2) (March 2018), pp. 538–542 esp. 539.</ref>

The 6th–5th centuries BCE is often regarded as a major turning point in early Indian history; during this period India's first large cities arose after the demise of the [[Indus Valley Civilization]]. It was also the time of the rise of [[sramana]] movements (including [[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]]), which challenged the religious orthodoxy of the [[Vedic Period]].

Two of the Mahājanapadas were most probably [[gana sangha|ganatantras]] (oligarchic republics) and others had forms of monarchy. Ancient [[Buddhist texts]] like the ''[[Anguttara Nikaya]]''<ref>Anguttara Nikaya I. p 213; IV. pp 252, 256, 261.</ref> make frequent reference to sixteen great kingdoms and republics which had developed and flourished in a belt stretching from [[Gandhara]] in the northwest to [[Anga]] in the eastern part of the [[Indian subcontinent]]. They included parts of the trans-[[Vindhya Range|Vindhya]]n region,<ref name=singh>{{cite book|last=Singh|first=Upinder|title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC&q=Great+States+Upinder+singh&pg=PA260|year=2008|publisher=Pearson Education|location=Delhi|isbn=978-81-317-1120-0|pages=260–4}}</ref> and all had developed prior to the rise of Buddhism in India.<ref>[http://www.iloveindia.com/history/ancient-india/16-mahajanapadas.html 16 Mahajanapadas - Sixteen Mahajanapadas, 16 Maha Janapadas India, Maha Janapada Ancient India]. Iloveindia.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.</ref>

Archaeologically, this period has been identified as corresponding in part to the [[Northern Black Polished Ware]] culture.<ref>J.M. Kenoyer (2006), "Cultures and Societies of the Indus Tradition. In Historical Roots", in ''the Making of ‘the Aryan’'', R. Thapar (ed.), pp. 21–49. New Delhi: National Book Trust.</ref>

==Overview==
{{Main Article|Janapadas}}
[[File:Fragment - Northern Black Polished Ware - 500-100 BCE - Sonkh - Showcase 6-15 - Prehistory and Terracotta Gallery - Government Museum - Mathura 2013-02-24 6458.JPG|thumb|Pottery of the [[Northern Black Polished Ware]] culture (c. 500-200 BCE)]]
The term "[[Janapada]]" literally means the ''foothold of a people''. The fact that ''Janapada'' is derived from ''Jana'' points to an early stage of land-taking by the Jana people for a settled way of life. This process of settlement on land had completed its final stage prior to the times of the [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] and [[Pāṇini]]. The Pre-Buddhist north-west region of the Indian sub-continent was divided into several Janapadas, demarcated from each other by boundaries. In Pāṇini's "Ashtadhyayi", ''Janapada'' stands for country and ''Janapadin'' for its citizenry. Each of these Janapadas was named after the [[Kshatriya]] people (or the Kshatriya Jana) who had settled therein.<ref>''India as Known to Panini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashṭādhyāyī,'' 1963, p 427</ref><ref>Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala - ''India; India in the Time of Patañjali,'' 1968, p 68, Dr B. N. Puri - India;</ref><ref>''Socio-economic and Political History of Eastern India,'' 1977, p 9, Y. K Mishra - Bihar (India)</ref><ref>''Tribes of Ancient India,'' 1977, p 18 Mamata Choudhury - Ethnology</ref><ref>Tribal Coins of Ancient India, 2007, p xxiv Devendra Handa - ''Coins, Indic'' - 2007</ref><ref>''The Journal of the Numismatic Society of India,'' 1972, p 221 Numismatic Society of India - Numismatics</ref><ref>''A History of Pāli Literature,'' 2000 Edition, p 648 B. C. Law</ref><ref>''Some Ksatriya Tribes of Ancient India,'' 1924, pp 230-253, Dr B. C. Law.</ref>
Another Buddhist text, the ''[[Digha Nikaya]]'', mentions twelve Mahajanapadas from the above list and omits four of them (Assaka, Avanti, Gandhara, and Kamboja).<ref>Digha Nikaya, Vol II, p 200.</ref>

''[[Niddesa|Chulla-Niddesa]]'', another ancient text of the Buddhist canon, adds [[Kalinga (historical kingdom)|Kalinga]] to the list and substitutes [[Yona]] for Gandhara, thus listing the Kamboja and the Yona as the only Mahajanapadas from [[Uttarapatha]].<ref>Chulla-Niddesa (P.T.S.), p 37.</ref><ref>Lord Mahāvīra and his times, 1974, p 197, Dr Kailash Chand Jain; ''[[The History and Culture of the Indian People]],'' 1968, p lxv, Dr Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bhāratīya Itihāsa Samiti; ''Problems of Ancient India,'' 2000, p 7, K. D. Sethna.</ref>
The ''[[Vyākhyāprajñapti]]'' (or the ''[[Bhagavati Sutra]]''), a sutra of [[Jainism]], gives a different list of sixteen Mahajanapadas.Buddhist and other texts only incidentally refer to sixteen great nations (''Solasa Mahajanapadas'') that existed prior to the time of the Buddha. They do not give any connected history except in the case of Magadha. The Buddhist [[Anguttara Nikaya]], at several places,<ref>Anguttara Nikaya: Vol I, p 213, Vol IV, pp 252, 256, 260 etc.</ref> gives a list of sixteen great nations:
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 100%; text-align: center; font-size: 90%;"
|-
! style="background-color:#FFD700; color:#000; width:5%;" | #
! style="background-color:#FFD700; color:#000; width:20%;" | Buddhist Mahajanapadas
! style="background-color:#90EE90; color:#000; width:20%;" | Jain Mahajanapadas
|-
| 1 || [[Anga]] || Anga
|-
| 2 || [[Assaka]] (or Asmaka) || Banga (Vanga)
|-
| 3 || [[Avanti (India)|Avanti]] || Magadha
|-
| 4 || [[Chedi Kingdom|Chedi]] || Malaya
|-
| 5 || [[Gandhara]] || Malavaka
|-
| 6 || [[Kingdom of Kashi|Kashi]] || Accha
|-
| 7 || [[Kambojas|Kamboja]] || Vaccha
|-
| 8 || [[Kosala]] || Kochcha
|-
| 9 || [[Kuru (India)|Kuru]] || Padha
|-
| 10 || [[Magadha]] || Ladha ([[Rarh region|Radh]] or [[Lata (region)|Lata]])
|-
| 11 || [[Malla (India)|Malla]] || Bajji (Vajji)
|-
| 12 || [[Machcha]] (or Matsya) || Moli (Malla)
|-
| 13 || [[Panchala]] || Kasi
|-
| 14 || [[Surasena]] || [[Kosala]]
|-
| 15 || [[Vajji|Vriji]] || Avaha
|-
| 16 || [[Vatsa]] (or Vamsa) || Sambhuttara
|-
| 17 || ||Ruhma
|}

The author of the ''[[Bhagavati Sutra]]'' (or the ''[[Vyākhyāprajñapti]]'') has a focus on the countries of Madhydesa and of the far east and south only. He omits the nations from Uttarapatha like the Kamboja and Gandhara. The more extended horizon of the ''Bhagvati'' and the omission of all countries from Uttarapatha "clearly shows that the Bhagvati list is of later origin and therefore less reliable."<ref>Political History of Ancient India, 1996, p. 86; History & Culture of Indian People, Age of Imperial Unity, pp. 15–16</ref>

==List of Mahajanapadas==

===Anga===
{{main|Anga}}
The first reference to the [[Anga]]s is found in the [[Atharva-Veda]] where they find mention along with the [[Magadhas]], [[Gandhara|Gandharis]] and the Mujavats, apparently as a despised people. The [[Jain]]a Prajnapana ranks Angas and Vangas in the first group of [[Aryan]] people. It mentions the principal cities of [[ancient India]].<ref>Digha Nikaya</ref> It was also a great center of trade and commerce and its merchants regularly sailed to distant [[Suvarnabhumi]]. Anga was annexed by Magadha in the time of [[Bimbisara]]. This was the one and only conquest of Bimbisara.

===Assaka===
{{main|Assaka}}
The country of Assaka or the Ashmaka tribe was located in ''Dakshinapatha'' or southern India. It included areas in present-day [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Telangana]], and [[Maharashtra]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Tiwari|first1=Anshuman|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qQ5kDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT307|title=Laxminama: Monks, Merchants, Money and Mantra|last2=Sengupta|first2=Anindya|date=2018-08-10|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=9789387146808|pages=307|language=en}}</ref> In [[Gautama Buddha]]'s time, many of the Assakas were located on the banks of the [[Godavari River]] (south of the [[Vindhya]] mountains). The capital of the Assakas was Potana or Potali, which corresponds present-day [[Bodhan]] in Telangana and Paudanya of [[Mahabharata]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sen|first=Sailendra Nath|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA109|title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization|date=1999|publisher=New Age International|isbn=9788122411980|pages=109|language=en}}</ref> In Maharashtra its capital is located in Potali which corresponds to present day Nandura, Buldhana district. The Ashmakas are also mentioned by Pāṇini. They are placed in the north-west in the ''Markendeya Purana'' and the ''[[Brhat Samhita]]''. The river Godavari separated the country of the Assakas from that of the Mulakas (or Alakas). The country of Assaka lay outside the pale of [[Madhyadesa]]. It was located on a southern high road, the ''Dakshinapatha''. At one time, Assaka included Mulaka and abutted Avanti.<ref>Dr Bhandarkaar</ref>

===Avanti===
{{main|Avanti (Ancient India)}}
[[File:I13 12karshapana Avanti 1ar (8481304617).jpg|thumb|Silver coin of [[Avanti (India)|Avanti]] mahajanapada (4th century BCE)]]
The country of the Avantis was an important kingdom of western India and was one of the four great monarchies in India in the post era of Mahavira and Buddha, the other three being [[Kosala]], [[Vatsa]] and [[Magadha]]. Avanti was divided into north and south by the river [[Narmada]]. Initially, [[Mahishamati]] (Mahissati) was the capital of Southern Avanti, and [[Ujjain]]i (Sanskrit: Ujjayini) was of northern Avanti, but at the times of [[Mahavira]] and Buddha, Ujjaini was the capital of integrated Avanti. The country of Avanti roughly corresponded to modern [[Malwa]], Nimar and adjoining parts of today's [[Madhya Pradesh]]. Both Mahishmati and Ujjaini stood on the southern high road called ''Dakshinapatha'' which extended from [[Rajagriha]] to Pratishthana (modern [[Paithan]]). Avanti was an important centre of Buddhism and some of the leading ''theras'' and ''theris'' were born and resided there. King Nandivardhana of Avanti was defeated by king [[Shishunaga]] of Magadha. Avanti later became part of the Magadhan empire.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

===Chedi===
{{main|Chedi Kingdom}}
The Chedis, Chetis or Chetyas had two distinct settlements of which one was in the mountains of Nepal and the other in [[Bundelkhand]] near [[Kausambi]]. According to old authorities, Chedis lay near [[Yamuna]] midway between the kingdom of [[The Kurus|Kurus]] and [[Vatsa]]s. In the mediaeval period, the southern frontiers of Chedi extended to the banks of the river [[Narmada River|Narmada]]. Sotthivatnagara, the Sukti or Suktimati of [[Mahabharata]], was the capital of Chedi. The Chedis were an ancient people of India and are mentioned in the [[Rigveda]], with their king Kashu Chaidya.<ref name="auto">{{Citation|url=https://archive.org/details/politicalhistory00raycuoft|last=Raychaudhuri|first=Hem Chandra|title=Political history of ancient India, from the accession of Parikshit to the extinction of the Gupta dynasty|year=1923|page=66}}</ref>

The location of the capital city, [[Suktimati]], has not been established with certainty. Historian [[Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri]] and [[F. E. Pargiter]] believed that it was in the vicinity of [[Banda, Uttar Pradesh]].<ref name="auto"/> Archaeologist [[Dilip Kumar Chakrabarti]] has proposed that Suktimati can be identified as the ruins of a large [[Northern Black Polished Ware|early historical]] city, at a place with the modern-day name Itaha, on the outskirts of [[Rewa, Madhya Pradesh]].<ref>{{Citation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8qvY8pxVxcwC|last=Chakrabarti|first=Dilip Kumar|chapter=Mahajanapada States of Early Historic India|title=A Comparative Study of Thirty City-state Cultures: An Investigation|year=2000|editor-last=Hansen|editor-first=Mogens Herman|page=387|isbn=9788778761774}}</ref>

===Gandhara===
{{main|Gandhara}}
<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
Gandhara1.JPG|Coin of Early Gandhara Janapada: AR Shatamana and one-eighth Shatamana (round), Taxila-Gandhara region, {{circa|600–300 BCE}}.
Taxila_(local_coinage)._Circa_220-185_BC.jpg|A coin of [[Taxila|Takshashila]], portrays a tree flanked by a hill surmounted by a crescent and a [[Nandipada]] above a [[swastika]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Post-Mauryan (Punjab). Taxila (local coinage). Circa 220–185 BC. Æ (17x18mm, 7.71 g)|url=https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=259870|website=www.cngcoins.com|publisher=Classical Numismatic Group Inc.|access-date=28 June 2017}}</ref>
</gallery>
The wool of the [[Gandhara|Gandharis]] is referred to in the [[Rigveda]]. The Gandharas and their king figure prominently as strong allies of the [[The Kurus|Kurus]] against the [[Pandava]]s in the [[Mahabharata]] war. The Gandharas were furious people, well-trained in the art of war. According to [[Puranic]] traditions, this Janapada was founded by ''Gandhara'', son of Aruddha, a descendant of Yayati. The princes of this country are said to have come from the line of Druhyu who was a famous king of the Rigvedic period and one of the five sons of king Yayati of lunar dynasty. The river Indus watered the lands of Gandhara. [[Taxila|Taksashila]] and [[Pushkalavati]], the two cities of this Mahajanapada, are said to have been named after Taksa and Pushkara, the two sons of [[Bharata (Ramayana)|Bharata]], a prince of [[Ayodhya]] and younger brother of Lord [[Rama]]. According to Vayu Purana (II.36.107), the Gandharas were destroyed by Pramiti (a.k.a. Kalika) at the end of ''[[Kali Yuga]]''. Pāṇini mentioned both the Vedic form Gandhari as well as the later form Gandhara in his [[Ashtadhyayi]]. The Gandhara kingdom sometimes also included [[Kashmira]].<ref>Jataka No 406.</ref> Hecataeus of Miletus (549-468) refers to Kaspapyros (Kasyapura or Purushapura, i.e., modern day Peshawar) as a [[Gandhara|Gandharic]] city. According to Gandhara Jataka, at one time, Gandhara formed a part of the kingdom of [[Kashmir]]. The Jataka also gives another name ''Chandahara'' for Gandhara.

Gandhara Mahajanapada of [[Buddhist]] traditions included territories of east [[Afghanistan]], and north-west of the Panjab (modern districts of [[Peshawar]] (Purushapura) and [[Rawalpindi]]). Its later capital was Taksashila (Prakrit for [[Taxila]]). The Taksashila University was a renowned centre of learning in ancient times, where scholars from all over the world came to seek higher education. Pāṇini, the Indian genius of grammar and [[Kautiliya]] are the world-renowned products of Taxila University. King Pukkusati or Pushkarasarin of Gandhara in the middle of the 6th century BCE was the contemporary of king [[Bimbisara]] of Magadha. Gandhara was located on the grand northern high road (Uttarapatha) and was a centre of international commercial activities. According to one group of scholars, the Gandharas and Kambojas were cognate people.<ref>Revue des etudes grecques 1973, p. 131, Ch-Em Ruelle, Association pour l'encouragement des etudes grecques en France.</ref><ref>Early Indian Economic History, 1973, pp. 237, 324, Rajaram Narayan Saletore.</ref><ref>Myths of the Dog-man, 199, p. 119, David Gordon White; Journal of the Oriental Institute, 1919, p 200; Journal of Indian Museums, 1973, p 2, Museums Association of India; The Pāradas: A Study in Their Coinage and History, 1972, p 52, Dr [[B. N. Mukherjee]] - Pāradas; Journal of the Department of Sanskrit, 1989, p 50, Rabindra Bharati University, Dept. of Sanskrit- Sanskrit literature; The Journal of Academy of Indian Numismatics & Sigillography, 1988, p 58, Academy of Indian Numismatics and Sigillography - Numismatics; Cf: Rivers of Life: Or Sources and Streams of the Faiths of Man in All Lands, 2002, p. 114, J. G. R. Forlong.</ref> It is also contended that the Kurus, Kambojas, Gandharas and Bahlikas were cognate people.<ref>Journal of the Oriental Institute, 1919, p 265, Oriental Institute (Vadodara, India) - Oriental studies; For Kuru-Kamboja connections, see Dr Chandra Chakraberty's views in: Literary history of ancient India in relation to its racial and linguistic affiliations, pp. 14,37, Vedas; The Racial History of India, 1944, p. 153, Chandra Chakraberty - Ethnology; Paradise of Gods, 1966, p 330, Qamarud Din Ahmed - Pakistan.</ref> According to Dr T. L. Shah, the Gandhara and Kamboja were nothing but two provinces of one empire and were located coterminously, hence influencing each other's language.<ref>Ancient India, History of India for 1000 years, four Volumes, Vol I, 1938, pp. 38, 98 by Dr T. L. Shah.</ref> Naturally, they may have once been a cognate people.<ref>James Fergusson observes: ''"In a wider sense, name Gandhara implied all the countries west of Indus as far as Candhahar"'' (The Tree and Serpent Worship, 2004, p. 47, James Fergusson).</ref> Gandhara was often linked politically with the neighboring regions of [[Kashmir]] and [[Kambojas|Kamboja]].<ref>''Encyclopedia Americana'', 1994, p 277, Encyclopedias and Dictionaries.</ref>

===Kamboja===
{{main|Kambojas}}
Kambojas are also included in the Uttarapatha. In ancient literature, the Kamboja is variously associated with the [[Gandhara]], [[Darada]] and the [[Bactria|Bahlika]] ([[Bactria]]). Ancient Kamboja is known to have comprised regions on either side of the [[Hindukush]]. The original Kamboja was located in eastern [[Oxus]] country as neighbor to Bahlika, but with time, some [[clan]]s of the Kambojas appear to have crossed the Hindukush and planted colonies on its southern side also. These latter Kambojas are associated with the Daradas and Gandharas in Indian literature and also find mention in the [[Edicts]] of [[Ashoka]]. The evidence in the [[Mahabharata]] and in [[Ptolemy]]'s Geography distinctly supports two Kamboja settlements.<ref>Ptolemy's Geography mentions Tambyzoi located in eastern Bactria (''Ancient India as Described by Ptolemy: Being a Translation of the Chapters ...'' 1885, p. 268, John Watson McCrindle - Geography, Ancient; ''Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World'', History - 2000, p. 99, (editors) Richard J. A. Talbert) and Ambautai people located to south of Hindukush Mountains (Geography 6.18.3; See map in McCrindle, p. 8). Dr S. Levi has identified Tambyzoi with Kamboja (''Indian Antiquary'', 1923, p. 54; ''Pre Aryan and Pre Dravidian in India'', 1993, p. 122, Dr Sylvain Lévi, Dr Jean Przyluski, Jules Bloch, Asian Educational Services) while land of Ambautai has also been identified by Dr [[Michael Witzel]] (Harvard University) with Sanskrit Kamboja ''Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies'', Vol. 5, 1999, issue 1 (September), Dr. M. Witzel; ''Indo-Aryan Controversy: Evidence and Inference in Indian History'', 2005, p 257, Laurie L. Patton, Edwin Bryant; ''The Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia: Language, Material Culture and Ethnicity'', 1995, p. 326, George Erdosy.</ref> The cis-Hindukush region from [[Nurestan]] up to [[Rajauri]] in southwest of [[Kashmir]] sharing borders with the [[Daradas]] and the [[Gandhara]]s constituted the ''Kamboja'' country.<ref>MBH VII.4.5; II.27.23.</ref> The capital of ''Kamboja'' was probably ''Rajapura'' (modern Rajori) in the south-west of Kashmir. The ''Kamboja Mahajanapada'' of the [[Buddhist]] traditions refers to this cis-Hindukush branch of ancient Kambojas.<ref>See: ''Problems of Ancient India'', 2000, pp. 5-6; cf: ''Geographical Data in the Early Puranas'', p. 168.</ref>

The trans-Hindukush region including the [[Pamir Mountains|Pamirs]] and [[Badakhshan]] which shared borders with the [[Bahlikas]] (Bactria) in the west and the Lohas and [[Rishikas]] of [[Sogdiana]]/[[Fergana]] in the north, constituted the [[Parama-Kamboja]] country.<ref>MBH II.27.27.</ref> The trans-Hindukush branch of the Kambojas remained pure [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] but a large section of the Kambojas of cis-Hindukush appears to have come under Indian cultural influence. The Kambojas are known to have had both [[Iran]]ian as well as Indian affinities.<ref>''Vedic Index I'', p. 138, Macdonnel, Dr Keith.</ref><ref>''Ethnology of Ancient Bhārata'', 1970, p. 107, Dr Ram Chandra Jain.</ref><ref>''The Journal of Asian Studies''; 1956, p. 384, Association for Asian Studies, Far Eastern Association (U.S.).</ref><ref>''Balocistān: siyāsī kashmakash, muz̤mirāt va rujḥānāt''; 1989, p. 2, Munīr Aḥmad Marrī.</ref><ref>''India as Known to Panini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashṭādhyāyī''; 1953, p. 49, Dr Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala.</ref><ref>''Afghanistan'', p. 58, W. K. Fraser, M. C. Gillet.</ref><ref>''Afghanistan, its People, its Society, its Culture'', Donal N. Wilber, 1962, pp. 80, 311 etc.</ref><ref>''Iran'', 1956, p. 53, Herbert Harold Vreeland, Clifford R. Barnett.</ref><ref>''Geogrammatical Dictionary of Sanskrit (Vedic): 700 Complete Revisions of the Best Books...'', 1953, p. 49, Dr Peggy Melcher, Dr A. A. McDonnel, Dr Surya Kanta, Dr Jacob Wackernagel, Dr V. S. Agarwala.</ref><ref>''Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahābhārata: Upāyana Parva'', 1945, p. 33, Dr Moti Chandra - India.</ref><ref>''A Grammatical Dictionary of Sanskrit (Vedic): 700 Complete Reviews of the ...'', 1953, p. 49, Dr Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala, Surya Kanta, Jacob Wackernagel, [[Arthur Anthony Macdonell]], Peggy Melcher - India.</ref>

The Kambojas were also a well known republican people since [[Epic India|Epic]] times. The [[Mahabharata]] refers to several Ganah (or Republics) of the Kambojas.<ref>MBH 7/91/39.</ref> [[Kautiliya]]'s [[Arthashastra]]<ref>Arthashastra 11/1/4.</ref> and [[Ashoka]]'s Edict No. XIII also attest that the Kambojas followed republican constitution.{{Citation needed|date=February 2018}} Pāṇini's Sutras,<ref>Ashtadhyayi IV.1.168–175.</ref> though tend to convey that the Kamboja of Pāṇini was a [[Kshatriya]] monarchy, but "the special rule and the exceptional form of derivative" he gives to denote the ruler of the Kambojas implies that the king of Kamboja was a titular head (''king consul'') only.<ref>''Hindu Polity: A Constitutional History of India in Hindu Times'', Parts I and II., 1955, p. 52, Dr Kashi Prasad Jayaswal - Constitutional history; Prācīna Kamboja, jana aura janapada =: Ancient Kamboja, people and country, 1981, Dr Jiyālāla Kāmboja - Kamboja (Pakistan).</ref> According to Buddhist texts, the first fourteen of the above Mahajanapadas belong to Majjhimadesa (''Mid India'') while the last two belong to Uttarapatha or the ''north-west'' division of [[Jambudvipa]].

In a struggle for supremacy that followed in the 6th/5th century BCE, the growing state of the Magadhas emerged as the predominant power in ancient India, annexing several of the Janapadas of the Majjhimadesa. A bitter line in the [[Purana]]s laments that Magadhan emperor [[Mahapadma Nanda]] exterminated all [[Kshatriya]]s, none worthy of the name Kshatriya being left thereafter. This obviously refers to the Kasis, Kosalas, Kurus, Panchalas, Vatsyas and other neo-Vedic tribes of the east Panjab of whom nothing was ever heard except in the legend and poetry. (The Nandas usurped the throne of [[Shishunaga dynasty]] c. 345 BCE, thus founding the [[Nanda Empire]].)<ref>{{citation |last=Panda |first=Harihar |title=Prof. H.C. Raychaudhuri, as a Historian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f1XMtc2Q97IC |publisher=Northern Book Centre |date=2007 |isbn=978-81-7211-210-3 |page=28 }}</ref>

The Kambojans and Gandharans, however, never came into direct contact with the Magadhan state until [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]] and [[Kautiliya]] arose on the scene. But these nations also fell prey to the [[Achaemenid]]s of [[Persia]] during the reign of [[Cyrus the Great|Cyrus]] (558–530 BCE) or in the first year of [[Darius the Great|Darius]]. Kamboja and Gandhara formed the twentieth and richest satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus I is said to have destroyed the famous Kamboja city called Kapisi (modern [[Begram]]) in [[Paropamisade]].

===Kashi===
{{main|Kingdom of Kashi}}
The kingdom was located in the region around its capital [[Varanasi]], bounded by the Varuna and Asi rivers in the north and south which gave Varanasi its name. Before Buddha, Kasi was the most powerful of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. Several ''[[jataka tales]]'' bear witness to the superiority of its capital over other cities in India and speak highly of its prosperity and opulence. These stories tell of the long struggle for supremacy between Kashi and the three kingdoms of [[Kosala]], [[Anga]] and [[Magadha]]. Although King Brihadratha of Kashi conquered [[Kosala]], Kashi was later incorporated into [[Kosala]] by King Kansa during Buddha's time. The Kashis along with the Kosalas and Videhans find mention in Vedic texts and appear to have been a closely allied people. The ''[[Matsya Purana]]'' and ''Alberuni'' spell Kashi as ''Kausika'' and ''Kaushaka'' respectively. All other ancient texts read Kashi.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

===Kosala===
{{main|Kosala}}
[[File:Kosala Karshapana.jpg|thumb|Silver coins of [[Kosala]] mahajanapada (c. 525–465 BCE)]]
The country of Kosala was located to the north-west of Magadha, with its capital at [[Ayodhya]]. Its territory corresponded to the modern [[Awadh]] (or Oudh) in Central and Eastern [[Uttar Pradesh]]. It had the river [[Ganges River|Ganges]] for its southern, the river Gandak (Narayani) for its eastern, and the [[Himalaya]] mountains for its northern boundary. It finds mention as the center of Vedic Dharma. Its kings allied with the [[Devatas]] in various wars against the Daityas, Rakshas, and Asuras. Koshala and Ayodhya hold a central place in the Hindu scriptures, Itihas, and Purana. Raghuvansha-Ikshvakuvansha was the longest continuous dynasty; Lord Rama was a king in this dynasty. Other great kings were Prithu, Harishchandra, and Dilip, who are each mentioned in different Puranas, Ramayan, and Mahabharat. According to these texts, Koshala was the most powerful and biggest kingdom ever in the recorded history.

[[File:Procession of Prasenajit of Kosala leaving Sravasti to meet the Buddha.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Procession of [[Prasenajit]] of Kosala leaving [[Sravasti]] to meet the [[Buddha]], [[Sanchi]].<ref>Marshall [https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.459148 p.59]</ref>]]
Later, the kingdom was ruled by the famous king Prasenajit during the era of Mahavira and Buddha, followed by his son Vidudabha ([[Virudhaka]]). King Prasenajit was highly educated. His position was further improved by a matrimonial alliance with Magadha: his sister was married to Bimbisara and part of Kasi was given as dowry. There was, however, a struggle for supremacy between king [[Pasenadi]] (Prasenajit) and king [[Ajatashatru]] of Magadha which was finally settled once the confederation of [[Licchavi (clan)|Lichchavis]] became aligned with Magadha. Kosala was ultimately merged into Magadha when Vidudabha was Kosala's ruler. [[Ayodhya]], [[Saketa]], [[Banaras]], and Sravasti were the chief cities of Kosala.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

===Kuru===
{{main|Kuru Kingdom}}
[[File:Kurus (Kurukshetras) circa 350-315 BCE.jpg|thumb|Silver coin of [[Kuru (India)|Kuru]] mahajanapada (4th century BCE)]]
The [[Purana]]s trace the origin of Kurus from the ''[[Puru (Vedic tribe)|Puru]]-[[Bhāratas|Bharata]]'' family. Kuru was born after 25 generations of Puru's dynasty, and after 15 generations of Kuru, Kauravas and Pandavas were born. Aitareya Brahmana locates the Kurus in ''Madhyadesha'' and also refers to the Uttarakurus as living beyond the Himalayas. According to the Buddhist text Sumangavilasini,<ref>II. p 481</ref> the people of Kururashtra (the Kurus) came from the Uttarakuru. Vayu Purana attests that ''Kuru'', son of Samvarsana of the Puru lineage, was the eponymous ancestor of the Kurus and the founder of Kururashtra (Kuru Janapada) in Kurukshetra. The country of the Kurus roughly corresponded to the modern [[Thanesar]], state of [[Delhi]], and [[Meerut]] district of [[Uttar Pradesh]]. According to the [[Jataka]]s, the capital of the Kurus was [[Indraprastha]] (Indapatta) near modern Delhi which extended seven leagues. At Buddha's time, the Kuru country was ruled by a titular chieftain (king consul) named Korayvya. The Kurus of the Buddhist period did not occupy the same position as they did in the [[Vedic period]] but they continued to enjoy their ancient reputation for deep wisdom and sound health. The Kurus had matrimonial relations with the [[Yadu|Yadavas]], the Bhojas, Trigratas, and the Panchalas. There is a [[Jataka]] reference to king Dhananjaya, introduced as a prince from the race of [[Yudhishtra]]. Though a well known monarchical people in the earlier period, the Kurus are known to have switched to a republican form of government during the 6th to 5th centuries BCE. In the 4th century BCE, [[Kautiliya]]'s [[Arthashastra]] also attests the Kurus following the ''Rajashabdopajivin'' (king consul) constitution.

===Magadha===
{{main|Magadha}}
[[File:Magadha kingdom coin Circa 350 BC AR Karshapana.jpg|thumb|Silver coin of [[Magadha]] mahajanapada (c. 350 BCE)]]
The [[Magadha]] was one of the most prominent and prosperous of mahajanapadas. The capital city Pataliputra (near present day [[Patna]], [[Bihar]]) was situated on the confluence of major rivers like the [[Ganga]], Son, Punpun and Gandak. The alluvial plains of this region and its proximity to the copper and iron rich areas of [[Bihar]] and [[Jharkhand]] helped the kingdom to develop good quality weapons and support the agrarian economy. Its location at the centre of the highways of trade of those days contributed to its wealth. All these factors helped [[Magadha]] to emerge as the most prosperous state of that period.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

[[File:Bamboo garden (Venuvana) at Rajagriha, the visit of Bimbisara.jpg|thumb|left|King [[Bimbisara]] of Magadha visits the Bamboo Garden (Venuvana) in Rajagriha; artwork from [[Sanchi]].]]
The kingdom of the [[Magadha]]s roughly corresponded to the modern districts of [[Patna]] and [[Gaya, India|Gaya]] in southern [[Bihar]] and parts of [[Bengal]] in the east. The capital city of Pataliputra was bound in the north by the river Ganges, in the east by the river Champa, in the south by the [[Vindhya]] mountains and in the west by the river Sona. During Buddha's time its boundaries included Anga. Its earliest capital was Girivraja or Rajagaha (modern Rajgir in the Nalanda district of Bihar). The other names for the city were Magadhapura, Brihadrathapura, Vasumati, Kushagrapura and Bimbisarapuri. It was an active center of [[Jainism]] in ancient times. The first [[Buddhist Council]] was held in Rajagaha in the Vaibhara Hills. Later on, [[Pataliputra]] became the capital of Magadha.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

===Malla===
{{main|Malla (Ancient India)}}
{{multiple image
| align = right
| image1 = Conjectural reconstruction of the main gate of Kusinagara circa 500 BCE adapted from a relief at Sanchi.jpg
| width1 = 200
| caption1 = <center>Conjectural reconstruction of the main gate of Kusinagara, city of the Mallas, circa 500 BCE adapted from a relief at Sanchi.</center>
| image2 = City of Kushinagar in the 5th century BCE according to a 1st century BCE frieze in Sanchi Stupa 1 Southern Gate.jpg
| width2 = 210
| caption2 = <center>City of Kushinagar in the 5th century BCE according to a 1st-century BCE frieze in Sanchi Stupa 1 Southern Gate.</center>
}}
The [[Malla (India)|Mallas]] are frequently mentioned in Buddhist and [[Jain]] works. They were a powerful people dwelling in Northern India. According to Mahabharata, Panduputra Bhimasena is said to have conquered the chief of the Mallas/Malls in the course of his expedition in Eastern India. During the Buddhist period, the Mallas/Malls Kshatriya were a republican people with their dominion consisting of nine territories<ref>Kalpa Sutra; Nirayavali Sutra</ref> corresponding to the nine confederated clans. These republican states were known as Gana. Two of these confederations – one with [[Kushinagar|Kuśināra]] (modern Kasia near [[Gorakhpur]]) as its capital and the second with Pava (modern Padrauna, 12 miles from Kasia) as the ''capital'' – had become very important at the time of Buddha. Kuśināra and Pava are very important in the history of [[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]] since [[Gautama Buddha|Lord Buddha]] and [[Mahavira|Lord Mahavira]], the 24th [[Tirthankara]] took their last meals at Kushinara and Pava/Pavapuri respectively. Buddha was taken ill at Pava and died at Kusinara, whereas lord Mahavira took his Nirvana at Pavapuri. It is widely believed that Lord Gautam died at the courtyard of King Sastipal Mall of Kushinagar/Kushinara. [[Kushinagar]] is now the centre of the Buddhist pilgrimage circle which is being developed by the tourism development corporation of Uttar Pradesh.

The Mallas, like the [[Licchavi (clan)|Licchavis]], are mentioned by [[Manusmriti]] as Vratya [[Kshatriya]]s. They are called Vasishthas (Vasetthas) in the Mahapparnibbana Suttanta. The Mallas originally had a monarchical form of government but later they switched to one of [[Sangha (Buddhism)|Samgha]] (republic), the members of which called themselves ''rajas''. The Mallas appeared to have formed an alliance with the Licchhavis for self-defense but lost their independence not long after Buddha's death and their dominions were annexed to the Magadhan empire.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}
[[File:War over the Buddha's Relics, South Gate, Stupa no. 1, Sanchi.jpg|thumb|800px|center|<center>[[Malla (Ancient India)|Mallas]] defending the city of [[Kusinagara]], as depicted at [[Sanchi]]. Malla was an [[Republic#Indian subcontinent|ancient Indian republic]] ([[Gaṇa sangha]]) mentioned in the ''[[Anguttara Nikaya]]''.<ref>Asiatic Mythology by J. Hackin [https://books.google.com/books?id=HAZrFhvqnTkC&pg=PA83 p.83ff]</ref></center>]]

===Matsya===
{{main|Matsya Kingdom}}
The country of the [[Matsya]] or [[Meena]] tribe lay to the south of the Kurus and west of the [[Yamuna]], which separated them from the Panchalas. It roughly corresponded to the former state of [[Jaipur]] in [[Rajasthan]], and included the whole of [[Alwar]] with portions of [[Bharatpur, India|Bharatpur]]. The capital of Matsya was at ''Viratanagara'' (modern [[Bairat]]) which is said to have been named after its founder king Virata. In [[Pāli|Pali]] literature, the Matsyas are usually associated with the Surasenas. The western Matsya was the hill tract on the north bank of the [[Chambal River|Chambal]]. A branch of Matsya is also found in later days in the [[Vizagapatam]] region. The Matsyas had not much political importance of their own during the time of Buddha. King Sujata ruled over both the Chedis and Matsyas, thus showing that Matsya once formed a part of the Chedi kingdom.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

===Panchala===
{{main|Panchala}}
[[File:Panchalas of Adhichhatra.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Coin of the Panchalas of Adhichhatra (75-50 BCE). '''Obv''' [[Indra]] seated facing on pedestal, holding bifurcated object. '''Rev''' ''Idramitrasa'' in [[Brahmi]], Panchala symbols.]]
The Panchalas occupied the country to the east of the Kurus between the mountains and river Ganges. It roughly corresponded to modern Budaun, Farrukhabad and the adjoining districts of [[Uttar Pradesh]]. The country was divided into Uttara-Panchala and Dakshina-Panchala. The northern Panchala had its capital at Adhichhatra or Chhatravati (modern Ramnagar in the [[Bareilly]] District), while southern Panchala had its capital at Kampilya or Kampil in the Farrukhabad District. The famous city of Kanyakubja or [[Kanauj]] was situated in the kingdom of Panchala. Originally a monarchical [[clan]], the Panchals appear to have switched to republican corporation in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. In the 4th century BCE, [[Kautiliya]]'s [[Arthashastra]] also attests the Panchalas as following the ''Rajashabdopajivin'' (king consul) constitution.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

===Surasena===
{{main|Surasena}}
[[File:First coin of India.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Silver coin of Surasena mahajanapada (5th century BCE).]]
The country of the Surasenas lay to the east of Matsya and west of [[Yamuna]]. This corresponds roughly to the Brij region of Uttar Pradesh, [[Haryana]] and [[Rajasthan]]. and [[Gwalior]] region of [[Madhya Pradesh]]. It had its capital at Madhura or [[Mathura, Uttar Pradesh|Mathura]]. Avantiputra, the king of Surasena, was the first among the chief disciples of Buddha, through whose help [[Buddhism]] gained ground in Mathura country. The Andhakas and Vrishnis of Mathura/Surasena are referred to in the [[Ashtadhyayi]] of Pāṇini. In [[Kautiliya]]'s [[Arthashastra]], the Vrishnis are described as ''sangha'' or republic. The Vrishnis, Andhakas and other allied tribes of the [[Yadu|Yadavas]] formed a ''sangha'' and [[Vasudeva]] ([[Krishna]]) is described as the ''sangha-mukhya''. Mathura, the capital of Surasena, was also known at the time of [[Megasthenes]] as the centre of Krishna worship. The Surasena kingdom had lost its independence on annexation by the Magadhan empire.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

===Vajji===
{{main|Vajji}}
[[File:Anandastupa.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Ananda Stupa, built by the ''[[Licchavi (clan)|Licchavis]]'' at [[Vaishali (ancient city)|Vaishali]], which served as the [[Capital (political)|capital]] of [[Vajji|Vajjian Confederacy (Vajji)]], one of the world's earliest [[republic]]s ([[Gaṇa sangha]]).]]
Vajji ({{lang-sa|Vṛji}}) or Vrijji was a confederacy of neighbouring clans including the [[Licchavi (clan)|Licchavi]]s and one of the principal mahājanapadas of [[Ancient India]]. The area they ruled constitutes the region of [[Mithila (ancient)|Mithila]] in northern [[Bihar]] and their capital was the city of [[Vaishali (ancient city)|Vaishali]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=efaOR_-YsIcC&q=vajji+mithila&pg=PA15|title=Between the Empires: Society in India 300 BCE to 400 CE|first=Patrick|last=Olivelle|date=13 July 2006|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199775071|via=Google Books}}</ref>

Both the Buddhist text ''Anguttara Nikaya'' and the Jaina text ''Bhagavati Sutra'' (''Saya'' xv ''Uddesa'' I) included Vajji in their lists of ''solasa'' (sixteen) mahājanapadas.<ref>Raychaudhuri Hemchandra (1972), ''Political History of Ancient India'', Calcutta: University of Calcutta, pp. 85–6</ref> The name of this mahājanapada was derived from one of its ruling clans, the Vṛjis. The Vajji state is indicated to have been a republic. This clan is mentioned by [[Pāṇini]], [[Chanakya]] and [[Xuanzang]].<ref>Raychaudhuri Hemchandra (1972), ''Political History of Ancient India'', Calcutta: University of Calcutta, p.107</ref>

===Vatsa or Vamsa===
{{main|Vatsa}}
The [[Vatsa]]s or Vamsas are called to be a branch of the [[The Kurus|Kurus]]. The Vatsa or Vamsa country corresponded with the territory of modern [[Allahabad]] in [[Uttar Pradesh]]. It had a monarchical form of government with its capital at [[Kausambi]] (identified with the village Kosam, 38 miles from [[Allahabad]]).<ref>{{cite news
|url = http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/12/05/fea06.asp
|title = The Ghositarama of Kaushambi
|author = Rohan L. Jayetilleke
|work = [[Daily News (Sri Lanka)|Daily News]]
|date = 2007-12-05
|access-date = 2008-10-29
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110604160714/http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/12/05/fea06.asp
|archive-date = 4 June 2011
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref> Kausambi was a very prosperous city where a large number of wealthy merchants resided. It was the most important [[entrepôt]] of goods and passengers from the north-west and south. Udayana was the ruler of [[Vatsa]] in the 6th-5th century BCE. He was very powerful, warlike and fond of hunting. Initially king Udayana was opposed to [[Buddhism]], but later became a follower of Buddha and made Buddhism the state religion. Udayana's mother, [[Vatsa#Mrigavati|Queen Mrigavati]], is notable for being one of the earliest known female rulers in Indian history.

==The period of the Vedas==
''[[Brahmavarta|Brahmarshi-desha]]'', 'the county of the holy sages,' includes the territories of the [[Kuru Kingdom|Kurus]], [[Matsya Kingdom|Matsyas]], [[Panchala]]s and [[Surasena|Shurasenas]] (i.e., the eastern half of the State of Patiala and of the Delhi division of the Punjab, the Alwar State and adjacent territory in Rajputana, the region which lies between the Ganges and the Jumna, and the [[Mathura district|Muttra District]] in the United Provinces).<ref>Rapson, E. J. (1914). Ancient India, from the earliest times to the first century, A.D. [https://archive.org/stream/ancientindiafrom00raps#page/50/mode/1up (pp. 50–51).]</ref>

==See also==
{{Indo-European topics|283}}
* [[Magadha-Vajji war]]
* [[Janapada]]
* [[Iron Age India]]
* [[Epic India]]
* [[Indo-Aryan peoples]]
* [[Rigvedic tribes]]
* [[Achaemenid conquest of the Indus Valley]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*R. C. Majumdar and A. D. Pusalker, eds. ''The History and Culture of the Indian People''. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay 1951.
*Sethna, K. D. (1989). ''Ancient India in a new light''. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan.
*Sethna, K. D. (2000). ''Problems of ancient India''. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan.

{{Mahajanapada |state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mahajanapadas| ]]
[[Category:Ancient Indian geography|*]]
[[Category:Empires and kingdoms of India]]
[[Category:Bronze Age countries in Asia]]
[[Category:Iron Age countries in Asia]]
[[Category:Iron Age cultures of South Asia]]
[[Category:Indo-Aryan peoples]]
[[Category:6th-century BC establishments]]
[[Category:4th-century BC disestablishments]]

Nanda Empire

2026-07-24T08:40:33Z

Devanam:

{{Short description|Ruling dynasty of Magadha (c. 345–322 BCE)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Nanda dynasty
| common_name = Nanda dynasty
| era = Iron Age India
| year_start = {{Circa|345 BCE}}{{efn|variously dated from 5th century BCE or mid-4th century BCE}}
| image_coat = File:MauryanCoin.JPG
| coa_size = 280px
| symbol_type = [[Punch-marked coins|Punch-marked coinage]] of the Nanda Empire
| status = [[Empire]]
| year_end = {{Circa|322 BCE}}{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}
| title_leader = [[List of monarchs of Magadha#House of Nanda|King]]
| leader1 = [[Mahapadma Nanda|Mahapadma]] (first)
| year_leader1 = {{Circa|345|340 BCE}}
| leader2 = [[Dhana Nanda|Dhana]] (last)
| year_leader2 = {{Circa|329|322 BCE}}
| p1 = Shaishunaga dynasty
| p2 = Mithila (region){{!}}Mithila
| p3 = Panchala
| p4 = Surasena
| p5 = Vatsa
| p6 = Kuru Kingdom{{!}}Kuru
| p7 = Mahishmati{{!}}Haihaya
| p8 = Vanga kingdom{{!}}Vanga
| p9 = Asmaka
| s1 = Maurya Empire
| image_map = Nanda Empire map.jpg
| map_width = 300
| image_map_caption = Possible extent of the Nanda Empire under its last ruler [[Dhana Nanda]] ({{Circa|325 BCE}}).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schwartzberg |first1=Joseph E. |title=A Historical atlas of South Asia |date=1978 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |location=Chicago |page=145, map XIV.1 (a) |isbn=0226742210 |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=182 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |access-date=25 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224162023/https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=182 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| capital = [[Pataliputra]]
| government_type = Monarchy
| today = [[Bangladesh]] [[India]] [[Nepal]]
| religion = [[Jainism]]{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=12}} [[Ajivika|Ajivikism]]{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=12}} [[Buddhism]]{{sfn|Sujato|Brahmali|2014|p=22-23}} [[Brahmanism]]{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=30-31}}
| demonym =
| area_km2 =
| area_rank =
| GDP_PPP =
| GDP_PPP_year =
| HDI =
| HDI_year =
}}
{{History of India}}
{{HistoryOfSouthAsia}}
The '''Nanda Empire''' was a vast empire that governed in [[Magadha]] and [[Gangetic plains]] with an enormous geographical reach in 4th-century BCE northeastern India, with some accounts suggesting existence as far back as the 5th century BCE. The Nandas built on the successes of their [[Haryanka dynasty|Haryanka]] and [[Shaishunaga]] predecessors and instituted a more centralised administration. Ancient sources credit them with amassing great wealth, which was probably a result of the introduction of a new currency and taxation system.

Ancient texts also suggest that the Nandas were unpopular among their subjects because of their low-status birth, excessive taxation, and general misconduct. The last Nanda king [[Dhana Nanda]] was overthrown by [[Chandragupta Maurya]], founder of the [[Maurya Empire]].

Modern historians generally identify the ruler of the [[Gangaridai]] and the Prasii mentioned in ancient Greco-Roman accounts as a Nanda king. While describing [[Alexander the Great]]'s [[Indian campaign of Alexander the Great|invasion]] of [[Punjab]] (327–325 BCE), Greco-Roman writers depict this kingdom as a great military power. The prospect of a war against this kingdom, which according to Greek sources had an army five times the size of the Macedonian army, coupled with the exhaustion resulting from almost a decade of campaigning, led to a mutiny among Alexander's homesick soldiers, putting an end to his Indian campaign.

==Origins==
===Homeland===
The Nanda Empire became a significant ruling authority in [[Magadha]],{{sfn|Roy|2012|p=58}} prior to the creation of the [[Maurya Empire]] who established a large empire in the [[Ganga]] valley. In the [[Buddhist]] accounts, the Nandas ascended the throne by open conquest in the field and not through secret intrigues or assassinations.{{sfn|Mackenzie|2016|p=1–4}}

[[Greece|Greek]] authors refer to a great kingdom to the east of the kingdom of King [[Porus]], beyond the [[Jhelum River]]. The kingdom is referred to as belonging to the [[Gangaridae]] and Prasioi, and the capital at ''Palibothra'', which is generally accepted as referring to [[Pataliputra]]. Prasioi is derived from the [[Sanskrit]] term Prachya, meaning "eastern," and Gangaridae is traced to the [[Gangetic Plain]]. These references suggest that the kingdom of [[Magadha]] extended dominion over the country to the east of the Jhelum, and its capital was at Pataliputra.{{sfn|Mackenzie|2016|p=1–4}}

===Ancestry===
Both Indian and Greco-Roman traditions characterise the dynasty's founder as of low birth.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=12}} According to Greek historian [[Diodorus Siculus|Diodorus]] (1st century BCE), Porus told Alexander that the contemporary Nanda king was thought to be the son of a barber.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=5}} Roman historian [[Quintus Curtius Rufus|Curtius]] (1st century CE) adds that according to Porus, this barber became the former queen's paramour thanks to his attractive looks, treacherously assassinated the then king, usurped the supreme authority by pretending to act as a guardian for the then princes, and later killed the princes.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=5}}{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=14}}

The Jain tradition, as recorded in the ''Avashyaka Sutra'' and the 12th-century text ''[[Parishishtaparvan|Parishishta-parvan]]'', corroborates the Greco-Roman accounts, stating that the first Nanda king was the son of a barber. {{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=14}}{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|p=20}} According to the 12th century text ''Parishishta-parvan'', the mother of the first Nanda king was a courtesan. However, the text also states that the daughter of the last Nanda king married Chandragupta, because it was customary for [[Kshatriya]] girls to choose their husbands; thus, it implies that the Nanda king claimed to be a Kshatriya, that is, a member of the warrior class.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=14}}

The [[Puranas]] name the dynasty's founder as [[Mahapadma Nanda|Mahapadma]], and claim that he was the son of the [[Shaishunaga dynasty|Shaishunaga]] king [[Mahanandin]]. However, even these texts hint at the low birth of the Nandas, when they state that Mahapadma's mother belonged to the [[Shudra]] class, the lowest of the [[varna in Hinduism|varnas]].{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|p=20}}{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}

Since the claim of the barber ancestry of the dynasty's founder is attested by two different traditions—Greco-Roman and Jain, it appears to be more reliable than the Puranic claim of Shaishunaga ancestry.{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|p=23}}

The Buddhist tradition calls the Nandas "of unknown lineage" (''annata-kula''). According to ''[[Mahavamsa]]'', the dynasty's founder was Ugrasena, who was originally "a man of the frontier": he fell into the hands of a gang of robbers, and later became their leader.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=272}} He later ousted the sons of the Shaishunaga king [[Kalashoka]] (or Kakavarna).{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=14}}

[[K. N. Panikkar]] suggested that the Nandas were the sole Kshatriyas in India "at the time of the Mauryas" and [[M. N. Srinivas]] suggested that the "other Kshatriya castes have come into existence through a process of caste mobility from among the lower castes".<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Sociological Bulletin |volume=51 |number=2 |date=September 2002 |pages=175–194 |publisher=[[Indian Sociological Society]] |editor-first=N. |editor-last=Jayaram |title=Religion, Caste, and Communalism in Punjab |first=Paramjit S. |last=Judge |doi=10.1177/0038022920020202 |jstor=23619969|s2cid=147989946}}</ref>{{rp|177}}

==Regnal period==
There is little unanimity among the ancient sources regarding the total duration of the Nanda reign or their regnal period.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=23}} For example, the ''[[Matsya Purana]]'' assigns 88 years to the rule of the first Nanda king alone,{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|p=23}} while some manuscripts of the ''[[Vayu Purana]]'' state the total duration of the Nanda rule as 40 years. The 16th century Buddhist scholar [[Taranatha]] assigns 29 years to the Nandas.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|pp=22–23}}

It is difficult to assign precise date for the Nanda and other early dynasties of Magadha.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}} Historians [[Irfan Habib]] and Vivekanand Jha date the Nanda rule from {{Circa|344}}–322 BCE, relying on the Sri Lankan Buddhist tradition which states that the Nandas ruled for 22 years.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}} Historian [[Upinder Singh]] dates the Nanda rule from 364/345 BCE to 324 BCE, based on the assumption that [[Gautama Buddha]] died in {{Circa|486 BCE}}.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}

According to another theory, based on astronomical calculations, the first Nanda king ascended the throne in 424 BCE. Proponents of this theory also interpret the [[Hathigumpha inscription]] to mean that "Nandaraja" (the Nanda king) flourished in year 103 of the [[Vira Nirvana Samvat|Mahavira Era]], that is, in 424 BCE.{{sfn|Jyoti Prasad Jain|2005|p=25}}

The 14th century Jain writer [[Merutunga]], in his ''Vichara-shreni'', states that king Chandra [[Pradyota dynasty|Pradyota]] of [[Avanti (Ancient India)|Avanti]] died on the same night as the Jain leader [[Mahavira]]. He was succeeded by his son Palaka, who ruled for 60 years. After that, the Nandas rose to power at [[Pataliputra]] and captured the Avanti capital [[Ujjayini]]. The Nanda rule, spanning the reigns of nine kings, lasted for 155 years, after which the Mauryas came to power. According to the [[Śvetāmbara]] Jain tradition, Mahavira died in 527 BCE, which would mean that the Nanda rule—according to Merutunga's writings—lasted from 467 BCE to 312 BCE. According to historian [[R. C. Majumdar]], while all the chronological details provided by Merutunga cannot be accepted without corroborative evidence, they cannot be dismissed as entirely unreliable unless contradicted by more reliable sources.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1976|pp=59–60}}

==Nanda kings==
The Buddhist, Jain, and Puranic traditions all state that there were 9 Nanda kings,{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=272}} but the sources differ considerably on the names of these kings.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}

According to the Greco-Roman accounts, the Nanda rule spanned two generations.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=12}} For example, the Roman historian [[Quintus Curtius Rufus|Curtius]] (1st century CE) suggests that the dynasty's founder was a barber-turned-king, and that his son was the dynasty's last king, who was overthrown by Chandragupta.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=5}} The Greek accounts name only one Nanda king—Agrammes or Xandrames—who was a contemporary of Alexander. "Agrammes" may be a Greek transcription of the Sanskrit word "Augrasainya" (literally "son or descendant of Ugrasena", Ugrasena being the name of the dynasty's founder according to the Buddhist tradition).{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=14}}

The [[Puranas]], compiled in India in {{Circa|4th century CE}} (but based on earlier sources), also state that the Nandas ruled for two generations.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=12}} According to the Puranic tradition, the dynasty's founder was Mahapadma: the ''[[Matsya Purana]]'' assigns him an incredibly long reign of 88 years, while the ''[[Vayu Purana]]'' mentions the length of his reign as only 28 years.{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|p=23}} The Puranas further state that Mahapadma's 8 sons ruled in succession after him for a total of 12 years, but name only one of these sons: Sukalpa.{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|p=20}} A ''Vayu Purana'' script names him as "Sahalya", which apparently corresponds to the "Sahalin" mentioned in the Buddhist text ''[[Divyavadana]]''.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=23}} [[Dhundhiraja of Svamimalai|Dhundhi-raja]], an 18th-century [[Puranas|Puranic]] commentator, names one of the Nanda kings as Sarvatha-siddhi, and states that his son was Maurya, whose son was Chandragupta Maurya.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}} However, the Puranas themselves do not talk of any relation between the Nanda and the Maurya dynasties.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=140}}

According to the Sri Lankan Buddhist text ''Mahavamsa'', written in [[Pali language]], there were 9 Nanda kings – they were brothers who ruled in succession, for a total of 22 years.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}} These nine kings were:{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}

{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
# [[Mahapadma Nanda|Ugra-sena]] (Uggasena in Pali)
# Panduka
# Pandugati
# Bhuta-pala
# Rashtra-pala
# Govishanaka
# Dasha-siddhaka
# Kaivarta
# [[Dhana Nanda|Dhana]]
}}

==Imperial extent==
[[File:Magadhan Empire expansion.gif|thumb|400px|An estimate of the territorial evolution of the [[Magadha]] empires, including during the rule of predecessors and successors of the Nandas<ref> Mookerji, Radhakumud. Chandragupta Maurya and his times. Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1966. p165-166 </ref>]]

The Nanda capital was located at [[Pataliputra]] (near present-day [[Patna]]) in the [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)|Magadha]] region of eastern India. This is confirmed by the Buddhist and Jain traditions, as well as the Sanskrit play ''[[Mudrarakshasa]]''. The Puranas also connect the Nandas to the [[Shaishunaga dynasty]], which ruled in the Magadha region. The Greek accounts state that Agrammes (identified as a Nanda king) was the ruler of the [[Gangaridai]] (the [[Ganges River|Ganges]] valley) and the Prasii (probably a transcription of the Sanskrit word ''prachya''s, literally "easterners"). According to the later writer [[Megasthenes]] ({{Circa|300 BCE}}), Pataliputra (Greek: Palibothra) was located in the country of the Prasii, which further confirms that Pataliputra was the Nanda capital.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}

The Nanda empire appears to have stretched from present-day [[Punjab]] in the west to [[Odisha]] in the east.{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=12}} An analysis of various historical sources – including the ancient Greek accounts, the [[Puranas]], and the [[Hathigumpha inscription]] – suggests that the Nandas controlled eastern India, the [[Ganges River|Ganges]] valley, and at least a part of [[Kalinga (historical region)|Kalinga]].{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|pp=17–20}} It is also highly probable that they controlled the [[Avanti (India)|Avanti]] region in Central India, which made it possible for their successor [[Chandragupta Maurya]] to conquer present-day [[Gujarat]] western India.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|pp=19–20}} According to the Jain tradition, the Nanda minister subjugated the entire country up to the coastal areas.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=17}}

The Puranas state that the Nanda king Mahapadma destroyed the [[Kshatriya]]s, and attained undisputed sovereignty.{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|pp=19–20}} The [[Kshatriya]]s said to have been exterminated by him include [[Mithila (region)|Maithalas]], [[Kingdom of Kashi|Kasheyas]], [[Pasenadi|Ikshvakus]], [[Panchala]]s, [[Shurasena]]s, [[Kuru Kingdom|Kurus]], [[Heheya Kingdom|Haihayas]], [[Vitihotras]], [[Kalinga (historical kingdom)|Kalinga]]s, and [[Ashmaka]]s.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=17}}

* The Maithala (literally, "of [[Mithilā (ancient city)|Mithilā]]") territory was located to the north of Magadha, on the border of present-day Nepal and northern [[Bihar]]. This region had come under the control of Magadha during the reign of the 5th century BCE king [[Ajatashatru]]. The Nandas probably subjugated the local chieftains, who may have retained some degree of independence from Magadha.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=19}}
* The Kasheyas were the residents of the area around Kashi, that is, present-day [[Varanasi]]. According to the Puranas, a Shaishunaga prince was appointed to govern Kashi, which suggests that this region was under Shaishunaga control. The Nandas may have captured it from a successor of the Shaishunaga prince.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=17}}
* The Ikshvakus ruled the historical Kosala region of present-day [[Uttar Pradesh]], and had come into conflict with the Magadha kingdom during the reign of Ajatashatru. Their history after the reign of [[Virudhaka]] is obscure. A passage of the 11th century story-collection ''[[Kathasaritsagara]]'' refers to the Nanda camp (''kataka'') in the [[Ayodhya]] town of the Kosala region. This suggests that the Nanda king went on a military campaign to Kosala.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=17}}
* The Panchalas occupied the Ganges valley to the north-west of the Kosala region, and there are no records of their conflict with the Magadha monarchs before the Nanda period. Therefore, it appears that the Nandas subjugated them.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=17}} According to the Greek accounts, Alexander expected to face king Agrammes (identified as a Nanda king) if he advanced eastwards from the [[Punjab region]]. This suggests that the Nanda territory extended up to the Ganges river in the present-day western [[Uttar Pradesh]].{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}
* The Shurasenas ruled the area around [[Mathura]]. The Greek accounts suggest that they were subordinates to the king of the Prasii, that is, the Nanda king.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=19}}
* The Kuru territory, which included the sacred site of [[Kurukshetra]], was located to the west of the Panchala territory.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|pp=18–19}} The Greek records suggest that the king of Gangaridai and Prasii controlled this region, which may be taken as corrorobrative evidence for the Nanda conquest of the Kuru territory.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=19}}
* The Haihayas ruled the [[Narmada River|Narmada]] valley in central India, with their capital at [[Mahishmati]].{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|pp=17–18}} The Nanda control over this territory does not seem improbable, given that their predecessors – the Shaishunagas – are said to have subjugated the rulers of Avanti in central India (according to the Puranas), and their successors – the Mauryas – are known to have ruled over Central India.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=18}}
* The Vitihotras, according to the Puranas, were closely associated with the Haihayas. Their sovereignty is said to have ended before the rise of the [[Pradyota dynasty]] in Avanti, far earlier than the Nandas and the Shaishunagas came to power. However, a passage in the ''Bhavishyanukirtana'' of the Puranas suggests that the Vitihotras were contemporaries of the [[Shaishunaga dynasty|Shaishunagas]]. It is possible that the Shaishunagas restored a Pradyota prince as a subordinate ruler, after defeating the Pradyotas. The Nandas may have defeated this Vitihotra ruler.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=19}} The [[Jainism|Jain]] writers describe the Nandas as the successors of Palaka, the son of king [[Pradyota]].{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=20}}
* The Kalingas occupied the coastal territory in present-day [[Odisha]] and [[Andhra Pradesh]].{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=18}} The Nanda control of this region is corroborated by the [[Hathigumpha inscription]] of the later king [[Kharavela]] ({{Circa|1st or 2nd century BCE}}).{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}} The inscription states that "Nanda-raja" (the Nanda king) had excavated a canal in Kalinga, and had taken a Jain idol from Kalinga.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}} According to the inscription, this canal had been dug "''ti-vasa-sata''" years ago: the term is variously interpreted as "three hundred" or "one hundred and three".{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=13}}
* The Ashmakas occupied the [[Godavari River|Godavari]] valley in the [[Deccan]] region.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=18}} According to one theory, [[Nanded]] in this region was originally called "Nau Nand Dehra" (abode of the nine Nandas), which may be considered as evidence of the Nanda control of this area. However, there is no concrete evidence that the Nanda rule extended to the south of the [[Vindhya range]].{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=18}}

The [[Amaravati|Amaravathi]] hoard of [[Punch-marked coins|Punch marked coins]] have revealed imperial standard coins dating back to the Nandas besides other dynasties of Magadha, including the Mauryas; but it is not certain when this region was annexed by the Magadhan rulers.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Bernholz|first1=Peter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KFglBAAAQBAJ&q=andhra+punched+mark+pre+mauryan+coin&pg=PA61|title=Explaining Monetary and Financial Innovation: A Historical Analysis|last2=Vaubel|first2=Roland|date=26 June 2014|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-319-06109-2|language=en|pages=61–62}}</ref>

Some [[Kuntala country]] (North Mysore) inscriptions suggest that the Nandas also ruled it, which included a part of present-day [[Karnataka]] in southern India. However, these inscriptions are relatively late ({{Circa|1200 CE}}), and therefore, cannot be considered as reliable in this context. The Magadha empire included parts of southern India during the reign of the Mauryas – the successors of the Nandas – but there is no satisfactory account of how they came to control this area.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=20}} For example, an inscription discovered at Bandanikke states:

{{cquote|the [[Kuntala country]] (which included the north-western parts of Mysore and the southern parts of the Bombay Presidency) was ruled by the nava-Nanda, [[Gupta Empire|Gupta-kula]], [[Maurya Empire|Mauryya kings]]; then the [[Rashtrakuta dynasty|Rattas]] ruled it : after whom were the [[Chalukya dynasty|Chalukyas]]; then the [[Kalachuris of Kalyani|Kalachuryya family]]; and after them the ([[Hoysala Empire|Hoysala]]) Ballalas.|Bandanikke inscription<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.107941/page/n17/mode/1up/search/nava-nanda|title=Annual Report Of Mysore 1886 To 1903|page=1}}</ref>}}

==Military strength==
[[Alexander the Great]] [[Indian campaign of Alexander the Great|invaded north-western India]] at the time of Agrammes or Xandrames,{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}} whom modern historians generally identify as the last Nanda king – [[Dhana Nanda]].{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|p=36}} In the summer of 326 BCE, Alexander's army reached the [[Beas River]] (Greek: Hyphasis), beyond which the Nanda territory was located.{{sfn|Ian Worthington|2014|p=252}}

The Greek sources suggest that the Nanda army was five times the size of the Macedonian army.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bongard-Levin |first=G. |title=A History of India |publisher=Progress Publishers |year=1979 |location=Moscow |pages=264}}</ref> According to Curtius, Alexander learned that Agrammes had 200,000 infantry; 20,000 cavalry; 3,000 [[war elephant|elephants]]; and 2,000 four-horse chariots.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}} Diodorus gives the number of elephants as 4,000.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=15}} [[Plutarch]] inflates these numbers significantly, except the [[infantry]]:{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}} according to him, the Nanda force included 200,000 infantry; 80,000 cavalry; 6,000 elephants; and 8,000 chariots.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=16}} It is possible that the numbers reported to Alexander had been exaggerated by the local Indian population, who had the incentive to mislead the invaders.{{sfn|Ian Worthington|2014|p=252}}

The Nanda army did not have the opportunity to face Alexander, whose soldiers mutinied at the Beas River, refusing to go any further in the east. Alexander's soldiers had first started to agitate to return to their homeland at [[Hecatompylos]] in 330 BCE, and the stiff resistance that they had met in north-western India in the subsequent years had demoralised them. They mutinied, when faced with the prospect of facing the Nanda army, forcing Alexander to withdraw from India.{{sfn|Ian Worthington|2014|pp=251–253}}

[[Greece|Greek]] authors also refer to the [[Gangaridae]] and Prasioi as having a fine military tradition, suggesting the fact that during [[Alexander]] the Great's invasion of India in the late 4th century BCE, the country was under the rule of two factions. The two factions may have been a confederacy, or one may have overshadowed the other. The king referred to by [[Diodorus]] as [[Xandrames]] or [[Agrammes]] is thought to have been a Nanda king, and this would suggest that the Nandas were in control of this vast country to the east, including the land of the Gangaridae.{{sfn|Mackenzie|2016|p=1–4}}

==Administration==
Little information survives on the Nanda administration today.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=21}} The Puranas describe the Nanda king as ''ekarat'' ("single ruler"), which suggests that the Nanda empire was an integrated monarchy rather than a group of virtually independent feudal states.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=11}} However, the Greek accounts suggest the presence of a more federated system of governance. For example, [[Arrian]] mentions that the land beyond the Beas River was governed by "the aristocracy, who exercised their authority with justice and moderation." The Greek accounts mention the [[Gangaridai]] and the Prasii separately, although suggesting that these two were ruled by a common sovereign. Historian [[H. C. Raychaudhuri]] theorises that the Nandas held centralised control over their core territories in present-day Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, but allowed considerable autonomy in the frontier parts of their empire.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=21}} This is suggested by Buddhist legends, which state Chandragupta was unable to defeat the Nandas when he attacked their capital but was successful against them when he gradually conquered the frontier regions of their empire.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|pp=21–22}}

The Nanda kings appear to have strengthened the Magadha kingdom ruled by their Haryanka and Shaishunaga predecessors, creating the first great empire of northern India in the process. Historians have put forward various theories to explain the political success of these dynasties of Magadha. Pataliputra, the capital of Magadha, was naturally protected because of its location at the junction of the Ganges and the Son rivers. The Ganges and its tributaries connected the kingdom with important trade routes. It had fertile soil and access to [[lumber]] and elephants of the adjacent areas. Some historians have suggested that Magadha was relatively free from the [[Brahmanism|Brahmanical]] orthodoxy, which may have played a role in its political success; however, it is difficult to assess the veracity of this claim. [[Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi|D. D. Kosambi]] theorised that Magadha's monopoly over iron ore mines played a major role in its imperial expansion, but historian [[Upinder Singh]] has disputed this theory, pointing out that Magadha did not have a monopoly over these mines, and the iron mining in the historical Magadha region started much later. Singh, however, notes that the adjoining [[Chota Nagpur Plateau]] was rich in many minerals and other raw materials, and access to these would have been an asset for Magadha.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}

===Ministers and scholars===
According to the Jain tradition, Kalpaka was the minister of the first Nanda king. He became a minister reluctantly, but after assuming the office, he encouraged the king to adopt an aggressive expansionist policy. The Jain texts suggest that the ministerial offices of the Nanda Empire were hereditary. For example, after the death of Shakatala, a minister of the last Nanda king, his position was offered to his son Sthulabhadra; when Sthulabhadra refused the offer, Shakatala's second son Shriyaka was appointed as the minister.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}

The ''[[Brihatkatha]]'' tradition claims that under the Nanda rule, the city of Pataliputra not only became the abode of the goddess of material prosperity ([[Lakshmi]]), but also of the goddess of learning ([[Sarasvati]]). According to this tradition, notable grammarians such as Varsha, Upavarsha, [[Pāṇini|Panini]], [[Katyayana]], [[Vararuchi]], and Vyadi lived during the Nanda period.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=25}} While much of this account is unreliable folklore, it is probable that some of the grammarians who preceded [[Patanjali]] lived during the Nanda period.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|pp=25–26}}

===Wealth===
[[File:I12 1karshapana Maghada 1ar (8482307176).jpg|thumb|A silver coin of 1 [[karshapana]] of the Magadha Empire (ca 600–32 BCE), King Mahapadma Nanda or his sons (ca 346–321 BCE) '''Obv:''' different symbols '''Rev:''' different symbols including an elephant. '''Dimensions:''' 17 mm '''Weight:''' 2.5 g.]]

Several historical sources refer to the great wealth of the Nandas. According to the ''[[Mahavamsa]]'', the last Nanda king was a treasure-[[compulsive hoarding|hoarder]], and amassed wealth worth 80 ''[[crore|kotis]]'' (800 million). He buried these treasures in the bed of the Ganges river. He acquired further wealth by levying taxes on all sorts of objects, including skins, gums, trees, and stones.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=24}}

A verse by the [[Tamil language|Tamil]] poet [[Mamulanar]] refers to "the untold wealth of the Nandas", which was "swept away and submerged later on by the floods of the Ganges".{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=42}} Another interpretation of this verse states this wealth was hidden in the waters of the Ganges. The 7th-century Chinese traveller [[Xuanzang]] mentions the "five treasures of king Nanda's seven precious substances".{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=24}}

Greek writer [[Xenophon]], in his ''[[Cyropaedia]]'' (4th century BCE), mentions that the king of India was very wealthy, and aspired to arbitrate in the disputes between the kingdoms of West Asia. Although Xenophon's book describes the events of the 6th century BCE (the period of [[Cyrus the Great]]), historian [[H. C. Raychaudhuri]] speculates that the writer's image of the Indian king may be based on the contemporary Nanda king.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=12}}

The ''Kashika'', a commentary on Panini's grammar, mentions ''Nandopakramani manani'' – a measuring standard introduced by the Nandas. This may be a reference to their introduction of a new currency system and [[punch-marked coins]], which may have been responsible for much of their wealth. A hoard of coins found at the site of ancient [[Pataliputra]] probably belongs to the Nanda period.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=215}}

==Religion==
{{See also|Greater Magadha}}
{{single source|date=January 2025}}
According to Bronkhorst, the Nandas and the Mauryas appear to have patronised the religions originating in the [[Greater Magadha]] region, namely Jainism and [[Ajivika|Ajivikism]].{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=12}} However, the rulers of the empire never engaged in conversion of their subjects to other religions{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=12}} and there is no evidence that these rulers discriminated against any contemporary religion.{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=17}} [[Greater Magadha]], east of the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna, was the area where the second urbanisation took place, and where Jainism and Buddhism originated.{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2007|p=3-4}} According to Bronkhorst, it was outside [[Aryavarta]], the heartland of [[Brahmanism|Vedic Brahmanism]] west of the this confuence,{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2007|p=3}} primarily associated with a single state, the [[Kuru kingdom]].{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=31}} According to Bronkhorst, the Nanda emperors, and later the Mauryan emperors, had little interest in Brahmanism,{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=5}} and the conquest of the Vedic heartland by the Nanda and Maurya rule deprived the Brahmins of their patrons, threatening the survival of the Vedic ritual tradition,{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|pp=32-33}} and creating opportunities for Buddhists and Jains to spread their religion outside the confines of Magadha.{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=23}} The much later Jain legends suggests that several Nanda ministers were inclined towards Jainism. When Shakatala, a minister of the last Nanda king, died, his son Sthulabhadra refused to inherit his father's office, and instead became a [[Jain monk]]. Sthulabhadra's brother Shriyaka accepted the post.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}

However, several other Indologists and scholars have questioned Johannes Bronkhorst's claim of a sharp cultural divide between east and west, the supposed lesser influence of Brahmanisation in early Magadha, and his proposed revision of textual chronology, while also criticizing him for overlooking the role of socioeconomic and political developments in shaping new ideological trends.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Norelius |first=Per-Johan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tOr7EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA459 |title=Soul and Self in Vedic India |date=2023-06-19 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-54600-4 |pages=459 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Wynne on Bronkhorst, 'Greater Magadha: Studies in the Culture of Early India' {{!}} H-Net |url=https://networks.h-net.org/node/6060/reviews/16094/wynne-bronkhorst-greater-magadha-studies-culture-early-india |access-date=2024-07-03 |website=networks.h-net.org}}</ref>

According to [[Patrick Olivelle]], those who see Sramana seers of Magadha as non-Brahmanical, anti-Brahmanical, or even non-Aryan precursors of later sectarian ascetics are drawing conclusions that far outstrip the available evidence.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Olivelle |first=Patrick |year=1993 |title=The Aśrama System: The History and Hermeneutics of a Religious Institution |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-534478-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/asramasystemhist00oliv |url-access=limited |via=Archive.org }}</ref>

==Architecture==
{{Multiple image
| align =
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| caption1 = Nanda-period voussoir with Mauryan polish
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| caption2 = Mason's marks of archaic [[Brahmi script|Brahmi]]
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'''Pataliputra Voussoir Arch'''

A granite stone fragment of an arch discovered by [[K. P. Jayaswal]] from [[Kumhrar]], Pataliputra has been analysed as a pre Maurya-Nanda period keystone fragment of a trefoil arch of gateway with mason's marks of three archaic Brahmi letters inscribed on it which probably decorated a [[Torana]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.20579|title=Proceedinds And Transactions Of The Second Oriental Conference (1923)|last=The Calcutta University|date=1923}}{{pn|date=October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.35494|title=Annual Report Of The Archaeological Survey Of India 1921–22|last=Spooner|first=Brainerd|date=1924}}{{pn|date=October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.41145|title=Memoirs of the archaeological survey of India no.30|last=Chandra|first=Ramaprasad|date=1927}}{{pn|date=October 2023}}</ref> The wedge-shaped stone with indentation has [[Mauryan polish]] on two sides and was suspended vertically.

==Nanda era==
According to [[K. P. Jayaswal|K. P Jayaswal]], Nanda era is mentioned in three sources. Kharavela's [[Hathigumpha inscription]] mentions Nandaraja constructing canal 103rd year of the Nanda period.<ref name=ei20p71>{{cite book |author1=K P Jayaswal |author2=R D Banerji |title=Epigraphia Indica Volume XX |year=1920 |url=https://archive.org/details/epigrahiaindicav014769mbp |publisher=Archaeological Survey of India |pages=71–72}}, {{PD-notice}}</ref> According to [[Al-Biruni]], the Sri-Harsha era was being used in areas of [[Kannauj]] and [[Mathura]] and there was a difference of 400 years between Sri-Harsha era and Vikrama era which would make it fall in 458 BCE, the attributes of which matched with the Nanda kings. According to 12th century Yedarava inscription of Chalukya king [[Vikramaditya VI]], Nanda era along with [[Vikram Samvat|Vikram era]] and [[Shaka era]] were extant which were abolished in favour of a new Chalukyan era, but other scholars have opined that evidences are too meager to make anything conclusive.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.103481|title=Old Brahmi Inscriptions In The Udayagiri And Khandagiri Caves|last=Barua|first=Benimadhab|date=1929}}{{pn|date=October 2023}}</ref>

==Unpopularity and overthrow==
All historical accounts agree that the last Nanda king was unpopular among his subjects. According to Diodorus, [[Porus the Elder|Porus]] told Alexander that the contemporary Nanda king was a man of "worthless character", and was not respected by his subjects as he was thought to be of low origin. Curtius also states that according to Porus, the Nanda king was despised by his subjects.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=5}} According to [[Plutarch]], who claims that Androkottos (identified as Chandragupta) met Alexander, Androkottos later declared that Alexander could have easily conquered the Nanda territory (Gangaridai and Prasii) because the Nanda king was hated and despised by his subjects, as he was wicked and of low origin.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|pp=5–6}} The Sri Lankan Buddhist tradition blames the Nandas for being greedy and for imposing oppressive taxation.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}} The Puranas of India label the Nandas as ''adharmika'', indicating that they did not follow the norms of ''[[dharma]]'' or righteous conduct.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=272}}

The Nanda dynasty was [[Conquest of the Nanda Empire|overthrown]] by [[Chandragupta Maurya]], who was supported by his mentor (and later minister) [[Chanakya]]. Some accounts mention Chandragupta as a member of the Nanda family. For example, the 11th century writers [[Kshemendra]] and [[Somadeva]] describe Chandragupta as a "son of the genuine Nanda" (''purva-Nanda-suta''). Dhundiraja, in his commentary on the ''[[Vishnu Purana]]'', names Chandragupta's father as Maurya; he describes Maurya as a son of the Nanda king Sarvatha-siddhi and a hunter's daughter named Mura.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}

The Buddhist text ''[[Milinda Panha]]'' mentions a war between the Nanda general Bhaddasala (Sanskrit:Bhadrashala) and Chandragupta. According to the text, this war led to the slaughter of 10,000 elephants; 100,000 horses; 5,000 charioteers; and a billion foot soldiers. While this is obviously an exaggeration, it suggests that the overthrow of the Nanda dynasty was a violent affair.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=25}}

{{see also|Nanda–Mauryan War}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}

* {{cite book | last =Bronkhorst | first =Johannes | year =2007 | title =Greater Magadha | publisher =Brill}}
* {{cite book | last =Bronkhorst | first =Johannes | year =2011 | author-link =Johannes Bronkhorst | title =Buddhism in the Shadow of Brahmanism | publisher =BRILL | isbn =978-90-04-20140-8 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=BaX58-E5-3MC&pg=PA17}}

* {{cite book |author=Dilip Kumar Ganguly |title=History and Historians in Ancient India |url=https://archive.org/details/historyhistorian00gang |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyhistorian00gang/page/23 23] |year=1984 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=978-0-391-03250-7 }}

* {{cite book |author1=Irfan Habib |author2=Vivekanand Jha |title=Mauryan India |series=A People's History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nUvGQgAACAAJ |year=2004 |publisher=Aligarh Historians Society / [[Tulika Books]] |isbn=978-81-85229-92-8 }}
* {{Citation |last =Hiltebeitel |first =Alf |year =2007 |title =Hinduism. In: Joseph Kitagawa, "The Religious Traditions of Asia: Religion, History, and Culture". Digital printing 2007 |publisher =Routledge |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=9fyzAAAAQBAJ |isbn =978-1-136-87590-8 |access-date =13 February 2016 |archive-date =3 July 2023 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20230703151449/https://books.google.com/books?id=9fyzAAAAQBAJ |url-status =live }}

* {{cite book |author=Jyoti Prasad Jain |title=Jaina Sources of the History of Ancient India: 100 BC - AD 900 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UTUwAQAAIAAJ |year=2005 |orig-year=1964 |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal |isbn=9788121511407 }}

* {{cite book |author=R. C. Majumdar |title=Readings in political history of India: Ancient, Mediaeval, and Modern |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YvggAAAAMAAJ |year=1976 |publisher=B.R. / Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies |isbn=9788176467841 }}
* {{Cite book |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781118455074 |title=The Encyclopedia of Empire |date=2016-01-12 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-118-44064-3 |editor-last=Mackenzie |editor-first=John |edition=1 |language=en |chapter=Nanda Empire |doi=10.1002/9781118455074}}

* {{Citation |last =Nath | first =Vijay |year =2001 |title =From 'Brahmanism' to 'Hinduism': Negotiating the Myth of the Great Tradition |journal =Social Scientist |volume =29 |issue =3/4 |pages=19–50 |ref={{SfnRef |Vijay Nath |2001}}| doi =10.2307/3518337 |jstor =3518337}}
* {{cite book |author=R. K. Mookerji |author-link=Radha Kumud Mukherjee |title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA3 |year=1966 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0405-0 }}

* {{cite book |author=H. C. Raychaudhuri |author-link=Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri |chapter=India in the Age of the Nandas |editor=K. A. Nilakanta Sastri |editor-link=K. A. Nilakanta Sastri |title=Age of the Nandas and Mauryas |edition=Second |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YoAwor58utYC&pg=PA11 |year=1988 |orig-year=1967 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |location=Delhi |isbn=978-81-208-0466-1 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Roy |first=Kaushik |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRE3n1VwDTIC |title=Hinduism and the Ethics of Warfare in South Asia: From Antiquity to the Present |date=2012-10-15 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-01736-8 |language=en}}

* {{cite book |last =Singh | first =Upinder | year =2008 | title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century|publisher=Pearson Education India |isbn=978-81-317-1677-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pq2iCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA272 }}
* {{cite book | last1 =Sujato | first1 =Bhikkhu | last2 =Brahmali | first2 =Bhikkhu | year =2014 | title =The Authenticity of the Early Buddhist Texts | publisher =Buddhist Publication Society}}

* {{cite book |author=Ian Worthington |title=By the Spear: Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Rise and Fall of the Macedonian Empire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vnGVAwAAQBAJ |year=2014 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-992986-3 }}
*{{cite book |last1=Ramesh |first1=Sangaralingam |title=The Political Economy of India's Economic Development: 5000BC to 2022AD, Volume I |chapter=The Nanda Empire: 400 BC to 322 BC|date=2023 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=9783031420726 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ae_cEAAAQBAJ&q=The+Political+Economy+of+India’s+Economic+Development:+5000BC+to+2022AD,+Volume+I}}
{{refend}}

{{Middle kingdoms of India}}
{{Empires}}
{{Bihar}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Nanda Empire| ]]
[[Category:Magadha]]
[[Category:Kingdoms of Bihar]]
[[Category:Dynasties of Bengal]]
[[Category:4th-century BC establishments in India]]
[[Category:4th-century BC disestablishments in India]]
[[Category:History of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Former empires]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in the 4th century BC]]

Nanda Empire

2026-07-24T08:40:02Z

Devanam:

{{Short description|Ruling dynasty of Magadha (c. 345–322 BCE)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Nanda dynasty
| common_name = Nanda dynasty
| era = Iron Age India
| year_start = {{Circa|345 BCE}}{{efn|variously dated from 5th century BCE or mid-4th century BCE}}
| image_coat = File:MauryanCoin.JPG
| coa_size = 280px
| symbol_type = [[Punch-marked coins|Punch-marked coinage]] of the Nanda Empire
| status = [[Empire]]
| year_end = {{Circa|322 BCE}}{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}
| title_leader = [[List of monarchs of Magadha#House of Nanda|King]]
| leader1 = [[Mahapadma Nanda|Mahapadma]] (first)
| year_leader1 = {{Circa|345|340 BCE}}
| leader2 = [[Dhana Nanda|Dhana]] (last)
| year_leader2 = {{Circa|329|322 BCE}}
| p1 = Shaishunaga dynasty
| p2 = Mithila (region){{!}}Mithila
| p3 = Panchala
| p4 = Surasena
| p5 = Vatsa
| p6 = Kuru Kingdom{{!}}Kuru
| p7 = Mahishmati{{!}}Haihaya
| p8 = Vanga kingdom{{!}}Vanga
| p9 = Asmaka
| s1 = Maurya Empire
| image_map = Nanda Empire map.jpg
| map_width = 300
| image_map_caption = Possible extent of the Nanda Empire under its last ruler [[Dhana Nanda]] ({{Circa|325 BCE}}).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schwartzberg |first1=Joseph E. |title=A Historical atlas of South Asia |date=1978 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |location=Chicago |page=145, map XIV.1 (a) |isbn=0226742210 |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=182 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |access-date=25 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224162023/https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=182 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| capital = [[Pataliputra]]
| government_type = Monarchy
| today = [[Bangladesh]] [[India]] [[Nepal]]
| religion = [[Jainism]]{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=12}} [[Ajivika|Ajivikism]]{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=12}} [[Buddhism]]{{sfn|Sujato|Brahmali|2014|p=22-23}} [[Brahmanism]]{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=30-31}}
| demonym =
| area_km2 =
| area_rank =
| GDP_PPP =
| GDP_PPP_year =
| HDI =
| HDI_year =
}}
{{History of Bihar}}
{{History of India}}
{{HistoryOfSouthAsia}}
The '''Nanda Empire''' was a vast empire that governed in [[Magadha]] and [[Gangetic plains]] with an enormous geographical reach in 4th-century BCE northeastern India, with some accounts suggesting existence as far back as the 5th century BCE. The Nandas built on the successes of their [[Haryanka dynasty|Haryanka]] and [[Shaishunaga]] predecessors and instituted a more centralised administration. Ancient sources credit them with amassing great wealth, which was probably a result of the introduction of a new currency and taxation system.

Ancient texts also suggest that the Nandas were unpopular among their subjects because of their low-status birth, excessive taxation, and general misconduct. The last Nanda king [[Dhana Nanda]] was overthrown by [[Chandragupta Maurya]], founder of the [[Maurya Empire]].

Modern historians generally identify the ruler of the [[Gangaridai]] and the Prasii mentioned in ancient Greco-Roman accounts as a Nanda king. While describing [[Alexander the Great]]'s [[Indian campaign of Alexander the Great|invasion]] of [[Punjab]] (327–325 BCE), Greco-Roman writers depict this kingdom as a great military power. The prospect of a war against this kingdom, which according to Greek sources had an army five times the size of the Macedonian army, coupled with the exhaustion resulting from almost a decade of campaigning, led to a mutiny among Alexander's homesick soldiers, putting an end to his Indian campaign.

==Origins==
===Homeland===
The Nanda Empire became a significant ruling authority in [[Magadha]],{{sfn|Roy|2012|p=58}} prior to the creation of the [[Maurya Empire]] who established a large empire in the [[Ganga]] valley. In the [[Buddhist]] accounts, the Nandas ascended the throne by open conquest in the field and not through secret intrigues or assassinations.{{sfn|Mackenzie|2016|p=1–4}}

[[Greece|Greek]] authors refer to a great kingdom to the east of the kingdom of King [[Porus]], beyond the [[Jhelum River]]. The kingdom is referred to as belonging to the [[Gangaridae]] and Prasioi, and the capital at ''Palibothra'', which is generally accepted as referring to [[Pataliputra]]. Prasioi is derived from the [[Sanskrit]] term Prachya, meaning "eastern," and Gangaridae is traced to the [[Gangetic Plain]]. These references suggest that the kingdom of [[Magadha]] extended dominion over the country to the east of the Jhelum, and its capital was at Pataliputra.{{sfn|Mackenzie|2016|p=1–4}}

===Ancestry===
Both Indian and Greco-Roman traditions characterise the dynasty's founder as of low birth.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=12}} According to Greek historian [[Diodorus Siculus|Diodorus]] (1st century BCE), Porus told Alexander that the contemporary Nanda king was thought to be the son of a barber.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=5}} Roman historian [[Quintus Curtius Rufus|Curtius]] (1st century CE) adds that according to Porus, this barber became the former queen's paramour thanks to his attractive looks, treacherously assassinated the then king, usurped the supreme authority by pretending to act as a guardian for the then princes, and later killed the princes.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=5}}{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=14}}

The Jain tradition, as recorded in the ''Avashyaka Sutra'' and the 12th-century text ''[[Parishishtaparvan|Parishishta-parvan]]'', corroborates the Greco-Roman accounts, stating that the first Nanda king was the son of a barber. {{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=14}}{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|p=20}} According to the 12th century text ''Parishishta-parvan'', the mother of the first Nanda king was a courtesan. However, the text also states that the daughter of the last Nanda king married Chandragupta, because it was customary for [[Kshatriya]] girls to choose their husbands; thus, it implies that the Nanda king claimed to be a Kshatriya, that is, a member of the warrior class.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=14}}

The [[Puranas]] name the dynasty's founder as [[Mahapadma Nanda|Mahapadma]], and claim that he was the son of the [[Shaishunaga dynasty|Shaishunaga]] king [[Mahanandin]]. However, even these texts hint at the low birth of the Nandas, when they state that Mahapadma's mother belonged to the [[Shudra]] class, the lowest of the [[varna in Hinduism|varnas]].{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|p=20}}{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}

Since the claim of the barber ancestry of the dynasty's founder is attested by two different traditions—Greco-Roman and Jain, it appears to be more reliable than the Puranic claim of Shaishunaga ancestry.{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|p=23}}

The Buddhist tradition calls the Nandas "of unknown lineage" (''annata-kula''). According to ''[[Mahavamsa]]'', the dynasty's founder was Ugrasena, who was originally "a man of the frontier": he fell into the hands of a gang of robbers, and later became their leader.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=272}} He later ousted the sons of the Shaishunaga king [[Kalashoka]] (or Kakavarna).{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=14}}

[[K. N. Panikkar]] suggested that the Nandas were the sole Kshatriyas in India "at the time of the Mauryas" and [[M. N. Srinivas]] suggested that the "other Kshatriya castes have come into existence through a process of caste mobility from among the lower castes".<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Sociological Bulletin |volume=51 |number=2 |date=September 2002 |pages=175–194 |publisher=[[Indian Sociological Society]] |editor-first=N. |editor-last=Jayaram |title=Religion, Caste, and Communalism in Punjab |first=Paramjit S. |last=Judge |doi=10.1177/0038022920020202 |jstor=23619969|s2cid=147989946}}</ref>{{rp|177}}

==Regnal period==
There is little unanimity among the ancient sources regarding the total duration of the Nanda reign or their regnal period.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=23}} For example, the ''[[Matsya Purana]]'' assigns 88 years to the rule of the first Nanda king alone,{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|p=23}} while some manuscripts of the ''[[Vayu Purana]]'' state the total duration of the Nanda rule as 40 years. The 16th century Buddhist scholar [[Taranatha]] assigns 29 years to the Nandas.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|pp=22–23}}

It is difficult to assign precise date for the Nanda and other early dynasties of Magadha.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}} Historians [[Irfan Habib]] and Vivekanand Jha date the Nanda rule from {{Circa|344}}–322 BCE, relying on the Sri Lankan Buddhist tradition which states that the Nandas ruled for 22 years.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}} Historian [[Upinder Singh]] dates the Nanda rule from 364/345 BCE to 324 BCE, based on the assumption that [[Gautama Buddha]] died in {{Circa|486 BCE}}.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}

According to another theory, based on astronomical calculations, the first Nanda king ascended the throne in 424 BCE. Proponents of this theory also interpret the [[Hathigumpha inscription]] to mean that "Nandaraja" (the Nanda king) flourished in year 103 of the [[Vira Nirvana Samvat|Mahavira Era]], that is, in 424 BCE.{{sfn|Jyoti Prasad Jain|2005|p=25}}

The 14th century Jain writer [[Merutunga]], in his ''Vichara-shreni'', states that king Chandra [[Pradyota dynasty|Pradyota]] of [[Avanti (Ancient India)|Avanti]] died on the same night as the Jain leader [[Mahavira]]. He was succeeded by his son Palaka, who ruled for 60 years. After that, the Nandas rose to power at [[Pataliputra]] and captured the Avanti capital [[Ujjayini]]. The Nanda rule, spanning the reigns of nine kings, lasted for 155 years, after which the Mauryas came to power. According to the [[Śvetāmbara]] Jain tradition, Mahavira died in 527 BCE, which would mean that the Nanda rule—according to Merutunga's writings—lasted from 467 BCE to 312 BCE. According to historian [[R. C. Majumdar]], while all the chronological details provided by Merutunga cannot be accepted without corroborative evidence, they cannot be dismissed as entirely unreliable unless contradicted by more reliable sources.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|1976|pp=59–60}}

==Nanda kings==
The Buddhist, Jain, and Puranic traditions all state that there were 9 Nanda kings,{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=272}} but the sources differ considerably on the names of these kings.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}

According to the Greco-Roman accounts, the Nanda rule spanned two generations.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=12}} For example, the Roman historian [[Quintus Curtius Rufus|Curtius]] (1st century CE) suggests that the dynasty's founder was a barber-turned-king, and that his son was the dynasty's last king, who was overthrown by Chandragupta.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=5}} The Greek accounts name only one Nanda king—Agrammes or Xandrames—who was a contemporary of Alexander. "Agrammes" may be a Greek transcription of the Sanskrit word "Augrasainya" (literally "son or descendant of Ugrasena", Ugrasena being the name of the dynasty's founder according to the Buddhist tradition).{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=14}}

The [[Puranas]], compiled in India in {{Circa|4th century CE}} (but based on earlier sources), also state that the Nandas ruled for two generations.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=12}} According to the Puranic tradition, the dynasty's founder was Mahapadma: the ''[[Matsya Purana]]'' assigns him an incredibly long reign of 88 years, while the ''[[Vayu Purana]]'' mentions the length of his reign as only 28 years.{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|p=23}} The Puranas further state that Mahapadma's 8 sons ruled in succession after him for a total of 12 years, but name only one of these sons: Sukalpa.{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|p=20}} A ''Vayu Purana'' script names him as "Sahalya", which apparently corresponds to the "Sahalin" mentioned in the Buddhist text ''[[Divyavadana]]''.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=23}} [[Dhundhiraja of Svamimalai|Dhundhi-raja]], an 18th-century [[Puranas|Puranic]] commentator, names one of the Nanda kings as Sarvatha-siddhi, and states that his son was Maurya, whose son was Chandragupta Maurya.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}} However, the Puranas themselves do not talk of any relation between the Nanda and the Maurya dynasties.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=140}}

According to the Sri Lankan Buddhist text ''Mahavamsa'', written in [[Pali language]], there were 9 Nanda kings – they were brothers who ruled in succession, for a total of 22 years.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}} These nine kings were:{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}

{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
# [[Mahapadma Nanda|Ugra-sena]] (Uggasena in Pali)
# Panduka
# Pandugati
# Bhuta-pala
# Rashtra-pala
# Govishanaka
# Dasha-siddhaka
# Kaivarta
# [[Dhana Nanda|Dhana]]
}}

==Imperial extent==
[[File:Magadhan Empire expansion.gif|thumb|400px|An estimate of the territorial evolution of the [[Magadha]] empires, including during the rule of predecessors and successors of the Nandas<ref> Mookerji, Radhakumud. Chandragupta Maurya and his times. Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1966. p165-166 </ref>]]

The Nanda capital was located at [[Pataliputra]] (near present-day [[Patna]]) in the [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)|Magadha]] region of eastern India. This is confirmed by the Buddhist and Jain traditions, as well as the Sanskrit play ''[[Mudrarakshasa]]''. The Puranas also connect the Nandas to the [[Shaishunaga dynasty]], which ruled in the Magadha region. The Greek accounts state that Agrammes (identified as a Nanda king) was the ruler of the [[Gangaridai]] (the [[Ganges River|Ganges]] valley) and the Prasii (probably a transcription of the Sanskrit word ''prachya''s, literally "easterners"). According to the later writer [[Megasthenes]] ({{Circa|300 BCE}}), Pataliputra (Greek: Palibothra) was located in the country of the Prasii, which further confirms that Pataliputra was the Nanda capital.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}

The Nanda empire appears to have stretched from present-day [[Punjab]] in the west to [[Odisha]] in the east.{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=12}} An analysis of various historical sources – including the ancient Greek accounts, the [[Puranas]], and the [[Hathigumpha inscription]] – suggests that the Nandas controlled eastern India, the [[Ganges River|Ganges]] valley, and at least a part of [[Kalinga (historical region)|Kalinga]].{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|pp=17–20}} It is also highly probable that they controlled the [[Avanti (India)|Avanti]] region in Central India, which made it possible for their successor [[Chandragupta Maurya]] to conquer present-day [[Gujarat]] western India.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|pp=19–20}} According to the Jain tradition, the Nanda minister subjugated the entire country up to the coastal areas.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=17}}

The Puranas state that the Nanda king Mahapadma destroyed the [[Kshatriya]]s, and attained undisputed sovereignty.{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|pp=19–20}} The [[Kshatriya]]s said to have been exterminated by him include [[Mithila (region)|Maithalas]], [[Kingdom of Kashi|Kasheyas]], [[Pasenadi|Ikshvakus]], [[Panchala]]s, [[Shurasena]]s, [[Kuru Kingdom|Kurus]], [[Heheya Kingdom|Haihayas]], [[Vitihotras]], [[Kalinga (historical kingdom)|Kalinga]]s, and [[Ashmaka]]s.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=17}}

* The Maithala (literally, "of [[Mithilā (ancient city)|Mithilā]]") territory was located to the north of Magadha, on the border of present-day Nepal and northern [[Bihar]]. This region had come under the control of Magadha during the reign of the 5th century BCE king [[Ajatashatru]]. The Nandas probably subjugated the local chieftains, who may have retained some degree of independence from Magadha.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=19}}
* The Kasheyas were the residents of the area around Kashi, that is, present-day [[Varanasi]]. According to the Puranas, a Shaishunaga prince was appointed to govern Kashi, which suggests that this region was under Shaishunaga control. The Nandas may have captured it from a successor of the Shaishunaga prince.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=17}}
* The Ikshvakus ruled the historical Kosala region of present-day [[Uttar Pradesh]], and had come into conflict with the Magadha kingdom during the reign of Ajatashatru. Their history after the reign of [[Virudhaka]] is obscure. A passage of the 11th century story-collection ''[[Kathasaritsagara]]'' refers to the Nanda camp (''kataka'') in the [[Ayodhya]] town of the Kosala region. This suggests that the Nanda king went on a military campaign to Kosala.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=17}}
* The Panchalas occupied the Ganges valley to the north-west of the Kosala region, and there are no records of their conflict with the Magadha monarchs before the Nanda period. Therefore, it appears that the Nandas subjugated them.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=17}} According to the Greek accounts, Alexander expected to face king Agrammes (identified as a Nanda king) if he advanced eastwards from the [[Punjab region]]. This suggests that the Nanda territory extended up to the Ganges river in the present-day western [[Uttar Pradesh]].{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}
* The Shurasenas ruled the area around [[Mathura]]. The Greek accounts suggest that they were subordinates to the king of the Prasii, that is, the Nanda king.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=19}}
* The Kuru territory, which included the sacred site of [[Kurukshetra]], was located to the west of the Panchala territory.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|pp=18–19}} The Greek records suggest that the king of Gangaridai and Prasii controlled this region, which may be taken as corrorobrative evidence for the Nanda conquest of the Kuru territory.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=19}}
* The Haihayas ruled the [[Narmada River|Narmada]] valley in central India, with their capital at [[Mahishmati]].{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|pp=17–18}} The Nanda control over this territory does not seem improbable, given that their predecessors – the Shaishunagas – are said to have subjugated the rulers of Avanti in central India (according to the Puranas), and their successors – the Mauryas – are known to have ruled over Central India.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=18}}
* The Vitihotras, according to the Puranas, were closely associated with the Haihayas. Their sovereignty is said to have ended before the rise of the [[Pradyota dynasty]] in Avanti, far earlier than the Nandas and the Shaishunagas came to power. However, a passage in the ''Bhavishyanukirtana'' of the Puranas suggests that the Vitihotras were contemporaries of the [[Shaishunaga dynasty|Shaishunagas]]. It is possible that the Shaishunagas restored a Pradyota prince as a subordinate ruler, after defeating the Pradyotas. The Nandas may have defeated this Vitihotra ruler.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=19}} The [[Jainism|Jain]] writers describe the Nandas as the successors of Palaka, the son of king [[Pradyota]].{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=20}}
* The Kalingas occupied the coastal territory in present-day [[Odisha]] and [[Andhra Pradesh]].{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=18}} The Nanda control of this region is corroborated by the [[Hathigumpha inscription]] of the later king [[Kharavela]] ({{Circa|1st or 2nd century BCE}}).{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}} The inscription states that "Nanda-raja" (the Nanda king) had excavated a canal in Kalinga, and had taken a Jain idol from Kalinga.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}} According to the inscription, this canal had been dug "''ti-vasa-sata''" years ago: the term is variously interpreted as "three hundred" or "one hundred and three".{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=13}}
* The Ashmakas occupied the [[Godavari River|Godavari]] valley in the [[Deccan]] region.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=18}} According to one theory, [[Nanded]] in this region was originally called "Nau Nand Dehra" (abode of the nine Nandas), which may be considered as evidence of the Nanda control of this area. However, there is no concrete evidence that the Nanda rule extended to the south of the [[Vindhya range]].{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=18}}

The [[Amaravati|Amaravathi]] hoard of [[Punch-marked coins|Punch marked coins]] have revealed imperial standard coins dating back to the Nandas besides other dynasties of Magadha, including the Mauryas; but it is not certain when this region was annexed by the Magadhan rulers.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Bernholz|first1=Peter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KFglBAAAQBAJ&q=andhra+punched+mark+pre+mauryan+coin&pg=PA61|title=Explaining Monetary and Financial Innovation: A Historical Analysis|last2=Vaubel|first2=Roland|date=26 June 2014|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-319-06109-2|language=en|pages=61–62}}</ref>

Some [[Kuntala country]] (North Mysore) inscriptions suggest that the Nandas also ruled it, which included a part of present-day [[Karnataka]] in southern India. However, these inscriptions are relatively late ({{Circa|1200 CE}}), and therefore, cannot be considered as reliable in this context. The Magadha empire included parts of southern India during the reign of the Mauryas – the successors of the Nandas – but there is no satisfactory account of how they came to control this area.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=20}} For example, an inscription discovered at Bandanikke states:

{{cquote|the [[Kuntala country]] (which included the north-western parts of Mysore and the southern parts of the Bombay Presidency) was ruled by the nava-Nanda, [[Gupta Empire|Gupta-kula]], [[Maurya Empire|Mauryya kings]]; then the [[Rashtrakuta dynasty|Rattas]] ruled it : after whom were the [[Chalukya dynasty|Chalukyas]]; then the [[Kalachuris of Kalyani|Kalachuryya family]]; and after them the ([[Hoysala Empire|Hoysala]]) Ballalas.|Bandanikke inscription<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.107941/page/n17/mode/1up/search/nava-nanda|title=Annual Report Of Mysore 1886 To 1903|page=1}}</ref>}}

==Military strength==
[[Alexander the Great]] [[Indian campaign of Alexander the Great|invaded north-western India]] at the time of Agrammes or Xandrames,{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}} whom modern historians generally identify as the last Nanda king – [[Dhana Nanda]].{{sfn|Dilip Kumar Ganguly|1984|p=36}} In the summer of 326 BCE, Alexander's army reached the [[Beas River]] (Greek: Hyphasis), beyond which the Nanda territory was located.{{sfn|Ian Worthington|2014|p=252}}

The Greek sources suggest that the Nanda army was five times the size of the Macedonian army.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bongard-Levin |first=G. |title=A History of India |publisher=Progress Publishers |year=1979 |location=Moscow |pages=264}}</ref> According to Curtius, Alexander learned that Agrammes had 200,000 infantry; 20,000 cavalry; 3,000 [[war elephant|elephants]]; and 2,000 four-horse chariots.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=13}}{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}} Diodorus gives the number of elephants as 4,000.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=15}} [[Plutarch]] inflates these numbers significantly, except the [[infantry]]:{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}} according to him, the Nanda force included 200,000 infantry; 80,000 cavalry; 6,000 elephants; and 8,000 chariots.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=16}} It is possible that the numbers reported to Alexander had been exaggerated by the local Indian population, who had the incentive to mislead the invaders.{{sfn|Ian Worthington|2014|p=252}}

The Nanda army did not have the opportunity to face Alexander, whose soldiers mutinied at the Beas River, refusing to go any further in the east. Alexander's soldiers had first started to agitate to return to their homeland at [[Hecatompylos]] in 330 BCE, and the stiff resistance that they had met in north-western India in the subsequent years had demoralised them. They mutinied, when faced with the prospect of facing the Nanda army, forcing Alexander to withdraw from India.{{sfn|Ian Worthington|2014|pp=251–253}}

[[Greece|Greek]] authors also refer to the [[Gangaridae]] and Prasioi as having a fine military tradition, suggesting the fact that during [[Alexander]] the Great's invasion of India in the late 4th century BCE, the country was under the rule of two factions. The two factions may have been a confederacy, or one may have overshadowed the other. The king referred to by [[Diodorus]] as [[Xandrames]] or [[Agrammes]] is thought to have been a Nanda king, and this would suggest that the Nandas were in control of this vast country to the east, including the land of the Gangaridae.{{sfn|Mackenzie|2016|p=1–4}}

==Administration==
Little information survives on the Nanda administration today.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=21}} The Puranas describe the Nanda king as ''ekarat'' ("single ruler"), which suggests that the Nanda empire was an integrated monarchy rather than a group of virtually independent feudal states.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=11}} However, the Greek accounts suggest the presence of a more federated system of governance. For example, [[Arrian]] mentions that the land beyond the Beas River was governed by "the aristocracy, who exercised their authority with justice and moderation." The Greek accounts mention the [[Gangaridai]] and the Prasii separately, although suggesting that these two were ruled by a common sovereign. Historian [[H. C. Raychaudhuri]] theorises that the Nandas held centralised control over their core territories in present-day Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, but allowed considerable autonomy in the frontier parts of their empire.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=21}} This is suggested by Buddhist legends, which state Chandragupta was unable to defeat the Nandas when he attacked their capital but was successful against them when he gradually conquered the frontier regions of their empire.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|pp=21–22}}

The Nanda kings appear to have strengthened the Magadha kingdom ruled by their Haryanka and Shaishunaga predecessors, creating the first great empire of northern India in the process. Historians have put forward various theories to explain the political success of these dynasties of Magadha. Pataliputra, the capital of Magadha, was naturally protected because of its location at the junction of the Ganges and the Son rivers. The Ganges and its tributaries connected the kingdom with important trade routes. It had fertile soil and access to [[lumber]] and elephants of the adjacent areas. Some historians have suggested that Magadha was relatively free from the [[Brahmanism|Brahmanical]] orthodoxy, which may have played a role in its political success; however, it is difficult to assess the veracity of this claim. [[Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi|D. D. Kosambi]] theorised that Magadha's monopoly over iron ore mines played a major role in its imperial expansion, but historian [[Upinder Singh]] has disputed this theory, pointing out that Magadha did not have a monopoly over these mines, and the iron mining in the historical Magadha region started much later. Singh, however, notes that the adjoining [[Chota Nagpur Plateau]] was rich in many minerals and other raw materials, and access to these would have been an asset for Magadha.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}

===Ministers and scholars===
According to the Jain tradition, Kalpaka was the minister of the first Nanda king. He became a minister reluctantly, but after assuming the office, he encouraged the king to adopt an aggressive expansionist policy. The Jain texts suggest that the ministerial offices of the Nanda Empire were hereditary. For example, after the death of Shakatala, a minister of the last Nanda king, his position was offered to his son Sthulabhadra; when Sthulabhadra refused the offer, Shakatala's second son Shriyaka was appointed as the minister.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}

The ''[[Brihatkatha]]'' tradition claims that under the Nanda rule, the city of Pataliputra not only became the abode of the goddess of material prosperity ([[Lakshmi]]), but also of the goddess of learning ([[Sarasvati]]). According to this tradition, notable grammarians such as Varsha, Upavarsha, [[Pāṇini|Panini]], [[Katyayana]], [[Vararuchi]], and Vyadi lived during the Nanda period.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=25}} While much of this account is unreliable folklore, it is probable that some of the grammarians who preceded [[Patanjali]] lived during the Nanda period.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|pp=25–26}}

===Wealth===
[[File:I12 1karshapana Maghada 1ar (8482307176).jpg|thumb|A silver coin of 1 [[karshapana]] of the Magadha Empire (ca 600–32 BCE), King Mahapadma Nanda or his sons (ca 346–321 BCE) '''Obv:''' different symbols '''Rev:''' different symbols including an elephant. '''Dimensions:''' 17 mm '''Weight:''' 2.5 g.]]

Several historical sources refer to the great wealth of the Nandas. According to the ''[[Mahavamsa]]'', the last Nanda king was a treasure-[[compulsive hoarding|hoarder]], and amassed wealth worth 80 ''[[crore|kotis]]'' (800 million). He buried these treasures in the bed of the Ganges river. He acquired further wealth by levying taxes on all sorts of objects, including skins, gums, trees, and stones.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=24}}

A verse by the [[Tamil language|Tamil]] poet [[Mamulanar]] refers to "the untold wealth of the Nandas", which was "swept away and submerged later on by the floods of the Ganges".{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=42}} Another interpretation of this verse states this wealth was hidden in the waters of the Ganges. The 7th-century Chinese traveller [[Xuanzang]] mentions the "five treasures of king Nanda's seven precious substances".{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=24}}

Greek writer [[Xenophon]], in his ''[[Cyropaedia]]'' (4th century BCE), mentions that the king of India was very wealthy, and aspired to arbitrate in the disputes between the kingdoms of West Asia. Although Xenophon's book describes the events of the 6th century BCE (the period of [[Cyrus the Great]]), historian [[H. C. Raychaudhuri]] speculates that the writer's image of the Indian king may be based on the contemporary Nanda king.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=12}}

The ''Kashika'', a commentary on Panini's grammar, mentions ''Nandopakramani manani'' – a measuring standard introduced by the Nandas. This may be a reference to their introduction of a new currency system and [[punch-marked coins]], which may have been responsible for much of their wealth. A hoard of coins found at the site of ancient [[Pataliputra]] probably belongs to the Nanda period.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=215}}

==Religion==
{{See also|Greater Magadha}}
{{single source|date=January 2025}}
According to Bronkhorst, the Nandas and the Mauryas appear to have patronised the religions originating in the [[Greater Magadha]] region, namely Jainism and [[Ajivika|Ajivikism]].{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=12}} However, the rulers of the empire never engaged in conversion of their subjects to other religions{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=12}} and there is no evidence that these rulers discriminated against any contemporary religion.{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=17}} [[Greater Magadha]], east of the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna, was the area where the second urbanisation took place, and where Jainism and Buddhism originated.{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2007|p=3-4}} According to Bronkhorst, it was outside [[Aryavarta]], the heartland of [[Brahmanism|Vedic Brahmanism]] west of the this confuence,{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2007|p=3}} primarily associated with a single state, the [[Kuru kingdom]].{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=31}} According to Bronkhorst, the Nanda emperors, and later the Mauryan emperors, had little interest in Brahmanism,{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=5}} and the conquest of the Vedic heartland by the Nanda and Maurya rule deprived the Brahmins of their patrons, threatening the survival of the Vedic ritual tradition,{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|pp=32-33}} and creating opportunities for Buddhists and Jains to spread their religion outside the confines of Magadha.{{sfn|Bronkhorst|2011|p=23}} The much later Jain legends suggests that several Nanda ministers were inclined towards Jainism. When Shakatala, a minister of the last Nanda king, died, his son Sthulabhadra refused to inherit his father's office, and instead became a [[Jain monk]]. Sthulabhadra's brother Shriyaka accepted the post.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}

However, several other Indologists and scholars have questioned Johannes Bronkhorst's claim of a sharp cultural divide between east and west, the supposed lesser influence of Brahmanisation in early Magadha, and his proposed revision of textual chronology, while also criticizing him for overlooking the role of socioeconomic and political developments in shaping new ideological trends.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Norelius |first=Per-Johan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tOr7EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA459 |title=Soul and Self in Vedic India |date=2023-06-19 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-54600-4 |pages=459 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Wynne on Bronkhorst, 'Greater Magadha: Studies in the Culture of Early India' {{!}} H-Net |url=https://networks.h-net.org/node/6060/reviews/16094/wynne-bronkhorst-greater-magadha-studies-culture-early-india |access-date=2024-07-03 |website=networks.h-net.org}}</ref>

According to [[Patrick Olivelle]], those who see Sramana seers of Magadha as non-Brahmanical, anti-Brahmanical, or even non-Aryan precursors of later sectarian ascetics are drawing conclusions that far outstrip the available evidence.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Olivelle |first=Patrick |year=1993 |title=The Aśrama System: The History and Hermeneutics of a Religious Institution |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-534478-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/asramasystemhist00oliv |url-access=limited |via=Archive.org }}</ref>

==Architecture==
{{Multiple image
| align =
| direction =
| total_width = 400
| image1 =
| alt1 =
| caption1 = Nanda-period voussoir with Mauryan polish
| image2 =
| caption2 = Mason's marks of archaic [[Brahmi script|Brahmi]]
}}
'''Pataliputra Voussoir Arch'''

A granite stone fragment of an arch discovered by [[K. P. Jayaswal]] from [[Kumhrar]], Pataliputra has been analysed as a pre Maurya-Nanda period keystone fragment of a trefoil arch of gateway with mason's marks of three archaic Brahmi letters inscribed on it which probably decorated a [[Torana]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.20579|title=Proceedinds And Transactions Of The Second Oriental Conference (1923)|last=The Calcutta University|date=1923}}{{pn|date=October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.35494|title=Annual Report Of The Archaeological Survey Of India 1921–22|last=Spooner|first=Brainerd|date=1924}}{{pn|date=October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.41145|title=Memoirs of the archaeological survey of India no.30|last=Chandra|first=Ramaprasad|date=1927}}{{pn|date=October 2023}}</ref> The wedge-shaped stone with indentation has [[Mauryan polish]] on two sides and was suspended vertically.

==Nanda era==
According to [[K. P. Jayaswal|K. P Jayaswal]], Nanda era is mentioned in three sources. Kharavela's [[Hathigumpha inscription]] mentions Nandaraja constructing canal 103rd year of the Nanda period.<ref name=ei20p71>{{cite book |author1=K P Jayaswal |author2=R D Banerji |title=Epigraphia Indica Volume XX |year=1920 |url=https://archive.org/details/epigrahiaindicav014769mbp |publisher=Archaeological Survey of India |pages=71–72}}, {{PD-notice}}</ref> According to [[Al-Biruni]], the Sri-Harsha era was being used in areas of [[Kannauj]] and [[Mathura]] and there was a difference of 400 years between Sri-Harsha era and Vikrama era which would make it fall in 458 BCE, the attributes of which matched with the Nanda kings. According to 12th century Yedarava inscription of Chalukya king [[Vikramaditya VI]], Nanda era along with [[Vikram Samvat|Vikram era]] and [[Shaka era]] were extant which were abolished in favour of a new Chalukyan era, but other scholars have opined that evidences are too meager to make anything conclusive.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.103481|title=Old Brahmi Inscriptions In The Udayagiri And Khandagiri Caves|last=Barua|first=Benimadhab|date=1929}}{{pn|date=October 2023}}</ref>

==Unpopularity and overthrow==
All historical accounts agree that the last Nanda king was unpopular among his subjects. According to Diodorus, [[Porus the Elder|Porus]] told Alexander that the contemporary Nanda king was a man of "worthless character", and was not respected by his subjects as he was thought to be of low origin. Curtius also states that according to Porus, the Nanda king was despised by his subjects.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=5}} According to [[Plutarch]], who claims that Androkottos (identified as Chandragupta) met Alexander, Androkottos later declared that Alexander could have easily conquered the Nanda territory (Gangaridai and Prasii) because the Nanda king was hated and despised by his subjects, as he was wicked and of low origin.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|pp=5–6}} The Sri Lankan Buddhist tradition blames the Nandas for being greedy and for imposing oppressive taxation.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}} The Puranas of India label the Nandas as ''adharmika'', indicating that they did not follow the norms of ''[[dharma]]'' or righteous conduct.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=272}}

The Nanda dynasty was [[Conquest of the Nanda Empire|overthrown]] by [[Chandragupta Maurya]], who was supported by his mentor (and later minister) [[Chanakya]]. Some accounts mention Chandragupta as a member of the Nanda family. For example, the 11th century writers [[Kshemendra]] and [[Somadeva]] describe Chandragupta as a "son of the genuine Nanda" (''purva-Nanda-suta''). Dhundiraja, in his commentary on the ''[[Vishnu Purana]]'', names Chandragupta's father as Maurya; he describes Maurya as a son of the Nanda king Sarvatha-siddhi and a hunter's daughter named Mura.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=273}}

The Buddhist text ''[[Milinda Panha]]'' mentions a war between the Nanda general Bhaddasala (Sanskrit:Bhadrashala) and Chandragupta. According to the text, this war led to the slaughter of 10,000 elephants; 100,000 horses; 5,000 charioteers; and a billion foot soldiers. While this is obviously an exaggeration, it suggests that the overthrow of the Nanda dynasty was a violent affair.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=25}}

{{see also|Nanda–Mauryan War}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}

* {{cite book | last =Bronkhorst | first =Johannes | year =2007 | title =Greater Magadha | publisher =Brill}}
* {{cite book | last =Bronkhorst | first =Johannes | year =2011 | author-link =Johannes Bronkhorst | title =Buddhism in the Shadow of Brahmanism | publisher =BRILL | isbn =978-90-04-20140-8 | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=BaX58-E5-3MC&pg=PA17}}

* {{cite book |author=Dilip Kumar Ganguly |title=History and Historians in Ancient India |url=https://archive.org/details/historyhistorian00gang |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyhistorian00gang/page/23 23] |year=1984 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=978-0-391-03250-7 }}

* {{cite book |author1=Irfan Habib |author2=Vivekanand Jha |title=Mauryan India |series=A People's History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nUvGQgAACAAJ |year=2004 |publisher=Aligarh Historians Society / [[Tulika Books]] |isbn=978-81-85229-92-8 }}
* {{Citation |last =Hiltebeitel |first =Alf |year =2007 |title =Hinduism. In: Joseph Kitagawa, "The Religious Traditions of Asia: Religion, History, and Culture". Digital printing 2007 |publisher =Routledge |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=9fyzAAAAQBAJ |isbn =978-1-136-87590-8 |access-date =13 February 2016 |archive-date =3 July 2023 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20230703151449/https://books.google.com/books?id=9fyzAAAAQBAJ |url-status =live }}

* {{cite book |author=Jyoti Prasad Jain |title=Jaina Sources of the History of Ancient India: 100 BC - AD 900 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UTUwAQAAIAAJ |year=2005 |orig-year=1964 |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal |isbn=9788121511407 }}

* {{cite book |author=R. C. Majumdar |title=Readings in political history of India: Ancient, Mediaeval, and Modern |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YvggAAAAMAAJ |year=1976 |publisher=B.R. / Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies |isbn=9788176467841 }}
* {{Cite book |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781118455074 |title=The Encyclopedia of Empire |date=2016-01-12 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-118-44064-3 |editor-last=Mackenzie |editor-first=John |edition=1 |language=en |chapter=Nanda Empire |doi=10.1002/9781118455074}}

* {{Citation |last =Nath | first =Vijay |year =2001 |title =From 'Brahmanism' to 'Hinduism': Negotiating the Myth of the Great Tradition |journal =Social Scientist |volume =29 |issue =3/4 |pages=19–50 |ref={{SfnRef |Vijay Nath |2001}}| doi =10.2307/3518337 |jstor =3518337}}
* {{cite book |author=R. K. Mookerji |author-link=Radha Kumud Mukherjee |title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA3 |year=1966 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0405-0 }}

* {{cite book |author=H. C. Raychaudhuri |author-link=Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri |chapter=India in the Age of the Nandas |editor=K. A. Nilakanta Sastri |editor-link=K. A. Nilakanta Sastri |title=Age of the Nandas and Mauryas |edition=Second |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YoAwor58utYC&pg=PA11 |year=1988 |orig-year=1967 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |location=Delhi |isbn=978-81-208-0466-1 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Roy |first=Kaushik |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRE3n1VwDTIC |title=Hinduism and the Ethics of Warfare in South Asia: From Antiquity to the Present |date=2012-10-15 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-01736-8 |language=en}}

* {{cite book |last =Singh | first =Upinder | year =2008 | title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century|publisher=Pearson Education India |isbn=978-81-317-1677-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pq2iCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA272 }}
* {{cite book | last1 =Sujato | first1 =Bhikkhu | last2 =Brahmali | first2 =Bhikkhu | year =2014 | title =The Authenticity of the Early Buddhist Texts | publisher =Buddhist Publication Society}}

* {{cite book |author=Ian Worthington |title=By the Spear: Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Rise and Fall of the Macedonian Empire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vnGVAwAAQBAJ |year=2014 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-992986-3 }}
*{{cite book |last1=Ramesh |first1=Sangaralingam |title=The Political Economy of India's Economic Development: 5000BC to 2022AD, Volume I |chapter=The Nanda Empire: 400 BC to 322 BC|date=2023 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=9783031420726 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ae_cEAAAQBAJ&q=The+Political+Economy+of+India’s+Economic+Development:+5000BC+to+2022AD,+Volume+I}}
{{refend}}

{{Middle kingdoms of India}}
{{Empires}}
{{Bihar}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Nanda Empire| ]]
[[Category:Magadha]]
[[Category:Kingdoms of Bihar]]
[[Category:Dynasties of Bengal]]
[[Category:4th-century BC establishments in India]]
[[Category:4th-century BC disestablishments in India]]
[[Category:History of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Former empires]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in the 4th century BC]]

Mauryan Empire

2026-07-24T08:34:06Z

Devanam:

{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Mauryan Empire
| common_name = Mauryan Empire
| native_name =
| image_coat =
| era = [[Iron Age]]
| government_type = [[Absolute monarchy]], as described in [[Kautilya]]'s ''[[Arthashastra]]'' and [[Rajamandala]]<ref name="avari-2007">Avari, Burjor (2007). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Y1e2V_4Um10C India, the Ancient Past: A History of the Indian Sub-continent from C. 7000 BC to AD 1200] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123134054/https://books.google.com/books?id=Y1e2V_4Um10C |date=23 November 2022 }}'' Taylor & Francis. {{ISBN|0415356156}}. pp. 188-189.</ref>
| event_start = [[Conquest of the Nanda Empire]]
| year_start = 322 BCE 
| year_end =  184 BCE
| event_end = Assassination of Brihadratha by [[Pushyamitra Shunga]]
| p2 = Nanda Empire
| flag_p2 = Nanda_Empire,_c.325_BCE.png
| p1 = Mahajanapadas
| flag_p1 = Mahajanapadas_(c._500_BCE).png
| s1 = Shunga Empire
| flag_s1 = SungaEmpireMap.jpg
| s2 = Satavahana dynasty
| flag_s2 = Map_of_the_Satavahanas.png
| s3 = Mahameghavahana dynasty
| flag_s3 = Map_of_the_Maha-Meghavahanas.png
| s4 = Indo-Scythians
| flag_s4 = Map_of_the_Indo-Scythians.png
| s5 = Indo-Greek Kingdom
| flag_s5 = Map_of_the_Indo-Greeks.png
| s6 = Vidarbha kingdom (Mauryan era)
| flag_s6 =
| image_map = Mauryan Empire under Ashoka.jpg
| image_map_caption = Maximum extent of the Maurya Empire, as shown by the location of [[Edicts of Ashoka|Ashoka's inscriptions]], and visualized by [[Archeological Survey Of India| ASI]] based on ancient inscriptions, ancient Greecian, ancient Indian texts.
{{hidden|References for map :| ASI ([[Archeological Survey Of India]])<ref>{{Cite book|page=412|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.06445|title=Indian Historical Quarterly, Vol-13, Issue no.-1-4}}</ref> modern archaeologist :[[Nayanjot Lahiri]]<ref name="NAVJOT”>{{Cite book|quote=In relation to his predecessors, he was the first Indian king to rule over an empire embracing much of India and its western borderlands, from Afghanistan to Orissa and towards the south as far as Karnataka. In relation to the rulers who followed him, it was his example which influenced thought-philosophical, religious, cultural-in Asia more profoundly than that of any other political figure of antiquity.|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=bJ_XCgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|page=5|title=Ashoka in Ancient India|last=Lahiri|first=Nayanjot|date=2015-08-05|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-05777-7|language=en}}</ref>, [[Dougald J. W. O'Reilly]]<ref name="DOUGLE">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.nl/books?id=eyHTschgg50C&pg=PA178&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=maurya&f=false|title=Early Civilizations of Southeast Asia|last=O'Reilly|first=Dougald J. W.|date=2007|publisher=Rowman Altamira|page=178|isbn=978-0-7591-0279-8|language=en}}</ref> old archeologist :[[D.R. Bhandarkar]]<ref name="BHANDARKAR">{{Cite book|page=42-43|url=http://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.35379|title=Asoka|last=Bhandarkar|first=D. R.|publisher=Central Archelogical Library|isbn=978-93-837-2346-1|quote=We thus obtain a fairly accurate idea of the extent of Asoka's dominions. They included the whole of India except the southern extremity of the peninsula held by the Choda, Pandya, Satiya- putra and Keralaputra kings. This southern boundary is marked roughly by a line drawn from Pulicat near Madras in the east, to Gooty and Chitaldrug in the north where the four copies of Aśoka's Minor Rock Edicts have been discovered right up to the northern point of the South Canara District on the west. Let us now see what Greek princes have been mentioned by Aśoka as his contemporaries, and try to identify them. They have all been named in Rock Edict XIII. Of course, Amtiyoka is the first to be named as he was a neighbour of Asoka. Beyond his kingdom, we are told, were ruling the four princes Turamaya, Amtekina or Amtikini, Maga and Alikasumdra. Amtiyoka is, of course, Antiochus II. Theos (B.C. 261-246), king of Syria, and Turamaya, Ptolemy II. Philadelphos of Egypt (285-247). Amtekina or Amtikini, as Bühler has remarked, corresponds to the Greek Antigenes rather than to Antigonus.}}</ref>, [[Myra Shackley]]<ref name="SHACKLEY">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/atlasoftraveltou0000shac|title=Atlas of travel and tourism development|last=Shackley|first=Myra L.|date=2006|publisher=Amsterdam ; Boston : Elsevier|others=Internet Archive|page=67|quote=After Alexanderâs retreat from the Indus the Emperor Chandragupta Maurya established the first indigenous empire to exercise control over much of the subcontinent, and eventually, under his successors, this covered all but the tip of the peninsula. Asoka, the greatest of the Mauryan emperors, took power in 272 BC and extended the empire from Afghanistan to Assam and from the Himalayas to Mysore, leaving behind a series of inscriptions recording his edicts on pillars and rocks across the continent.|isbn=978-0-7506-6348-9}}</ref> modern historian : [[Robert W. Strayer]]<ref name="ROBW">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/waysofworld0000robe|page=121|title=Ways of the World|last=Robert W. Strayer : Eric W. Nelson|date=2016|publisher=Bedford/St. Martin's|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-1-319-05448-9}}</ref>, [[Eric Nelson]]<ref name="ROBW"/>, [[Upinder Singh]]<ref name="UPINDER">{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Upinder|title=History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century|url=http://archive.org/details/history-of-ancient-and-early-medeival-india-from-the-stone-age-to-the-12th-century-pdfdrive|pages=740,748|quote=Pg. 740: Chandragupta and Seleucus Nikator, who had inherited the eastern provinces of Alexander's empire. This may have occurred in about 301 BCE and was resolved by an agreement. Chandragupta obtained the territories of Arachosia (the Kandahar area of south-east Afghanistan), Gedrosia (south Baluchistan), and Paropomisadai (the area between Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent) and handed over 500 elephants in return. Pg. 748: The distribution of Ashoka's inscriptions suggests the extent of the Maurya empire. In the north-west, it extended up to Kandahar in Afghanistan, with the kingdom of Antiochus II of Syria lying to the west. Its eastern frontier extended to Orissa. It included almost the entire subcontinent, except the southernmost parts, which, according to Rock Edict 13, were inhabited by the Cholas and Pandyas, and according to Rock Edict 2, by the Keralaputras and Satiyaputras.|date=2008}}</ref>, [[Jackson J. Spielvogel]]<ref name="JACKSON">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/westerncivilizat08edspie|title=Western civilization|last=Spielvogel|first=Jackson J.|date=2012|page=106|publisher=Boston, MA : Wadsworth Cengage Learning|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-495-91329-0|quote= Seleucid Kingdom Another Hellenistic monarchy was founded by the general Seleucus (suh-LOO-kuss), who established the Seleucid dynasty of Syria. This was the largest of the Hellenistic kingdoms and controlled much of the old Persian Empire from Turkey in the west to India in the east, although the Seleucids found it increasingly difficult to maintain control of the eastern territories. In fact, an Indian ruler named Chandragupta Maurya (chundruh-GOOP-tuh MOWR-yuh) (324-301 B.c.E.) created a new Indian state, the Mauryan Empire, and drove out the Seleucid forces. His grandson Asoka (uh-SOH-kuh) (269-232 b.c.e.) extended the empire to include most of India and is considered the greatest ruler in India's history Asoka, a pious Buddhist, sought to convert the remaining Greek communities in northwestern India to his religion and even sent Buddhist missionaries to Greek rulers. The Seleucid rulers maintained relations with the Mauryan Empire. Trade was fostered, especially in such luxuries as spices and jewels. Seleucus also sent Greek and Macedonian ambassadors to the Mauryan court. Best known of these was Megasthenes (muh-GAS-thuh-neez), whose report on the people of India remained one of the western best sources of information on India until the Middle Ages.}}</ref>, [[Hugh Bowden]]<ref name="BOWDEN">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/timesancientcivi0000unse|title=The Times ancient civilizations|date=2002|page=122|publisher=London : Times Books|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-00-710859-6|quote=India's first approach towards becoming a unified state occurred under the first three kings of the Mauryan Empire. The founder of the dynasty, Chandragupta Maurya (c.310-286 BCE) , king of Magadha in Eastern India, unified under his control the other kingdom of the Gangetic Plain. His grandson, Ashoka (c.270-234 BCE) , consolidated Mauryan imperial rule, extending it into eastern and southern.}}</ref>, [[Ram Sharan Sharma]]<ref name="SHARAN">{{Cite book|page=355|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.401527|title=Prachin Bharat Me Rajneetik Vichar Avam Sansthae|last=Sharma|first=Ramsharan|date=1990|quote=hi->en: The biggest fact of Maurya political history was the establishment of the Magadha Empire, which included the whole of India except the far south. This empire was established with the strength of the sword and it could be protected only with the strength of the sword. Strong military power was necessary for both external security and internal peace. [..] The tribal people living inside the empire and on its borders were equally a cause of trouble. So for this, there was a huge permanent army and tight judicial system.}}</ref>, [[Charles Allen]]<ref name="CHARLES">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/ashokasearchfori0000alle/page/n1/mode/1up?q=Ashoka+Maurya%E2%80%94or|title=Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor|last=Allen|quote=Empire extent description pg.1, 60 & map pg.12|first=Charles|date=2012-02-21|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|isbn=978-1-4087-0388-5|language=en}}</ref>, [[Neil MacGregor]]<ref name="GREGOR">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofworldin0000macg/page/205/mode/2up|title=A history of the world in 100 objects|last=MacGregor|first=Neil|date=2011|page=205|publisher=New York : Viking|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-670-02270-0|quote=Chandragupta, who had risen to the throne following a military campaign that created a huge empire reaching from Kandahar in modern Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east. This included the great majority of modern India, and was the largest empire in Indian history. In 268 BC Ashoka took his place on the throne but not without considerable struggle.[
.] When he became emperor he set out to complete the occupation of the whole subcontinent and attacked the independent state of Kalinga modern-day Orissa on the east coast.}}</ref>, [[Grigory Bongard-Levin]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=G. Bongard-Levin |url=http://archive.org/details/bongard-levin-1979-india-magadha-maurya |title=India in the Magadha and Mauryan Periods |publication-date=2010 |pages=69-70}}</ref> old historians:[[Mark F. Whitters]]<ref name="WENCLYO7">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopedia-of-world-history-7-volumes-set-facts-on-file-2008/page/n33/mode/1up|page=33,262,270 & 590 |title=Encyclopedia Of World History 7 Volumes Set Facts On File 2008}}</ref>, [[Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur ]]<ref name="WENCLYO7"/>, [[Janice J. Terry]]<ref name="WENCLYO7"/>, [[Michael J. Schroeder ]]<ref name="WENCLYO7"/>, [[Marsha E. Ackermann ]]<ref name="WORLDHISTO">“ Pg.33 : Ashoka (Asoka) was the third ruler of the MAURYAN Empire. Under his long rule the empire that he inherited reached its zenith territorially and culturally. Soon after his death the Mauryan Empire split up and ended. He is remembered as a great ruler in world history and the greatest ruler in India. Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan dynasty in 326 B.C.E. Both he and his son Bindusara were successful warriors, unifying northern India and part of modern Afghanistan for the first time in history. Ashoka was not Bindusara's eldest son, and there is a gap of time between his father's death and his succession, due perhaps to war with his brothers. Ashoka continued to expand the empire by conquering southward. One war against Kalinga in the southeast was particularly bloody and filled him with remorse. As a result he converted to Buddhism (from Vedic Hinduism) and renounced war as an instrument of policy.”
“Pg.262 : Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan Empire in 326 B.C.E. in northern India. His son Bindusara and grandson AsHOKA (Asoka) continued his conquest that unified the entire subcontinent, with the exception of the southern tip, and part of Afghanistan into India's first great empire. “
“Pg.270 :In 324 B.C.E. Chandragupta Maurya unified northern India by defeating his rivals. He went on to war against the successor of ALEXANDER THE GREAT in Asia, Seleucus Nicator, expelling his forces from the borderlands of India. In 305 B.C.E. the two men concluded a treaty in which the Greeks withdrew from the Punjab in northwestern India and which fixed the western boundary of the MAURYAN EMPIRE to the crest of the Hindu Kush. “
&
“Check Mauryan Empire Map , Pg:590. “{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopedia-of-world-history-7-volumes-set-facts-on-file-2008/page/n590/mode/1up|page=33,262,270,590 |title=ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD HISTORY 7 Volumes}}</ref>, [[Radha Kumud Mukherjee]]<ref name="MUKHERJEE">" Pg.13 :Yuan Chwang saw Asokan topes in Kapis (Kafiris- tan), Nagar (Jelalabad), and Udyana in the north-west. In Bengal, the authority of Asoka is proved by his stūpa at Tamralipti, the capital of Suhma, and the famous port of embarkation for voyages towards the south. According to Yuan Chwang, there was also a stupa of Asoka in the capital of Samatata or the Brahmaputra Delta, and others in different parts of Bengal and Bihar, viz., Punyavardhana (northern Bengal) and Karnasuvarna (modern Burdwan, Birbhum and Murshidabad districts) [Watters, ii 184 f]. Yuan Chwang refers to Asokan topes being erected at various places in the south, in Chola and Dravida, of which the capital, Kanchipura, has been sought to be identified with the Satiyaputra country of the Edict Indeed, the distribution of the Asokan topes as mentioned by Yuan Chwang is almost coterminous with that of the inscriptions, and is equally significant of the vastness of his empire.Lastly, the extent of his empire is also indicated by his own mention in the Edicts (R.E. II, V, and XIII] of the peoples on its borders In the south, these are mentioned as the Cholas, Pandyas, the Satiyaputra and Keralaputra, who were all within his sphere of influence Towards the north-west, his empire marched with that of the Synan monarch, Antiochos [R.E. II], and hence extended up to Persia and Syria which were held by Antiochos, while it is also known how Asoka's grandfather, Chandragupta, had wrested from Selukos the provinces of Aria, Arachosia, Paropanisadai and Gedrosia, which descended to Asoka as his inheritance. Lastly, the extent of his empire is also indicated by his own mention in the Edicts (Rock Edict II, V, and XIII] of the peoples on its borders In the south, these are mentioned as the Cholas, Pandyas, the Satiyaputra and Keralaputra, who were all within his sphere of influence Towards the north-west, his empire marched with that of the Synan monarch, Antiochos [Rock Edict II], and hence extended up to Persia and Syria which were held by Antiochos, while it is also known how Asoka's grandfather, Chandragupta, had wrested from Selukos the provinces of Aria, Arachosia, Paropanisadai and Gedrosia, which descended to Asoka as his inheritance ."
" Pg.16 : The capital of the empire at Pataliputra [Rock Edict V. Girnar], and of outlying towns, such as Bodh-Gaya [Rock Edict VIII), Kosambi (Allahabad Pillar Edict], Ujjeni, Takkhasilä [K.R.Edict),Suvarnagiri, Isila [M.R.Edict], and Tosali and Samāpā in the province of Kalinga [K.R.Edict] Thus we have a fairly definite idea of the limits of Asoka's empire in different directions. We may even hazard the conjecture that the empire was so large that Asoka did not live to visit all its parts, and inspect the execution of his inscriptions in different localities."{{Cite book|page=12,13,16|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=uXyftdtE1ygC&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Radhakumud+Mookerji%22&hl=en&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Asoka|last=Mookerji|first=Radhakumud|date=1962|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishe|isbn=978-81-208-0582-8|language=en}}</ref>, [[John Haywood (British historian)|John Haywood]]<ref name="HAYWOOD">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/atlasofworldhist00hayw|page=24|quote= In 321 Chandragupta Maurya (321-c. 293) seized the throne of the kingdom of Magadha, overthrowing the Nanda dynasty. Chandragupta spent most of his reign building a strong central administration, but he defeated a Seleucid invasioin, adding all of northwest India to his domains. His son Bindusara also conquered much of southern India. Under Ashoka the Mauryan empire reached its greatest extent. Appalled by his bloody conquest of the east coast kingdom of Kalinga in 261 Ashoka abjured further warfare and, becoming a Buddhist, tried to impose Buddhist standards of behavior on his people.|title=Atlas of world history|last=Haywood|first=John|date=1997|publisher=New York : Barnes & Noble Books|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-7607-0687-9}}</ref>, [[Patrick Karl O'Brien]]<ref name="BRIEN">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/philipsatlasofwo0000unse_u6t7|title=Philip's Atlas of World History: From the Origins of Humanity to the Year 2000|page=46|quote=By 500 BC kingdoms existed throughout the Ganges region. Chief among these was Magadha, favourably located for control both of riverborne trade and of the sources of raw materials such as iron. Magadha gradually expanded at the expense of its neighbours and before 297 BC its king, Chandragupta Maurya, ruled most of north India . His grandson Ashoka (r. 272-231 BC) further extended the empire, conquering Kalinga in 261 BC, and only the extreme south retained its independence. Pillar and rock edicts mark the extent of Mauryan political authority: these proclaimed Ashoka's ethical code of social responsibility and toleration. It was an age of peace and prosperity.|date=1999|publisher=The Softback Preview|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-540-07858-5}}</ref>, [[H. C. Raychaudhuri]]<ref name="RAYCHAUDHARI">"Pg.273 : The ceded country comprised a large portion of Ariana itself, a fact ignored by Tarn. In exchange the Maurya monarch gave the comparatively small recompense of 500 elephants. It is believed that the territory ceded by the Syrian king included the four satrapies: Aria, Arachosia, Gedrosia and the Paropanisadai, i.e., Herat, Kandahar, Makran and Kabul. Doubts have been entertained about this by several scholars including Tarn. The inclusion of the Kabul valley within the Maurya Empire is, however, proved by the inscriptions of Asoka, the grandson of Chandragupta, which speak of the Yonas and Gandharas as vassals of the Empire. And the evidence of Strabo probably points to the cession by Seleukos of a large part of the Iranian Tableland besides the riparian provinces on the Indus."
" Pg.297: The conquest of the territory between the eastern and western seas has been taken by some scholars to refer to the annexation of the Deccan. But we should not forget that already in the time of Chandragupta the Maurya Empire extended from Saurashtra to Bengal (Gangaridae), i.e., from the western to the eastern sea. "
" Pg.327 : The full political effects of this change of policy became manifest only after the death of Ashoka, perhaps even after the 27th year of his consecration. From the time of Bimbisara to the Kalinga war' the history India was the story of the expansion of Magadha from a tiny state in South Bihar to a gigantic Empire extending from the foot of the Hindukush to the borders of the Tamil country."{{Cite book |last=Raychaud |first=Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri|page=273,297,327|url=http://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.1633 |title=Political history of ancient India |date=1953}}</ref>, [[John F. Cady]]<ref name="CADY">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/southeastasiaits0000cady_v1t8|title=Southeast Asia: its historical development|page=34|quote=The India from whose culture Southeast Asian peoples borrowed so extensively was partly united for the first time politically in the third century B.C. The Mauryan Empire (330 to 180 By.) included the north Indian valleys westward to Greek Bactria and southward along the eastern Indian coast to the mouths of the Kistna and Godavari Rivers. Mauryan power centering at Patna in the lower Ganges Valley reached its peak in the mid-third century B.c. under the leadership of the great Asoka, who was a political exemplar of Buddhist ideals and humanitarian principles of government. Asoka unified and promoted the Buddhist faith without persecuting dissident elements; he built India's first shrines of cut stone and burned brick; he sponsored missionary efforts within India and beyond. Mauryan rule declined rapidly after his death in 237 B.c.|last=Cady|first=John F. (John Frank)|date=1964|publisher=New York, McGraw-Hill|others=Internet Archive}}</ref>, [[Gerald Danzer]]<ref name="DANZER">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/atlasofworldhist0000danz|title=An atlas of world history|last=Danzer|first=Gerald A.|date=2000|page=44|quote=The Mauryan Empire reached out from the Ganges valley to annex the Indus valley peoples shortly after the death of Alexander the Great. Asoka extended the empire in all directions, but had an even greater impact in spreading the teachings of the Buddha throughout his realm. He had pillars erected at crossroads locations covered with edicts written in stone to proclaim his ideals. [...] In the generation after Alexander, however, information resurfaces with the establishment of the Mauryan Empire by Chandragupta in 324 BCE. By 240 bce the Mauryan Empire reached its greatest extent, controlling the great river valleys of both the Ganges and Indus rivers. Of even more importance was the conversion of the emperor, Asoka, to Buddhism.|publisher=Ann Arbor, MI : Borders Press|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-681-46572-5}}</ref>, [[Vincent Arthur Smith]]<ref name="Smith1">
Pg.75: The Indian conquests of Alexander to the east of the Indus, which extended across the Panjab as far as the Hyphasis or Bias river, quickly passed, as we have seen, soon after the death of Alexander, into the hands of Chandragupta Maurya, and the four satrapies of Aria, Arachosia, Gedrosia, and the Paropanisadai were ceded to him by Seleukos Nikator about B. c. 305. The Maurya frontier was thus extended as far as the Hindu Rush Mountains, and the greater part of the countries now called Afghanistan, Baluchistan and Makran, with the North- Western Frontier Province, became incorporated in the Indian Empire. That empire included the famous strongholds of Kabul, Zabul, Kandahar, and Herat, and so possessed the scientific frontier ' for which Anglo-Indian statesmen have long sighed in vain. There is no reason to suppose that the trans-Indus provinces were lost by Bindusara, and it is reasonable to assume that they continued under the sway of Asoka, who refers to Antiochos, King of Syria, in terms which suggest that the Syrian and Indian empires were conterminous. Costly buildings ascribed to Asoka were seen by Hiuen Tsang in different parts of Afghanistan. Among others he mentions a stone stupa, a hundred feet high, at the town of Kapisa, somewhere in Kafiristan, and a remarkable building of the same kind, three hundred feet in height and richly decorated, at Nangrahar, near Jalalabad, on the Kabul river. The Swat valley also contained evidences of Asoka's passion for building ."
"Pg.81 : Asoka's empire, therefore, comprised the countries now known as Afghanistan, as far as the Hindu Kush, Baluchistan, Makran, Sind, Kachh (Cutch), the Swat valley, with the adjoining regions, Kashmir, Nepal, and the whole of India proper, except the extreme south, Tamilakam or Tamil Land. His dominions were far more extensive than British India of to-day, excluding Burma. "{{citation|last=Smith|first=Vincent Arthur|title=The Oxford History of India: From the Earliest Times to the End of 1911|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p2gxAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA104%7Cyear=1920%7C|publisher=Clarendon Press|pages=75,81}}</ref>, [[Robert Roswell Palmer]]<ref name="PALMER">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/randmcnallyatla00rand|title=Rand McNally atlas of world history|last=Rand McNally and Company|page=106|quote=Based on Magadha in the Ganges valley, the Mauryan empire flourished from 322 B.C., when its founder Chandragupta seized the capital city of Pataliputra to 185 B.C., when the last ruler of the dynasty died. Chandragupta united north India from the mouths of the Ganges to the watershed west of the Indus. He then took over, from a satrap of the Alexandrian empire, the regions of Arachosia and Gandhara up to the Hindu Kush mountains. His son Bindusara extended the empire to about the fifteenth parallel of latitude, except for Kalinga on the east coast, which was later annexed by Asoka. The reign of Asoka (273-232 B.C.) -saw the height of the Mauryan empire, and is one of the great periods of Indian history. Shortly after the conquest of Kahnga Asoka was converted to Buddhism, whereupon, forswearing mihtarism. he devoted himself to the welfare of his people and the propagation of Buddhism. His missionaries brought Buddhism and Indian civilization to Ceylon and elsewhere.|last2=Palmer|first2=R. R. (Robert Roswell)|date=1965|publisher=Chicago|others=Internet Archive}}</ref>, [[Geoffrey Parker]]<ref name="GEOFFREY">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/timescompacthist0000unse_g4l2|page=28|quote=A further turning point came in 320 BC when Chandragupta Maurya seized the state of Magadha on the lower Ganges, and occupied large parts of central India, and in 305 BC annexed the province of Trans-Indus from the successors of Alexander the Great (see page 32). Chandragupta’s grandson Ashoka (273-232 BC) expanded this Mauryan empire southwards, bringing the greater part of the sub-continent under his rule and inscribing edicts on pillars and rock-faces all over India as a permanent reminder of his power (map 2). Ashoka’s death introduced a troubled period, punctuated by invasions of both Greeks and nomads who founded states in the north-west, such as the Kushan empire, where Hellenistic and Indian influences mingled.|title=The Times compact history of the world|date=2008|publisher=London : Times Books|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-00-726731-6}}</ref>, [[R. C. Majumdar]]<ref name="MAJUMDAR">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.4263|title=Advanced history of India|last=Majumdar|first=R. C.|date=1953|publisher=Macmillan & Company|page=101,104}}</ref>and historical geographer:[[Joseph E. Schwartzberg]]<ref name="dsal.uchicago.edu">{{cite book |last=Schwartzberg |first=Joseph E. |title=A Historical Atlas of South Asia |edition=2nd |publisher=University of Minnesota |year=1992 |location=Minneapolis |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/ |access-date=26 January 2021 |pages=[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=055 18], [https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=182 145] |quote=Plates III.B.4b and XIV.1a–c}}</ref>, Anthropologist and Bioarcheologist : [[Ian Barnes]]<ref name="IANBARNES">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/historyatlasofas00ianb|title=The history atlas of Asia|page=42|quote=Threatened by Chandragupta’s growing power, Seleucis of Syria, Alexander’s successor, challenged him by invading northern India in 305 BC but suffered a devastating defeat. A treaty ending the conflict gave Chandragupta all lands north to the Hindu Kush, including Baluchistan and Afghanistan. Chandragupta used an extensive and elaborate civil service, an army, and a secret service to rule. A virtual dictatorship coincided with widespread public works, building roads and developing irrigation systems. […] The Mauryan dynasty’s greatest ruler was Asoka, Chandragupta’s grandson. He came to the throne after fighting his brothers for the succession. His policy was to continue enlarging the empire, and in 251 BC, he invaded and conquered Kalinga, part of modern Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and Madhya Pradesh. The Kalinga campaign caused such extensive misery and destruction to the local population that Asoka renounced armed conquest and adopted a policy of “conquest by dharma,” by spiritual rectitude and law. Mauryan Empire map : Pg. 43|last=Barnes|first=Ian|last2=Hudson|first2=Robert|last3=Parekh|first3=Bhikhu C.|date=1998|publisher=New York : Macmillan|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-02-862581-2}}</ref>}}

| capital = [[Pataliputra]] (present-day [[Patna]])
| common_languages = [[Sanskrit]] (literary and academic),
[[Magadhi Prakrit]] (vernacular)
| religion = {{plainlist|
*[[Hinduism]]<ref>{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=164|isbn= 9788122411980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=maurya+dynasty+sen }}</ref><ref name="GF68">{{cite book |last1=Bronkhorst|first1=Johannes|last2=Flood |first2=Gavin|author-link1=Johannes Bronkhorst|author-link2=Gavin Flood|title=The Oxford History of Hinduism: Hindu Practice |date=July 2020|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-873350-8 |page=68 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fxT0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA68 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Jainism]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=vincent A. |title=The Oxford History Of India Part. 1-3, Ed. 4th |date=1981 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=99 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.99999/page/n121/mode/2up|}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Dalrymple|first=William|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mc2IVc6obeAC&pg=PT21|title=Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India|date=2009-10-07|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-4088-0341-7|location=|pages=|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Keay |first1=John |title=India: A History |date=1981 |publisher=Open Road + Grove/Atlantic |isbn=978-0-8021-9550-0 |pages=85–86 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0IquM4BrJ4YC&pg=PT174 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Buddhism]]<ref name="GF68"/><ref name="JDL">{{cite book |last1=Long |first1=Jeffery D.|author-link=Jeffery D. Long |title=Historical Dictionary of Hinduism |date=15 April 2020|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-5381-2294-5 |page=255 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IWXRDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA255 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Ājīvika|Ajivikism]]<ref name="GF68"/><ref name="JDL"/>
*[[Greek polytheism]] [[Zoroastrianism]] (northwest)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Boyce |first1=Mary |last2=Grenet |first2=F. |title=A History of Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism under Macedonian and Roman Rule |date=January 1991 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-29391-5 |page=149 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Euh5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA149 |language=en}}</ref>}}
| GDP_PPP =
| currency = [[Pana (Currency)|Panas]]
| title_leader = [[List of Magadha monarchs#House of Maurya|Emperor]]
| leader1 = [[Chandragupta Maurya|Emperor Chandragupta]]
| year_leader1 = 322–298 BCE
| leader2 = [[Bindusara|Emperor Bindusara]]
| year_leader2 = 298–272 BCE
| leader3 = [[Ashoka|Emperor Ashoka]]
| year_leader3 = 268–232 BCE
| leader4 = [[Dasharatha Maurya|Emperor Dasharatha]]
| year_leader4 = 232–224 BCE
| leader5 = [[Samprati|Emperor Samprati]]
| year_leader5 = 224–215 BCE
| leader6 = [[Shalishuka|Emperor Shalishuka]]
| year_leader6 = 215–202 BCE
| leader7 = [[Devavarman (Maurya)|Emperor Devavarman]]
| year_leader7 = 202–195 BCE
| leader8 = [[Shatadhanvan|Emperor Shatadhanvan]]
| year_leader8 = 195–187 BCE
| leader9 = [[Brihadratha Maurya|Emperor Brihadratha]]
| year_leader9 = 187–184 BCE
| stat_year = 250 BCE
| stat_area = 5000000
| ref_area = <ref name="Turchin223">{{cite journal|last2=Adams|first2=Jonathan M.|last3=Hall|first3=Thomas D|date=December 2006|title=East-West Orientation of Historical Empires|url=http://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/jwsr/article/view/369/381|journal=Journal of World-Systems Research|volume=12|issue=2|page=223|issn=1076-156X|last1=Turchin|first1=Peter|access-date=16 September 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520161830/http://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/jwsr/article/view/369/381|archive-date=20 May 2019|df=dmy-all}}</ref>{{break}}(high-end estimate of peak area)
}}

{{Maurya}}
The '''Mauryan Empire''' was one of the earliest large-scale Iron Age imperial states in South Asia. Established by [[Chandragupta Maurya]] in 322 BCE in [[Magadha]], it consolidated power across much of the [[Indian Subcontinent]] and governed from its capital at [[Pataliputra]] (modern [[Patna]]).<ref>{{cite journal |last=Yelle |first=Robert A. |title=Was Aśoka really a secularist avant-la-lettre? Ancient Indian pluralism and toleration in historical perspective |journal=Modern Asian Studies |volume=56 |issue=3 |pages=749–775 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=8 April 2022 |doi=10.1017/S0026749X21000160 |url=https://doi.org/10.1017/S0026749X21000160 |quote=The Mauryan dynasty (322–185 bce) was the first real imperial formation to span the subcontinent, and it included a diversity of languages and cultures, including religious cultures.}}</ref> The Maurya Empire centralized its power through the conquest of the [[Indo-Gangetic Plain]], with its primary capital located at [[Pataliputra]], modern-day [[Patna]].<ref name="Centralised">Centralisation of Mauryan Empire :
*{{cite book |last=Avari |first=Burjor |title=India: The Ancient Past: A History of the Indian Subcontinent from c. 7000 BCE to CE 1200 |publisher=Routledge |year=2007 |page=362 |url=https://archive.org/details/india-the-ancient-past-a-history-of-the-indian-subcontinent-from-c.-7000-bce-to-ce-1200/page/n361/mode/1up |quote=The first model is that of a centralised state, the character of which was based upon those ruled by the Mauryans (Chapter 6) and the Imperial Guptas (Chapter 8) before our period. Such a state was usually a unitary state, centralised with a strong ruler who controlled the social, economic and religious resources of the state.}}
*{{cite book |editor-last=Lal |editor-first=K. S. |title=Studies in Asian History: Proceedings of the Asian History Congress |publisher=Asia Publishing House |year=1969 |pages=326-327 |url=https://archive.org/details/studiesinasianhi0000unse/page/326/mode/1up?q=%22political+authority+and+control%22 |quote=The Mauryan empire with vast Centralised political authority and control over the enormous economic resources of the vast dominion organised an integrated large civil service to carry on the almost exclusively operational leadership and also practically monopolistic control over the economic resources. The Mauryan king possessed large agricultural estates, owned and operated both feeding and finished industries like agriculture, mines, forests, textiles, furniture, weapons, etc. Even where private enterprise was allowed the control of the king was there.}}
*{{cite book | last = Thapar | first = Romila | title = Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas | edition = 3rd | publisher = Oxford University Press | location = New Delhi | year = 2012 | chapter = Internal Administration and Foreign Relations | url=https://academic.oup.com/book/33066/chapter/281713662| quote = The establishment of the Mauryan state ushered in a new form of government, that of a centralised empire. Under this regime, the king had the central authority, and he not only defended social usage according to the traditional concept of kingship, but could also make his own laws.}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Goyal |editor1-first=S. R. |editor2-last=Goyal |editor2-first=Shankar |title=Indian Art of the Gupta Age: From Pre-Classical Roots to the Emergence of Medieval Trends|year=2000 |page=106 |url=https://archive.org/details/UAjO_indian-art-of-the-gupta-age-from-pre-classical-roots-to-the-emergence-of-medieva/page/106/mode/1up |quote=The Centralised imperial structure of the Mauryan administration had, for example, not only established many centres of art but also created circumstances for the evolution of an awe-inspiring and conventionalised idiom of art without any regional variation either in the material or in the craftsmanship or even in the aesthetic diction.}}
*{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/exploringhistory0000unse |title=Exploring history : the ancient history of India, Southeast Asia and China |date=1999 |publisher=Singapore : Federal Publications|isbn=978-981-01-9127-6|quote="A centralised bureaucracy at work: India's Mauryan Empire:" Empires with centralised bureaucracies started to appear in India and China between the 3rd and 4th century B.C.}}
*{{Cite book |last=Basham |first=A. L. |title=The Wonder That Was India : Volume 1|publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1967 |page=58 |quote=The kingdom of the Shungas was by no means a closely-knit centralized empire like that of the Mauryas. |url=https://archive.org/details/wonderthatwasind00alba/page/58/mode/1up}}
*{{cite book |last=Jain |first=Meenakshi |title=Medieval India: A Textbook for Class XI |publisher=[[National Council of Educational Research and Training|NCERT]] |location=New Delhi |year=2002 |isbn=81-7450-171-1|page =125|url=https://archive.org/details/meenakshijainmedievalindia2002ncert/page/n143/mode/1up |quote=The Mauryan empire was the first and one of the greatest empires that were established on Indian soil. The vast Mauryan empire stretching from the valley of the Oxus to the delta of Kaveri was given a well-knit, common administration. Chandragupta Maurya was the first ruler who unified entire India under one political unit. About Mauryan rulers we have epigraphical sources, literary sources, foreign accounts and materials obtained from archaeological excavations.}}
*{{cite book |first=Craig|last=Benjamin|title=The Cambridge World History, Volume IV |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=11 |url=https://archive.org/details/20251023_20251023_0812/page/n30/mode/1up |date=2015|isbn=978-1-107-01572-2 |quote=The great Mauryan capital city of Pataliputra was revived as the imperial capital, and stability returned to most of the subcontinent north of the Deccan Plateau. Mauryan centralized imperial administration was replaced with a more decentered form of provincial government by the Guptas.}}</ref> However, the empire also had other regional capitals, including [[Taxila]], [[Ujjain]], [[Suvarnagiri]], and [[Tosali]], which were governed by appointed governors and governers controlled by the Emperor.<ref>{{cite book | first1=Romila | last1=Thapar | title=A History of India, Volume 1 | publisher=Penguin Books | author-link=Romila Thapar | year=1990 | page=384 | isbn=0-14-013835-8}}</ref>The empire directly or indirectly ruled by [[Ashoka]] was extensive, stretching from the [[Hindu Kush]] to [[Bengal]] and from the [[Himalayas]] to [[Karnataka]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Alain Daniélou |url=http://archive.org/details/briefhistoryofin00dani |title=A brief history of India |date=2003 |publisher=Inner Traditions |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-89281-923-2 |pages=114-115 |quote=The empire directly or indirectly ruled by Ashoka was thus immense, running from the Hindu Kush to Bengal, and from the Himalayas to the River Pennar in the south. It included Kalinga in the east and Saurashtra (Kathiawar) in the west.}}</ref>

It declined for about 50 years after Ashoka's rule, and dissolved in 185 BCE with the assassination of Brihadratha by [[Pushyamitra Shunga]] and the foundation of the [[Shunga Empire]] in Magadha.

[[Chandragupta Maurya]] raised an army, with the assistance of [[Chanakya]], his teacher and the author of [[Arthashastra]],<ref>{{Cite book|title=India: A History|last=Keay|first=John|publisher=Grove Press|year=2000|isbn=978-0-8021-3797-5|pages=82}}</ref> and overthrew the [[Nanda Empire]] in {{circa|322 BCE}}, laying the foundation for the Maurya Empire. Chandragupta rapidly expanded his power west across central and western India by defeating the [[satrap]]s left by [[Alexander the Great]], and by 317 BCE the empire had fully occupied [[northwestern India]].{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=31}} The Mauryan Empire then defeated [[Seleucus I Nicator]], a [[Diadochi|diadochus]] and founder of the [[Seleucid Empire]], during the [[Seleucid–Mauryan war]], thus acquiring territory west of the [[Indus River]], including [[Aria (region)|Aria]], [[Arachosia]], [[Gedrosia]], and the [[Paropamisadae]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/knowledge-bank/alexander-and-his-successors-central-asia|title=Alexander and His Successors in Central Asia|last1=Dani|first1=A. H.|last2=Bernard|first2=P.|publisher=UNESCO|work=History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Vol II|language=English|access-date=22 December 2024|quote=The Indus region fell to the rise of the Mauryans and later when Seleucus Nicator tried to recover this lost territory, he had further to cede to Candragupta Maurya the provinces of Aria, Arachosia, Gedrosia and the Paropamisadae.|page=68|format=PDF}}</ref>

Under the Mauryas, internal and external trade, agriculture, and economic activities thrived and expanded across India due to the creation of a single and efficient system of finance, administration, and security. The Maurya dynasty built a precursor of the [[Grand Trunk Road]] from Pataliputra to [[Taxila]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://roadsandkingdoms.com/2016/dinner-on-the-grand-trunk-road/|title=Dinner on the Grand Trunk Road|last=Bhandari|first=Shirin|date=2016-01-05|publisher=Roads & Kingdoms|language=en-US|access-date=2016-07-19}}</ref>After the [[Kalinga War]], the Empire experienced nearly half a century of centralized rule under Ashoka the Great. Ashoka's embrace of [[Buddhism]] and sponsorship of Buddhist missionaries allowed for the expansion of that faith into [[Sri Lanka]], northwest India, and [[Central Asia]].<ref name="Centralised"/>

The population of South Asia during the Mauryan period has been estimated to be 20 million by Sumit Guha, 15-30 million by Dyson and 50 million by Wiesner-Hanks.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Adams |first=Paul Vauthier |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=--WgBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA112&dq=mauryan+empire+population&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZy4OchrWQAxUGbmwGHXZ5JyYQ6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&q=mauryan%20empire%20population&f=false |title=Experiencing World History |last2=Langer |first2=Erick Detlef |last3=Hwa |first3=Lily |last4=Stearns |first4=Peter N. |last5=Wiesner-Hanks |first5=Merry E. |date=2000-08-03 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=978-0-8147-2423-1 |language=en}}</ref>

The Maurya period was marked by exceptional creativity in art, architecture, inscriptions and texts. The [[Edicts of Ashoka]] and Greek records are the primary sources of written records of Mauryan times. The [[Lion Capital of Ashoka]] at [[Sarnath]] is the national [[emblem]] of the [[Republic of India]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mahajan |first=V. D. |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=sjscEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA279&dq=Mauryan+art&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjC5sbQi7WQAxXtSGwGHV0ABzMQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=Mauryan%20art&f=false |title=Ancient India |publisher=S. Chand Publishing |isbn=978-93-5283-603-1 |pages=273-280 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Goudgeri |first=Anantha B. |title=Significance of the Maurya Rule and State Control |publisher=International Journal of Current Science |year=2024 |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=78–79}}</ref>

== Etymology ==

The name "Maurya" does not occur in [[Edicts of Ashoka|Ashoka's inscriptions]], or the contemporary Greek accounts such as [[Megasthenes]]'s ''[[Indica (Megasthenes)|Indica]]'', but it is attested by the following sources:{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}}

*The [[Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman]] (c. 150 CE) prefixes "Maurya" to the names Chandragupta and Ashoka.<ref name=kielhorn36>F. Kielhorn, ''Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman'', Epigraphia Indica, Volume VIII, No. 6, pages 36-49</ref>
* The [[Puranas]] (c. 4th century CE or earlier) use Maurya as a dynastic appellation.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}}
* The Buddhist texts state that Chandragupta belonged to the "[[Moriya (tribe)|Moriya]]" clan of the Shakyas, the tribe to which [[Gautama Buddha]] belonged.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2016|p=330}}
* The Jain texts state that Chandragupta was the son of a royal superintendent of peacocks (''mayura-poshaka'').{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}}
*[[Sangam literature|Tamil Sangam literature]] also designate them as '{{transliteration|ta|moriyar}}' and mention them after the [[Nanda Empire|Nandas]]<ref name="Singh 2008">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pq2iCwAAQBAJ&q=mokur+sangam+poem&pg=PA385|title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century|last=Singh|first=Upinder|date=2008|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=9788131716779|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Kuntala country|Kuntala]] inscription (from the town of Bandanikke, [[Mysore district|North Mysore]]) of 12th century AD chronologically mention Mauryya as one of the dynasties which ruled the region.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.107941|title=Annual Report Of Mysore 1886 To 1903|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
*The Kalpasutra of the Jains mentions a Mauryaputra of the Kasyapa gotra, which shows that the Mauryas were regarded as high class folk who was the disciple of Mahavira.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/chandraguptamaur035072mbp|title=Chandragupta Maurya|last=Purushottam Lal Bhargava|publisher=The Upper India Publishing House Ltd Lucknow|others=BRAOU, Digital Library Of India}}</ref>
*Kharavela' [[Hathigumpha inscription]] (2nd-1st century BC) mentions era of Maurya Empire as Muriya Kala (Mauryan era),<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/epigrahiaindicav014769mbp|title=Epigraphia Indica Vol.20|date=1920|publisher=Archaeological Survey of India|page=[https://archive.org/details/epigrahiaindicav014769mbp/page/n106 80]|language=en}}</ref>

According to the Buddhist tradition, the ancestors of the Maurya kings had settled in a region where peacocks (''mora'' in [[Pali language|Pali]]) were abundant. Therefore, they came to be known as "Moriyas", literally meaning, "belonging to the place of peacocks". According to another Buddhist account, these ancestors built a city called Moriya-nagara ("Moriya-city"), which was so called, because it was built with the "bricks coloured like peacocks' necks".{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=14}} The dynasty's connection to the peacocks, as mentioned in the Buddhist and Jain traditions, seems to be corroborated by archaeological evidence. For example, peacock figures are found on the [[Lauria Nandangarh#Pillar of Ashoka|Ashoka pillar at Nandangarh]] and several sculptures on the Great Stupa of [[Sanchi]]. Based on this evidence, modern scholars theorize that the peacock may have been the dynasty's emblem.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=15}}

Some later authors, such as [[Dhundhiraja of Svamimalai|Dhundhi-raja]] (an 18th-century commentator on the ''[[Mudrarakshasa]]'' and an annotator of the ''[[Vishnu Purana]]''), state that the word "Maurya" is derived from Mura and the mother of the first Maurya king. However, the Puranas themselves make no mention of Mura and do not talk of any relation between the Nanda and the Maurya dynasties.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=140}} Dhundiraja's derivation of the word seems to be his own invention: according to the Sanskrit rules, the derivative of the feminine name Mura ([[IAST]]: Murā) would be "Maureya"; the term "Maurya" can only be derived from the masculine "Mura".{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=8}}

==History==

===Founding===

Prior to the Maurya Empire, the [[Nanda Empire]] ruled over a broad swathe of the Indian subcontinent. The Nanda Empire was a large, militaristic, and economically powerful empire due to conquering the [[Mahajanapadas]]. According to several legends, Chanakya travelled to [[Pataliputra]], [[Magadha]], the capital of the Nanda Empire where Chanakya worked for the Nandas as a minister. However, Chanakya was insulted by the Emperor [[Dhana Nanda]] when he informed them of Alexander's invasion. Chanakya swore revenge and vowed to destroy the Nanda Empire.<ref name="Namita20082">{{cite book|last1=Sugandhi|first1=Namita Sanjay|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8bdULPF4gNYC&pg=PA88|title=Between the Patterns of History: Rethinking Mauryan Imperial Interaction in the Southern Deccan|year=2008|isbn=9780549744412|pages=88–89}}</ref> He had to flee in order to save his life and went to [[Taxila]], a notable center of learning, to work as a teacher. On one of his travels, Chanakya witnessed some young men playing a rural game practicing a pitched battle. One of the boys was none other than Chandragupta. Chanakya was impressed by the young Chandragupta and saw royal qualities in him as someone fit to rule.

Meanwhile, [[Alexander the Great]] was leading his Indian campaigns and ventured into Punjab. His army mutinied at the [[Beas River]] and refused to advance farther eastward when confronted by another army. Alexander returned to [[Babylon]] and re-deployed most of his troops west of the [[Indus River]]. Soon after Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BCE, his empire fragmented into independent kingdoms led by his generals.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=31}}

Chandragupta was taken to Taxila by Chanakya and was tutored about statecraft and governing. Requiring an army Chandragupta recruited and annexed local [[Gaṇasaṅgha|military republics]] such as the [[Yaudheya]]s that had resisted Alexander's Empire. The Mauryan army quickly rose to become the prominent regional power in the North West of the Indian subcontinent. The Mauryan army then conquered the satraps established by the [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonia ns]].<ref>{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=162|isbn= 9788122411980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=maurya+dynasty+sen
}}</ref> Ancient Greek historians [[Nearchus]], [[Onesictrius]], and [[Aristobolus]] have provided lot of information about the Mauryan empire.<ref>{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=130|isbn= 9788122411980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=maurya+dynasty+sen
}}</ref> The Greek generals [[Eudemus (general)|Eudemus]] and [[Peithon, son of Agenor|Peithon]] ruled in the Indus Valley until around 317 BCE, when Chandragupta Maurya (with the help of Chanakya, who was now his advisor) fought and drove out the Greek governors, and subsequently brought the Indus Valley under the control of his new seat of power in Magadha.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=31}}

Chandragupta Maurya's ancestry is shrouded in mystery and controversy. On one hand, later Indian accounts, such as the drama ''[[Mudrarakshasa]]'' (''Signet ring of Rakshasa'' – ''Rakshasa'' was the prime minister of Magadha) by [[Vishakhadatta]], describe his royal ancestry and even link him with the Nanda family. [[Radha Kumud Mukherjee]] similarly considers Mudrakshasa play without historical basis.<ref>Chandragupta Maurya and His Times, Radhakumud Mookerji, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1966, p.26-27 {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA27 |title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times |access-date=2016-11-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127023139/https://books.google.fr/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA27 |archive-date=27 November 2016 |df=dmy-all |isbn=9788120804050 |last1=Mookerji |first1=Radhakumud |year=1966 }}</ref> On the other hand, a Kshatriya clan known as the Mauryas (Pali: Moriya) are referred to in the earliest [[Buddhist texts]], [[Mahaparinibbana Sutta]] of [[Tipitaka]]. Chandragupta first emerges in Greek accounts as "Sandrokottos". As a young man he is said to have met Alexander.<ref>:"Androcottus, when he was a stripling, saw Alexander himself, and we are told that he often said in later times that Alexander narrowly missed making himself master of the country, since its king was hated and despised on account of his baseness and low birth." [[Plutarch]] 62-3 [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0243&layout=&loc=62.1 Plutarch 62-3] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081028230118/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0243&layout=&loc=62.1 |date=28 October 2008 }}</ref> Chanakya is said to have met the Nanda king, angered him, and made a narrow escape.<ref>:"He was of humble Indian to a change of rule." Justin XV.4.15 "Fuit hic humili quidem genere natus, sed ad regni potestatem maiestate numinis inpulsus. Quippe cum procacitate sua Nandrum regem offendisset, interfici a rege iussus salutem pedum ceieritate quaesierat. (Ex qua fatigatione cum somno captus iaceret, leo ingentis formae ad dormientem accessit sudoremque profluentem lingua ei detersit expergefactumque blande reliquit. Hoc prodigio primum ad spem regni inpulsus) contractis latronibus Indos ad nouitatem regni sollicitauit." [http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/texte15.html Justin XV.4.15] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201051124/http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/texte15.html |date=1 February 2016 }}</ref> In Plutarch’s account, when Chandragupta met Alexander, he described the Nanda ruler as being of “low birth,” which implies that Chandragupta himself was likely not from a low-born background.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Plutarch 62.9|url=https://topostext.org/work/172#Alex.62.9|quote=Alex.62.9 ''Androcottus, when he was a stripling, saw Alexander himself, and we are told that he often said in later times that Alexander narrowly missed making himself master of the country, since its king was hated and despised on account of his baseness and low birth.''|access-date=2024-03-25|website=topostext.org}}</ref>

==Empire==
During the Mauryan Empire, forests were considered state property. A special department managed them under a revenue officer known as the samāharta. A forest officer supervised activities such as collecting forest resources, setting prices, and selling forest products. Water supply and rules governing forest use were also regulated. An official called the Akshatapala was responsible for auditing accounts. This administrative system helped maintain effective control over forest resources.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9789353883140/page/180/mode/1up?q=%22mauryan%22 |title=Critical Themes in Environmental History of India |date=2020|page=180|first=Ranjan|last=Chakrabarti|publisher=Indian Council of Historical Research |isbn=978-93-5388-316-4}}</ref>

Historian Ram Sharan Sharma noted that the Mauryan Empire maintained a large army and a strong judicial system, particularly to maintain order in tribal regions prone to unrest.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sharma |first=Ram Sharan|title=Prachin Bharat Me Rajneetik Vichar Avam Sansthae |year=1990 |publisher=Rajkamal Prakashan |isbn=9788126707584 |page=355 |quote=The tribal people living inside the empire and on its borders were equally a cause of trouble. So for this, there was a huge permanent army and tight judicial system.|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.401527/page/n355}}</ref> Archaeologist Dilip Chakrabarti argued that the distribution of Ashoka’s edicts across the subcontinent indicates a centralized administrative system, including control over large forested regions of central India. Edict sites along the Kaimur hills and routes through Sasaram, Ahraura, Rupnath, and Panguraria suggest these areas were under Mauryan authority.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chakrabarty |first=Dilip K. |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=EIAyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA46 |title=The Geopolitical Orbits of Ancient India: The Geographical Frames of the Ancient Indian Dynasties |date=2010-10-18 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-908832-4 |pages=42-43 |language=en |quote=Among other things, different versions of the edicts could not have been engraved in different parts of the subcontinent unless there was a centralized machinery for the purpose in place. There is no reason to claim that the vast spaces of hilly and forested central India lay outside the Mauryan rule. If this were the case, we would not have found the chain of edict sites along the Kaimur and central Indian section of the Deccan routes-Sasaram, Ahraura, Rupnath, and Panguraria.}}</ref>

D. R. Bhandarkar stated that the empire was well-administered, with viceroys governing different regions to ensure tight control.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bhandarkar |first=D. R. |title=Asoka |year=1925 |publisher=University of Calcutta |page=46|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.279637/page/n57/mode/2up}}</ref> Radha Kumud Mookerji observed that Ashoka’s empire was too large for him to visit personally.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mookerji |first=Radha Kumud |title=Asoka |year=1962 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |page=16|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.201048/page/n35/mode/2up}}</ref> Nayanjyot Lahiri noted that Ashoka’s edicts have been discovered at over 50 locations across India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, with potentially more still undiscovered.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lahiri |first=Nayanjot |url=http://archive.org/details/searching-for-ashoka-questing-for-a-buddhist-king-from-india-to-thailand |title=Searching For Ashoka |date=2023 |page=10|publisher=State University of New York Press, Albany}}</ref> Patrick Olivelle cautioned against defining the empire’s boundaries solely based on the locations of Ashokan edicts, calling this method overly simplistic and potentially misleading.<ref>{{cite book | last = Olivelle | first = Patrick | title = Ashoka: Portrait of a Philosopher King | publisher = Yale University Press | year = 2023 | isbn = 9780300270006 | page = 52 | url = https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Indian_Lives_Series_Book_1_Ashoka/LsXPEAAAQBAJ?hl=en | archive-url = https://archive.org/details/ashoka-portrait/page/n51/mode/1up | archive-date = 2024-03-20}}</ref>
===Empire expansion===
====Conquest of the Nanda Empire====
Historically reliable inscription details of Chandragupta's campaign against [[Nanda Empire]] are unavailable and but later written Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu texts which claim [[Magadha]] was ruled by the [[Nanda dynasty]], which, with [[Chanakya]]'s counsel, [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]] conquered Nanda Empire.{{sfn|Thapar|2013|pp=362–364}}{{sfn|Sen|1895|pp=26–32}}{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=272}} The army of Chandragupta and Chanakya first conquered the Nanda outer territories, and finally besieged the Nanda capital Pataliputra. In contrast to the easy victory in Buddhist sources, the Hindu and Jain texts state that the campaign was bitterly fought because the Nanda dynasty had a powerful and well-trained army.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=28–33}}{{sfn|Sen|1895|pp=26–32}}
[[File:Nanda Empire map.jpg|thumb|Nanda_Empire 323 BCE]]
The Buddhist ''Mahavamsa Tika'' and Jain ''Parishishtaparvan'' records Chandragupta's army unsuccessfully attacking the Nanda capital. {{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=175–188}} Chandragupta and Chanakya then began a campaign at the frontier of the Nanda empire, gradually conquering various territories on their way to the Nanda capital.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=33}} He then refined his strategy by establishing garrisons in the conquered territories, and finally besieged the Nanda capital Pataliputra. There [[Dhana Nanda]] accepted defeat.{{sfn|Malalasekera|2002|p=383}}{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=33-34}}.

These legends state that the Nanda king was defeated, deposed and exiled by some accounts, while Buddhist accounts claim he was killed.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=34}} With the defeat of Dhana Nanda, Chandragupta Maurya founded the Maurya Empire.{{sfn|Roy|2012|p=62}}

====Conquest of the Eastern Seleucid Empire====
[[File:Seleucid-Empire 200bc.jpg|thumb|Seleucid Empire 281 BCE]]
[[File:Chandragupta Maurya Empire c.290 BCE.png|thumb|Chandragupta Maurya Empire c.290 BCE]]

Greek historians mentioned the result of [[Seleucid–Mauryan war]] where Seleucid Empire's eastern satrapies( [[Gedrosia]],[[Arachosia]], [[Aria]], and [[Paropamisadae]]) ceded to Mauryan Empire :
{{quote|text= " Seleucus crossed the Indus and waged war with Sandrocottus [Maurya], king of he Indians, who dwelt on the banks of that stream, until they came to an understanding with each other and contracted a marriage relationship. Some of these exploits were performed before the death of Antigonus and some afterward." |sign=[[Appian]]|source=''History of Rome'', The Syrian Wars [https://www.livius.org/sources/content/appian/appian-the-syrian-wars/appian-the-syrian-wars-11/ 55]}}
{{quote|text= " The geographical position of the tribes is as follows: along the Indus are the Paropamisadae, above whom lies the Paropamisus mountain: then, towards the south, the Arachoti: then next, towards the south, the Gedroseni, with the other tribes that occupy the seaboard; and the Indus lies, latitudinally, alongside all these places; and of these places, in part, some that lie along the Indus are held by Indians, although they formerly belonged to the Persians. Alexander [III 'the Great' of Macedon] took these away from the Arians and established settlements of his own, but [[Seleucus Nicator]] gave them to [[Sandrocottus]] [Chandragupta], upon terms of intermarriage and of receiving in exchange five hundred elephants. " |sign=[[Strabo]] |source= 15.2.9<ref>[https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/15B*.html#2.9]</ref> }}
Greecian historian Pliny also quoted a passage from Megasthanes work about Chandragupta Empire boundaries:
<blockquote>
Most geographers, in fact, do not look upon India as bounded by the river Indus, but add to it the four satrapies of the [[Gedrosia|Gedrose]], the [[Arachosia|Arachotë]], the [[Herat|Aria]], and the [[Paropamisadë]], the [[Kabul River|River Cophes]] thus forming the extreme boundary of India. According to other writers, however, all these territories, are reckoned as belonging to the country of the Aria. 
— Pliny, Natural History VI, 23<ref>Pliny, Natural History VI, 23[https://archive.today/20121210070738/http://perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.+Nat.+6.23]</ref><ref>Pliny, Natural History VI, 23[https://archive.org/details/naturalhistoryof21855plin/page/50/mode/1up]</ref>
</blockquote>
The conquest of the south by Chandragupta Maurya may also perhaps be inferred from the following statement of Plutarch. "The throne" in the context is the Magadhan throne, the occupation of which by Chandragupta is thus followed by two other events, viz., the defeat of Selucus, and the conquest of the remaining part of India not included in the Magadhan empire of the Nandas:

<blockquote>"Not long afterwards Androkottos, who had by that time mounted the throne, presented Selukos with 500 elephants, and overran and subdued the whole of India with an army of 600,000." 
— Chapter LXII ,Life of Alexander, Plutarch<ref>Chapter LXII ,Life of Alexander, Plutarch [https://books.google.co.in/books?id=TXtEAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false]</ref>
</blockquote>
Megasthenes defined the region that Chandragupta won from Seleucus as likely western side Gedrosia which shares boundaries with the Euphrates River, and eastern side Arachosia shares boundaries with the Indus. The northern frontier boundary formed by Hindukush mountain range:
[[File:SakastanMap.jpg|thumb|Satrapian provinces in northwestern India which ceaded to Chandragupta by Selucus due to [[Treaty of Indus]].]]
<blockquote>
Sandrokottos the king of the Indians, India forms the largest of the four parts into which Southern Asia is divided, while the smallest part is that region which is included between the Euphrates and our own sea. The two remaining parts, which are separated from the others by the Euphrates and the Indus, and lie between these rivers. [...] India is bounded on its eastern side, right onwards to the south, by the great ocean; that its northern frontier is formed by the Kaukasos range(Hindukush Range) as far as the junction of that range with Tauros; and that the boundary. 
— Book I Fragment II , Indica, Megasthanes<ref>Book I Fragment II , Indica, Megasthanes[https://archive.org/details/AncientIndiaAsDescribedByMegasthenesAndArrianByMccrindleJ.W/page/n54/mode/1up]</ref>
</blockquote>

=====Treaty of the Indus=====
The ancient historians Justin, Appian, and Strabo preserve the three main terms of the Treaty of the Indus:<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=9UWdAwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in the Seleucid Empire|last=Kosmin|first=Paul J.|date=2014-06-23|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-72882-0|language=en}}</ref>
#Seleucus transferred to Chandragupta's kingdom the easternmost satrapies of his empire, certainly Gandhara, Parapamisadae, and the eastern parts of Gedrosia, Arachosia and Aria as far as Herat.
#Chandragupta gave Seleucus 500 Indian war elephants.
#The two kings were joined by some kind of marriage alliance (ἐπιγαμία οι κῆδος); most likely Chandragupta wed a female relative of Seleucus.
=====Later account=====
<blockquote>Ashoka brought under his rule without bloodshed all the countries including those to the south of the Vindhya. And he conquered the northern Himalayas, the snowy ranges beyond Li-yul (Khotan)," the entire land of Jambudvipa bounded by seas on east, south and west, and also fifty small islands. 
— History Of Buddhism In India ,Taranatha<ref>History Of Buddhism In India ,Taranatha[https://archive.org/details/TaranathasHistoryOfBuddhismInIndia/page/n89/mode/2up]</ref>
</blockquote> 
<blockquote>
Ashoka served as a viceroy during the rule of his father Bindusara.
According to established constitutional usage, Asoka as Prince served as viceroy in one of the remoter provinces of the Empire. This was the province of Western India called Avantirattham or province of Avanti with headquarter at Ujjain. 
— Mahabodhivamsa, pg.98<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=uXyftdtE1ygC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Asoka|last=Mookerji|first=Radhakumud|date=1962|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishe|isbn=978-81-208-0582-8|language=en}}</ref>
</blockquote>
[[File:Bindusara Empire.png|thumb|Bindusara Empire 273 BCE]]

====Conquest of the Saurashtra====
Chandragupta conquered Southern-Western part of India. Especially his conquest over Saurashtra and Sudarshana lake construction is preseved in later Satrapian king Rudradaman inscription:

<blockquote>
''8. mauryasya rājyaḥ candra-guptasya rāṣṭriyena vaiśyena puṣpa-guptena kāritam śokasya mauryasya kṛte yavana-raj tuṣāra-saphenādhāyā'' 
—Junagadh rock inscription of [[Rudradaman]]<ref name="WB">[http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm "Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman", ''Project South Asia''.]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223182107/http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm |date=23 February 2009 }}</ref> 
'''Translation''' : for the sake of ordered to be made by the Vaishya Pushyagupta, the provincial governor of the Maurya king [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]]; adorned with conduits for [[Ashoka]] the Maurya by the [[Yavana]] king [[Tushaspha]] while governing; and by the conduit ordered to be made by him, constructed in a manner worthy of a king (and) seen in that breach.
</blockquote>

===Dominion over tribals===

The [[Kambojas]] are a people of Central Asian origin who had settled first in [[Arachosia]] and [[Drangiana]] (today's southern Afghanistan), and in some of the other areas in the northwestern Indian subcontinent in [[Sindhu]], [[Gujarat]] and [[Sauvira]]. The Nabhakas, the Nabhapamkits, the Bhojas, the [[Pitinikas]], the [[Andhras]] and the [[Palidas]] were other people under Ashoka's rule:

<blockquote>
''9. hidā laja viśavashi Yona Kambojeshu Nabhaka Nabhapamtishu Bhoja Pitinikyeshu''
''10. Adha Paladeshu shavata Devānampiyashā dhammanushathi anuvatamti[] yata pi dutā'' 
— Ashoka, Rock Edict 13 , Kalsi Rock, South Portion.<ref>Ashoka, Rock Edict 13 , Kalsi Rock, South Portion by E. Hultzsch[https://archive.org/details/InscriptionsOfAsoka.NewEditionByE.Hultzsch/page/n186/mode/1up?view=theater]</ref> 
'''Translation''' : Likewise here in the king's (Ashoka ) territory, among the [[Yonas]] and [[Kambojas]], among the [[Nabhakas]] and [[Nabhapamkits]], among the [[Bhojas]] and the [[Pitinikas]], among the [[Andhras]] and the [[Palidas]], everywhere (people) are conforming to Beloved-Of-God (Ashoka) instruction in morality.</blockquote>

====Conquest of the Kalinga====
[[Kalinga War]] plays a very important role in Mauryan history which changes a cruel Emperor Chanda-Ashoka to Priyadarshi Ashoka.

<blockquote> "Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Priyadarsi(Ashoka)conquered the Kalingas eight years after his coronation. One hundred and fifty thousand were deported, one hundred thousand were killed and many more died (from other causes). After the Kalingas had been conquered, Beloved-of-the-Gods came to feel a strong inclination towards the Dharma, a love for the Dharma and for instruction in Dharma. Now Beloved-of-the-Gods feels deep remorse for having conquered the Kalingas. " 
— Ashoka, Major Rock Edict 13<ref>Ashoka, Major Rock Edict 13 [https://books.google.co.in/books?id=K4vHjbUtf_4C&pg=PT82&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false]</ref></blockquote>

====Conquest of the Kuntala====
Shikarpur Taluq inscription mentioned about Mauryan ruling in the region of [[Kuntala country|Kuntala]] .The Kuntala country is an ancient Indian political region included the western Deccan and some parts of central,south Karnataka and north Mysore.
[[File:South India 500 to 200 BCE.jpg|thumb|South India , Kuntala present in Western coastal region]]
<blockquote>
''Kuntala-kshôpiyam pesarvett â-nava-Nanda-Gupta-kula-Mauryya-kshmâpar aldar llasaj-jasad'' 
— Shikarpur Taluq, inscription 225<ref>Shikarpur Taluq inscription 225, Epigraphia Carnatica, Volume 17[https://archive.org/details/epigraphia_carnatica_vol7_myso/page/n327/mode/1up]</ref><ref>Shikarpur Taluq inscription 225, Epigraphia Carnatica Volume 17[https://archive.org/details/epigraphia_carnatica_vol7_myso/page/n587/mode/1up]</ref> 
'''Translation''' : The Kuntala country, which is like curls (kuntaja) to the lady Earth, was-ruled by the renowned nine Nandas, the Gupta and Mauryan kings.</blockquote>

====Conquest of the Nepala====
It is noteworthy that Ashoka was responsible for the construction of several significant structures in Nepal. These include the [[Ramagrama Stupa]],[[Gotihawa|Gotihawa Pillar of Ashoka]], [[Nigali Sagar|Nigali-Sagar Ashoka Pillar inscription]] , and the [[Lumbini pillar inscription]] of Ashoka.The Chinese pilgrims [[Fa-Hien]] (337 CE – c. 422 CE) and [[Xuanzang]] (602–664 CE) describe the Kanakamuni Stupa and the Asoka Pillar of currently Nepal region in their travel accounts. Xuanzang speaks of a lion capital atop the pillar, now lost. A base of a [[Pillar of Ashoka]] has been discovered at [[Gotihawa]], a few miles from Nigali Sagar, and it has been suggested that it is the original base of the Nigalar Sagar pillar fragments.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ghosh |first=A. |date=1967 |title=The Pillars of Aśoka - Their Purpose |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/29755169 |journal=East and West |volume=17 |issue=3/4 |pages=273–275 |issn=0012-8376}}</ref>

According to the Asokavadana, it is stated that in his youth, Ashoka subdued the revolt in the of the Khasas (present day Nepala region) and [[Taxila|Taksasila]]. Similarly, in contrast, according to Taranath:
<blockquote>
Meanwhile, peoples of the hilly countries like Nepal and Khasya revolted. Asoka was sent with the army to subdue them. Without difficulty Asoka subdued .the hilly races, imposed levy and annual tax on them, realised ransom from them and offered these to the king. 
— History Of Buddhism In India ,[[Taranatha]]<ref>History Of Buddhism In India ,[[Taranatha]][https://archive.org/details/TaranathasHistoryOfBuddhismInIndia/page/n80/mode/1up]</ref>
</blockquote>

====Boundaries sharing territories====

Ashoka in his Second Major Rock Edict discovered at Kalsi, Mansehra, Girnar, and Shahbazgarhi, mentions the boundaries of his empire four times across different inscriptions. Notably, he does not mention any unconquered or independent regions within these boundaries. This possibly suggests that Ashoka’s empire was likely contiguous, with no significant autonomous regions enclosed within it.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ramesh |first=Sangaralingam|title=The Political Economy of India's Economic Development: 5000BC to 2022AD, Volume I: Before the Indus Civilisation to Alexander the Great |date=2023-10-14 |isbn=978-3-031-42072-6}}</ref>

{{quote|
#Sarvata vijitamhi Devānaṃpriyasa Piyadasino rāño'
#evamapi pracaṃtesu yathā Coḍa Pāḍā Satiyaputo Ketalaputo ā Taṃba-
#paṃṇī Aṃtiyako Yona-rājā ye vā pi tasa Aṃtiyakasa sāmīpaṃ
#rājāno sarvatra Devānaṃpriyasa Priyadasino rāño dve cikīcha katā
#manusa-cīkichā ca pasu cikīchā ca 
—Second Rock Edict<ref>Second Rock Edict, Girnar by E. Hultzsch[https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.25989/page/n136/mode/1up]</ref>
----
'''— [[James Prinsep]] Translation''' : Everywhere within the conquered province of Raja Piyadasi (Ashoka), the beloved of the gods, as well as in the parts occupied by the faithful, such as Chola, Pandiya, Satiyaputra, and Keralaputra, even as fart as Tambapanni (Sri Lanka) and, moreover, within the dominions the Greek (of which [[Antiochus]] generals are the rulers ) everywhere the heaven-beloved Raja Piyadasi’s double system of medical aid is established— both medical aid for men, and medical aid for animals, together with the medicaments of all sorts, which are suitable for men, and suitable for animals.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.25520/page/117/mode/1up|title=Complete Works of Alexander Cunningham: Inscriptions of Asoka Vol I|last=Cunningham|page=117|first=Alexander|date=1969|publisher=Indological Book House, Varanasi}}</ref>

'''— [[E. Hultzsch]] Translation:''' Everywhere in the dominions of Dévanampriya Priyadarsina, and (of those) who (are his) borderers, such as the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Satiyaputra, the Kéralaputra, Tamaraparni, the Yona(Greek) king named Antiyoka , and the other kings who are the neighbours of this Antiyoka, everywhere two kinds of medical treatment were established by king Devanampriya Priyadarsin, (viz.) medical treatment for men and medical treatment for cattle.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.25989/page/52/mode/1up|title=Inscriptions of Asoka, Vol. I|page=52|last=Hultzsch|first=E.|date=1989|publisher=Indological Book House, Varanasi}}</ref> }}

[[File:Mauryan Empire c.260 BCE.png|thumb|Mauryan Empire c.260 BCE]]

====Empire reconstruction from fragments====

According to the account of Fa Hein who was the first Chinese pilgrim to visit India during 399 and 414 CE. His work "The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D.)" mentioned that Ashoka constructed 84,000 Buddhist stupas and pillars after destroying seven stupas that initially housed Buddha relics. Ashoka divided the relics from these seven stupas into 84,000 parts : 
<blockquote> " King Asoka having destroyed seven (of the original) pagodas, constructed 84,000 others. The very first which he built is the great tower which stands about three li to the south of this. city. In front of this pagoda is an impression of Buddha’s foot, (over which) they have raised a chapel, the gate of which faces the north. To the south of the tower is a stone pillar, about a chang and a half in girth (18 feet), and three cluing or so in height (35 feet). On the surface of this pillar is an inscription to the following effect: “King Asoka presented the whole of Jambudvipa to the priests of the four quarters, and redeemed it again with money, and tins he did three times.” Three or four hundred paces to the north of the pagoda is the spot where Asoka was horn (or resided). On this spot he raised the city of Ni-li, and in the midst of it erected a stone pillar, also about 35 feet in height, on the top of which he placed the figure of a lion, and also engraved an historical record on the pillar giving an account of the successive events connected with Ni-li, with the corresponding year, day, and month." 
— Chapter XXVII , The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D)<ref>Chapter XXVII , The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D)[https://www.wisdomlib.org/south-asia/book/the-travels-of-fa-hian/d/doc220127.html]</ref></blockquote>
 
<blockquote>
" When King Asoka was living he wished to destroy the eight towers and to build eighty-four thousand others. Having destroyed seven, he next proceeded to treat this one in the same way." 
— Chapter XXIII ,The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D)<ref>Chapter XXIII ,The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D)[https://www.wisdomlib.org/south-asia/book/the-travels-of-fa-hian/d/doc220123.html]</ref></blockquote>

Ashoka built one pillar beside every stupa :
<blockquote>
" In after times Asoka, wishing to discover the utmost depths to which these ladders went, employed men to dig down and examine into it. They went on digging till they came to the yellow spring (the earth's foundation), but yet had not come to the bottom. The king, deriving from this an increase of faith and reverence, forthwith built over the ladders a and facing the middle flight he placed a standing figure (of Buddha) sixteen feet high. Behind the vihara, he erected a stone pillar thirty cubits high, and on the top placed the figure of a lion. Within the pillar on the four sides are figures of Buddha; both within and without it is shining and bright as glass. It happened once that some heretical doctors had a contention with the Sramanas respecting this as a place of residence. Then the argument of the Sramanas failing, they all agreed to the following compact: "If this place properly belongs to the Sramanas, then there will he some supernatural proof given of it." Immediately on this the lion on the top of the pillar uttered a loud roar." 
—Chapter XVII, The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D)<ref>Chapter XVII, The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D)[https://www.wisdomlib.org/south-asia/book/the-travels-of-fa-hian/d/doc220117.html]</ref></blockquote>

Ashoka commissioned the construction of 84,000 stupas for the preservation of Buddha's relics. However, over time, many of the Ashoka pillars , inscriptions and stupas have been subject to complete destruction and deterioration. According to the British historian Charles Allen, historical records of Ashoka were effectively cleansed to the extent that his name was largely forgotten for nearly two thousand years. However, very few mysterious stone monuments and inscriptions miraculously survived, preserving his historical legacy.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=K4vHjbUtf_4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Charles+Allen%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor|last=Allen|first=Charles|date=2012-02-21|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|isbn=978-1-4087-0388-5|language=en}}</ref>

===North-East and South influence===
Ashoka's influence in North-East and South India is evident through the dissemination of Buddhist principles, rock edicts, and the broader cultural exchanges facilitated by the Mauryan Empire. While the direct impact may vary, Ashoka's legacy remains a significant part of India's historical and cultural tapestry.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/encyclopedia-of-world-history-7-volumes-set-facts-on-file-2008|title=Encyclopedia Of World History 7 Volumes Set Facts On File 2008}}</ref>

===Popular Maps===
Several historians have reconstructed the map of the Mauryan Empire based on details from Ashoka's inscriptions and accounts from Greek historians, among other sources. For example :
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:100%;"
! colspan="2" | Renowned Scholars Authoritative Crafted Maps
|-
!style="background-color:#ADD8E6;" | Mauryan empire maps created by Historians/Other Scholars
!style="background-color:#ADD8E6;" | Map Link
|-
| ASI ([[Archeological Survey Of India]])
| [https://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.06445/page/n421/mode/1up Rough Map by ASI]
|-
|-
| [[NCERT]]
| [https://archive.org/details/20251023_20251023_0748/page/n146/mode/1up Their designed map]
|-
| British Historian [[Geoffrey Parker]]
| [https://archive.org/details/timescompacthist0000unse_g4l2/page/29/mode/1up His designed map]
|-
| British historian [[Patrick Karl O'Brien]]
| [https://archive.org/details/philipsatlasofwo0000unse_u6t7/page/46/mode/1up His designed map]
|-
| American historian [[Jackson J. Spielvogel]]
| [https://archive.org/details/discoveringourpa0000spie_d9t3/page/266/mode/1up?q=%22Height+of+Mauryan+empire+under+Ashoka%22 His designed map]
|-
| Australian historian [[Craig Benjamin]]
| [https://archive.org/details/20251023_20251023_0812/page/519/mode/1up His designed map]
|-
| American historian [[Gerald Danzer]]
| [https://archive.org/details/atlasofworldhist0000danz/page/44/mode/1up His designed map]
|-
| British Historian [[Charles Allen]]
| [https://books.google.co.in/books/content?id=K4vHjbUtf_4C&pg=PA1746&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U3JEUi-fU7TloOMsbZuuSznBNzZFw&w=1280 His designed map]
|-
| Historian [[Robert W. Strayer]] and [[Eric Nelson]]
| [https://archive.org/details/waysofworld0000robe/page/121/mode/1up Their designed map]
|-
| Irish Historian and Indologist [[Vincent Arthur Smith]]
| [https://archive.org/details/asokabuddhistemp00smitiala/asokabuddhistemp00smitiala/page/n284/mode/1up His designed map]
|-
| Historians Elisabeth Gaynor Ellis, Burton F Beers and Anthony Esler
| [https://archive.org/details/worldhistoryconn0000elli/page/84/mode/1up?q=%22+Maurya+empire+about+%22 Their designed map]
|-
| Anthropologist and Bioarcheologist [[Professor Ian Barnes]]
| [https://archive.org/details/historyatlasofas00ianb/page/43/mode/1up His designed map]
|-
| Group of Historian, Archeologist and Historical Geographer, published by Millennium House
| [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781921811043/page/65/mode/1up?q=Pink Their designed map]
|-
| American Historian [[Albert M. Craig]]
| [https://archive.org/details/heritageofworldc0000crai/page/142/mode/1up?q=%22Southwest+Asia+and+India+ca.+250%22 His designed map]
|-
| Indian Historian Kashi Prasad Jayaswal
| [https://archive.org/details/pvjO_itihas-pravesh-bharatiya-itihas-ka-digdarshan-by-jaychandra-vidyalankar-ed.-by-l/page/89/mode/1up His designed map]
|-
|Historical Geographer C. Collin Davies
| [https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.509319/page/13/mode/1up His designed map]
|-
|Historical Geographer Joseph E. Schwartzberg.
| [https://timelinesouthasianhistory.hsites.harvard.edu/mauryan-empire-321-%E2%80%93-181-bce His designed map]
|-
|Indologist Prof. N.A. Nikam and American Philosopher [[Richard McKeon|Prof. Richard McKeon]]
| [https://archive.org/details/TheEdictsOfAsokaNikamMcKeon/page/n25/mode/1up Their designed map]
|-
|Group of historian namely [[Jeremy Adelman]], [[Peter Brown]], [[Benjamin A. Elman]], [[Stephen Kotkin]], [[Xinru Liu]], [[Gyan Prakash]], [[Brent Shaw]] and Archeologist [[Holly Pittman]]
| [https://archive.org/details/worldstogetherwo0000unse_p0y1/page/234/mode/2up?q=%22various+Afro-Eurasian+worlds+together%22 Their designed world map for 250 BCE]
|-
|Professor of East Asian Studies, [[William J. Duiker]]
|
[https://archive.org/details/essentialworldhi0000duik_s5l0/page/51/mode/1up?q=%22The+Empire+of+Ashoka.+Ashoka%22 His designed map]
|-
|Italian historian [[Gianni Sofri]]
| [https://archive.org/details/gandhiindiacentu0000sofr/page/20/mode/1up?q=%22the+fifteenth+century%22 His designed map]
|-
|History Professor of Oxford University [[Harold Arthur Harris]]
| [https://archive.org/details/greekathletesath00harr/page/75/mode/1up?q=%22conquered+Kalinga+and+governed%22 His designed map]
|-
|Pakistani popular known historian Muhammad Hussain Panhwar
| [https://archive.org/details/AnIllustratedHistoricalAtlasOfSoomraKingdomByM.H.Panhwar/Six_Thousands_Years_Of_Irrigation/page/n116/mode/1up His designed map]
|-
|Indian Historian [[Dwijendra Narayan Jha]]
| [https://archive.org/details/ancient-india-in-historical-outline-d.-n.-jha/page/96/mode/1up His designed map]
|-
|Linguist Dr. Aaron Ralby and University of Oklahoma professor Amanda Lomazoff
| [https://archive.org/details/atlasofworldmili0000ralb/page/107/mode/1up?q=%22starved+himself%22 Their designed map]
|-
|History professor of Southern Methodist University, Johan Elverskog
| [https://archive.org/details/buddhismandislamonthesilkroad/page/n22/mode/1up Their designed map]
|-
|Group of Historian, Archeologist and Historical Geographer, published by Berkshire
| [https://archive.org/details/berkshire-encyclopedia-of-world-history-2nd-ed./page/316/mode/1up Their designed map]
|-
|[[National Geographic Maps]]
| [https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10158899532712910 Their designed map]
|}

===Territorial span on a national scale===
The territorial expanse of the Mauryan Empire, when correlated with contemporary nations, is delineated as follows:<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/thomas-1922-maurya-empire/mode/1up| title=Cambridge History of India, Volume 1, The Maurya Empire|last=Thomas|first=F.W.| website=Internet Archive }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:100%;"
|-
! style="background-color:#ADD8E6;" | Present day countries
! style="background-color:#ADD8E6;" | Mauryan Empire Extent
|-
| {{flag|Bangladesh}}
| (Whole)
|-
| {{flag|Pakistan}}
| (Whole)
|-
| {{flag|Bhutan}}
| (Southern part)
|-
| {{flag|Afghanistan}}
| (Northern and eastern part)
|-
| {{flag|India}}
| (Whole except southernmost tip)
|-
| {{flag|Iran}}
| (Eastern Gedrosia part only within Jaz Murian Lake)
|-
| {{flag|Myanmar}}
| (Western tip closer to [[Rangakuta Stupa]])
|}

== Wars Involving the Mauryan Empire ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! style="background:orange;"|Conflict
! style="background:orange;"|Mauryan Emperor
! style="background:orange;"|Opponent
! style="background:orange;width: 320px;"|Outcome
|-
| '''Conquest of Magadha''' (322 BCE - 320 BCE)
| [[Chandragupta Maurya]]
| [[Dhana Nanda]] of [[Nanda Empire]]
| '''Mauryan Victory'''
* Chandragupta establishes the Mauryan Empire replacing Nandas.
*He married the princes of the Nanda's [[Durdhara]]
|-
| '''Seleucid-Maurya War''' (305 BCE - 303 BCE)
| [[Chandragupta Maurya]]
| [[Seleucid Empire]]
| '''Mauryan Victory'''
*Treaty of the Indus.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=33–34}}
* Seleucid Empire's eastern satrapies ceded to Mauryan Empire
* Seleucus gives the hand of his daughter to Chandragupta, founding a dynastic alliance
* Chandragupta gives 500 [[war elephants]] to Seleucus
* Establishment of [[Megasthenes|diplomatic relations]]
* Conquest of the Persian territories such as [[Aria (region)]] [[Arachosia]], [[Gedrosia]] and [[Paropamisadae]] by the Mauryans <ref>[[Strabo]], ''Geography'', [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/15B*.html#2.9 xv.2.9]</ref> {{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=33–34}}<ref name="Smith1920">{{citation|last=Smith|first=Vincent Arthur|title=The Oxford History of India: From the Earliest Times to the End of 1911|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p2gxAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA104|year=1920|publisher=Clarendon Press|pages=104–106}}</ref>
|-
| '''Conquest of Kalinga''' (265 BCE - 261 BCE)
| [[Ashoka the Great]]
| [[Kalinga Kingdom]]
| '''Mauryan Victory'''
* Kalinga conquered by the Emperor Ashoka.
* 150,000 people died on the Kalinga side and an almost equal number of Ashoka's army. Total death count approx 3 lakh.
* Ashoka elder brother son inspire Ashoka to became Buddhist, to devote the rest of his life to ahimsa (non-violence).
* Ashoka changes hispolicy of Diga-Vijaya (conquest of all four direction) to Dhamma-Vijaya (victory through Dharma).
|}

==Founding Emperors==
===Chandragupta Maurya===
{{Main|Chandragupta Maurya}}
{{further|Seleucid–Mauryan war}}
[[File:Mauryan ruins of pillared hall at Kumrahar site of Pataliputra ASIEC 1912-13.jpg|thumb|[[Pataliputra]], capital of the Mauryas. Ruins of pillared hall at Kumrahar site.]]
[[File:Pataliputra capital, Bihar Museum, Patna, 3rd century BCE.jpg|thumb|The [[Pataliputra capital]], discovered at the [[Bulandi Bagh]] site of Pataliputra, 4th–3rd c. BCE.]]

After the [[death of Alexander the Great]] in 323 BCE, Chandragupta led a [[Seleucid–Mauryan war|series of campaigns]] in 305 BCE to take [[satrapies]] in the Indus Valley and northwest India.<ref name="greenwood">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JEvN6XwWTk8C&pg=PA252|title=From Polis to Empire, the Ancient World, C. 800 B.C.-A.D. 500|date=2002|publisher=Greenwood Publishing|isbn=0313309426|access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref> When Alexander's remaining forces were routed, returning westwards, Seleucus I Nicator fought to defend these territories. Not many details of the campaigns are known from ancient sources. Seleucus was defeated and retreated into the mountainous region of Afghanistan.<ref name=kistler>{{cite book |last1=Kistler |first1=John M. |title=War Elephants |date=2007 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |isbn=978-0803260047 |page=67 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5RHK4Ol15QC&pg=PA64 |access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref>

The two rulers concluded a peace treaty in 303 BCE, including a marital alliance. Under its terms, Chandragupta received the satrapies of [[Aria (region)|Aria]], [[Paropamisadae]]-([[Kambojas|Kamboja]], Gandhara), [[Arachosia]] ([[Kandhahar]]) and [[Gedrosia]] ([[Balochistan]]). Seleucus I received the 500 [[war elephant]]s that were to have a decisive role in his victory against western [[Hellenistic]] kings at the [[Battle of Ipsus]] in 301 BCE. Diplomatic relations were established and several Greeks, such as the historian [[Megasthenes]], [[Deimakos]] and [[Dionysius (ambassador)|Dionysius]] resided at the Mauryan court.<ref>{{Cite book|last=s|first=deepak|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r5NRDQAAQBAJ&q=Megasthenes%2C+Deimakos+and+Dionysius&pg=PA89|title=Indian civilization|date=2016-10-25|publisher=deepak shinde|language=en}}</ref>

Megasthenes in particular was a notable Greek ambassador in the court of Chandragupta Maurya.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=38}} His book ''Indika'' is a major literary source for information about the Mauryan Empire. According to [[Arrian]], ambassador Megasthenes (c. 350 – c. 290 BCE) lived in Arachosia and travelled to [[Pataliputra]].<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=http://websfor.org/alexander/arrian/book5a.asp |chapter=Book 5 |title=Anabasis |title-link=Anabasis Alexandri |author-link=Arrian |author=Arrian |quote=Megasthenes lived with [[Sibyrtius]], satrap of Arachosia, and often speaks of his visiting [[Sandracottus]], the king of the Indians.}}</ref> Megasthenes' description of Mauryan society as freedom-loving gave Seleucus a means to avoid invasion, however, underlying Seleucus' decision was the improbability of success. In later years, Seleucus' successors maintained diplomatic relations with the Empire based on similar accounts from returning travellers.<ref name=greenwood />

Chandragupta established a strong centralised state with an administration at Pataliputra<ref name="Centralised"/>, which, according to Megasthenes, was "surrounded by a wooden wall pierced by 64 gates and 570 towers". [[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]], although not expressly quoting Megasthenes nor mentioning Pataliputra, described Indian palaces as superior in splendor to [[Persia]]'s [[Susa]] or [[Ecbatana]].<ref>"In the royal residences in India where the greatest of the kings of that country live, there are so many objects for admiration that neither [[Memnon (mythology)|Memnon]]'s city of [[Susa]] with all its extravagance, nor the magnificence of [[Ectabana]] is to be compared with them. ... In the parks, tame peacocks and pheasants are kept." [[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]], ''Characteristics of animals'' [https://archive.org/details/L449AelianCharacteristicsOfAnimalsIII1217 book XIII, Chapter 18], also quoted in ''The Cambridge History of India'', Volume 1, p411</ref> The architecture of the city seems to have had many similarities with Persian cities of the period.<ref>Romila Thapar (1961), ''Aśoka and the decline of the Mauryas'', Volume 5, p.129, Oxford University Press. "The architectural closeness of certain buildings in Achaemenid Iran and Mauryan India have raised much comment. The royal palace at Pataliputra is the most striking example and has been compared with the palaces at Susa, Ecbatana, and Persepolis."</ref>

Chandragupta's son [[Bindusara]] extended the rule of the Mauryan empire towards southern India. The famous [[Sri Lankan Tamil people|Tamil]] poet Mamulanar of the [[Sangam literature]] described how areas south of the [[Deccan Plateau]] which comprised Tamil country was invaded by the Maurya army using troops from Karnataka. Mamulanar states that Vadugar (people who resided in Andhra-Karnataka regions immediately to the north of Tamil Nadu) formed the vanguard of the Mauryan army.<ref name="Singh 2008"/>{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=331}} He also had a Greek ambassador at his court, named [[Deimachus]].{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=32}} According to [[Plutarch]], Chandragupta Maurya subdued all of India, and Justin also observed that Chandragupta Maurya was "in possession of India". Chandragupta renounced his throne and followed Jain teacher [[Bhadrabahu]].{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|pp=39–40}}{{sfn|Geoffrey Samuel|2010|pp=60}}{{sfn|Romila Thapar|2004|p=178}} He is said to have lived as an ascetic at [[Shravanabelagola]] for several years before fasting to death, as per the Jain practice of ''[[sallekhana]]''.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|pp=39–41}}

===Bindusara===
{{Main|Bindusara}}
[[File:I42 1karshapana Maurya Bindusara MACW4165 1ar (8486583162).jpg|thumb|A silver coin of 1 [[karshapana]] of the Maurya empire, period of [[Bindusara]] Maurya about 297–272 BC, workshop of Pataliputra. '''Obv:''' Symbols with a sun. '''Rev:''' Symbol. '''Dimensions:''' 14 × 11 mm. '''Weight:''' 3.4 g.]]
Bindusara was born to [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]], the founder of the Mauryan Empire. This is attested by several sources, including the various [[Puranas]] and the ''[[Mahavamsa]]''.{{sfn|Srinivasachariar|1974|p=lxxxvii}}{{full citation needed|date=April 2019}} He is attested by the Buddhist texts such as ''[[Dipavamsa]]'' and ''[[Mahavamsa]]'' ("Bindusaro"); the Jain texts such as ''Parishishta-Parvan''; as well as the Hindu texts such as ''[[Vishnu Purana]]'' ("Vindusara").<ref name="VAS_Asoka">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/asokabuddhistemp00smitiala#page/18/mode/2up |title=Asoka, the Buddhist emperor of India |author=Vincent Arthur Smith |year=1920 |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9788120613034 |pages=18–19 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rlQOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA10 |title= On the Early Life of Asoka |author=Rajendralal Mitra |journal=Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal |year=1878 |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bengal |page=10 |author-link= Rajendralal Mitra }}</ref> According to the 12th century Jain writer [[Hemachandra]]'s ''[[Parishishtaparvan|Parishishta-Parvan]]'', the name of Bindusara's mother was [[Durdhara]].<ref name="Rosalind_1993">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Po9tUNX0SYAC&pg=PA204 |title=The Clever Adulteress and Other Stories: A Treasury of Jaina Literature |chapter=The Minister Cāṇakya, from the Pariśiṣtaparvan of Hemacandra|translator=Rosalind Lefeber |editor=[[Phyllis Granoff]] |author=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1993 |pages=204–206 |isbn=9788120811508 }}</ref> Some Greek sources also mention him by the name "Amitrochates" or its variations.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=35}}{{sfn|Alain Daniélou|2003|p=108}}

Historian [[Upinder Singh]] estimates that Bindusara ascended the throne around 297 BCE.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=331}} Bindusara, just 22 years old, inherited a large empire that consisted of what is now, Northern, Central and Eastern parts of India along with parts of Afghanistan and [[Balochistan (region)|Baluchistan]]. Bindusara extended this empire to the southern part of India, as far as what is now known as [[Karnataka]]. He brought sixteen states under the Mauryan Empire and thus conquered almost all of the Indian peninsula (he is said to have conquered the 'land between the two seas' – the peninsular region between the [[Bay of Bengal]] and the [[Arabian Sea]]). Bindusara did not conquer the friendly [[Tamils|Tamil]] kingdoms of the [[Chola Dynasty|Cholas]], ruled by King [[Ilamcetcenni]], the [[Pandyas]], and [[Chera Dynasty|Cheras]]. Apart from these southern states, [[Kalinga (historical kingdom)|Kalinga]] (modern Odisha) was the only kingdom in India that did not form part of Bindusara's empire.{{sfn|Dineschandra Sircar|1971|p=167}} It was later conquered by his son [[Ashoka]], who served as the viceroy of [[Ujjaini]] during his father's reign, which highlights the importance of the town.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-HeJS3nE9cAC&pg=PA152 |title=The Greeks in Bactria and India |author=William Woodthorpe Tarn |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2010 |isbn=9781108009416 |page=152 |author-link=William Woodthorpe Tarn }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Mookerji Radhakumud |title=Asoka |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uXyftdtE1ygC&pg=PA8 |year=1962 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0582-8 |page=8 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510200953/https://books.google.com/books?id=uXyftdtE1ygC&pg=PA8 |archive-date=10 May 2018 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Bindusara's life has not been documented as well as that of his father Chandragupta or of his son Ashoka. Chanakya continued to serve as prime minister during his reign. According to the medieval Tibetan scholar Taranatha who visited India, Chanakya helped Bindusara "to destroy the nobles and kings of the sixteen kingdoms and thus to become absolute master of the territory between the eastern and western oceans".{{sfn|Alain Daniélou|2003|p=109}} During his rule, the citizens of [[Taxila]] revolted twice. The reason for the first revolt was the maladministration of [[Susima]], his eldest son. The reason for the second revolt is unknown. Bindusara could not suppress it in his lifetime but it was crushed by Ashoka.<ref name="EB_legends">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/legendsofindianb00burn#page/20/mode/2up |title=Legends of Indian Buddhism |author=Eugène Burnouf |publisher=E. P. Dutton |location=New York |year=1911 |pages=59 }}</ref>

Bindusara maintained friendly diplomatic relations with the Hellenic world. [[Deimachus]] was the ambassador of [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid]] emperor [[Antiochus I]] at Bindusara's court.{{sfn|S. N. Sen|1999|p=142}} [[Diodorus Siculus|Diodorus]] states that the king of Palibothra ([[Pataliputra]], the Mauryan capital) welcomed a Greek author, [[Iambulus]]. This king is usually identified as Bindusara.{{sfn|S. N. Sen|1999|p=142}} [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] states that the Egyptian king [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus|Philadelphus]] sent an envoy named [[Dionysius (ambassador)|Dionysius]] to India.<ref>"Three Greek ambassadors are known by name: Megasthenes, ambassador to Chandragupta; Deimachus, ambassador to [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta's]] son Bindusara; and Dyonisius, whom Ptolemy Philadelphus sent to the court of Ashoka, Bindusara's son", McEvilley, p.367</ref><ref>''India, the Ancient Past'', Burjor Avari, pp. 108–109</ref> According to Sailendra Nath Sen, this appears to have happened during Bindusara's reign.{{sfn|S. N. Sen|1999|p=142}}

Unlike his father Chandragupta (who at a later stage converted to [[Jainism]]), Bindusara believed in the [[Ajivika]] sect. Bindusara's guru Pingalavatsa (Janasana) was a Brahmin<ref>Arthur Llewellyn Basham, ''History and doctrines of the Ājīvikas: a vanished Indian religion'', pp. 138, 146</ref> of the Ajivika sect. Bindusara's wife, Queen [[Shubhadrangi|Subhadrangi]] (Queen Dharma/ Aggamahesi) was a Brahmin<ref>Anukul Chandra Banerjee, ''Buddhism in comparative light'', p. 24</ref> also of the Ajivika sect from Champa (present Bhagalpur district). Bindusara is credited with giving several grants to Brahmin monasteries (''Brahmana-bhatto'').<ref>Beni Madhab Barua, Ishwar Nath Topa, ''Ashoka and his inscriptions'', Volume 1, p. 171</ref>

Historical evidence suggests that Bindusara died in the 270s BCE. According to Upinder Singh, Bindusara died around 273 BCE.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=331}} [[Alain Daniélou]] believes that he died around 274 BCE.{{sfn|Alain Daniélou|2003|p=109}} Sailendra Nath Sen believes that he died around 273–272 BCE, and that his death was followed by a four-year struggle of succession, after which his son [[Ashoka]] became the emperor in 269–268 BCE.{{sfn|S. N. Sen|1999|p=142}} According to the ''[[Mahavamsa]]'', Bindusara reigned for 28 years.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JBbznHuPrTYC&pg=PA33 |title=Early Buddhism and the Bhagavadgita |author=Kashi Nath Upadhyaya |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1997 |isbn=9788120808805 |page=33 }}</ref> The ''[[Vayu Purana]]'', which names Chandragupta's successor as "Bhadrasara", states that he ruled for 25 years.<ref name="HHW_Vishnu">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0943AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA188 |title=The Vishnu Purana |volume=IV |translator=[[Horace Hayman Wilson|H. H. Wilson]] |editor=[[Fitzedward Hall]] |publisher=Trübner & Co |year=1868 |pages=188 }}</ref>

===Ashoka===
{{Main|Ashoka}}
[[File:Sarnath capital.jpg|right|thumb|[[Lion Capital of Ashoka]] at [[Sarnath]]. c. 250 BCE.]]
[[File:Ashoka pillar at Vaishali, Bihar, India.jpg|thumb| Ashoka pillar at [[Vaishali (ancient city)|Vaishali]].]]
[[File:6thPillarOfAshoka.JPG|thumb|Fragment of the 6th Pillar [[Edicts of Ashoka|Edict of Ashoka]] (238 BCE), in [[Brāhmī script|Brahmi]], sandstone, [[British Museum]].]]
As a young prince, Ashoka ({{reign|272|232}} BCE) was a brilliant commander who crushed revolts in Ujjain and Taxila. As monarch he was ambitious and aggressive, re-asserting the Empire's superiority in southern and western India. But it was his conquest of [[Kalinga (historical kingdom)|Kalinga]] (262–261 BCE) which proved to be the pivotal event of his life. Ashoka used Kalinga to project power over a large region by building a fortification there and securing it as a possession.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Archaeology of Early Historic South Asia: The Emergence of Cities and States|last1=Allchin|first1=F. R.|last2=Erdosy|first2=George|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1995|location=Cambridge|pages=306}}</ref> Although Ashoka's army succeeded in overwhelming Kalinga forces of royal soldiers and quarter of a million soldiers died in the furious warfare. 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. He also propagated his own ''dhamma.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ringmar |first=Erik |url=http://archive.org/details/oapen-20.500.12657-24805 |page=53|title=History of International Relations - A Non-European Perspective |date=2019 |language=English |quote=Above all, the spectacular bloodshed which took place at the battle of Kalinga in 260 BCE, in which, reputedly, no fewer than a quarter of a million soldiers died, made him change his ways. Remorseful and disgusted with his previous way of life,..Ashoka the Great, 268-232 BCE, renounced violence, converted to Buddhism, and started a number of projects to improve the lot of the poor, the aged and the widowed.}}</ref>

Ashoka implemented principles of ''[[ahimsa]]'' by banning hunting and violent sports activity and ending indentured and forced labor (many thousands of people in war-ravaged Kalinga had been forced into hard labour and servitude). While he maintained a large and powerful army, to keep the peace and maintain authority, Ashoka expanded friendly relations with states across Asia and Europe, and he sponsored Buddhist missions. He undertook a massive public works building campaign across the country. 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.

The [[Edicts of Ashoka]], set in stone, are found throughout the Subcontinent. Ranging from as far west as Afghanistan and as far south as Andhra ([[Nellore District]]), Ashoka's edicts state his policies and accomplishments. Although predominantly written in Prakrit, two of them were written in [[Greek language|Greek]], and one in both Greek and [[Aramaic]]. Ashoka's edicts refer to the Greeks, [[Kambojas]], and [[Gandhara]]s as peoples forming a frontier region of his empire. They also attest to Ashoka's having sent envoys to the Greek rulers in the West as far as the Mediterranean. The edicts precisely name each of the rulers of the [[Ancient Greece|Hellenic]] world at the time such as ''Amtiyoko'' ([[Antiochus II Theos|Antiochus]]), ''Tulamaya'' ([[Ptolemy II Philadelphus|Ptolemy]]), ''Amtikini'' ([[Antigonus II Gonatas|Antigonos]]), ''Maka'' ([[Magas of Cyrene|Magas]]) and ''Alikasudaro'' ([[Alexander II of Epirus|Alexander]]) as recipients of Ashoka's proselytism. The Edicts also accurately locate their territory "600 yojanas away" (a yojanas being about 7 miles), corresponding to the distance between the center of India and Greece (roughly 4,000 miles).<ref>[[Edicts of Ashoka]], 13th Rock Edict, translation S. Dhammika.</ref>

===Decline===
Ashoka was followed for 50 years by a succession of weaker kings. He was succeeded by [[Dasharatha Maurya]], who was Ashoka's grandson. None of Ashoka's sons could ascend to the throne after him. [[Mahinda (Buddhist monk)|Mahinda]], his firstborn, became a Buddhist monk. [[Kunala|Kunala Maurya]] was blind and hence couldn't ascend to the throne; and Tivala, son of Kaurwaki, died even earlier than Ashoka. Little is known about another son, Jalauka.

The empire lost many territories under Dasharatha, which were later reconquered by [[Samprati]], Kunala's son. Post Samprati, the Mauryas slowly lost many territories. In 180 BCE, [[Brihadratha Maurya]], was killed by his general [[Pushyamitra Shunga]] in a military parade without any heir. Hence, the great Maurya empire finally ended, giving rise to the [[Shunga Empire]].

Reasons advanced for the decline include the succession of weak kings after Aśoka Maurya, the partition of the empire into two, the growing independence of some areas within the empire, such as that ruled by [[Sophagasenus]], a top-heavy administration where authority was entirely in the hands of a few persons, an absence of any national consciousness,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198077244.001.0001/acprof-9780198077244-chapter-7 |title=Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas |last=Thapar |first=Romila |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford Scholarship Online |isbn=9780198077244 |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198077244.003.0031}}</ref> the pure scale of the empire making it unwieldy, and invasion by the [[Greco-Bactrian Empire]].

Some historians, such as [[H. C. Raychaudhuri]], have argued that Ashoka's pacifism undermined the "military backbone" of the Maurya empire. Others, such as [[Romila Thapar]], have suggested that the extent and impact of his pacifism have been "grossly exaggerated".{{sfn|Singh|2012|p=131, 143}}

====Shunga coup (185 BCE)====
Buddhist records such as the [[Ashokavadana]] write that the assassination of Brihadratha and the rise of the Shunga empire led to a wave of religious persecution for [[Buddhists]],<ref>According to the [[Ashokavadana]]</ref> and a resurgence of [[Hinduism]]. According to [[Sir John Marshall]],<ref>Sir John Marshall (1990), "A Guide to Sanchi", Eastern Book House, {{ISBN|81-85204-32-2}}, p. 38</ref> Pushyamitra may have been the main author of the persecutions, although later Shunga kings seem to have been more supportive of Buddhism. Other historians, such as [[Etienne Lamotte]]<ref>E. Lamotte, ''History of Indian Buddhism'', Institut Orientaliste, Louvain-la-Neuve 1988 (1958)</ref> and [[Romila Thapar]],<ref>Romila Thapar (1960), ''Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas'', Oxford University Press, p. 200</ref> among others, have argued that archaeological evidence in favour of the allegations of persecution of Buddhists are lacking, and that the extent and magnitude of the atrocities have been exaggerated.

====Establishment of the Indo-Greek Kingdom (180 BCE)====
{{Main|Indo-Greek Kingdom}}
The fall of the Mauryas left the [[Khyber Pass]] unguarded, and a wave of foreign invasion followed. The [[Greco-Bactrian Kingdom|Greco-Bactrian]] king, [[Demetrius I of Bactria|Demetrius]], capitalized on the break-up, and he conquered southern Afghanistan and parts of northwestern India around 180 BCE, forming the [[Indo-Greek Kingdom]]. The Indo-Greeks would maintain holdings on the trans-Indus region, and make forays into central India, for about a century. Under them, Buddhism flourished, and one of their kings, [[Menander I|Menander]], became a famous figure of Buddhism; he was to establish a new capital of Sagala, the modern city of [[Sialkot]]. However, the extent of their domains and the lengths of their rule are subject to much debate. Numismatic evidence indicates that they retained holdings in the subcontinent right up to the birth of Christ. Although the extent of their successes against indigenous powers such as the [[Shunga Empire|Shunga]]s, [[Satavahana]]s, and [[Kalinga (historical kingdom)|Kalinga]]s are unclear, what is clear is that Scythian tribes, renamed [[Indo-Scythians]], brought about the demise of the Indo-Greeks from around 70 BCE and retained lands in the trans-Indus, the region of [[Mathura, Uttar Pradesh|Mathura]], and Gujarat.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

== Military ==
Megasthenes mentions military command consisting of six boards of five members each, (i) [[Navy]] (ii) military transport (iii) [[Infantry]] (iv) [[Cavalry]] with [[Catapults]] (v) [[Chariot|Chariot divisions]] and (vi) [[Elephant]]s.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kangle|first=R. P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dzxwTS0-nbUC&q=megasthenes+navy&pg=PA66|title=A Study|date=1986|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|isbn=978-81-208-0041-0|language=en}}</ref>

Historians theorise that the organisation of the Empire was in line with the extensive bureaucracy described by [[Chanakya]] in the [[Arthashastra]]: a sophisticated civil service governed everything from municipal hygiene to international trade. The expansion and defense of the empire was made possible by what appears to have been one of the largest armies in the world during the [[Iron Age]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Gabriel A |first=Richard |title=The Ancient World :Volume 1 of Soldiers' lives through history |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HscIwvtkq2UC&pg=PA301 |date=30 November 2006 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |page=28 |isbn=9780313333484 }}</ref> According to Megasthenes, the empire wielded a military of 600,000 infantry, 30,000 cavalry, 8,000 chariots and 9,000 war elephants besides followers and attendants.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|2003|p=107}}

==Administration==
[[File:MauryaStatuettes.jpg|thumb|Statuettes of the Mauryan era]]

The Empire was divided into four provinces, with the imperial capital at [[Pataliputra]]. From Ashokan edicts, the names of the four provincial capitals are [[Tosali]] (in the east), [[Ujjain]] (in the west), [[Suvarnagiri]] (in the south), and [[Taxila]] (in the north). The head of the provincial administration was the ''Kumara'' (royal prince), who governed the provinces as king's representative. The ''kumara'' was assisted by Mahamatyas and council of ministers. This organizational structure was reflected at the imperial level with the Emperor and his ''Mantriparishada'' (Council of Ministers). The Mauryans established a well developed coin minting system. Coins were mostly made of silver and copper. Certain gold coins were in circulation as well. The coins were widely used for trade and commerce<ref>{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=160|isbn= 9788122411980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=maurya+dynasty+sen
}}</ref>

The economy of the empire has been described as, "a socialized monarchy", "a sort of state socialism", and the world's first welfare state.<ref name="Boesche2003">{{cite book|author=Roger Boesche|title=The First Great Political Realist: Kautilya and His Arthashastra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K85NA7Rg67wC&pg=PA67|year=2003|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-0607-5|pages=67–70}}</ref> Under the Mauryan system there was no private ownership of land as all land was owned by the king to whom tribute was paid by the by the laboring class. In return the emperor supplied the laborers with agricultural products, animals, seeds, tools, public infrastructure, and stored food in reserve for times of crisis.<ref name="Boesche2003" />

=== Local government ===
[[Arthashastra]] and [[Megasthenes]] accounts of [[Pataliputra]] describe the intricate municipal system formed by Maurya empire to govern its cities. A city counsel made up of thirty commissioners was divided into six committees or boards which governed the city. The first board fixed wages and looked after provided goods, second board made arrangement for foreign dignitaries, tourists and businessmen, third board made records and registrations, fourth looked after manufactured goods and sale of commodities, fifth board regulated trade, issued licenses and checked weights and measurements, sixth board collected sales taxes. Some cities such as Taxila had autonomy to issue their own coins. The city counsel had officers who looked after public welfare such as maintenance of roads, public buildings, markets, hospitals, educational institutions etc.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MazdaWXQFuQC&q=pataliputra+local+government+system&pg=SL1-PA262|title=Indian History|date=1988|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=9788184245684|language=en}}</ref> The official head of the village was Gramika (in towns [[Nagar Palika|Nagarika]]).<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.172447|title=India As Described By Megasthenes|last=Narain Singh Kalota|date=1978}}</ref> The city counsel also had some magisterial powers. The taking of Census was regular process in the Mauryan administration. The village officials (Gramika) and municipal officials ([[Nagar Palika|Nagarika]]) were responsible enumerating different classes of people in the Mauryan empire such as traders, agriculturists, smiths, potters, carpenters etc. and also cattle, mostly for taxation purposes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/explained-the-politics-behind-the-caste-census-in-bihar/articleshow/96916420.cms|title=Explained: History and politics of caste census in Bihar | India News - Times of India|website=The Times of India}}</ref> These vocations consolidated as castes, a feature of Indian society that continues to influence the Indian politics till today.

==Economy==
{{see also|Economic history of India|Coinage of India}}
[[File:MauryanStatuette2ndCenturyBCE.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Maurya statuette, 2nd century BCE.]]
For the first time in [[South Asia]], political unity and military security allowed for a common economic system and enhanced trade and commerce, with increased agricultural productivity. The previous situation involving hundreds of kingdoms, many small armies, powerful regional chieftains, and internecine warfare, gave way to a disciplined central authority. Farmers were freed of tax and crop collection burdens from regional kings, paying instead to a nationally administered and strict-but-fair system of taxation as advised by the principles in the ''Arthashastra''. Chandragupta Maurya established a single currency across India, and a network of regional governors and administrators and a civil service provided justice and security for merchants, farmers and traders. The Mauryan army wiped out many gangs of bandits, regional private armies, and powerful chieftains who sought to impose their own supremacy in small areas. Although regimental in revenue collection, Maurya also sponsored many public works and waterways to enhance productivity, while internal trade in India expanded greatly due to new-found political unity and internal peace.

Under the Indo-Greek friendship treaty, and during Ashoka's reign, an international network of trade expanded. The [[Khyber Pass]], on the modern boundary of Pakistan and Afghanistan, became a strategically important port of trade and intercourse with the outside world. Greek states and Hellenic kingdoms in West Asia became important trade partners of India. Trade also extended through the [[Malay peninsula]] into Southeast Asia. India's exports included silk goods and textiles, spices and exotic foods. The external world came across new scientific knowledge and technology with expanding trade with the Mauryan Empire. Ashoka also sponsored the construction of thousands of roads, waterways, canals, hospitals, rest-houses and other public works. The easing of many over-rigorous administrative practices, including those regarding taxation and crop collection, helped increase productivity and economic activity across the Empire.{{citation needed|date=August

In many ways, the economic situation in the Mauryan Empire is analogous to the Roman Empire of several centuries later. Both had extensive trade connections and both had organizations similar to [[corporation]]s. While Rome had organizational entities which were largely used for public state-driven projects, Mauryan India had numerous private commercial entities. These existed purely for private commerce and developed before the Mauryan Empire itself.<ref>[https://ssrn.com/abstract=796464 ''The Economic History of the Corporate Form in Ancient India.''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204000202/https://ssrn.com/abstract=796464 |date=4 February 2016 }} [[University of Michigan]].</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0 auto;" align="center" colspan="1" cellpadding="3" style="font-size: 80%;"
|align=center colspan=1 style="background:#F4A460; font-size: 100%;"| '''Maurya Empire coinage'''
|-
|<gallery mode="packed" heights="100px">
Hoard of mostly Mauryan coins.jpg|Hoard of mostly Mauryan coins.
File:MauryanCoin.JPG|Silver punch mark coin of the Maurya empire, with symbols of wheel and elephant. 3rd century BCE.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}
File:Mauryan coin with arched hill symbol on reverse.jpg|Mauryan coin with arched hill symbol on reverse.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}
File:Mauryan Empire. Circa late 4th-2nd century BC.jpg|Mauryan Empire coin. Circa late 4th-2nd century BCE.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}
Mauryan Empire. temp. Salisuka or later. Circa 207-194 BC.jpg|Mauryan Empire, Emperor [[Salisuka]] or later. Circa 207-194 BCE.<ref>[https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=304898 CNG Coins] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827130159/https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=304898 |date=27 August 2017 }}</ref>
</gallery>
|}

==Religion==
Throughout the period of empire, [[Vedic]] was an important religion.<ref name="Nath sen 1999 164">{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=164|isbn= 9788122411980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=maurya+dynasty+sen}}</ref> The Mauryans favored Brahmanism as well as Jainism and Buddhism. Minor religious sects such as [[Ajivika]]s also received patronage. A number of [[List of Hindu texts|Hindu texts]] were written during the Mauryan period.<ref>{{cite book | last=Ray | first=A. | title=Towns and Cities of Medieval India: A Brief Survey | publisher=Taylor & Francis | year=2016 | isbn=978-1-351-99731-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4TslDwAAQBAJ | page=22}}</ref>

[[File:Shravanabelagola2007 - 44.jpg|thumb|Bhadrabahu Cave, [[Shravanabelagola]] where [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]] is said to have died]]
According to a Jain text from the 12th century, Chandragupta Maurya followed [[Jainism]] after retiring, when he renounced his throne and material possessions to join a wandering group of Jain monks and in his last days, he observed the rigorous but self-purifying Jain ritual of [[santhara]] (fast unto death), at [[Shravana Belgola]] in [[Karnataka]].{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|pp=39-41}}{{sfn|Romila Thapar|2004|p=178}}{{sfn|Geoffrey Samuel|2010|pp=60}} Nevertheless, it is possible that Chandragupta Maurya "did not give up the performance of sacrificial rites and was far from following the Jaina creed of ''Ahimsa'' or non-injury to animals."<ref name="India1960">{{citation|last1=Majumdar|first1=R. C.|author-link1=R. C. Majumdar|last2=Raychauduhuri|first2=H. C.|author-link2=H. C. Raychaudhuri|last3=Datta|first3=Kalikinkar|title=An Advanced History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MyIWMwEACAAJ|year=1960|publisher=Macmillan & Company Ltd; New York: St Martin's Press|location=London|quote=If the Jaina tradition is to be believed, Chandragupta was converted to the religion of Mahavira. He is said to have abdicated his throne and passed his last days at Sravana Belgola in Mysore. Greek evidence, however, suggests that the first Maurya did not give up the performance of sacrificial rites and was far from following the Jaina creed of ''Ahimsa'' or non-injury to animals. He took delight in hunting, a practice that was continued by his son and alluded to by his grandson in his eighth Rock Edict. It is, however, possible that in his last days he showed some predilection for Jainism ...}}</ref> [[Samprati]], the grandson of [[Ashoka]], also patronized Jainism. Samprati was influenced by the teachings of Jain monks like [[Suhastin]] and he is said to have built 125,000 [[derasar]]s across India.{{sfn|John Cort|2010|p=142}} Some of them are still found in the towns of Ahmedabad, Viramgam, Ujjain, and Palitana.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}} It is also said that just like Ashoka, Samprati sent messengers and preachers to Greece, [[Persia]] and the [[Middle East]] for the spread of Jainism, but, to date, no evidence has been found to support this claim.{{sfn|John Cort|2010|p=199}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Tukol |first=T. K. |author-link=T. K. Tukol |title=Jainism in South India |url=http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/article/south.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304191052/http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/article/south.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

[[File:Sanchi2.jpg|thumb|The [[stupa]], which contained the relics of Buddha, at the center of the [[Sanchi]] complex was originally built by the Maurya Empire, but the balustrade around it is [[Sunga]], and the decorative gateways are from the later [[Satavahana]] period.]]
[[File:Taxila1.jpg|thumb|The [[Dharmarajika]] [[stupa]] in [[Taxila]], modern Pakistan, is also thought to have been established by Emperor [[Asoka]].]]

The Buddhist texts ''[[Samantapasadika]]'' and ''[[Mahavamsa]]'' suggest that Bindusara followed Hindu Brahmanism, calling him a "''Brahmana bhatto''" ("monk of the Brahmanas").<ref name="SMH_2001">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jOkQAQAAIAAJ |title=Buddhism in India and Sri Lanka (c. 300 BC to C. 600 AD) |author=S. M. Haldhar |publisher=Om |year=2001 |isbn=9788186867532 |page=38 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79w9AAAAMAAJ |title=Asoka and His Inscriptions |volume=1 |author=Beni Madhab Barua |author-link=Benimadhab Barua|year=1968 |page=171 }}</ref>

[[Magadha]], the centre of the empire, was also the birthplace of Buddhism. Ashoka initially practised Brahmanism{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} but later followed Buddhism; following the [[Kalinga War]], he renounced expansionism and aggression, and the harsher injunctions of the ''[[Arthashastra]]'' on the use of force, intensive policing, and ruthless measures for tax collection and against rebels. Ashoka sent a mission led by his son [[Mahinda (buddhist monk)|Mahinda]] and daughter [[Sanghamitta]] to [[Sri Lanka]], whose king [[Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura|Tissa]] was so charmed with Buddhist ideals that he adopted them himself and made Buddhism the state religion. Ashoka sent many Buddhist missions to [[West Asia]], Greece and [[South East Asia]], and commissioned the construction of monasteries and schools, as well as the publication of Buddhist literature across the empire. He is believed to have built as many as 84,000 stupas across India, such as [[Sanchi]] and [[Mahabodhi Temple]], and he increased the popularity of Buddhism in Afghanistan and [[Thailand]]. Ashoka helped convene the [[Buddhist Councils|Third Buddhist Council]] of India's and South Asia's Buddhist orders near his capital, a council that undertook much work of reform and expansion of the Buddhist religion. Indian merchants embraced Buddhism and played a large role in spreading the religion across the Mauryan Empire.<ref>Jerry Bentley, ''Old World Encounters: Cross-Cultural Contacts in Pre-Modern Times'' (New York: Oxford University Press), 46</ref>

==Architectural remains==
{{Main|Edicts of Ashoka|Sanchi|Mauryan art}}
[[File:Barabar Caves 2.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Mauryan architecture in the [[Barabar Caves]]. [[Lomas Rishi Cave]]. 3rd century BCE.]]

The greatest monument of this period, executed in the reign of [[Chandragupta Maurya]], was the old palace at Paliputra, modern [[Kumhrar]] in [[Patna]]. Excavations have unearthed the remains of the palace, which is thought to have been a group of several buildings, the most important of which was an immense pillared hall supported on a high substratum of timbers. The pillars were set in regular rows, thus dividing the hall into a number of smaller square bays. The number of columns is 80, each about {{formatnum:{{#expr:9.75-2.74 round 0}}}} meters high. According to the eyewitness account of [[Megasthenes]], the palace was chiefly constructed of timber, and was considered to exceed in splendour and magnificence the palaces of Susa and Ecbatana, its gilded pillars being adorned with golden vines and silver birds. The buildings stood in an extensive park studded with fish ponds and furnished with a great variety of ornamental trees and shrubs.<ref>"L'age d'or de l'Inde Classique", p23</ref> Kauṭilya's [[Arthashastra]] also gives the method of palace construction from this period. Later fragments of stone pillars, including one nearly complete, with their round tapering shafts and smooth polish, indicate that Ashoka was responsible for the construction of the stone columns which replaced the earlier wooden ones.

[[File:Early stupa 6 meters in diameter with fallen umbrella on side in Chakpat near Chakdara.jpg|thumb|left|An early [[stupa]], 6 meters in diameter, with fallen umbrella on side. Chakpat, near [[Chakdara]]. Probably Maurya, 3rd century BCE.]]
During the Ashokan period, stonework was of a highly diversified order and comprised lofty free-standing pillars, railings of [[stupas]], lion thrones and other colossal figures. The use of stone had reached such great perfection during this time that even small fragments of stone art were given a high lustrous polish resembling fine enamel. This period marked the beginning of [[Buddhist architecture]]. Ashoka was responsible for the construction of several [[stupas]], which were large domes and bearing symbols of Buddha. The most important ones are located at [[Sanchi]], [[Bodhgaya]], [[Bharhut]], and possibly [[Amaravati Stupa]]. The most widespread examples of Mauryan architecture are the [[Pillars of Ashoka|Ashoka pillars]] and carved edicts of Ashoka, often exquisitely decorated, with more than 40 spread throughout the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref>"L'age d'or de l'Inde Classique", p22</ref>

The peacock was a dynastic symbol of Mauryans, as depicted by Ashoka's pillars at Nandangarh and Sanchi Stupa.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=15}}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0 auto;" align="center" colspan="2" cellpadding="3" style="font-size: 80%; width: 100%;"
|align=center colspan=2 style="background:#F4A460; font-size: 100%;"| '''Maurya structures and decorations at [[Sanchi]] (3rd century BCE)'''
|-
|align="center" style="font-size: 100%; width: 1%;"|[[File:Sanchi Great Stupa Mauryan configuration.jpg|250px]] Approximate reconstitution of the Great Stupa at [[Sanchi]] under the [[Mauryan Empire|Mauryas]].
|
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
File:Ashokan Pillar - Stupa 1 - Sanchi Hill 2013-02-21 4361.JPG|Remains of the [[Pillars of Ashoka|Ashokan Pillar]] in polished stone (right of the Southern Gateway).
File:Ashoka pillar remains near Southern Gateway Stupa 1 Sanchi.jpg|Remains of the shaft of the pillar of Ashoka, under a shed near the Southern Gateway.
Sanchi Ashoka pillar with schism edit in 1913.jpg|Pillar and its inscription (the "Schism Edict") upon discovery.
File:Sanchi_capital_right_side_view.jpg|The capital nowadays.<ref>Described in Marshall [https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.532798 p.25-28 Ashoka pillar].</ref>
</gallery>
|}

==Natural history==
[[File:Patna Yakshas and inscriptions.jpg|thumb|The two [[Yaksha]]s, possibly 3rd century BCE, found in [[Pataliputra]]. The two [[Brahmi]] inscriptions starting with [[File:Gupta ashoka y.svg|14px]][[File:Gupta ashoka khe.jpg|12px]]... (''Yakhe...'' for "Yaksha...")]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ramaprasad |first1=Chanda |title=Indian Antiquary A Journal Of Oriental Research Vol.48 |date=1919 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.532716/page/n296 25]-28 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.532716}}</ref>]]
The protection of animals in India was advocated by the time of the Maurya dynasty; being the first empire to provide a unified political entity in India, the attitude of the Mauryas towards forests, their denizens, and fauna in general is of interest.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor|last=Allen|first=Charles|publisher=Hachette Digital|year=2012|isbn=978-1-408-70388-5|location=London|pages=274}}</ref>

The Mauryas firstly looked at forests as resources. For them, the most important forest product was the elephant. Military might in those times depended not only upon horses and men but also [[War elephants|battle-elephants]]; these played a role in the defeat of [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]], one of [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]]'s former generals. The Mauryas sought to preserve supplies of elephants since it was cheaper and took less time to catch, tame and train wild elephants than to raise them. [[Kautilya]]'s ''[[Arthashastra]]'' contains not only maxims on ancient statecraft, but also unambiguously specifies the responsibilities of officials such as the ''Protector of the Elephant Forests''.<ref name="IWH4">Rangarajan, M. (2001) India's Wildlife History, pp 7.</ref>

{{blockquote|text=On the border of the forest, he should establish a forest for elephants guarded by foresters. The Office of the Chief Elephant Forester should with the help of guards protect the elephants in any terrain. The slaying of an elephant is punishable by death.|author=[[Kautilya]] |title=[[Arthashastra]]}}

The Mauryas valued certain forest tracts in strategic or economic terms and instituted curbs and control measures over them. They regarded all forest tribes with distrust and controlled them with bribery and political subjugation. They employed some of them, the food-gatherers or ''aranyaca'' to guard borders and trap animals. The sometimes tense and conflict-ridden relationship nevertheless enabled the Mauryas to guard their vast empire.<ref name="IWH5">Rangarajan, M. (2001) India's Wildlife History, pp 8.</ref>

When [[Ashoka]] embraced Buddhism in the latter part of his reign, he brought about significant changes in his style of governance, which included providing protection to fauna, and even relinquished the royal hunt. He was the first ruler in history{{failed verification|date=September 2017}} to advocate [[Conservation (ethic)|conservation]] measures for wildlife and even had rules inscribed in stone edicts. The edicts proclaim that many followed the king's example in giving up the slaughter of animals; one of them proudly states:<ref name="IWH5"/>

However, the edicts of Ashoka reflect more the desire of rulers than actual events; the mention of a 100 'panas' (coins) fine for poaching deer in royal hunting preserves shows that rule-breakers did exist. The legal restrictions conflicted with the practices freely exercised by the common people in hunting, felling, fishing and setting fires in forests.<ref name="IWH5"/>

==Contacts with the Hellenistic world==
[[File:MauryanRingstone.JPG|thumb|Mauryan ringstone, with standing goddess. Northwest Pakistan. 3rd Century BCE]]

===Foundation of the Empire===
Relations with the Hellenistic world may have started from the very beginning of the Maurya Empire. [[Plutarch]] reports that Chandragupta Maurya met with [[Alexander the Great]], probably around [[Taxila]] in the northwest:<ref name="RM16">{{cite book |last1=Mookerji |first1=Radhakumud |author-link1=Radha Kumud Mukherjee |title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times |date=1966 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=9788120804050 |pages=16–17 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA16 |language=en}}</ref>

{{blockquote|Sandrocottus(Chandragupta), when he was a stripling, saw Alexander himself, and we are told that he often said in later times that Alexander narrowly missed making himself master of the country, since its king (Dhananda) was hated and despised on account of his baseness and low birth.| Plutarch 62-4<ref name="RM16"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0243&redirect=true|title=Plutarch, Alexander, chapter 1, section 1|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref>}}

===Reconquest of the Northwest (c. 317–316 BCE)===
{{Main|Chandragupta Maurya's Macedonian campaigns}}
Chandragupta ultimately occupied Northwestern India, in the territories formerly ruled by the Greeks, where he fought the satraps (described as "Prefects" in Western sources) left in place after Alexander (Justin), among whom may have been [[Eudemus (general)|Eudemus]], ruler in the western Punjab until his departure in 317 BCE or [[Peithon, son of Agenor]], ruler of the Greek colonies along the Indus until his departure for [[Babylon]] in 316 BCE.

{{blockquote|India, after the death of Alexander, had assassinated his prefects, as if shaking the burden of servitude. The author of this liberation was Sandracottos, but he had transformed liberation in servitude after victory, since, after taking the throne, he himself oppressed the very people he has liberated from foreign domination.| Justin XV.4.12–13<ref>"(Transitum deinde in Indiam fecit), quae post mortem Alexandri, ueluti ceruicibus iugo seruitutis excusso, praefectos eius occiderat. Auctor libertatis Sandrocottus fuerat, sed titulum libertatis post uictoriam in seruitutem uerterat; 14 siquidem occupato regno populum quem ab externa dominatione uindicauerat ipse seruitio premebat." [http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html Justin XV.4.12–13] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420013859/http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html |date=20 April 2017 }}</ref>}}

{{blockquote|Later, as he was preparing war against the prefects of Alexander, a huge wild elephant went to him and took him on his back as if tame, and he became a remarkable fighter and war leader. Having thus acquired royal power, Sandracottos possessed India at the time Seleucos was preparing future glory.|Justin XV.4.19<ref>"Molienti deinde bellum aduersus praefectos Alexandri elephantus ferus infinitae magnitudinis ultro se obtulit et ueluti domita mansuetudine eum tergo excepit duxque belli et proeliator insignis fuit. Sic adquisito regno Sandrocottus ea tempestate, qua Seleucus futurae magnitudinis fundamenta iaciebat, Indiam possidebat." [http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html Justin XV.4.19] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420013859/http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html |date=20 April 2017 }}</ref>}}

===Conflict and alliance with Seleucus (305 BCE)===
{{Main|Seleucid–Mauryan war}}
[[File:Hellenistic World 281 BC with Seleukos & Mauryan Empire.png|thumb|right|A map showing the north western border of Maurya Empire, including its various neighboring states.]]
[[Seleucus I Nicator]], the Macedonian [[satrap]] of the Asian portion of Alexander's former empire, conquered and put under his own authority eastern territories as far as Bactria and the Indus ([[Appian]], ''History of Rome'', The Syrian Wars 55), until in 305 BCE he entered into a confrontation with Emperor Chandragupta:

{{blockquote|Always lying in wait for the neighbouring nations, strong in arms and persuasive in council, he [Seleucus] acquired Mesopotamia, Armenia, 'Seleucid' Cappadocia, Persis, Parthia, Bactria, Arabia, Tapouria, Sogdia, Arachosia, Hyrcania, and other adjacent peoples that had been subdued by Alexander, as far as the river Indus, so that the boundaries of his empire were the most extensive in Asia after that of Alexander. The whole region from Phrygia to the Indus was subject to Seleucus. |[[Appian]], ''History of Rome'', "The Syrian Wars" 55<ref name="livius.org">{{cite web|url=https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_syriaca_11.html|title=Appian, The Syrian Wars 11|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103154609/https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_syriaca_11.html|archive-date=3 November 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}

It is clear that Seleucus fared poorly against the Indian Emperor as he failed to conquer any territory, and in fact was forced to surrender much that was already his. Regardless, Seleucus and Chandragupta ultimately reached a settlement and through a treaty sealed in 305 BCE, Seleucus, according to Strabo, ceded a number of territories to Chandragupta, including eastern Afghanistan and [[Balochistan]].

====Marriage alliance====
[[File:Mauryan head from Sarnath.jpg|thumb|upright|Figure of a foreigner, found in [[Sarnath]], 3rd century BCE.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bachhofer |first1=Ludwig |title=Early Indian Sculpture Vol. I |date=1929 |publisher=The Pegasus Press |location=Paris |pages=239–240 |url=https://indianculture.gov.in/rarebooks/early-indian-sculpture-vol-i |language=en}}</ref> This is a probable member of the West Asian [[Pahlava]] or [[Saka]] elite in the [[Gangetic plain]]s during the Mauryan period.<ref name="Gupta 122">Page 122: About the [[Masarh lion]]: "This particular example of a foreign model gets added support from the male heads of foreigners from Patna city and Sarnath since they also prove beyond doubt that a section of the elite in the Gangetic Basin was of foreign origin. However, as noted earlier, this is an example of the late Mauryan period since this is not the type adopted in any Ashoka pillar. We are, therefore, visualizing a historical situation in India in which the West Asian influence on Indian art was felt more in the late Mauryan than in the early Mauryan period. The term West Asia in this context stands for Iran and Afghanistan, where the Sakas and Pahlavas had their base-camps for eastward movement. The prelude to future inroads of the Indo-Bactrians in India had after all started in the second century B.C."... in {{cite book |last1=Gupta |first1=Swarajya Prakash |author-link=Swaraj Prakash Gupta|title=The Roots of Indian Art: A Detailed Study of the Formative Period of Indian Art and Architecture, Third and Second Centuries B.C., Mauryan and Late Mauryan |year=1980 |publisher=B.R. Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-0-391-02172-3 |pages=88, 122 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0lDqAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}.</ref><ref name="Gupta 318">According to Gupta [[:File:Mauryan head from Sarnath.jpg|this is]] a non-Indian face of a foreigner with a conical hat: "If there are a few faces which are nonIndian, such as one head from Sarnath with conical cap ( Bachhofer, Vol . I, Pl . 13 ), they are due to the presence of the foreigners their costumes, tastes and liking for portrait art and not their art styles." in {{cite book |last1=Gupta |first1=Swarajya Prakash |author-link=Swaraj Prakash Gupta|title=The Roots of Indian Art: A Detailed Study of the Formative Period of Indian Art and Architecture, Third and Second Centuries B.C., Mauryan and Late Mauryan |year=1980 |publisher=B.R. Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-0-391-02172-3 |page=318 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0lDqAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Annual Report 1907-08 |date=1911 |page=55 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.35434/page/n101/mode/2up}}</ref>]]
Chandragupta and [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]] concluded a peace treaty and a marriage alliance in 303 BCE. Chandragupta received vast territories and in a return gave Seleucus 500 [[war elephant]]s,{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|2003|p=105}}<ref>Ancient India, (Kachroo, p.196)</ref><ref>''The Imperial Gazetteer of India'' (Hunter, p.167)</ref><ref>''The evolution of man and society'' (Darlington, p.223)</ref><ref>W. W. Tarn (1940). "Two Notes on Seleucid History: 1. Seleucus' 500 Elephants, 2. Tarmita", ''The Journal of Hellenic Studies'' '''60''', p. 84–94.</ref> a military asset which would play a decisive role at the [[Battle of Ipsus]] in 301 BCE.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=37}} In addition to this treaty, Seleucus dispatched an ambassador, [[Megasthenes]], to Chandragupta, and later [[Deimakos]] to his son [[Bindusara]], at the Mauryan court at [[Pataliputra]] (modern [[Patna]] in [[Bihar state|Bihar]]). Later, [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus]], the ruler of [[Ptolemaic Egypt]] and contemporary of [[Ashoka]], is also recorded by [[Pliny the Elder]] as having sent an ambassador named [[Dionysius (ambassador)|Dionysius]] to the Mauryan court.<ref name="perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de">{{cite web|url=http://perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.+Nat.+6.21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728023626/http://perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.%2BNat.%2B6.21 |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 July 2013 |title=Pliny the Elder, The Natural History (eds. John Bostock, H. T. Riley) }}</ref>

Mainstream scholarship asserts that Chandragupta received vast territory west of the Indus, including the [[Hindu Kush]], modern-day Afghanistan, and the [[Balochistan, Pakistan|Balochistan]] province of Pakistan.<ref>[[Vincent Arthur Smith|Vincent A. Smith]] (1998). ''Ashoka''. Asian Educational Services. {{ISBN|81-206-1303-1}}.</ref><ref>[[Walter Eugene Clark]] (1919). "The Importance of Hellenism from the Point of View of Indic-Philology", ''Classical Philology'' '''14''' (4), pp. 297–313.</ref> Archaeologically, concrete indications of Mauryan rule, such as the inscriptions of the [[Edicts of Ashoka]], are known as far as [[Kandahar]] in southern Afghanistan.

{{blockquote|He (Seleucus) crossed the Indus and waged war with Sandrocottus [Maurya], king of the Indians, who dwelt on the banks of that stream, until they came to an understanding with each other and contracted a marriage relationship. | [[Appian]]| ''History of Rome'', The Syrian Wars [https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_syriaca_11.html 55]}}

{{blockquote|After having made a treaty with him (Sandrakotos) and put in order the Orient situation, Seleucos went to war against [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus|Antigonus]].|[[Junianus Justinus]]|''Historiarum Philippicarum, libri XLIV'', [http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html XV.4.15]}}

The treaty on "[[Epigamia]]" implies lawful marriage between Greeks and Indians was recognized at the State level, although it is unclear whether it occurred among dynastic rulers or common people, or both.

====Exchange of presents====
Classical sources have also recorded that following their treaty, Chandragupta and Seleucus exchanged presents, such as when Chandragupta sent various [[aphrodisiac]]s to Seleucus:{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=35}}

{{blockquote|And Theophrastus says that some contrivances are of wondrous efficacy in such matters [as to make people more amorous]. And Phylarchus confirms him, by reference to some of the presents which Sandrakottus, the king of the Indians, sent to Seleucus; which were to act like charms in producing a wonderful degree of affection, while some, on the contrary, were to banish love.|[[Athenaeus of Naucratis]], ''[[The deipnosophists]]'', Book I, chapter 32<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Literature/Literature-idx?type=turn&entity=Literature000701860036&isize=M&pview=hide|title=Problem while searching in The Literature Collection|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313151642/http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Literature/Literature-idx?type=turn&entity=Literature000701860036&isize=M&pview=hide|archive-date=13 March 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}

His son [[Bindusara]] 'Amitraghata' (Slayer of Enemies) also is recorded in Classical sources as having exchanged presents with [[Antiochus I]]:{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=35}}

{{blockquote|text=But dried figs were so very much sought after by all men (for really, as [[Aristophanes]] says, "There's really nothing nicer than dried figs"), that even Amitrochates, the king of the Indians, wrote to [[Antiochus I Soter|Antiochus]], entreating him (it is [[Hegesander (historian)|Hegesander]] who tells this story) to buy and send him some sweet wine, and some dried figs, and a [[sophist]]; and that Antiochus wrote to him in answer, "The dry figs and the sweet wine we will send you; but it is not lawful for a sophist to be sold in Greece. |author=[[Athenaeus]] |title=''[[Deipnosophistae]]'' XIV.67<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Literature/Literature-idx?type=goto&id=Literature.AthV3&isize=M&page=1044|title=The Literature Collection: The deipnosophists, or, Banquet of the learned of Athenæus (volume III): Book XIV|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011201316/http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Literature/Literature-idx?type=goto&id=Literature.AthV3&isize=M&page=1044|archive-date=11 October 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}

===Greek population in India===
[[File:AsokaKandahar.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Kandahar Edict of Ashoka]], a bilingual edict ([[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Aramaic]]) by king Ashoka, from [[Kandahar]]. [[Kabul]] Museum. (See image description page for translation.)]]

An influential and large Greek population was present in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent under Ashoka's rule, possibly remnants of Alexander's conquests in the Indus Valley region. In the [[Edicts of Ashoka|Rock Edicts of Ashoka]], some of them inscribed in Greek, Ashoka states that the Greeks within his dominion were converted to Buddhism:
{{blockquote|Here in the king's dominion among the [[Yona|Greeks]], the [[Kambojas]], the Nabhakas, the Nabhapamkits, the Bhojas, the Pitinikas, the [[Andhra Pradesh|Andhras]] and the Palidas, everywhere people are following Beloved-of-the-Gods' instructions in [[Dharma]].|[[Edicts of Ashoka|(Rock Edict Number 13]])}}
{{blockquote|Now, in times past (officers) called [[Mahamatras]] of morality did not exist before. Mahdmatras of morality were appointed by me (when I had been) anointed thirteen years. These are occupied with all sects in establishing morality, in promoting morality, and for the welfare and happiness of those who are devoted to morality (even) among the [[Yona|Greeks]], [[Kambojas]] and [[Gandharas]], and whatever other western borderers (of mine there are).|([[Major Rock Edicts|Rock Edict Number 5]])}}

Fragments of Edict 13 have been found in Greek, and a full Edict, written in both Greek and Aramaic, has been discovered in [[Kandahar]]. It is said to be written in excellent Classical Greek, using sophisticated philosophical terms. In this Edict, Ashoka uses the word [[Eusebeia]] ("[[Piety]]") as the Greek translation for the ubiquitous "[[Dharma]]" of his other Edicts written in [[Prakrit]]:

{{blockquote|Ten years (of reign) having been completed, King Piodasses (Ashoka) made known (the doctrine of) Piety (''εὐσέβεια'', [[Eusebeia]]) to men; and from this moment he has made men more pious, and everything thrives throughout the whole world. And the king abstains from (killing) living beings, and other men and those who (are) huntsmen and fishermen of the king have desisted from hunting. And if some (were) intemperate, they have ceased from their intemperance as was in their power; and obedient to their father and mother and to the elders, in opposition to the past also in the future, by so acting on every occasion, they will live better and more happily. |Trans. by G.P. Carratelli {{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20051103235517/http://www.afghanan.net/afghanistan/mauryans.htm]}}}}

===Dhamma Vijaya to the West (c. 250 BCE)===
<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
AiKhanoumAndIndia.jpg|The distribution of the [[Edicts of Ashoka]].<ref>Reference: "India: The Ancient Past" p.113, Burjor Avari, Routledge, {{ISBN|0-415-35615-6}}</ref>
Asoka̠ Buddhist Missions.png|Map of the Buddhist missions during the reign of [[Ashoka]].
Territories conquered by the Dharma according to Ashoka.jpg|Territories "conquered by the Dharma" according to [[Major Rock Edicts|Major Rock Edict No. 13]] of Ashoka (260–218 BCE).{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=57}}<ref name=ME368>Thomas Mc Evilly "The shape of ancient thought", Allworth Press, New York, 2002, p.368</ref>
</gallery>
Also, in the [[Edicts of Ashoka]], Ashoka mentions the Hellenistic kings of the period as recipients of his Buddhist proselytism, although no Western historical record of this event remains:

{{blockquote|The conquest by [[Dharma]] has been won here, on the borders, and even six hundred [[yojana]]s (5,400–9,600 km) away, where the Greek king [[Antiochus II Theos|Antiochos]] rules, beyond there where the four kings named [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus|Ptolemy]], [[Antigonus Gonatas|Antigonos]], [[Magas of Cyrene|Magas]] and [[Alexander II of Epirus|Alexander]] rule, likewise in the south among the [[Chola]]s, the [[Pandya]]s, and as far as [[Tamraparni]] ([[Sri Lanka]]). |[[Edicts of Ashoka]], 13th Rock Edict, S. Dhammika.}}

Ashoka also encouraged the development of [[herbal medicine]], for men and animals, in their territories:

{{blockquote|Everywhere within Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi's [Ashoka's] domain, and among the people beyond the borders, the [[Chola]]s, the [[Pandya]]s, the Satiyaputras, the Keralaputras, as far as [[Tamraparni]] and where the Greek king [[Antiochus II Theos|Antiochos]] rules, and among the kings who are neighbors of Antiochos, everywhere has Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, made provision for two types of medical treatment: medical treatment for humans and medical treatment for animals. Wherever medical herbs suitable for humans or animals are not available, I have had them imported and grown. Wherever medical roots or fruits are not available I have had them imported and grown. Along roads I have had wells dug and trees planted for the benefit of humans and animals. |[[Edicts of Ashoka|2nd Rock Edict]]}}

The Greeks in India even seem to have played an active role in the spread of Buddhism, as some of the emissaries of Ashoka, such as [[Dharmaraksita]], are described in [[Pāli|Pali]] sources as leading Greek ("[[Yona]]") Buddhist monks, active in Buddhist proselytism (the [[Mahavamsa]], XII)<ref>''Mahavamsa'' [http://lakdiva.org/mahavamsa/chapters.html chapter XII] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060905050433/http://lakdiva.org/mahavamsa/chapters.html |date=5 September 2006 }}</ref>

===Subhagasena and Antiochos III (206 BCE)===
{{Part of History of India|File:MET DT9196.jpg}}
[[Sophagasenus]] was an Indian [[Mauryan]] ruler of the 3rd century BCE, described in ancient Greek sources, and named Subhagasena or Subhashasena in [[Prakrit]]. His name is mentioned in the list of Mauryan princes. He may have been a grandson of [[Ashoka]], or [[Kunala]], the son of Ashoka. He ruled an area south of the [[Hindu Kush]], possibly in [[Gandhara]]. [[Antiochos III]], the [[Seleucid]] king, after having made peace with [[Euthydemus II|Euthydemus]] in [[Bactria]], went to India in 206 BCE and is said to have renewed his friendship with the Indian king there:

{{blockquote|text=He (Antiochus) crossed the Caucasus and descended into India; renewed his friendship with Sophagasenus the king of the Indians; received more elephants, until he had a hundred and fifty altogether; and having once more provisioned his troops, set out again personally with his army: leaving Androsthenes of Cyzicus the duty of taking home the treasure which this king had agreed to hand over to him.|author=[[Polybius]] |title=[[The Histories (Polybius)|The Histories]], 11.39<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/invalidquery.jsp?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0234:book=11:chapter=39|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307194743/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+11.39|url-status=dead|title=No document found|archive-date=7 March 2008|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref>}}

Fa-Hian, the Chinese Buddhist monk and traveler, mentioned Dharmavarddhana, who was believed to be Subhagsena by historians :
<blockquote>
From this, descending eastward, journeying for five days, we arrive at the country of Gandhara (Kien-to-wei). This is the place which Dharmavarddhana, the son of Asoka, governed. Buddha also in this country, when he was a Bodhisattva, gave his eyes in charity for the sake of a man. On this spot also they have raised a great stupa, adorned with silver and gold. The people of this country mostly study the Little Vehicle. 
—The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D.)
[https://www.wisdomlib.org/south-asia/book/the-travels-of-fa-hian/d/doc220110.html Chapter X]
</blockquote>

==Later Mauryas==
The Rājataranginī mentions Jalauka as the successor of Aśoka in Kashmir, while Tāranātha refers to another successor named Vīrasena, who ruled in Gandhāra. As Dr. Thomas suggests, Vīrasena was probably the predecessor of Subhāgasena.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Raychaudhuri |first=Hemchandra |title=Political History of Ancient India |date=1932 |page=238 |url=http://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.10359}}</ref>

Petty Maurya kings continued to rule in western India as well as in Magadha long after the extinction of the imperial line. King Dhavala of the Maurya dynasty is referred to in the Kanaswa inscription of c. A.D. 738. Professor Bhandarkar identifies him with Dhavalappadeva, the overlord of Dhanika mentioned in the Dabok (Mewar) inscription of A.D. 725. Maurya chiefs of the Konkan and Khandesh regions are also referred to in early epigraphs. A Maurya prince of Magadha named Pūrṇavarman is mentioned by the Chinese traveller Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Raychaudhuri |first=Hemchandra |title=Political History of Ancient India |date=1932 |page=240 |url=http://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.10359}}</ref>

In the 7th century A.D., Xuanzang wrote about small dominions in eastern India. He relates that shortly before his visit, Pūrṇavarman, king of Magadha and a descendant of Aśoka, had restored the Bodhi Tree, which had been destroyed by Śaśāṅka. Xuanzang also mentions a Mauryan ruler named Narendragupta of Karnasuvarṇa (Bengal).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rapson |first=E. J. |title=The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I |date=1935 |page=513 |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.55603}}</ref>

During the 6th century, Kolaba along with the northern Konkan coast was probably ruled by Mauryas and Nāla chiefs, since Kīrtivarman I (550–567), the first of the Chalukyas, is described as “the night of death to the Nālas and Mauryas.”<ref>Indian Antiquary, Vol. VIII, p. 24.</ref>

From inscribed stones of the 5th and 6th centuries discovered in the Thāna District of North Konkan, it appears that a Mauryan king named Suketuvarman was ruling in the region. Konkan was given in charge of a Maurya family.<ref name="HAI">{{Cite book |title=Literary and Historical Studies in Indology: Dr. Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi MLBD Varanasi |page=128 |url=http://archive.org/details/jEqi_literay-and-historical-studies-in-indology-of-dr.-vasudev-vishnu-mirashi-mlbd-varanasi |publisher=MLBD Varanasi}}</ref><ref name="CORPUS">{{Cite book |last=Mirashi |first=Vasudev Vishnu |title=Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. IV, Part I |page=75 |date=1955 |publisher=Government Epigraphist for India, Ootacamund |url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.367473}}</ref><ref name="INSCRIPTION">{{Cite book |last=Dikshit |first=K. N. |title=Puratattva: Bulletin of the Indian Archaeological Society, No. 25 (1994–95) |page=32 |publisher=Indian Archaeological Society, New Delhi |date=1995 |url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.29982}}</ref>

The Vada (Vāla) inscription of Suketuvarman, dated Śaka 322 (A.D. 400), records the installation of the deity Koṭīśvara by one Simhadatta, son of Anankiparadatta, and mentions grants to the deity by Īśuprakki, the Vallabha-Talavara of the Maurya Dharma-mahārāja Suketuvarman of the Bhojas. The inscription adds one more name to the list of the Mauryas of Konkan.<ref name="INSCRIPTION" />

Interestingly, More is a name still common among the Marathas, Kunbis, and in the local rolls of Kolaba, possibly derived from Maurya. Two small landing places named More, one in Elephanta (Gharapuri) and another in Karanja may be relics of the ancient Mauryan power in the Konkan. The Mauryas of the Konkan, previously subdued, were eventually overwhelmed, and the city of Puri (either Gharapuri, i.e., the island of Elephanta near Mumbai, or Rājpuri near Janjira), located in the Arabian Sea and probably the Maurya capital, was invaded and captured by Pulakeshin II’s naval forces.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Early History |url=https://gazetteers.maharashtra.gov.in/cultural.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/KOLABA/his_early.html |website=Maharashtra State Gazetteers |access-date=21 October 2025}}</ref>

The Mori Rajputs of Rajasthan are believed to have descended from a branch of the ancient Maurya dynasty. Historical traditions and bardic accounts identify the Moris as the rulers of Chittor before the rise of the Guhila (Sisodia) clan. The Chittorgarh inscription and later chronicles, such as those cited by James Tod, note that the Mori dynasty held sway over parts of Mewar during the early medieval period. The most prominent among them was Man Mori, who is said to have ruled Chittor until it was captured by Bappa Rawal in the 8th century CE.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tod |first=James |title=Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan |volume=I |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1920 |pages=221–223 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.280155}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dasharatha Sharma |first= |title=Early Chauhān Dynasties: A Study of Chauhān Political History, Chauhān Political Institutions, and Life in the Chauhān Dominions from 800 to 1316 A.D. |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1959 |page=14}}</ref>

===Rediscovery===

Coins of the Kalachuri king Kṛṣṇarāja have been found on the island of Bombay (Mumbai). The region was not directly administered by the Kalachuris but was governed by their feudatories, the Mauryas. The Kanaswa inscription (A.D. 738–739) mentions Maurya king Dhavalappa, probably holding Chittorgarh, whose dynasty later succumbed to Arab invasions. Another Maurya branch ruled at Valabhi (Vala) in Saurashtra, with Govindarāja Maurya reigning from Vāghli in Khandesh under Seunacandra II. In North Konkan, Mauryas are mentioned in the Aihole inscription of Kīrtivarman I (A.D. 566–598), which calls him “the night of destruction to the Nālas, Mauryas, and Kadambas,” the latter said to be a sub-clan of the southern Mauryas.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Ancient History of Maharashtra |last=Maharashtra State Gazetteers |date=1967 |page=140 |url=http://archive.org/details/ancient-history-of-maharashtra_202110}}</ref>

====The Mauryas of Konkan region====
Suketuvarman is known from a solitary stone inscription found at Vada to the north of Thana near Bombay but now preserved in the Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay. The epigraph, which is damaged and written in the southern characters of about the 4th or 5th century A.D. and refers to a king named Suketuvarman of the Maurya dynasty. He appears to have been ruling near about Thana during that period.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.07863|title=Central Provinces District Gazetteers: Nagpur District|page=65|last=N. V. SundaraRaman|first=Chairman|last2=P. Setu Madhava Rao|first2=Member|last3=V. B. Kolte|first3=Member|last4=C. D. Deshpande|first4=Member|last5=B. R. Rairikar|first5=Member|last6=Sarojini Babar|first6=Member|last7=V. T. Gune|first7=Member|last8=P. N. Chopra|first8=Member|last9=V. N. Gurav|first9=Member-Secretary|date=1908|publisher=Bombay, Times Press}}</ref>

====The Mauryas of Western coastline====
Two copper plate grants discovered in the Goa territory on the west coast reveal the existence of two kings named [[Chandravarman Maurya|Chandravarman]] and [[Anirjitavarman]] who belonged to the Maurya dynasty as per their inscription. As both the grants are dated in the regnal years of the ruling kings, from the palaeographical point of view, they may be assigned to the 6th or 7th century A.D., the grant of Chandravarman being slightly earlier than that of Anirjitvarman. Both these rulers, who assume the epithet of Mahārāja in their records. The charter of Chandravarman records the donation, by the king, of some lands to the Mahāvihāra situated in Sivapura which is identified with the village bearing the same name near Chandor in Goa. The grant of Anirjitavarman, registers certain gifts, made by the king, to a Brāhmaņa named Hastyärya. It is issued from a a place called Kumāradvīpa which appears to be located somewhere in the Goa territory. These two records show that Candravarman and Anirjitvarman were ruling somewhere in the Goa territory about the 6th-7th century A.D.<ref>{{Cite book|page=295|url=http://archive.org/details/epigraphia-indica|title=epigraphia-indica}}</ref>

====The Mauryas of the Mathura region====
[[Dindirāja]] alias Karka fragmentary stone inscription from Mathura city in Uttar Pradesh which, on palaeographical grounds, is referred to the latter half of the 7th century A.D., mentions four members of the Maurya dynasty viz. Krşņarāja in his family, Chandragupta his son, Aryarāja and, probably his son, Dindirāja alias Karka.<ref name="INSC">"Jhalarpatan inscription (AD 689) of Durgagana, the Kudarkot inscription of about the second half of the seventh century, the Nagar inscription (AD 684) of Dhanika, and the Kanaswa inscription (AD 738) of Sivagana." The inscription was composed "in adoration of a god whose epithets kal- anjana-rajah-punja-dyuti, (ma)havaraha-rupa and jangama have only been preserved". It leaves "no doubt that the reference is to the god Vishnu since the expression mahavaraha-rupa certainty speaks of the Boar incarnation of the deity." The hero of the prasasti is a king named Dindiraja of the Maurya dynasty.{{Cite book|page=80-81|url=http://archive.org/details/hindu-temples-vol.-ii-ed-sitaram-goel_202306|title=Hindu Temples Vol. II (Ed Sitaram Goel)|last=Ed Sitaram Goel|date=1993}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|page=208-209|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.11070|title=Pracyavidya-Tarangini|last=D. C. Sircar|date=1969}}</ref>The last named ruler of this Mauryan branch appears to have burnt the city of Kanyakubja (Kannauj). The Maurya kings mentioned in this record seem to have held sway over the south-western areas of Uttar Pradesh. The Jaina tradition represents king Yasovarman (circa 728-53 A.D.) of Kannauj as a descendant of Chandragupta Maurya. This may refer to Yasovarman's relations with Karka-Dindirāja who, in all probability, was the grandson of a Maurya ruler named Chandragupta of 7th century A.D.<ref>{{Cite book|page=207-212|url=http://archive.org/details/bmshri.epigraphiaindica0000unse_z3v3|title=Epigraphia indica (1957-1958)|publisher=The director general archaeological survey of india|others=Servants of Knowledge}}</ref>

====The Mauryas of the Rajasthan region====
King Dhavala or Dhavalātman inscription" from Kanaswa in the old Kota, State of Rajasthan, dated in the Mälava year (i.e. Vikrama Samvat) 795 or 738. A.D., refers to the Brahmana Sivagana as a feudatory of king Dhavala of the Maurya lineage. Dr. D.C. Sircar has suggested, on grounds of palaeographical resemblance and geographical proximity, that the Mauryas of the Mathura region mentioned above may be connected with the Maurya king Dhavala of the Kanaswa record.<ref>{{Cite book|page=209|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.06115|title=Epigraphia Indica, Vol-32, Issue no.-1-42}}</ref> It has also been suggested that the Mauryas who are stated to have been defeated by the Tājika (i. e. Arab) army in the Navsari plates of the Gujarat Chalukya chief Pulakeśin, dated 738 A.D., were probably these Mauryas of the Malwa Rajasthan region.<ref>{{Cite book|page=540|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.461080|title=The Dynastic History Of Northern India Vol. 2|last=Ray|first=H. C.|date=1935-11-18}}</ref>

Dhavala inscription from Dabok about 8 miles to the east of Udaipur in Rajasthan, mentions a Guhila chief Dhanika of Dhabagarta and his lord Dhavalappa Deva. Bhandarkar was inclined to identify Dhavalappa of this epigraph with the Maurya king Dhavalātman of the Kanaswa inscription referred.<ref>{{Cite book|page=73|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.16596|title=ANTIQUITIES OF INDIA|last=BARNETT|first=L. D.|date=1958|publisher=PUNTHI PUSTAK, CALCUTTA}}</ref> It is possible that they were related to the Mauryas of the West Coast region and might have extended their suzerainty over Rajasthan which then formed part of Harsa's (606-47 A.D.) dominion. As pointed out by Dr. Sircar, the date of the Dabok record as read by him shows that Harsa must have lost parts of Rajasthan before his death in 647 A.D., though the Mauryas of Rajasthan must have owed allegiance to him before.<ref name="INSCRI">{{Cite book|last=Mookerji|first=Radha Kumud|title=Bharata-Kaumudi: Studies in Indology in Honour of Dr. Radha Kumud Mookerji, Part I|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.48555|page=294|date=1945}}</ref><ref name="HAII"> "The Mauryas are referred to in a record at Jhalrapatan dated A.D. 690. Another record in Kotah State, dated A.D. 738-39, refers to the local prince as a friend of king Dhavala of Maurya lineage..As already noted above, the Mauryas fell a victim to the Arab aggression, and it was probably after this catastrophe that Bappa defeated them and took possession of Chitor." {{Cite book|page=162|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.505920|title=The Classical Age Vol-iii (1954)|last=Munshi K. M.|date=1954|publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.}}</ref>

Jhalrapatan (Jhalwar District Rajasthan) inscription dated 689 A.D. mentions a Maurya ruler named Durgagana.<ref name="DHAVAL">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/auchityalamkara00petegoog|title=The Auchityalamkara of Kshemendra, with a note on the date of Patanjali, and an inscription from Kotah; two papers read before the Bombay branch of the Royal Asiatic society, with a preface in reply to Professor Bhandarkar|last=Peterson|first=Peter|date=1885|publisher=Bombay, Printed at the Education society's press, Byculla|others=University of California}}</ref> Further, Bappa, son of Guhila or Guhadatta, founder of the Guhila family, supplanted his uncle known as the Mori (i.e. Maurya) ruler of Chitor in whose service he was before.<ref>{{Cite book|page=23-30|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.12693|title=MEDIEVAL STUDIES|last=BANERJEE|first=ANIL CHANDRA|date=1958|publisher=A. MUKHARJEE AND COMPANY , CALCUTTA}}</ref>
====The Mauryas of Khandesh region====
Govindarāja stone record from Väghli in the Khandesh District, Maharastra State, dated Saka 991 or 1069 A.D. refers to a Maurya chief Govinda or Govindaraja as a subordinate of the early Yadava king Seuņachandra II. The epigraph mentions twenty princes or chiefs who were predecessors of Mauryan King Govindaraja, the earliest member being Kikața. It is also stated that originally the capital of the Mauryas was at Valabhī in Surashtra.<ref>{{Cite book|page=418|url=http://archive.org/details/epigraphia-indica|title=epigraphia-indica}}</ref>

====Modern Assertion====
Ashoka appointed the princes of the royal blood as viceroys in the outlying provinces of his vast empire to carry on the administration.Four such Mauryan princes viceroys ruling at Taxila, Ujjain, Tosali and Suvarnagiri are known from lithic records of Ashoka edicts. So Mauryan lineage kings spreaded from the time of Ashoka.The Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang (7th century A.D.) mentions a Maurya ruler of Magadha named Pürņavarman. While some of the later Mauryan rulers enjoyed independent status, others were either semi-independent or feudatories or even petty chiefs. Future discoveries may throw further light on these later Mauryas.

==Timeline==

*322 BCE: Chandragupta Maurya [[Conquest of the Nanda Empire|conquers the Nanda Empire]], founding Maurya dynasty.<ref>{{cite book|title=Buddhism in North India and Pakistan|author=D. C. Ahir|year=1998|page=121}}</ref>
*317–316 BCE: Chandragupta Maurya conquers the Northwest of the Indian subcontinent.
*305–303 BCE: Chandragupta Maurya gains territory by [[Seleucid–Mauryan war|defeating the Seleucid Empire]].
*298–269 BCE: Reign of Bindusara, Chandragupta's son. He conquers parts of Deccan, southern India.
*269–232 BCE: The Mauryan Empire reaches its height under Ashoka, Chandragupta's grandson.
*261 BCE: Ashoka [[Kalinga War|conquers the kingdom of Kalinga]].
*250 BCE: Ashoka builds Buddhist stupas and erects pillars bearing inscriptions.
*184 BCE: The empire collapses when Brihadratha, the last emperor, is killed by [[Pushyamitra Shunga]], a Mauryan general and the founder of the [[Shunga Empire]].

== Sources of Mauryan History ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="background: orange;" | Mauryan History Sources
! style="background: yellow;" | Authentic Names
|-
| Jain Scriptures ||
• Brihatkalpa Sutra 
• Brihatkathakosha 
• Aradhana Satkathaprabandh 
• Shri Chandravirachita Kathakosha 
• Nemichandrakrita Kathakosha 
• Parishishtaparvana 
• Vividhtirthakalpa 
• Punyashravakathakosha 
• Nisitha Sutra
|-
| Buddhist Scriptures ||
• Mahavamsa 
• Dipavamsa 
• Mahabodhivamsa 
• Tripitaka 
• Divyavadana 
• Ashokavadana 
• Vinayapitaka 
• Mahavamsatika (Vamsatthappakasini) 
• Uttara Vihara Attakatha
|-
| Vedic / Puranic Texts ||
• Matsya Purana 
• Vishnu Purana 
• Bhagavata Purana 
• Bhavishya Purana 
• Brahmanda Purana 
• Vayu Purana 
• Kamandaka Nitisara
|-
| Inscriptions / Rock Edicts Evidence ||
• Ashoka’s Rock Edicts, Cave Inscriptions and Pillar Edicts 
• Kharavela’s Hathigumpha Inscription 
• Rudradaman Inscription of Junagadh
|-
| Ancient Historical Books ||
• Arthashastra – Kautilya 
• Mudrarakshasa – Vishakhadatta 
• Mahabhashya – Patanjali 
• Malavikagnimitram – Kalidasa 
• Harshacharita – Banabhatta 
• Rajatarangini – Kalhana 
• Indica – Megasthenes 
• Naturalis Historia – Pliny 
• Epitome of Trogus – Justin 
• Geographica – Strabo 
• Anabasis Alexandri – Arrian 
• Travels of Fa-Hien – Faxian
|}

==In literature==
According to ''Vicarasreni'' of [[Merutunga]], Mauryans rose to power in 312 BC.{{sfn|Kailash Chand Jain|1991|p=85}}

== List of rulers ==

;Rulers-
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor=#cccccc
! colspan=2 | Ruler!!Reign!!Notes
|-
|[[Chandragupta Maurya]]|| ||322–297 BCE|| Founder of first Indian united empire.
|-
|[[Bindusara]]||[[File:I42 1karshapana Maurya Bindusara MACW4165 1ar (8486583162).jpg|100px]] ||297–273 BCE||Known for his foreign diplomacy and crushed of [[Vidarbha]] revolt.
|-
|[[Ashoka]]||[[File:Ashoka's visit to the Ramagrama stupa Sanchi Stupa 1 Southern gateway.jpg|100px]] ||268–232 BCE||Greatest emperor of dynasty. His son [[Kunala]] was blinded and died before his father. Ashoka was succeeded by his grandson. Also known for [[Kalinga War]] victory.
|-
|[[Dasharatha Maurya]]||[[File:Dasaratha Maurya inscription on entrance of Vadathika cave.jpg|100px]] ||232–224 BCE||Grandson of Ashoka.
|-
|[[Samprati]]||||224–215 BCE||Brother of Dasharatha.
|-
|[[Shalishuka]]||[[File:Mauryan Empire. temp. Salisuka or later. Circa 207-194 BC.jpg|100px]]||215–202 BCE||
|-
|[[Devavarman (Maurya)|Devavarman]]||||202–195 BCE||
|-
|[[Shatadhanvan]]||||195–187 BCE|| The Mauryan Empire had shrunk by the time of his reign
|-
|[[Brihadratha Maurya|Brihadratha]]||||187–184 BCE|| Assassinated by his Commander-in-chief [[Pushyamitra Shunga]] in 185 BCE.
|-
|}

== Family tree ==

{{ahnentafel
|1='''[[Chandragupta Maurya]]''' r. 324/321–297 BCE
|2='''[[Bindusara]]''' (Amitraghata) r. 297–273 BCE
|3='''[[Ashoka]]''' (Ashoka the Great) r. 268–232 BCE
|4=[[Kunala]]
|5='''[[Dasharatha Maurya|Dasharatha]]''' r. 232–224 BCE
|6='''[[Samprati]]''' r. 224–215 BCE
|7='''[[Shalishuka]]''' r. 215–202 BCE
|8='''[[Devavarman (Maurya)|Devavarman]]''' r. 202–195 BCE
|9='''[[Shatadhanvan]]''' r. 195–187 BCE
|10='''[[Brihadratha Maurya|Brihadratha]]''' r. 187–184 BCE
}}

==See also==
* [[Magadha]]
*[[Gupta Empire]]
*[[History of India]]
*[[List of Hindu empires and dynasties]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin|40em}}

* {{cite book |author=Alain Daniélou |title=A Brief History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xlwoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1 |year=2003 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-59477-794-3 }}
* {{cite book |author=Arthur Llewellyn Basham |author-link=Arthur Llewellyn Basham |others=foreword by L. D. Barnett |title=History and doctrines of the Ājīvikas: a vanished Indian religion |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5-cYAAAAIAAJ |edition=1 |year=1951 |publisher=Luzac |location=[[London]] }}
* {{cite book |author=Geoffrey Samuel |year=2010 |title=The Origins of Yoga and Tantra. Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century |publisher=Cambridge University Press }}
* {{cite book |author=H. C. Raychaudhuri |author-link=Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri |chapter=India in the Age of the Nandas |editor=K. A. Nilakanta Sastri |editor-link=K. A. Nilakanta Sastri |title=Age of the Nandas and Mauryas |edition=Second |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YoAwor58utYC&pg=PA11 |year=1988 |orig-year=1967 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |location=Delhi |isbn=978-81-208-0466-1 }}
* {{cite book |author1=H. C. Raychaudhuri |author1-link=H C Raychaudhuri |author2=B. N. Mukherjee |year=1996 |title=Political History of Ancient India: From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] }}
* {{cite book |author1=Irfan Habib |author2=Vivekanand Jha |title=Mauryan India |series=A People's History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nUvGQgAACAAJ |year=2004 |publisher=Aligarh Historians Society / [[Tulika Books]] |isbn=978-81-85229-92-8 }}
* J. E. Schwartzberg (1992). ''A Historical Atlas of South Asia''. University of Oxford Press.
* John Keay (2000). ''India, a History''. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
* {{cite book |author=John Cort |author-link=John E. Cort |title=Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MDBpq23-0QoC |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-19-538502-1 }}
* {{cite book |author=John D Grainger |title=Seleukos Nikator (Routledge Revivals): Constructing a Hellenistic Kingdom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0TXKAgAAQBAJ |year=2014 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-317-80098-9 }}
* {{citation |last=Hemacandra |translator=R.C.C. Fynes |title=The Lives of the Jain Elders |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=quNpKVqABGMC |year=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-283227-6}}
* {{cite book |author=Kailash Chand Jain |title=Lord Mahāvīra and His Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8-TxcO9dfrcC |date=1991 |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |isbn=978-81-208-0805-8 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Kosmin |first1=Paul J. |author-link=Paul J. Kosmin |title=The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in Seleucid Empire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9UWdAwAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |date=2014 |isbn=978-0-674-72882-0 }}
* {{citation |last=Malalasekera |first=Gunapala Piyasena |title=Encyclopaedia of Buddhism: Acala |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5UfYAAAAMAAJ |year=2002 |publisher=Government of Ceylon}}
* {{cite book |author=R. K. Mookerji |author-link=Radha Kumud Mukherjee |title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA3 |year=1966 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0405-0 }}
* {{citation |last=Mookerji |first=Radha Kumud |author-link=Radha Kumud Mukherjee |title=Chandragupta Maurya and his times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C |edition=4th |year=1988 |orig-year=first published in 1966 |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |isbn=81-208-0433-3}}
* {{cite book |author=R. C. Majumdar |author-link=R. C. Majumdar |title=Ancient India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XNxiN5tzKOgC |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |year=2003 |orig-year=1952 |isbn=81-208-0436-8 }}
* {{citation |last=Roy |first=Kaushik |title=Hinduism and the Ethics of Warfare in South Asia: From Antiquity to the Present |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-107-01736-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRE3n1VwDTIC}}
* {{citation |last=Sen |first=R.K. |title=Journal of the Buddhist Text Society of India |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r0ZBAQAAMAAJ |year=1895 |publisher=The Society |chapter=Origin of the Maurya of Magadha and of Chanakya}}
* {{cite book |author=S. N. Sen |title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC |year=1999 |publisher=New Age International |isbn=978-81-224-1198-0 }}
* {{cite book |author=Upinder Singh |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GW5Gx0HSXKUC |year=2008 |publisher=Pearson |isbn=978-81-317-1677-9 }}
* {{cite book |author=Romila Thapar |title=Early India: From the Origins to A.D. 1300 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5irrXX0apQC |year=2004 |orig-year=first published by Penguin in 2002 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-24225-8 }}
* {{citation |last=Thapar |first=Romila |author-link=Romila Thapar |title=The Past Before Us|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aei9AAAAQBAJ |year=2013 |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |isbn=978-0-674-72651-2 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==

*[https://www.livius.org/man-md/mauryas/mauryas.html Livius.org: Maurya dynasty]
*[http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/ancient/maurya.htm Extent of the Empire]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140328144411/http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/ashoka.html Ashoka's Edicts]

{{S-start}}
{{Succession box
| title = [[Magadha]] Maurya Empire
| years =
| before = [[Nanda dynasty]]
| after = [[Shunga dynasty]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Middle kingdoms of India}}
{{Empires}}
{{Uttarakhand}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maurya Empire}}
[[Category:Maurya Empire| ]]
[[Category:Ancient empires and kingdoms of India]]
[[Category:Ancient Hindu kingdoms]]
[[Category:Iron Age countries in Asia]]
[[Category:Iron Age cultures of South Asia]]
[[Category:Dynasties of Bengal]]
[[Category:Former empires]]
[[Category:Ancient history of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Ancient history of Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Jain empires and kingdoms]]
[[Category:Buddhist dynasties of India]]
[[Category:Magadha]]
[[Category:Kingdoms of Bihar]]
[[Category:4th century BC in India]]
[[Category:3rd century BC in India]]
[[Category:2nd century BC in India]]
[[Category:320s BC establishments]]
[[Category:States and territories established in the 4th century BC]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in the 2nd century BC]]
[[Category:4th-century BC establishments in India]]
[[Category:2nd-century BC disestablishments]]
[[Category:Former monarchies of South Asia]]
[[Category:History of Nepal]]
[[Category:4th-century BC establishments in Nepal]]
[[Category:2nd-century BC disestablishments in Nepal]]

Indus Valley civilization

2026-07-24T08:30:17Z

Devanam:

[[File:Sindhu-Saraswati Civilisation.png|thumb|250px|Size and major sites of the Indus Valley civilization]]

The '''Indus Valley civilization''' was a [[Bronze Age]] civilization(3300–1300 [[BC]]; mature period 2700-1700 BC)<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Shinde|first=Vasant.S.|last2=Kim|first2=Y.J.|last3=Woo|first3=E.J.|last4=Jadhav|first4=N.|last5=et|first5=al.|year=2018 |title=Archaeological and anthropological studies on the Harappan cemetery of Rakhigarhi, India|journal=PLOS One Volume, 13(2), e0192299}}</ref>

The [[civilization]] was in the [[subcontinent]]. It was discovered by [[archaeologist]]s in the 1880s.
It developed along the [[Indus|Indus River]] and the [[Ghaggar-Hakra River]] and even that areas are now in modern [[Pakistan]], north-west [[India]] and [[Afghanistan]]. The civilization started during the [[Bronze Age]] and the height of its development was between 2500 BC and 1500 [[BC]]. Including the civilizations directly before and after, it may have lasted from the 33rd to the 14th century BC.<ref>Allchin, Bridget 1997. ''Origins of a Civilization: the prehistory and early archaeology of South Asia''. New York: Viking.</ref><ref>Kenoyer, Jonathan Mark 1998. ''Ancient cities of the Indus Valley civilisation''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-577940-1}}</ref>

The Indus Valley civilization covered a large area {{ndash}} from [[Balochistan (Pakistan)|Balochistan]] (Pakistan) to [[Gujarat]] (Republic of India). The first city to be discovered by excavation (digging up) was [[Harappa]] and therefore this civilization is also known as 'Harappan Civilization'.

They were good builders. The ruins of the site shows skillful design. Their buildings had two or sometimes more stories. The bathrooms were attached to the rooms. One of the unique features of the city was its elaborate [[drainage]] system. A brick-lined drainage channel flowed alongside every street. Removable bricks were placed at regular intervals for easy cleaning and inspection.

The harappan [[trade]]rs used [[seal (device)|seals]] on the knots of the sacks to be transported to make sure that they were not opened during the journey. Nobody knows how to read their [[writing system]].

In 1842 Charles Masson wrote a book that mentioned the sites of Indus Valley Civilisation.<ref>Masson, Charles 1842. Chapter 2: Haripah, in ''Narrative of various journeys in Balochistan, Afghanistan and the Panjab; including a residence in those countries from 1826 to 1838''. London: Richard Bentley, p. 472.</ref> Few people paid attention. Later, in 1921-22, John Marshall organised the first [[archaeological]] dig at Harappa.<ref>Marshall, John (ed) 1931. ''Mohenjo-Daro and the Indus Civilization''. [[Asian Educational Services]]. {{ISBN|978-81-206-1179-5}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Mohenjo-daro Priesterkönig.jpeg|So-called "Priest King" statue, [[Mohenjo-Daro]], late Harappan period, National Museum, [[Karachi]], Pakistan
IndusValleySeals.JPG|Seals found at sites of the Indus Valley civilization
Mohenjodaro Sindh.jpeg|Mohenjodaro Sindh
</gallery>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:History of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Ancient history]]
[[Category:History of India]]
[[Category:History of Afghanistan]]

{{simple-Wikipedia}}

File:Sindhu-Saraswati Civilisation.png

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File:Sindhu Saraswati Civilisation.jpeg

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Template talk:Uttarakhand

2026-07-24T08:07:29Z

Devanam: /* cleaning */ Reply

==cleaning==
The template image was deleted long back. [[User:Devanam|Devanam]] ([[User talk:Devanam|talk]]) 14:41, 11 May 2026 (IST)

:Removed. [[User:Bharatwiki_Socrates|🍁Bharatwiki Socrates🍁]][[User talk:Bharatwiki_Socrates|(📩)]] 14:53, 11 May 2026 (IST)
::Thanks. [[User:Devanam|Devanam]] ([[User talk:Devanam|talk]]) 13:37, 24 July 2026 (IST)

Chandragupta Maurya

2026-05-11T09:18:13Z

Devanam:

{{Infobox royalty
| title = [[Chakravartin|Chakravartin Samraat]] Maharajadhiraja Mahāsammata
| image = Chandragupta Maurya stamp.jpg
| image_size =
| alt = Stamp on Chandragupta Maurya
| caption = Chandragupta Maurya stamp issued by Indian Government in 2001
| succession = 1st [[List of Mauryan rulers|Mauryan Emperor]]
| reign = {{circa|324 or 321|297 BCE}}<ref name="britchandrag">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Chandragupta |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Chandragupta |access-date=2026-05-11}}</ref>{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2016|p=330}}
| father = [[Chandravardhana Maurya]]
| mother = [[Dharmadevi Maurya]]
| coronation = c. 324 or 321 BCE
| predecessor = Emperor [[Dhana Nanda]] (Nanda Dynasty)
| reg-type = Amatya
| successor = Emperor [[Bindusara Maurya]] (son){{sfn|Upinder Singh|2016|p=331}}
| spouses = Empress [[Durdhara]]
| issue = Emperor [[Bindusara Maurya]] , Justin (Kshenak)
| dynasty = [[Maurya Empire|Maurya]]
| religion = [[Brahmanism]]{{sfn|Sastri|1988|pp=163–164}}<ref name="India1960">{{citation|last1=Majumdar|first1=R. C.|author-link1=R. C. Majumdar|last2=Raychauduhuri|first2=H. C.|author-link2=H. C. Raychaudhuri|last3=Datta|first3=Kalikinkar|title=An Advanced History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MyIWMwEACAAJ|year=1960|publisher=Macmillan & Company Ltd; New York: St Martin's Press|location=London|quote=If the Jaina tradition is to be believed, Chandragupta was converted to the religion of Mahavira. He is said to have abdicated his throne and passed his last days at Sravana Belgola in Mysore. Greek evidence, however, suggests that the first Maurya did not give up the performance of sacrificial rites and was far from following the Jaina creed of ''Ahimsa'' or non-injury to animals. He took delight in hunting, a practice that was continued by his son and alluded to by his grandson in his eighth Rock Edict. It is, however, possible that in his last days he showed some predilection for Jainism ...}}</ref>
 [[Jainism]]<ref name="India1960" />
}}
{{Maurya}}
'''Chandragupta Maurya'''{{efn|{{Ubl | [[Pali|Pāli]]:चन्दगुत्त मोरीय | [[Sanskrit]]: चन्द्रगुप्त मौर्य | {{lang-grc|Σανδράκοπτος}} {{transl|grc|Sandrákoptos}} {{lang|grc|Σανδράκοττος}} {{transl|grc|Sandrákottos}} {{lang|grc|Ανδροκόττος}} {{transl|grc|Androkóttos}}}}}} (350-295 BCE) was the first emperor of the [[Mauryan Empire]] in [[Ancient India]]. He extensively expanded the [[Kingdom of Magadha]] and founded the Maurya dynasty.<ref name=chakrabarti-maurya-dynasty>{{citation|last=Chakrabarty|first=Dilip K.|author-link=Dilip K. Chakrabarti|title=The Geopolitical Orbits of Ancient India: The Geographical Frames of the Ancient Indian Dynasties |location=New Delhi, Oxford and New York|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=29|year=2010|isbn= 978-0-19-908832-4|quote=We are assuming that the basic historical-geographical configuration of the Magadhan power was achieved before the beginning of the Maurya dynasty, whose founder Chandragupta Maurya simply added to it the stretch from the Indus valley to the southern foot of the Hindukush, giving the Mauryan India a strong foothold in the Oxus to the Indus interaction zone of Indian history. The evidence is in some cases, as in the cases of [[Gujarat]], [[Bengal]], and [[Assam]], shadowy, but if Chandragupta had undertaken expeditions in these directions, there would have been echoes of these expeditions in the literary traditions.}}</ref> He reigned from 320 BCE to 298 BCE.<ref name=fisher-env-history>{{citation|last=Fisher|first=Michael|title=An Environmental History of India, From the Earliest Times to the Twenty-First-Century|location=Cambridge and New York|series=New Approaches in Asian History Series|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2018|page=71|isbn=9781107111622|quote=Chandragupta (r. 320 – c. 298 BCE) led a rebellion that seized power in Magadha and founded the Maurya Dynasty. He located his capital Pataliputra (today’s Patna) at an especially strategic trading and defensive location, on the south bank of the Ganges where the Son River joined it. The actual origins of the Maurya family remain uncertain, but consensus holds that Chandragupta was low-born. One popular account asserts he was the previous king’s son by a low-ranked queen or concubine and overthrew his royal half-brothers. }}</ref> The [[Magadhan kingdom]] under the Mauryas expanded to become an [[Mauryan empire|empire]] that reached its peak under the reign of his grandson, [[Ashoka|Asoka]], from 268 BCE to 231 BCE.<ref name=bose-jalal>{{citation|last1=Bose|first1=Sugata|author1-link=Sugata Bose|last2=Jalal|first2=Ayesha|author2-link=Ayesha Jalal|title=Modern South Asia: History, Culture, Political Economy|location=London and New York|publisher=Routledge|year=|isbn=|page=39|quote=The political history of the centuries following the rise of Buddhism and Jainism saw the emergence and consolidation of powerful regional states in northern India. Among the strongest of these was the kingdom of Magadha, with its capital at Pataliputra (near the modern city of Patna). The [[Magadha|Magadhan kingdom]] expanded under the Maurya dynasty in the fourth and fifth centuries BCE to become an empire embracing almost the whole of the subcontinent. Chandragupta Maurya founded the dynasty in 322 BCE, just a few years after Alexander the Great's brief foray into northwestern India. The Maurya empire reached its apogee under the reign of Ashoka (268–231 BCE)}}</ref> The nature of the political formation that existed in Chandragupta's time is not certain.<ref name=burton-stein-maurya>{{citation|last1=Stein|first1=Burton|author1-link=Burton Stein|last2=Arnold|first2=David|author2-link=David Arnold (historian)|title=A History of India|page=16|edition=2|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|year=2010|isbn=978-1-4051-9509-6|quote=Around 270 bce, the first Indian documentary records, issued by the Buddhist king Ashoka, were added to the Greek source. Though Ashoka’s inscriptions were deciphered in the nineteenth century, we still cannot be sure about the political formation that existed under this Mauryan king, much less under the kingdom’s founder, Ashoka’s grandfather Chandragupta, who was possibly a contemporary of Alexander. Evidence in the form of a Sanskrit treatise called the Arthashastra – depicting a centralized, tyrannical, spy-ridden and compulsively controlling regime – probably does not pertain to Mauryan times. If its political world was not pure theory, it could only have been achieved within a small city-state, not a realm as vast as that defined by the distribution of Ashoka’s inscriptions, over some 1500 miles from Afghanistan to southern India.}}</ref>
Chandragupta Maurya was an important figure in the [[history of India]], who laid the foundations of the first state that united most of India. Chandragupta, under the tutelage of [[Chanakya]], created a new empire based on the principles of statecraft, built a large army, and continued expanding the boundaries of his empire until ultimately renouncing it for an ascetic life in his final years.
[[File:Chandragupta Maurya stamp.jpg|thumb|Chandragupta Maurya stamp issued by Indian Government in 2001]]
Prior to his consolidation of power, [[Alexander the Great]] had invaded the North-West Indian subcontinent before abandoning his campaign in 324 BCE due to a mutiny caused by the prospect of facing another large empire, presumably the [[Nanda Empire]]. Chandragupta defeated and conquered both the Nanda Empire and the Greek satraps that were appointed or formed from Alexander's Empire in [[South Asia]]. He set out to [[Conquest of the Nanda Empire|conquer the Nanda Empire]] centered in [[Pataliputra]], [[Magadha]]. Afterwards, Chandragupta expanded and secured his western border, where he was confronted by [[Seleucus I Nicator]] in the [[Seleucid–Mauryan war]]. After two years of war, Chandragupta was considered to have gained the upper hand in the conflict and annexed satrapies up to the [[Hindu Kush]]. Instead of prolonging the war, both parties settled on a marriage treaty between Chandragupta and [[Seleucus I Nicator]]'s daughter Helena.

[[File:Chandragupta wedding.png|thumb|The wedding Maṇḍapa depicting the marriage of Chandragupta and Helena.The Maṇḍapa painted in the [[Laxminarayan Temple]], New Delhi.]]

Chandragupta's empire extended throughout most of the Indian subcontinent, spanning from modern day [[Bengal]] to [[Afghanistan]] across North India as well as making inroads into Central and South India. Contemporary Greek evidence states that Chandragupta did not give up performing the rites of sacrificing animals associated with [[Vedic Brahminism]], an ancient form of Hinduism; he delighted in hunting and otherwise leading a life remote from the Jain practice of ''[[Ahimsa]]'' or nonviolence towards living beings.<ref name="India1960" /><ref>The authors and their affiliations listed in the title page of the reference (which has the Wikipedia page ''[[An Advanced History of India]]'') are: R. C. Majumdar, M.A., Ph.D. Vice-Chancellor, Dacca University; H. C. Raychaudhuri, M.A., Ph.D., Carmichael Professor of Ancient Indian History and Culture, Calcutta University; and Kalikinkar Datta, M.A., Ph.D. Premchand Raychand Scholar, Mount Medallist, Griffith Prizeman, Professor and Head of the Department of History, Patna College, Patna</ref> Chandragupta's reign, and the Maurya Empire, set an era of economic prosperity, reforms, infrastructure expansions, and tolerance. Many religions thrived within his realms and his descendants' empire. [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]] and [[Ājīvika]] gained prominence alongside [[Vedic]] and [[Brahmanism|Brahmanistic]] traditions, and minority religions such as [[Zoroastrianism]] and the [[Greek pantheon]] were respected. A memorial for Chandragupta Maurya exists on the [[Chandragiri hill]] along with a seventh-century hagiographic inscription.

==Historical sources==

Chandragupta's life and accomplishments are described in ancient and historical Greek, Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain texts, but they significantly vary in detail.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=2-14, 229-235}} Chandragupta was born about 340 BC and died at about 295 BC. His main biographical sources in chronological order are:{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=3-14}}
* Greek and Roman sources, which are the oldest surviving records that mention Chandragupta or circumstances related to him; these include works written by [[Nearchus]], [[Onesicritus]], [[Aristobulus of Cassandreia]], [[Strabo]], [[Megasthenes]], [[Diodorus]], [[Arrian]], [[Pliny the Elder]], [[Plutarch]] and [[Justin (historian)|Justin]].
* Hindu texts such as the [[Puranas]] and [[Arthashastra]]; later composed Hindu sources include legends in [[Vishakhadatta]]'s [[Mudrarakshasa]], [[Somadeva]]'s [[Kathasaritsagara]] and [[Kshemendra]]'s [[Brihatkathamanjari]].
* Buddhist sources are those dated in fourth-century or after, including the Sri Lankan Pali texts [[Dipavamsa]] (''Rajavamsa'' section), [[Mahavamsa]], [[Mahavamsa tika]] and [[Mahabodhivamsa]].
* 7th to 10th century Jain inscriptions at [[Shravanabelagola|Shravanabelgola]]; these are disputed by scholars as well as the Svetambara Jain tradition.{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}{{sfn|Fleet|1892|pp=156–162}} The second Digambara text interpreted to be mentioning the Maurya emperor is dated to about the 10th-century such as in the ''Brhatkathakosa'' of [[Harisena (Jain monk)]], while the complete Jain legend about Chandragupta is found in the 12th-century [[Parisishtaparvan]] by [[Hemachandra]].

The Greek and Roman texts do not mention Chandragupta directly, except for a second-century text written by the Roman historian [[Justin (historian)|Justin]]. They predominantly mention the last [[Nanda Empire|Nanda emperor]], who usurped the throne of the king before him. Justin states that Chandragupta was of humble origin, and includes stories of miraculous legends associated with him, such as a wild elephant appearing and submitting itself to him as a ride to him before a battle. Justin's text notes that Chandragupta and Chanakya defeated and removed Nanda from his throne. {{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=5-7}} [[Megasthenes]]' account, as it has survived in Greek texts that quote him, states that [[Alexander the Great]] and Chandragupta met, which, if true, would mean his rule started before 321 BCE. He is described as a great king, but not as great in power and influence as [[Porus the Elder|Porus]] in northwestern India or Agrammes ([[Dhana Nanda]]) in eastern India. As Alexander did not cross the [[Beas river]], Chandragupta's territory probably included the [[Punjab region]].{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2017|pp=264–265}}

The pre-4th century Hindu Puranic texts mostly mirror the Greek sources. These texts do not discuss the details of Chandragupta's ancestry, but rather cover the ancestry of the last Nanda king. The Nanda king is described to be cruel, against [[dharma]] and [[shastra]]s, and born out of an illicit relationship followed by a coup.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=7–9}} The Chanakya's ''Arthasastra'' refers to the Nanda rule as against the spiritual, cultural, and military interests of the country, a period where intrigue and vice multiplied.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=7–9}} Chanakya states that Chandragupta returned dharma, nurtured diversity of views, and ruled virtuously that kindled love among the subjects for his rule. {{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=7–9}}

Buddhist texts such as ''[[Mahavamsa]]'' describe Chandragupta to be of [[Kshatriya]] origin.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=14}} These sources, written about seven centuries after his dynasty ended, state that both Chandragupta and his grandson Ashoka – a patron of Buddhism {{En dash}} were from a branch of the [[Shakya]] noble family, from which [[Gautama Buddha]] descended.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13-15}} These Buddhist sources attempt to link the dynasty of their patron Ashoka directly to the Buddha.{{sfn|Thapar|1961|p=12}} The sources claim that the family branched off to escape persecution from a king of the [[Kosala Kingdom]] and Chandragupta's ancestors moved into a secluded Himalayan kingdom known for its peacocks. The Buddhist sources explain the epithet ''maurya'' comes from these peacocks, or ''Mora'' in Pali (Sanskrit: Mayura). {{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13-15}} The Buddhist texts are inconsistent; some offer other legends to explain his epithet. For example, they mention a city named "Moriya-nagara" where all buildings were made of bricks colored like the peacock's neck.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13-14}} The ''Maha-bodhi-vasa'' states he hailed from Moriya-nagara, while the ''Digha-Nikaya'' states he came from the maurya clan of Pipphalivana.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=14}}
{{Gallery
|title=
|width=160 | height=170
|align=center
|footer=
|File:Balustrade peacock Sanchi Stupa No1.jpg
|Design of a [[peacock]], on the stairway balustrade of the Great Stupa at [[Sanchi]].
|alt1=Chandragupta Maurya relation with Pipphalivana
|File:Indian Museum Sculpture - Peacock (9217548983).jpg
|Design of a peacock, on the railing of the [[Bharhuta Stupa]].
|alt2=Chandragupta Maurya relation with Pipphalivana
}}
The Buddhist sources also mention that "Brahmin Chanakya" was his counselor and with whose support Chandragupta became the king at Patliputra. .{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13-14}} He has also been variously identified with [[Shashigupta]] (which has same etymology as of Chandragupta) of [[Paropamisadae]] on the account of same life events.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Seth |first1=H. C. |title=Did Candragupta Maurya belong to North-Western India? |journal=Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute |date=1937 |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=158–165 |jstor=41688339 |issn=0378-1143}}</ref>

[[File:7th-century Bhadrabahu Sanskrit inscription, Purvahale Kannada script, Shravanabelgola Karnataka.jpg|thumb|upright=1.65|7th-century [[Bhadrabahu]] inscription at [[Shravanabelagola]] ([[Sanskrit]], Purvahale Kannada script). This is the oldest inscription at the site, and it mentions Bhadrabahu and [[Prabhācandra|Prabhacandra]]. [[B. Lewis Rice|Lewis Rice]] and [[Digambara Jainism|Digambara Jains]] interpret Prabhacandra to be Chandragupta Maurya, while others such as [[John Faithfull Fleet|J F Fleet]], [[V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar]], and [[Śvētāmbara|Svetambara]] Jains state this interpretation is wrong. {{sfn|Dikshitar|1993|pp=264–266}}{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}{{sfn|Fleet|1892|pp=156–162}}]]
The 12th-century Digambara text ''[[Parishishtaparvan]]'' by [[Hemachandra]] is the main and earliest Jain source of the complete legend of Chandragupta. It was written nearly 1,400 years after Chandragupta's death. Canto 8, verses 170 to 469, describes the legend of Chandragupta and Chanakya's influence on him. {{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=14}}{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}} Other Digambara Jain sources state he moved to [[Karnataka]] after renouncing his kingdom and performed [[Sallekhana]] – the Jain religious ritual of peacefully welcoming death by fasting.{{sfn|Jones|Ryan|2006|p=xxviii}} The earliest mention of Chandragupta's ritual death is found in [[Harisena]]'s ''Brhatkathakosa'', a Sanskrit text of stories about Digambara Jains. The ''Brhatkathakosa'' describes the legend of Bhadrabahu and mentions Chandragupta in its 131st story.{{sfn|Jaini|1991|pp=43–44}} However, the story makes no mention of the Maurya empire, and mentions that his disciple Chandragupta lived in and migrated from [[Ujjain]] – a kingdom (northwest Madhya Pradesh) about a thousand kilometers west of the [[Magadha]] and [[Pataliputra|Patliputra]] (central Bihar). This has led to the proposal that [[Harisena (Jain monk)|Harisena's]] Chandragupta may be a later era, different person.{{sfn|Jaini|1991|pp=43–44}}{{sfn|Dikshitar|1993|pp=264–266}}{{sfn|Upādhye|1977|pp=272–273}}

== Date ==

None of the ancient texts mention when Chandragupta was born. [[Plutarch]] claims that he was a young man when he met [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]] during the [[Indian campaign of Alexander the Great|latter's invasion of India]] ({{Circa|326}}-325 BCE). Assuming the Plutarch account is true, Raychaudhuri proposed in 1923 that Chandragupta may have been born after 350 BCE.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1923|p=142}} According to other Greco-Roman texts, Chandragupta attacked the Greek-Indian governors after Alexander's death ({{Circa|323 BCE}}) with [[Seleucus I Nicator]] entering into a treaty with Chandragupta years later.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1923|p=137}} Seleucus Nicator, under this treaty, gave up Arachosia (Kandahar), Gedrosia (Makran), and Paropanisadai (Paropamisadae, Kabul) to Chandragupta, in exchange for 500 war elephants. {{sfn|Upinder Singh|2017|pp=264–265}}

The texts do not include the start or end year of Chandragupta's reign.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1923|p=138}} According to some Hindu and Buddhist texts, Chandragupta ruled for 24 years.{{sfn|Thapar|1961|p=13}} The Buddhist sources state Chandragupta Maurya ruled 162 years after the death of the Buddha.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|pp=134–142}} However, the Buddha's birth and death vary by source and all these lead to a chronology that is significantly different from the Greek-Roman records. Similarly, Jain sources composed give different gaps between [[Mahavira|Mahavira's]] death and his accession.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|pp=134–142}} As with the Buddha's death, the date of Mahavira's death itself is also a matter of debate, and the inconsistencies and lack of unanimity among the Jain authors cast doubt on Jain sources. This Digambara Jain chronology, also, is not reconcilable with the chronology implied in other Indian and non-Indian sources.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|pp=134–142}}

Historians such as [[Irfan Habib]] and Vivekanand Jha assign Chandragupta's reign to c. 322-298 BCE.{{sfn|Habib|Jha|2004|p=15}} Upinder Singh dates his rule from 324 or 321 BCE to 297 BCE.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2016|p=331}} Kristi Wiley states he reigned between 320 and 293 BCE.{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}

== Early life ==
The Buddhist sources, written centuries later, claim that both Chandragupta and his grandson, the great patron of Buddhism called [[Ashoka]], were of noble lineage. Some texts link him to the same family of Sakyas from which the [[Buddha]] came, adding that his epithet ''Moriya'' (Sanskrit: Maurya, Mayura) comes from ''Mora'', which in Pali means peacock. Most Buddhist texts state that Chandragupta was a Kshatriya, the Hindu warrior class in Magadha and a student of Chanakya.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13-18}} The Buddhist texts are inconsistent, with some including legends about a city named "Moriya-nagara" where all buildings were made of bricks colored like the peacock's resplendent neck.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13-14}} The Jain sources, also written centuries later, claim Chandragupta to be the son of a village chief, a village known for raising peacocks.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13-14}}

One medieval commentator states Chandragupta to be the son of one of the Nanda's wives with the name Mura.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=7–9}} Other sources describe Mura as a concubine of the king.<ref name=":1">{{cite book |title=The Cambridge History of India |year=1968 |editor=Edward James Rapson |volume=4 |page=470 |quote="His surname Maurya is explained by Indian authorities as mean 'son of Mura,' who is described as a concubine of the king. |editor2=Wolseley Haig |editor3=Richard Burn |editor4=Henry Dodwell |editor5=Mortimer Wheeler}}</ref> Another Sanskrit dramatic text [[Mudrarakshasa]] uses the terms ''Vrishala'' and ''Kula-Hina'' (meaning - "not descending from a recognized clan or family.") to describe Chandragupta.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=9–11}} The word ''Vrishala'' has two meanings: one is the ''son of a [[Shudra]]''; the other means the ''best of kings''. A later commentator used the former interpretation to posit that Chandragupta had a Shudra background. However, historian [[Radha Kumud Mukherjee]] opposed this theory, and stated that the word should be interpreted as "the best of kings".{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=9–11}} The same drama also refers to Chandragupta as someone of humble origin, like Justin.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=9–11}} According to the 11th-century texts of the Kashmiri Hindu tradition – [[Kathasaritsagara]] and ''Brihat-Katha-Manjari'' – the Nanda lineage was very short. Chandragupta was a son of Purva-Nanda, the older Nanda based in Ayodhya. {{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=13}}{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=15-18}}{{refn|note|According to Kaushik Roy, Chandragupta Maurya was a [[Shudra]] lineage, king.{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=61-62}}}} The common theme in the Hindu sources is that Chandragupta came from a humble background and with Chanakya, he emerged as a dharmic king loved by his subjects.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=7–13}}

According to the Digambara legend by Hemachandra, [[Chanakya]] was a Jain layperson and a Brahmin. When Chanakya was born, Jain monks prophesied that Chanakya will one day grow up to help make someone an emperor and will be the power behind the throne.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=6}}{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}} Chanakya believed in the prophecy and fulfilled it by agreeing to help the daughter of a peacock-breeding community chief deliver a baby boy. In exchange, he asked the mother to give up the boy and let him adopt him at a later date.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=14}}{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}} The Jain Brahmin then went about making money through magic, and returned later to claim young Chandragupta,{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}} whom he taught and trained. Together, they recruited soldiers and attacked the [[Nanda Empire|Nanda kingdom]]. Eventually, they won and proclaimed Patliputra as their capital.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}}

=== Education ===

Chandragupta Maurya's influential prime minister [[Chanakya]] is said to have taught at Taxila.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Schlichtmann|first1=Klaus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1UYKDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT29|title=A Peace History of India: From Ashoka Maurya to Mahatma Gandhi|date=2016|publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd|isbn=9789385563522|page=29|language=en}}</ref> The Buddhist text ''Mahavamsa-tika'' states that Chanakya took Chandragupta to the [[University of ancient Taxila|Taxila University]] for training and education, where he was educated in "all the sciences and arts" of the time, including military science. He studied there for eight years.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=18-23, 53-54, 140-141}}<ref>{{cite journal|last=Modelski|first=George|year=1964|title=Kautilya: Foreign Policy and International System in the Ancient Hindu World.|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_american-political-science-review_1964-09_58_3/page/549|journal=American Political Science Review|publisher=Cambridge University Press (CUP)|volume=58|issue=3|pages=549–560|doi=10.2307/1953131|jstor=1953131|issn=0003-0554}}</ref> This account aligns with Plutarch's claim that Alexander met a young Chandragupta during his military campaign in Punjab:<ref name="RM16">{{cite book|last1=Mookerji|first1=Radhakumud|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA16|title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times|date=1966|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=9788120804050|pages=16–17|language=en|author-link1=Radha Kumud Mukherjee}}</ref>

{{quote|Androcottus, when he was a stripling, saw Alexander himself, and we are told that he often said in later times that Alexander narrowly missed making himself master of the country, since its king was hated and despised on account of his baseness and low birth.|Plutarch, Life of Alexander 62:9<ref>{{Cite web|title=Plutarch 62.9|url=https://topostext.org/work/172#Alex.62.9|access-date=2024-03-25|website=topostext.org}}</ref>}}

== Influence of Chanakya ==
[[File:Chanakya artistic depiction.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|alt=Chanakya|Chandragupta's [[guru]] was [[Chanakya]], with whom he studied as a child and with whose counsel he built the Empire. This image is a 1915 attempt at depicting Chanakya.]]

The Buddhist and Hindu sources present different versions of how Chandragupta met [[Chanakya]]. Broadly, they mention young Chandragupta creating a mock game of a royal court that he and his shepherd friends played near [[Vindhya Range|Vinjha forest]]. Chanakya saw him give orders to the others, bought him from the hunter, and adopted Chandragupta.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=15–17}} Chanakya taught and admitted him in [[Taxila]] to study the Vedas, military arts, law, and other sastras.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=15–17}}<ref>{{cite journal | last=Modelski | first=George | title=Kautilya: Foreign Policy and International System in the Ancient Hindu World | journal=American Political Science Review | publisher=Cambridge University Press | volume=58 | issue=3 | year=1964 | doi=10.2307/1953131 | pages=549–560| jstor=1953131 | s2cid=144135587 }}; Quote: "Kautilya is believed to have been Chanakya, a Brahmin who served as prime Minister to Chandragupta (321–296 B.C.), the founder of the Mauryan Empire."</ref>

After [[Taxila]], Chandragupta and [[Chanakya]] moved to [[Pataliputra]], the capital and a historic learning center in the eastern [[Magadha]] kingdom of India. They met Nanda there according to Hindu sources, and [[Dhana Nanda]] according to [[Pali]]-language Buddhist sources.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=19–20}} Chandragupta became a commander of the Nanda army, but according to Justin, Chandragupta offended the Nanda king ("Nandrum" or "Nandrus") who ordered his execution.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=6}} An alternative version states that it was the Nanda king who was publicly insulted by Chanakya.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=18}} Chandragupta and Chanakya escaped and became rebels who planned to remove the Nanda king from power.{{sfn|Habib|Jha|2004|p=14}}{{refn|group=note|Some early printed editions of Justin's work wrongly mentioned "Alexandrum" instead of "Nandrum"; this error was corrected in philologist [[J. W. McCrindle]]'s 1893 translation. In the 20th century, historians [[Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri]] and [[R. C. Majumdar]] believed "Alexandrum" to be correct reading, and theorized that Justin refers to a meeting between Chandragupta and [[Alexander the Great]] ("Alexandrum"). However, this is incorrect: research by historian [[Alfred von Gutschmid]] in the preceding century had clearly established that "Nandrum" is the correct reading supported by multiple manuscripts: only a single defective manuscript mentions "Alexandrum" in the margin.{{sfn|Trautmann|1970|pp=240-241}}}} The ''Mudrarakshasa'' also states that Chanakya swore to destroy the Nanda dynasty after he felt insulted by the king.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=History: Biography of Chandragupta Maurya and His Maurya Empire |url=https://www.mizanurrmizan.info/2022/08/history-biography-of-chandragupta-maurya-and-his-maurya-empire.html |access-date=2022-08-05 |website=Md. Mizanur Rahaman Mizan|date=4 August 2022 }}</ref>{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=18}}

The Roman text by [[Justin (historian)|Justin]] mentions a couple of miraculous incidents that involved Sandracottus (Chandragupta) and presents these legends as omens and portents of his fate. In the first incident, when Chandragupta was asleep after having escaped from Nandrum, a big lion came up to him, licked him, and then left. In the second incident, when Chandragupta was readying for war with Alexander's generals, a huge wild elephant approached him and offered itself to be his steed.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=32}}

== Names and titles ==
[[File:Chandragupt maurya Birla mandir 6 dec 2009 (31) (cropped).JPG|thumb|A modern statue depicting Chandragupta Maurya, [[Laxminarayan Temple]], Delhi]]
Greek writer [[Phylarchus]] (c. third century BCE), who is quoted by [[Athenaeus]], calls Chandragupta "Sandrokoptos". The later Greco-Roman writers [[Strabo]], [[Arrian]], and [[Justin (historian)|Justin]] (c. second century) call him "Sandrocottus".{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|p=139}} In [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Latin]] accounts, Chandragupta is known as '''Sandrakottos''' ({{lang-el|Σανδράκοττος}}) and '''Androcottus''' ({{lang-el|Ανδροκόττος}}).{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=177}}<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 41694901|title = The Indika of Megasthenes — an Appraisal|journal = Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute|volume = 72/73|issue = 1/4|pages = 307–329|last1 = Arora|first1 = U. P.|year = 1991}}</ref>

The king's epithets mentioned in the Sanskrit play ''[[Mudrarakshasa]]'' include "Chanda-siri" (Chandra-shri), "Piadamsana" (Priya-darshana), and Vrishala.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|p=139}} Piadamsana is similar to Piyadasi, an epithet of his grandson [[Ashoka]].{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|pp=139-140}} The word "Vrishala" is used in Indian epics and law books to refer to non-orthodox people. According to one theory, it may be derived from the Greek royal title [[Basileus]], but there is no concrete evidence of this: the Indian sources apply it to several non-royals, especially wandering teachers and ascetics.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|p=140}}

== Military strength ==

During the Maurya Empire, India had become considerably strong from the perspective of social, economic, and political prosperity.

[[File:035 The War over the Buddha's Relics (33813012975).jpg|thumb|The Mauryan army of Magadha, including infantry, elephant corps, archers, cavalry, chariots, and Emperor Ashoka on a chariot on the right. An artwork engraved at the Sanchi Stupa built by Ashoka, corroborating the accounts of Greek historians.]]

According to Vishakhadatta and Buddhist literature, Chandragupta's army, in addition to the warriors of the [[republics]], included a large number of [[Shakas]], [[Yavanas]] (Greeks), [[Kiratas]], [[Kambojas]], [[Persians|Parasikas]], and [[Bahlikas]].{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=27}} Information from Kautilya's ''Arthashastra'' indicates that a military contingent named "Shudrakarshaka" was also included. Although Kautilya sanctioned the inclusion of Shudras in the army, he was opposed to them becoming kings.{{sfn|Dr .R .S. Sharma, Sudras in ancient India|p= 150}}

[[File:Hellenistic World 300 BCE Standard map.jpg|thumb|The Western world after the [[Seleucid–Mauryan war]]]]

The Greek historian [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] states:

{{quote|The largest and wealthiest city is Palibothra (Pataliputra), from which some people have named this nation itself, yes, and commonly Palibothra (Pataliputra) beyond the Ganges. Their kings (Chandragupta Maurya) used to pay a daily wage to a military force of 600,000 infantry, 30,000 cavalry, and 9,000 elephants.|[https://archive.org/details/plinysnaturalhis00plinrich/page/n334/mode/1up Pliny, Natural History, Book VI, Chapter XIX]}}

According to [[Plutarch]], after his victorious war against Seleucus, Chandragupta Maurya proceeded towards southern India with a vast army to further expand his empire:
{{quote|Not long after, Sandrocottus (Chandragupta), who then sat on the throne, gave Seleucus 500 elephants and overran and conquered the whole of India with an army of 600,000 infantry.|Life of Alexander, Chapter LXII<ref>{{cite book |author=Plutarch |title=Life of Alexander |chapter=Chapter LXII |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=TXtEAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false |quote=Not long after, Sandrocottus (Chandragupta), who then sat on the throne, gave Seleucus 500 elephants and overran and conquered the whole of India with an army of 600,000 infantry.}}</ref>}}

The Greek historian [[Arrian]] notes:

{{quote|In each chariot of the Indian king, besides the driver, there were two soldiers, and on an elephant, besides the mahout, three archers.|Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander {{sfn|Radhakumud Mukharjee|1940|p=165}}{{sfn|Vincent Smith|1924|p=132}}}}

In Chandragupta's army, each of the 9,000 elephants carried four soldiers, totalling 36,000 men, and each of the 8,000 chariots carried three soldiers, totalling 24,000 men.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/aclcpl000001273|title=Man In India-volume 42|year=October 1962|pages=272}}</ref>

Based on the writings of the Greek historians [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]], [[Arrian]], and [[Plutarch]], historians [[Vincent Arthur Smith|Vincent Smith]], [[Radhakumud Mukherjee|Radha Kumud Mookerji]], [[Ashirbadi Lal Srivastava]] and Indologists such as Gyanchandra Mahajan concluded that Chandragupta's army consisted of a total of 600,000 infantry, 30,000 cavalry, 36,000 men with 9,000 elephants, and 24,000 men with 8,000 chariots. Excluding allied troops and attendants, the total fighting force was 690,000, approximately 700,000 men.<ref>Chandragupta military strength:
*{{Cite book|quote=Arrian has pointed out, each chariot carried two soldiers, besides the driver, and an elephant carried three archers, besides the Mahout, then the total number of men in Chandragupta’s army would be 6,00,000 infantry, 30,000 horse-men, 36,000 men with the elephants, and 24,000 men with the chariots, totalling 6,90,000 in all, excluding followers and attendants.|page=165|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.532631/page/n183/mode/1up|title=Chandragupta Maurya And His Times|last=Mookerji|first=Radha Kumud|date=1940}}
*{{citation|last=Smith|first=Vincent Arthur|title=The Oxford History of India: From the Earliest Times to the End of 1911|quote=The Maurya raised the number of the infantry to 600,000, and of the elephants to 9,000. But his cavalry is said to have mustered only 30,000..... Each chariot required at least three, and that each elephant carried at least four men, his total force must have amounted to not less than 690,000, or in round numbers 700,000 men.|url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordhistoryofi00smituoft/page/82/mode/1up|publisher=Clarendon Press|page=82}}
*{{Cite book|quote=In ancient India there was a highly organised system of military administration. The state maintained a powerful standing army, and it was well looked after. Chandra Gupta Maurya had a huge force consisting of six lakhs infantary, 30,000 cavalry, 9,000 elephants, and 8,000 chariots. The total strength of his army was 6,90,000 men, excluding camp followers and attendants. |page=11|url=https://archive.org/details/medievalindiancu0000ashi_1sted/page/11/mode/1up?q=Maurya+6%2C90%2C000|title=Medieval Indian culture|last=Ashirbadi Lal Srivastava|date=1964-01-01|publisher=Shiva Lal Agarwala}}
*{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.220182/page/n151/mode/1up|title=New Text Book Of Indian History To 1526|quote=The Mauryan war-machine was therefore perfected in every respect. The military might consisted of troops of different kinds, namely hereditary or feudatory troops, hired troops, gild levies, and forest tribes. They were fully and efficiently equipped. The regular military establishment consisted of 600,000 infantry, 30,000 horsemen, 36,000 men with 9,000 elephants, and 24,000 men with nearly 8,000 chariots. Thus there were 6,90,000 fighting men in addition to followers and attendants.|last=Gian Chand Mahajan|date=|pages=148}}</ref>

==Empire ==
During Chandragupta Maurya’s reign, forests were considered state property. A special department managed them under a revenue officer known as the samāharta. A forest officer supervised activities such as collecting forest resources, setting prices, and selling forest products. Water supply and rules governing forest use were also regulated. An official called the Akshatapala was responsible for auditing accounts. This administrative system helped maintain effective control over forest resources.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9789353883140/page/180/mode/1up?q=%22mauryan%22 |title=Critical Themes in Environmental History of India |date=2020|page=180|first=Ranjan|last=Chakrabarti|publisher=Indian Council of Historical Research |isbn=978-93-5388-316-4}}</ref> Historian Ram Sharan Sharma noted that Chandragupta’s empire maintained a large army and a strong judicial system, particularly to maintain order in tribal regions prone to unrest.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sharma |first=Ram Sharan|title=Prachin Bharat Me Rajneetik Vichar Avam Sansthae |year=1990 |publisher=Rajkamal Prakashan |isbn=9788126707584 |page=355 |quote=The tribal people living inside the empire and on its borders were equally a cause of trouble. So for this, there was a huge permanent army and tight judicial system.|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.401527/page/n355}}</ref> Archaeologist Dilip Chakrabarti argued that the foundations of a centralized administrative system including control over large forested regions of central India were laid by Chandragupta, as later evidenced by the distribution of Ashoka’s edicts. The strategic locations along the Kaimur hills and routes through Sasaram, Ahraura, Rupnath, and Panguraria suggest these areas were already under Mauryan authority.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chakrabarty |first=Dilip K. |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=EIAyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA46 |title=The Geopolitical Orbits of Ancient India: The Geographical Frames of the Ancient Indian Dynasties |date=2010-10-18 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-908832-4 |pages=42-43 |language=en |quote=...There is no reason to claim that the vast spaces of hilly and forested central India lay outside the Mauryan rule.}}</ref> D. R. Bhandarkar stated that the empire was well-administered from the start, with viceroys governing different regions to ensure tight control a system Chandragupta established.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bhandarkar |first=D. R. |title=Asoka |year=1925 |publisher=University of Calcutta |page=46|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.279637/page/n57/mode/2up}}</ref>
[[File:Seleucid Mauryan War.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Seleucid Mauryan War c.305 to 303 BC<ref>{{cite book |last=Schwartzberg |first=Joseph E. |title=Schwartzberg Atlas |publisher= |year= |isbn= |page=170 |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=208 |quote=By 311 B.C. or somewhat later the Indus had become the frontier of the Magadhan Empire. Further westward expansion was largely the outcome of the successful military encounter with Seleucus Nicator (Seleukos Nikator), founder of the Seleucid dynasty and inheritor of Alexander's eastern empire from northern Syria to India. Between 305 and 302 B.C. Seleucus ceded the satrapies of Gedrosia, Arachosia, Paropamisadai, and probably Aria, gave his adversary a Greek princess in marriage, and obtained in return 500 war elephants and permanent peace and friendship on his eastern frontier. About this time, perhaps earlier, western Gandhara and areas north to the Hindu Kush, Abhisara, and probably Kasmira were also annexed to the Mauryan dominions.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Dani |first1=Ahmad Hasan |last2=Bernard |first2=P. |title=History of Civilizations of Central Asia |volume=2: The Development of Sedentary and Nomadic Civilizations, 700 B.C. to A.D. 250 |publisher=UNESCO |year= |isbn= |pages=67–97 |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000097857 |quote=The Indus region fell to the rise of the Mauryans and later when Seleucus Nicator tried to recover this lost territory, he had further to cede to Candragupta Maurya the provinces of Aria, Arachosia, Gedrosia and the Paropamisadae.}}</ref>]]

Empire expansion is based on inferences from Greek and Roman historians and the religious Indian texts written centuries after his death. Based on these, the North-West reach of his empire included parts of present-day [[Afghanistan]] that [[Seleucus I Nicator]] ceded to him including [[Kabul]], [[Kandahar]], [[Taxila]] and [[Gandhara]].{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=36–37, 105}} These are the areas where his grandson Ashoka left the [[Kandahar Greek Edicts of Ashoka|major Kandahar rock edict]] and other edicts in the Greek and Aramaic languages.{{sfn|Dupree|2014|pp=285–289}}<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Dupont-Sommer|first1=André|title=Une nouvelle inscription araméenne d'Asoka trouvée dans la vallée du Laghman (Afghanistan)|journal=Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres| volume=114|issue=1| year=1970|pages=158–173| doi=10.3406/crai.1970.12491}}</ref>

===Building the empire===
{{Main|Conquest of the Nanda Empire}}
According to the Buddhist text ''Mahavamsa Tika'', Chandragupta and Chanakya raised an army by recruiting soldiers from many places after the former completed his education at Taxila. Chanakya made Chandragupta the leader of the army.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=22}} The Digambara Jain text ''Parishishtaparvan'' states that this army was raised by Chanakya with coins he minted and an alliance formed with Parvataka.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=175–188}}{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|pp=144-145}} According to Justin, Chandragupta organized an army. Early translators interpreted Justin's original expression as "body of robbers", but states Raychaudhuri, the original expression used by Justin may mean mercenary soldier, hunter, or robber.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|p=144}}

The Buddhist ''Mahavamsa Tika'' and Jain ''Parishishtaparvan'' records Chandragupta's army unsuccessfully attacking the Nanda capital. {{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=175–188}} Chandragupta and Chanakya then began a campaign at the frontier of the Nanda empire, gradually conquering various territories on their way to the Nanda capital.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=33}} He then refined his strategy by establishing garrisons in the conquered territories, and finally besieged the Nanda capital Pataliputra. There [[Dhana Nanda]] accepted defeat, and was killed by Buddhist accounts,{{sfn|Malalasekera|2002|p=383}} or deposed and exiled by Hindu accounts.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=33-34}}

===Conquest of the Nanda empire===
Greco-Roman writer [[Plutarch]] stated, in his ''Life of Alexander'', that the Nanda king was so unpopular that had Alexander tried, he could have easily conquered India.{{sfn|Habib|Jha|2004|p=14}}{{sfn|Stoneman|2019|p=155}} After Alexander ended his campaign and left, Chandragupta's army conquered the Nanda capital Pataliputra around 322 BCE with Chanakya's counsel.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=6}}

Buddhist texts such as ''[[Milindapanha]]'' claim Magadha was ruled by the Nanda dynasty, which, with Chanakya's counsel, Chandragupta conquered to restore ''[[dhamma]]''.{{sfn|Thapar|2013|pp=362–364}}{{sfn|Sen|1895|pp=26–32}} The army of Chandragupta and Chanakya first conquered the Nanda outer territories before invading Pataliputra. In contrast to the easy victory of Buddhist sources, the Hindu and Jain texts state that the campaign was bitterly fought because the Nanda dynasty had a powerful and well-trained army.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=28–33}}{{sfn|Sen|1895|pp=26–32}}

The conquest was fictionalised in ''Mudrarakshasa'', in which Chandragupta is said to have first acquired [[Punjab]] and allied with a local king named Parvatka under the Chanakya's advice before advancing on the [[Nanda Empire]].{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=27, 61-62}} Chandragupta laid siege to [[Kusumapura]] (now [[Patna]]), the capital of [[Magadha]], by deploying [[guerrilla warfare]] methods with the help of mercenaries from conquered areas.{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=61–62}}{{sfn|Grant|2010|p=49}} Historian P. K. Bhattacharyya states that the empire was built by a gradual conquest of provinces after the initial consolidation of Magadha.{{sfn|Bhattacharyya|1977|p=8}}

According to the Digambara Jain version by Hemachandra, the success of Chandragupta and his strategist Chanakya was stopped by a Nanda town that refused to surrender.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=176–177}} Chanakya disguised himself as a [[mendicant]] and found seven mother goddesses (''saptamatrika'') inside. He concluded these goddesses were protecting the town people.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=176–177}} The townspeople sought the disguised mendicant's advice on how to end the blockade of the army surrounding their town. Hemacandra wrote Chanakya swindled them into removing the mother goddesses. The townspeople removed the protective goddesses and an easy victory over the town followed. Thereafter, the alliance of Chandragupta and Parvataka overran the Nanda kingdom and attacked Patliputra with an "immeasurable army".{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=176–177}} With a depleted treasury, exhausted merit, and insufficient intelligence, the Nanda king lost.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=176–177}}

These legends state that the Nanda king was defeated, but allowed to leave Pataliputra alive with a chariot full of items his family needed.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=34}} The Jain sources attest that his daughter fell in [[love at first sight]] with Chandragupta and married him.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=176–177}}{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=14}} With the defeat of Nanda, Chandragupta Maurya founded the [[Maurya Empire]] in ancient India.{{sfn|Roy|2012|p=62}}

====Conquest of the Eastern Seleucid Empire====
[[File:Seleucid-Empire 200bc.jpg|thumb|Seleucid Empire 281 BCE]]
[[File:Chandragupta Maurya Empire c.290 BCE.png|thumb|Chandragupta Maurya Empire c.290 BCE]]

Greek historians mentioned the result of [[Seleucid–Mauryan war]] where Seleucid Empire's eastern satrapies( [[Gedrosia]],[[Arachosia]], [[Aria]], and [[Paropamisadae]]) ceded to Mauryan Empire :
{{quote|text= " Seleucus crossed the Indus and waged war with Sandrocottus [Maurya], king of he Indians, who dwelt on the banks of that stream, until they came to an understanding with each other and contracted a marriage relationship. Some of these exploits were performed before the death of Antigonus and some afterward." |sign=[[Appian]]|source=''History of Rome'', The Syrian Wars [https://www.livius.org/sources/content/appian/appian-the-syrian-wars/appian-the-syrian-wars-11/ 55]}}
{{quote|text= " The geographical position of the tribes is as follows: along the Indus are the Paropamisadae, above whom lies the Paropamisus mountain: then, towards the south, the Arachoti: then next, towards the south, the Gedroseni, with the other tribes that occupy the seaboard; and the Indus lies, latitudinally, alongside all these places; and of these places, in part, some that lie along the Indus are held by Indians, although they formerly belonged to the Persians. Alexander [III 'the Great' of Macedon] took these away from the Arians and established settlements of his own, but [[Seleucus Nicator]] gave them to [[Sandrocottus]] [Chandragupta], upon terms of intermarriage and of receiving in exchange five hundred elephants. " |sign=[[Strabo]] |source= 15.2.9<ref>[https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/15B*.html#2.9]</ref> }}
Greecian historian Pliny also quoted a passage from Megasthanes work about Chandragupta Empire boundaries:
<blockquote>
Most geographers, in fact, do not look upon India as bounded by the river Indus, but add to it the four satrapies of the [[Gedrosia|Gedrose]], the [[Arachosia|Arachotë]], the [[Herat|Aria]], and the [[Paropamisadë]], the [[Kabul River|River Cophes]] thus forming the extreme boundary of India. According to other writers, however, all these territories, are reckoned as belonging to the country of the Aria. 
— Pliny, Natural History VI, 23<ref>Pliny, Natural History VI, 23[https://archive.today/20121210070738/http://perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.+Nat.+6.23]</ref><ref>Pliny, Natural History VI, 23[https://archive.org/details/naturalhistoryof21855plin/page/50/mode/1up]</ref>
</blockquote>
The conquest of the south by Chandragupta Maurya may also perhaps be inferred from the following statement of Plutarch. "The throne" in the context is the Magadhan throne, the occupation of which by Chandragupta is thus followed by two other events, viz., the defeat of Selucus, and the conquest of the remaining part of India not included in the Magadhan empire of the Nandas:

<blockquote>"Not long afterwards Androkottos, who had by that time mounted the throne, presented Selukos with 500 elephants, and overran and subdued the whole of India with an army of 600,000." 
— Chapter LXII ,Life of Alexander, Plutarch<ref>Chapter LXII ,Life of Alexander, Plutarch [https://books.google.co.in/books?id=TXtEAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false]</ref>
</blockquote>
Megasthenes defined the region that Chandragupta won from Seleucus as likely western side Gedrosia which shares boundaries with the Euphrates River, and eastern side Arachosia shares boundaries with the Indus. The northern frontier boundary formed by Hindukush mountain range:
[[File:SakastanMap.jpg|thumb|Satrapian provinces in northwestern India which ceaded to Chandragupta by Selucus due to [[Treaty of Indus]].]]
<blockquote>
Sandrokottos the king of the Indians, India forms the largest of the four parts into which Southern Asia is divided, while the smallest part is that region which is included between the Euphrates and our own sea. The two remaining parts, which are separated from the others by the Euphrates and the Indus, and lie between these rivers. [...] India is bounded on its eastern side, right onwards to the south, by the great ocean; that its northern frontier is formed by the Kaukasos range(Hindukush Range) as far as the junction of that range with Tauros; and that the boundary. 
— Book I Fragment II , Indica, Megasthanes<ref>Book I Fragment II , Indica, Megasthanes[https://archive.org/details/AncientIndiaAsDescribedByMegasthenesAndArrianByMccrindleJ.W/page/n54/mode/1up]</ref>
</blockquote>

====Treaty of the Indus====
The ancient historians Justin, Appian, and Strabo preserve the three main terms of the Treaty of the Indus:<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=9UWdAwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in the Seleucid Empire|last=Kosmin|first=Paul J.|date=2014-06-23|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-72882-0|language=en}}</ref>
#Seleucus transferred to Chandragupta's kingdom the easternmost satrapies of his empire, certainly Gandhara, Parapamisadae, and the eastern parts of Gedrosia, Arachosia and Aria as far as Herat.
#Chandragupta gave Seleucus 500 Indian war elephants.
#The two kings were joined by some kind of marriage alliance (ἐπιγαμία οι κῆδος); most likely Chandragupta wed a female relative of Seleucus.

===War and marriage alliance with Seleucus===

According to Appian, [[Seleucus I Nicator]], one of Alexander's Macedonian generals who in 312 BCE established the [[Seleucid Kingdom]] with its capital at Babylon, brought Persia and [[Bactria]] under his own authority, putting his eastern front facing the empire of Chandragupta.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=2-3, 35-38}}{{sfn|Appian|p=55}} Seleucus and Chandragupta waged war until they came to an understanding with each other. Seleucus married off his daughter, Berenice, to Chandragupta to forge an alliance.{{sfn|Appian|p=55}}

According to Strabo, Chandragupta engaged in a marital alliance with [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]] to formalise the peace treaty:{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=37}}
[[File:Chandragupta.et.Helena.jpg|thumb|alt=Marriage|"Chandra Gupta Maurya entertains his bride from Babylon": a conjectural interpretation of the "marriage agreement" between the Seleucids and Chandragupta Maurya, related by [[Appian]]<ref>''History of Rome'', The Syrian Wars [http://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_syriaca_11.html 55] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103154609/http://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_syriaca_11.html |date=3 November 2007 }}</ref>]]
{{quote|The Indians occupy in part some of the countries situated along the Indus, which formerly belonged to the Persians: Alexander deprived the Ariani of them, and established there settlements of his own. But [[Seleucus Nicator]] gave them to [[Sandrocottus]] in consequence of a marriage contract ([[Epigamia]], Greek: Ἐπιγαμία), and received in return five hundred elephants.|[[Strabo]] 15.2.1(9)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0239&query=head%3D%23120|title=Strabo 15.2.1(9)}}</ref>}}

R. C. Majumdar and D. D. Kosambi note that Seleucus appeared to have fared poorly after ceding large territories west of the Indus to Chandragupta. The Maurya Empire added [[Arachosia]] ([[Kandahar]]), [[Gedrosia]] ([[Balochistan (Pakistan)|Balochistan]]), and [[Paropamisadae]] ([[Gandhara]]).{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=36–37, 105}}<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Walter Eugene | first1 = Clark | year = 1919 | title = The Importance of Hellenism from the Point of View of Indic-Philology | journal = Classical Philology | volume = 14 | issue = 4| pages = 297–313 | doi = 10.1086/360246 | s2cid = 161613588 }}</ref>{{efn|According to Grainger, Seleucus "must ... have held Aria" (Herat), and furthermore, his "son [[Antiochus I Soter|Antiochos]] was active there fifteen years later". (Grainger, John D. 1990, 2014. ''Seleukos Nikator: Constructing a Hellenistic Kingdom''. Routledge. p. 109).}} According to Strabo, [[Seleucus Nicator]] gave these regions to Chandragupta along with a marriage treaty, and in return received five hundred elephants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0239&query=head%3D%23120|title=Strabo 15.2.1(9)|access-date=14 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203225004/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0239&query=head%3D%23120|archive-date=3 February 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> The details of the engagement treaty are not known.{{sfn|Barua|2005|pp=13-15}} However, since the extensive sources available on Seleucus never mention an Indian princess, it is thought that the marital alliance went the other way, with Chandragupta himself or his son Bindusara marrying a Seleucid princess, in accordance with contemporary Greek practices to form dynastic alliances. An Indian [[Puranic]] source, the [[Pratisargaparvan|Pratisarga Parva]] of the [[Bhavishya Purana]], described the marriage of Chandragupta with a Greek ("[[Yavana]]") princess, daughter of Seleucus.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sagar |first=Chandra |title=Foreign Influence on Ancient India |publisher=Northern Book Centre |year=1992 |page=83}}</ref> [[Mahavamsa|The Mahavamsa]] also states that, seven months after the war ended, Seleucus gave one of his daughters, Berenice (known in Pali as ''Suvarnnaksi'') in marriage to Chandragupta.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Paranavithana |first=Senarat |title=The Greeks and the Mauryans |publisher=Lake House Investments |date=January 1971 |isbn=9780842607933 |language=English}}</ref>

Chandragupta sent 500 [[war elephant]]s to Seleucus, which played a key role in Seleucus' victory at the [[Battle of Ipsus]].<ref>''India, the Ancient Past'', Burjor Avari, p. 106-107</ref>{{sfn|Majumdar|2003|p=105}}<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Tarn | first1 = W. W. | year = 1940 | title = Two Notes on Seleucid History: 1. Seleucus' 500 Elephants, 2. Tarmita | journal = The Journal of Hellenic Studies | volume = 60 | pages = 84–94 | doi = 10.2307/626263 | jstor = 626263 | s2cid = 163980490 }}</ref> In addition to this treaty, Seleucus dispatched [[Megasthenes]] as an ambassador to Chandragupta's court, and later [[Antiochus I Soter|Antiochos]] sent [[Deimakos]] to his son Bindusara at the Maurya court at Patna.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=38}}

{{quote|text= " Seleucus crossed the Indus and waged war with Sandrocottus [Maurya], king of he Indians, who dwelt on the banks of that stream, until they came to an understanding with each other and contracted a marriage relationship. Some of these exploits were performed before the death of Antigonus and some afterward." |sign=[[Appian]]|source=''History of Rome'', The Syrian Wars [https://www.livius.org/sources/content/appian/appian-the-syrian-wars/appian-the-syrian-wars-11/ 55]}}

An Indian [[Puranic]] source, the ''[[Pratisargaparvan|Pratisarga Parva]]'' of the ''[[Bhavishya Purana]]'', described the marriage of Chandragupta with a Greek ("[[Yavana]]") princess, daughter of Seleucus,<ref name="Sagar">Foreign Influence on Ancient India, Krishna Chandra Sagar, Northern Book Centre, 1992, p.83 [https://books.google.com/books?id=0UA4rkm9MgkC&pg=PA83]</ref> before accurately detailing early Mauryan genealogy:

{{quote|"Chandragupta married with a daughter of [[Seleucus I Nicator|Suluva]] (Seleucus), the [[Yavana]] king of [[Persian Empire|Pausasa]] (Persia).<ref>The country is transliterated as "Pausasa" in the online translation: [http://mandhataglobal.com/wp-content/custom/articles/Puranas.pdf Pratisarga Parva p.18] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423144009/http://mandhataglobal.com/wp-content/custom/articles/Puranas.pdf |date=23 April 2016 }} and in Encyclopaedia of Indian Traditions and Cultural Heritage, Anmol Publications, 2009, p.18; and "Paursa" in the original Sanskrit of the first two verses given in Foreign Influence on Ancient India, Krishna Chandra Sagar, Northern Book Centre, 1992, [https://books.google.com/books?id=0UA4rkm9MgkC&pg=PA83 p.83]:</ref> Thus, he mixed the Buddhists and the Yavanas. He ruled for 60 years. From him, [[Bindusara]] was born and ruled for the same number of years as his father. His son was [[Ashoka]]."|''[[Pratisarga Parva]]''<ref>Translation given in: Encyclopaedia of Indian Traditions and Cultural Heritage, Anmol Publications, 2009, p.18. Also online translation: [http://mandhataglobal.com/wp-content/custom/articles/Puranas.pdf Pratisarga Parva p.18] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423144009/http://mandhataglobal.com/wp-content/custom/articles/Puranas.pdf |date=23 April 2016 }}.</ref><ref>Original Sanskrit of the first two verses given in Foreign Influence on Ancient India, Krishna Chandra Sagar, Northern Book Centre, 1992, [https://books.google.com/books?id=0UA4rkm9MgkC&pg=PA83 p.83]: "Chandragupta Sutah Paursadhipateh Sutam. Suluvasya Tathodwahya Yavani Baudhtatapar".</ref><ref name="Sagar"/>}}

===Southern conquest===

After annexing Seleucus' provinces west of the Indus river, Chandragupta had a vast empire extending across the northern Indian sub-continent from the [[Bay of Bengal]] to the [[Arabian Sea]]. Chandragupta began expanding his empire southwards beyond the [[Vindhya Range]] and into the [[Deccan Plateau]].{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=6}} By the time his conquests were complete, Chandragupta's empire extended over most of the subcontinent.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|p=18}}

Two poetic anthologies from the Tamil [[Sangam literature]] corpus – ''[[Akananuru]]'' and ''[[Purananuru]]'' – allude to the Nanda rule and Maurya empire. For example, poems 69, 281 and 375 mention the army and chariots of the Mauryas, while poems 251 and 265 may be alluding to the Nandas.{{sfn|Zvelebil|1973|pp=53-54}} However, the poems dated between first-century BCE to fifth-century CE do not mention Chandragupta Maurya by name, and some of them could be referring to a different Moriya dynasty in the Deccan region in the fifth century CE.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=41–42}} According to Upinder Singh, these poems may be mentioning Mokur and Koshar kingdoms of Vadugars (northerners) in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, with one interpretation being that the Maurya empire had an alliance with these at some point of time.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2016|pp=330–331}}
===Conquest of the Saurashtra===
Chandragupta conquered Southern-Western part of India. Especially his conquest over Saurashtra and Sudarshana lake construction is preseved in later Satrapian king Rudradaman inscription:

<blockquote>(L.8)[] for the sake of ordered to be made by the Vaishya Pushyagupta, the provincial governor of the Maurya king Chandragupta; adorned with conduits for [[Ashoka]] the Maurya by the [[Yavana]] king [[Tushaspha]] while governing; and by the conduit ordered to be made by him, constructed in a manner worthy of a king (and) seen in that breach.

—Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman<ref name="WB">[http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm "Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman", ''Project South Asia''.]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223182107/http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm |date=23 February 2009 }}</ref>
</blockquote>

In the west, Chandragupta's rule over present-day [[Gujarat]] is attested to by Ashoka's inscription in [[Junagadh]]. On the same rock, about 400 years later, [[Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman|Rudradaman inscribed]] a longer text sometime about the mid second–century.{{sfn|Salomon|1998|pp=194, 199–200 with footnote 2}} Rudradaman's inscription states that the Sudarshana lake in the area was commissioned during the rule of Chandragupta through his governor Vaishya Pushyagupta and conduits were added during Ashoka's rule through Tushaspha. The Mauryan control of the region is further corroborated by the inscription on the rock, which suggests that Chandragupta controlled the [[Malwa]] region in Central India, located between Gujarat and Pataliputra.{{sfn|Habib|Jha|2004|p=19}}

There is uncertainty about the other conquests that Chandragupta may have achieved, especially in the [[Deccan]] region of southern India.{{sfn|Habib|Jha|2004|p=19}} At the time of his grandson Ashoka's ascension in c. 268 BCE, the empire extended up to present-day [[Karnataka]] in the south, so the southern conquests may be attributed to either Chandragupta or his son Bindusara. If the Jain tradition about Chandragupta ending his life as a renunciate in Karnakata is considered correct, it appears that Chandragupta initiated the southern conquest.{{sfn|Habib|Jha|2004|p=19}}
===Conquest of the Kuntala===
Shikarpur Taluq, inscription 225 mentioned about Mauryan ruling in the region of [[Kuntala country|Kuntala]] .Shikarpur Taluq inscription mentioned about Mauryan ruling in the region of [[Kuntala country|Kuntala]] .The Kuntala country is an ancient Indian political region including the western Deccan and some parts of central,south Karnataka and north Mysore.
[[File:South India 500 to 200 BCE.jpg|thumb|South India , Kuntala present in Western coastal region]]
<blockquote>
''Kuntala-kshôpiyam pesarvett â-nava-Nanda-Gupta-kula-Mauryya-kshmâpar aldar llasaj-jasad'' 
— Shikarpur Taluq, inscription 225<ref>Shikarpur Taluq inscription 225, Epigraphia Carnatica, Volume 17[https://archive.org/details/epigraphia_carnatica_vol7_myso/page/n327/mode/1up]</ref><ref>Shikarpur Taluq inscription 225, Epigraphia Carnatica Volume 17[https://archive.org/details/epigraphia_carnatica_vol7_myso/page/n587/mode/1up]</ref> 
'''Translation''' : The Kuntala country, which is like curls (kuntaja) to the lady Earth, was-ruled by the renowned nine Nandas, the Gupta and Mauryan kings.</blockquote>

== Economic condition ==

During the Mauryan period, the economic situation expanded. From the reign of Chandragupta Maurya to the reign of Ashoka, the economic condition improved significantly. Agriculture was the primary means of livelihood at this time.

[[File:Mauryan Empire. Circa late 4th-2nd century BC.jpg|thumb|centre|Coin from the period of Chandragupta Maurya<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=335378|title=Auction 396. INDIA, Mauryan Empire, Karshapana (14mm, 3.32 g). circa 315-310 BC|website=www.cngcoins.com|access-date=2024-04-24}}</ref>]]

[[File:Gorakhpur, Copper Plate Edict Of Chandragupta (3rd century BCE).jpg|thumb|An example of the district administration of Chandragupta Maurya. This copper plate, found from [[Sohgaura copper plate inscription|Sohgaura]] (district Gorakhpur). The text of the plate has been translated as follows. Its mentions the establishment of two grain depots (''Kosthagara'') to fight against famine.<ref name = "MCQ">2000+ MCQs with Explanatory Notes For HISTORY by Disha Experts [https://books.google.en/books?id=O65TDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA63 p.63]</ref>
{{blockquote |
''Sāvatiyānam Mahāma(ttā)nam sāsane Mānavāsītika-'' 
''ḍasilimate Ussagāme va ete duve koṭṭhāgālāni'' 
''tina-yavāni maṃthulloca-chammā-dāma-bhālakān(i)va'' 
''laṃ kayiyati atiyāyikāya no gahi(ta)vvāya''<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Barua |first1=B. M. |title=THE SOHGAURA COPPER-PLATE INSCRIPTION |journal=Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute |volume=11 |issue=1 |date=1930 |page=48 |jstor=41688160 }}</ref>|The order of the [[Mahamatra]]s of [[Shravasti]] issued from the Manavasiti camp. Only to the tenants, only on the advent of drought, these (the) dravya store houses of Triveni, [[Mathura]], Chanchu, Modama and Bhadra are to the distributed, in case of distress they are not to be withheld. —Translated by Jayaswal<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/hnch_mourya-samrajya-ka-itihas-by-satyaketu-vidyalankar-1980-new-delhi-shri-saraswati-sadan|title=Mourya Samrajya Ka Itihas By Satyaketu Vidyalankar 1980 New Delhi Shri Saraswati Sadan|last=|pages=455}}</ref>
 }}]]

Similar to Sohgaura, an inscription has also been found from Pundravardhana Nagar (Mahasthan) in Bangladesh, providing information about a famine that occurred.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC&pg=PA329&lpg=PA329&dq=FRAGMENTARY+MAURYA+INSCRIPTION+FROM+MATHURA&source=bl&ots=xh5A1Q9_mI&sig=ACfU3U0jG-ROa7wKNHFDCD53C2jhoyOFaA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjKueH-pP2FAxV3wjgGHQ3NAzw4FBDoAXoECAQQAg#v=onepage&q=FRAGMENTARY%20MAURYA%20INSCRIPTION%20FROM%20MATHURA&f=false|page=329|quote=The Sohgaura inscription has been commented on by numerous scholars, who have variously assigned it a pre-Ashokan or post-Maurya date, the majority opinion currently favouring the latter. K. P. Jayaswal interpreted the crescent on the top as an emblem of the Maurya king Chandragupta and connected the contents of the inscription with the Jain legend of a great famine during the reign of this king. Many years later, in 1931, Baru Faqir, a resident of Mahasthangarh village in Bagura district of Bangladesh .... The Mahasthan inscription appears to record an order issued by a ruler to the mahamatra stationed at Pundranagara (the site of which is represented by Mahasthangarh village), in order to relieve the distress caused on account of famine to some people known as the Samvamgiyas, who apparently lived in and around this town.|title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century|last=Singh|first=Upinder|date=2008|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=978-81-317-1120-0|language=en}}</ref>

[[Chanakya]], in the fourth section of the ''[[Arthashastra]]'' under "Upānipāt pratikāra" (measures to protect the populace from calamities), provided the following, which matches the arrangements made by Chandragupta in the Sohgaura and Mahasthan inscriptions:

{{quote|In times of famine, the king shall show favour by distributing seeds and food, or by constructing forts and bridges with the provision of food, or by sharing food, or by relocating them to another region. —Kautilya, [[Arthashastra]] 4.3.17<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/JhPw_kautilya-artha-shastra-of-vishnu-gupta-vol.-2-part-2-with-5-commentaries-ed.-by-|title=Kautilya Artha Shastra Of Vishnu Gupta Vol. 2 Part 2 With 5 Commentaries|last=Shastri Datara|first=Vishvanatha|publisher=Sampurnanand Sanskrit University Varanasi|pages=19}}</ref>}}

The famous scholar Megasthenes, who visited the Mauryan court, believed that grain never became expensive in India. The administration had formulated a policy for agricultural progress. Herdsmen were appointed to protect agriculture. For irrigation facilities, Chandragupta Maurya constructed the [[Sudarshana Lake]] near Junagadh.<ref>{{Cite book|page=198|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.269161|title=Prachin Bharat Mein Daan Ki Avdarana|last=S.k.tiwari}}</ref>

== Campaigns and conflicts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! style="background:orange;"|
 Dates 
! style="background:orange;width: 320px;"| Conflict 
! style="background:orange;"| Side 
! style="background:orange;width: 300px;"| Opponent 
! style="background:orange;width: 300px;"| Result 

|-
| 305–315 BCE
| '''[[Chandragupta Maurya's Macedonian campaign]]'''
| [[Mauryan Empire]]
| [[Macedonian Empire]]
| style="background:#8cff90"|'''Mauryan victory'''{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=6–8, 31–33}}
*[[Chandragupta Maurya]] conquered the Macedonian satrapies in the [[Indus Valley]] and [[Northwest India]].<ref name="greenwood">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JEvN6XwWTk8C&pg=PA252|title=From Polis to Empire, the Ancient World, C. 800 B.C.-A.D. 500|date=2002|publisher=Greenwood Publishing|isbn=0313309426|access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref>
*Chandragupta Maurya conquered the Macedonian satrapies in the Punjab region.<ref name="greenwood"/>
*Among the four satraps of Alexander he fought were [[Eudemus (general)|Eudemus]], ruler of western Punjab until his departure in 317 BCE, and [[Peithon, son of Agenor|Peithon]], ruler of the Greek colonies along the Indus until their departure for [[Babylon]] in 316 BCE. Both Peithon and Eudemus were defeated by Chandragupta and surrendered to him.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=33–34}}
|-
| 315–317 BCE
| '''Campaign against Greek governors'''
'''[[File:EasternSatrapsAfterAlexander.jpg|thumb|alt=Eastern Satraps|By 317 BCE, Chandragupta had defeated the remaining [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonian]] [[satraps]] in the north-west of the [[Indian subcontinent]].]]
| [[Mauryan Empire]]
| [[Macedonian Empire]]
| style="background:#8cff90"|'''Mauryan victory'''{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=6–8, 31–33}}
*Justin relates that after Alexander's death, Chandragupta freed Indian territories from the Greeks and executed some Greek governors.<ref>[http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html Justin XV.4.12-13]</ref>
*Chandragupta turned his attention to Northwestern India (modern-day [[Pakistan]]), where he fought against the four satraps (described as "prefects" in Western sources) left by Alexander and killed two satraps, [[Nicanor (satrap)|Nicanor]] and [[Philip (satrap)|Philip]]. The other two, Eudemus and Peithon, had already surrendered and returned to Babylon.<ref>Radha Kumud Mookerji, ''Chandragupta Maurya and His Times'', 4th ed. (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1988 [1966]), 31, 28–33.</ref>
|-
|322–320 BCE
| '''Conquest of the [[Nanda Empire]]'''
| [[Chandragupta Maurya]]
| [[Dhana Nanda]] of the [[Nanda dynasty|Nanda Empire]]
| style="background:#8cff90"|'''Mauryan victory'''{{sfn|Thapar|2013|pp=362–364}}{{sfn|Sen|1895|pp=26–32}}
* Chandragupta defeated the Nandas and established the Magadha-based Maurya Empire.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=272}}
* He married the Nanda princess [[Durdhara]].{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=175–188}}{{sfn|Malalasekera|2002|p=383}}{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=33-34}}
|-
| 305–303 BCE
| '''[[Seleucid–Mauryan war]]'''
| [[Mauryan Empire]]
| [[Seleucid Empire]]
| style="background:#8cff90"|'''Mauryan victory'''<ref name="JACKSON">"Pg.106 - Seleucid Kingdom Another Hellenistic monarchy was founded by the general Seleucus (suh-LOO-kuss), who established the Seleucid dynasty of Syria. This was the largest of the Hellenistic kingdoms and controlled much of the old Persian Empire from Turkey in the west to India in the east, although the Seleucids found it increasingly difficult to maintain control of the eastern territories. In fact, an Indian ruler named Chandragupta Maurya (chundruh-GOOP-tuh MOWR-yuh) (324-301 B.C.E.) created a new Indian state, the Mauryan Empire, and '''drove out the Seleucid forces.''' ... The Seleucid rulers maintained relations with the Mauryan Empire. Trade was fostered, especially in such luxuries as spices and jewels. Seleucus also sent Greek and Macedonian ambassadors to the Mauryan court. Best known of these was Megasthenes (muh-GAS-thuh-neez), whose report on the people of India remained one of the Western best sources of information on India until the Middle Ages." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/westerncivilizat08edspie|title=Western civilization|last=Spielvogel|first=Jackson J.|date=2012|page=106|publisher=Boston, MA : Wadsworth Cengage Learning|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-495-91329-0}}</ref>
* [[Treaty of the Indus]]{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=33–34}}
* The eastern satrapies of the Seleucid Empire were ceded to the Maurya Empire
* Seleucus gave his daughter to Chandragupta, initiating a dynastic partnership
* Chandragupta gave 500 [[war elephant]]s to Seleucus
* Establishment of [[Megasthenes|diplomatic relations]]
|}

==Rule ==
After unifying much of India, Chandragupta and [[Chanakya]] passed a series of major economic and political reforms. Chandragupta established a [[Mantriparishad|strong central administration]] from Pataliputra (now [[Patna]]).{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13–18}} Chandragupta applied the statecraft and economic policies described in Chanakya's text ''[[Arthashastra]]''.{{sfn|Boesche|2003|pp=7–18}}<ref>MV Krishna Rao (1958, Reprinted 1979), Studies in Kautilya, 2nd Edition, {{oclc|551238868}}, {{ISBN|978-8121502429}}, pages 13–14, 231–233</ref>{{sfn|Olivelle|2013|pp=31–38}} There are varying accounts in the historic, legendary, and hagiographic literature of various Indian religions about Chandragupta's rule, but Allchin and Erdosy' are suspect; they state, "one cannot but be struck by the many close correspondences between the (Hindu) Arthashastra and the two other major sources the (Buddhist) Asokan inscriptions and (Greek) Megasthenes text".{{sfn|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|pp=187–194}}

The Maurya rule was a structured administration; Chandragupta had a council of ministers (''amatya''), with Chanakya was his chief minister.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Modelski | first=George | title=Kautilya: Foreign Policy and International System in the Ancient Hindu World | journal=American Political Science Review | volume=58 | issue=3 | year=1964 | doi=10.2307/1953131 | pages=549–560| jstor=1953131 | s2cid=144135587 }}; Quote: "Kautilya is believed to have been Chanakya, a Brahmin who served as Chief Minister to Chandragupta (321–296 B.C.), the founder of the Mauryan Empire."</ref>{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2017|p=220}} The empire was organised into territories (''janapada''), centres of regional power were protected with forts (''durga''), and state operations were funded with treasury (''kosa'').{{sfn|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|pp=189–192}} Strabo, in his ''Geographica'' composed about 300 years after Chandragupta's death, describes aspects of his rule in his chapter XV.46–69. He had councillors for matters of justice and assessors to collect taxes on commercial activity and trade goods. He routinely performed Vedic sacrifices,{{sfn|Eraly|2002|pp=414–415}} Brahmanical rituals,{{sfn|Sastri|1988|pp=163–164}} and hosted major festivals marked by procession of elephants and horses. His officers inspected situations requiring law and order in the cities; the crime rate was low.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=62–63, 79–80, 90, 159–160}}

According to Megasthenes, Chandragupta's rule was marked by three parallel administrative structures. One managed the affairs of villages, ensuring irrigation, recording land ownership, monitoring tools supply, enforcing hunting, wood products and forest-related laws, and settling disputes.{{sfn|Sastri|1988|pp=120–122}} Another administrative structure managed city affairs, including all matters related to trade, merchant activity, visit of foreigners, harbors, roads, temples, markets, and industries. They also collected taxes and ensured standardized weights and measures.{{sfn|Sastri|1988|pp=120–122}} The third administrative body overlooked the military, its training, its weapons supply, and the needs of the soldiers.{{sfn|Sastri|1988|pp=120–122}}

Chanakya was concerned about Chandragupta's safety and developed elaborate techniques to prevent assassination attempts. Various sources report Chandragupta frequently changed bedrooms to confuse conspirators. He left his palace only for certain tasks: to go on military expeditions, to visit his court for dispensing justice, to offer sacrifices, for celebrations, and for hunting. During celebrations, he was well-guarded, and on hunts, he was surrounded by female guards who were presumed to be less likely to participate in a coup conspiracy. These strategies may have resulted from the historical context of the Nanda king who had come to power by assassinating the previous king.{{sfn|Allan|1958|pp=25–28}}

During Chandragupta's reign and that of his dynasty, many religions thrived in India, with [[Buddhism]], Jainism and [[Ajivika]] gaining prominence along with other folk traditions.{{sfn|Obeyesekere|1980|pp=137–139 with footnote 3}}{{sfn|Albinski|1958|pp=62–75}}

==Infrastructure projects==
[[File:MauryanCoin.JPG|thumb|left|alt=Coins|Silver punch mark coin of the [[Maurya empire]], with symbols of wheel and elephant (3rd century BCE)]]
The empire built a [[Maurya Empire#Economy|strong economy]] from a solid infrastructure such as irrigation, temples, mines, and roads.{{sfn|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|pp=187–195}}{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=62–63}} Ancient epigraphical evidence suggests Chandragupta, under counsel from Chanakya, started and completed many irrigation reservoirs and networks across the Indian subcontinent to ensure food supplies for the civilian population and the army, a practice continued by his dynastic successors.{{sfn|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|pp=187–194}} Regional prosperity in agriculture was one of the required duties of his state officials.{{sfn|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|pp=192–194}}
Chandragupta's state also started mines, centers to produce goods, and networks for trading these goods. His rule developed land routes for goods transportation within the Indian subcontinent, disfavoring water transport. Chandragupta expanded "roads suitable for carts", preferring these over those narrow tracts that allowed only pack animals.{{sfn|F. R. Allchin|George Erdosy|1995|pp=194-195}}

The strongest evidence of infrastructure development is found in the [[Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman]] in Gujarat, dated to about 150 CE. It states, among other things, that Rudradaman repaired and enlarged the reservoir and irrigation conduit infrastructure built by Chandragupta and enhanced by Asoka.{{sfn|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|p=189}} Chandragupta's empire also built mines, manufacturing centres, and networks for trading goods. His rule developed land routes to transport goods across the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta expanded "roads suitable for carts" as he preferred those over narrow tracks suitable for only pack animals.{{sfn|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|pp=194–195}}

According to Kaushik Roy, the Maurya dynasty rulers were "great road builders".{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=62–63}} The Greek ambassador Megasthenes credited this tradition to Chandragupta after the completion of a thousand-mile-long highway connecting Chandragupta's capital [[Pataliputra]] in Bihar to [[Taxila]] in the north-west where he studied. The other major strategic road infrastructure credited to this tradition spread from Pataliputra in various directions, connecting it with Nepal, [[Kapilavastu (ancient city)|Kapilavastu]], [[Dehradun]], [[Mirzapur]], [[Odisha]], [[Andhra Pradesh|Andhra]], and [[Karnataka]].{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=62–63}} Roy stated this network boosted trade and commerce, and helped move armies rapidly and efficiently.{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=62–63}}

Chandragupta and Chanakya seeded weapon manufacturing centres, and kept them as a state monopoly of the state. The state, however, encouraged competing private parties to operate mines and supply these centres.{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=63–64}} They considered economic prosperity essential to the pursuit of [[dharma]] (virtuous life) and adopted a policy of avoiding war with diplomacy yet continuously preparing the army for war to defend its interests and other ideas in the ''[[Arthashastra]]''.{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=64–68}}{{sfn|Olivelle|2013|pp=49–51, 99–108, 277–294, 349–356, 373–382}}

==Arts and architecture ==
[[File:Didarganj_Yakshi_statue_in_the_Bihar_Museum.jpg|thumb|left|thumb|alt=Statue|3rd century BCE [[Didarganj Yakshi]], discovered in 1917 buried in the banks of the Ganges.<ref name=tapati51>{{cite book|author=Tapati Guha-Thakurta|editor=Partha Chatterjee and Anjan Ghosh|title=History and the Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-1eCdLyrpV8C |year=2006|publisher=Anthem|isbn=978-1-84331-224-6|pages=51–53, 58–59}}</ref><ref name=varadpande32>{{cite book|author=Manohar Laxman Varadpande|title=Woman in Indian Sculpture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IsE5KAja3jAC |year=2006|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=978-81-7017-474-5|pages=32–34 with Figure 11}}</ref>]]

The evidence of arts and architecture during Chandragupta's time is mostly limited to texts such as those by Megasthenes and Kautilya. The edict inscriptions and carvings on monumental pillars are attributed to his grandson Ashoka. The texts imply the existence of cities, public works, and prosperous architecture but the historicity of these is in question.{{sfn|Harrison|2009|pp=234–235}}

Archeological discoveries in the modern age, such as those [[Didarganj Yakshi]] discovered in 1917 buried beneath the banks of the Ganges suggest exceptional artisanal accomplishment.{{sfn|Guha-Thakurta|2006|pp=51–53, 58–59}}{{sfn|Varadpande|2006|pp=32–34 with Figure 11}} The site was dated to third century BCE by almost all scholars{{sfn|Guha-Thakurta|2006|pp=51–53, 58–59}}{{sfn|Varadpande|2006|pp=32–34 with Figure 11}} but Frederick Asher questioned it.{{sfn|Asher|2015|pp=421–423}}

==Succession and death (Sallekhana)==
[[File:Jain Inscription.jpg|thumb|alt=Inscription|1,300 years Old Shravanabelagola relief shows death of Chandragupta after taking the vow of [[Sallekhana]]. Some consider it about the legend of his arrival with Bhadrabahu.{{sfn|Dikshitar|1993|pp=264–266}}{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}{{sfn|Fleet|1892|pp=156–162}}]]
[[File:Chandragupta Maurya and Bhadrabahu.jpg|thumb|A statue depicting Chandragupta Maurya (right) with his spiritual mentor [[Acharya Bhadrabahu]] at [[Shravanabelagola]].]]

The circumstances and year of Chandragupta's death are unclear and disputed.{{sfn|Dikshitar|1993|pp=264–266}}{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}{{sfn|Fleet|1892|pp=156–162}} According to Digambara Jain accounts, Bhadrabahu forecast a 12-year famine because of all the killing and violence during the conquests by Chandragupta Maurya. He led a group of Jain monks to south India, where Chandragupta Maurya joined him as a monk after abdicating his kingdom to his son Bindusara. Together, states a Digambara legend, Chandragupta and Bhadrabahu moved to Shravanabelagola, in present-day south Karnataka.{{sfn|Habib|Jha|2004|p=20}} These Jain accounts appeared in texts such as ''Brihakathā kośa'' (931 CE) of Harishena, ''Bhadrabāhu charita'' (1450 CE) of Ratnanandi, ''Munivaṃsa bhyudaya'' (1680 CE) and ''Rajavali kathe''.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=39–40}}{{sfn|Samuel|2010|pp=60}}{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=178}} Chandragupta lived as an ascetic at [[Shravanabelagola]] for several years before fasting to death as per the Jain practice of ''[[sallekhana]]'', according to the Digambara legend.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=39–41, 60–64}}{{sfn|Jones|Ryan|2006|p=xxviii}}{{sfn|Bentley|1993|pp=44–46}}
[[File:Tijara Jain temple painting 32.jpg|thumb|Chandragupta Maurya having 16 [[auspicious dreams in Jainism]] ]]
In accordance with the Digambara tradition, the hill on which Chandragupta is stated to have performed asceticism is now known as [[Chandragiri hill]], and Digambaras believe that Chandragupta Maurya erected an ancient temple that now survives as the [[Chandragupta basadi]].{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=40}} According to Roy, Chandragupta's abdication of throne may be dated to c. 298 BCE, and his death between 297 BCE and 293 BCE.{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=61–62}} His grandson was emperor [[Ashoka]] who is famed for his historic pillars and his role in helping spread [[Buddhism]] outside of ancient India.{{sfn|Mookerji|1962|pp=60–64}}{{sfn|Bentley|1993|pp=44-46}}

Regarding the inscriptions describing the relation of Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta Maurya, [[Radha Kumud Mukherjee|Radha Kumud Mookerji]] writes,<blockquote>The oldest inscription of about 600 AD associated "the pair (''yugma''), Bhadrabahu along with Chandragupta ''Muni''." Two inscriptions of about 900 AD on the [[Kaveri]] near [[Srirangapatna|Seringapatam]] describe the summit of a hill called [[Chandragiri hill|Chandragiri]] as marked by the footprints of Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta ''munipati''. A [[Shravanabelagola]] inscription of 1129 mentions Bhadrabahu "''Shrutakevali''", and Chandragupta who acquired such merit that he was worshipped by the forest deities. Another inscription of 1163 similarly couples and describes them. A third inscription of the year 1432 speaks of ''Yatindra'' Bhadrabahu, and his disciple Chandragupta, the fame of whose penance spread into other words.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mookerji|first=Radhakumud|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C|title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times|date=1966|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|isbn=978-81-208-0405-0|language=en}}</ref></blockquote>Along with texts, several Digambara Jain inscriptions dating from the 7th–15th century refer to Bhadrabahu and a Prabhacandra. Later Digambara tradition identified the Prabhacandra as Chandragupta, and some modern era scholars have accepted this Digambara tradition while others have not, {{sfn|Dikshitar|1993|pp=264–266}}{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}{{sfn|Fleet|1892|pp=156–162}} Several of the late Digambara inscriptions and texts in Karnataka state the journey started from Ujjain and not Patliputra (as stated in some Digambara texts).{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}{{sfn|Fleet|1892|pp=156–162}}

[[Jeffery D. Long]] – a scholar of Jain and Hindu studies {{En dash}} says in one Digambara version, it was Samprati Chandragupta who renounced, migrated and performed ''sallekhana'' in Shravanabelagola. Long states scholars attribute the disintegration of the Maurya empire to the times and actions of Samprati Chandragupta – the grandson of Ashoka and great-great-grandson of Chandragupta Maurya. The two Chandraguptas have been confused to be the same in some Digambara legends.{{sfn|Long|2013|pp=60–61}}

Scholar of Jain studies and Sanskrit [[Paul Dundas]] says the Svetambara tradition of Jainism disputes the ancient Digambara legends. According to a fifth-century text of the Svetambara Jains, the Digambara sect of Jainism was founded 609 years after Mahavira's death, or in first-century CE.{{sfn|Dundas|2003|pp=46–49}} Digambaras wrote their own versions and legends after the fifth-century, with their first expanded Digambara version of sectarian split within Jainism appearing in the tenth-century.{{sfn|Dundas|2003|pp=46–49}} The Svetambaras texts describe Bhadrabahu was based near Nepalese foothills of the Himalayas in third-century BCE, who neither moved nor travelled with Chandragupta Maurya to the south; rather, he died near Patliputra, according to the Svetambara Jains.{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}{{sfn|Dundas|2003|pp=46–49, 67–69}}{{sfn|Jyoti Prasad Jain|2005|pp=65–67}}

The 12th-century Svetambara Jain legend by Hemachandra presents a different picture. The Hemachandra version includes stories about Jain monks who could become invisible to steal food from royal storage and the Jain Brahmin Chanakya using violence and cunning tactics to expand Chandragupta's kingdom and increase royal revenues.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}} It states in verses 8.415 to 8.435, that for 15 years as king, Chandragupta was a follower of non-Jain "ascetics with the wrong view of religion" (non-Jain) and "lusted for women". Chanakya, who was a Jain follower, persuaded Chandragupta to convert to Jainism by showing that Jain ascetics avoided women and focused on their religion.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}} The legend mentions Chanakya aiding the premature birth of Bindusara,{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}} It states in verse 8.444 that "Chandragupta died in meditation (can possibly be ''sallekhana''.) and went to heaven".{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=185–188}} According to Hemachandra's legend, Chanakya also performed ''sallekhana''. {{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=185–188}}
[[File:Footprint of Chandragupta Maurya.jpg|thumb|The Footprints of Chandragupta Maurya on [[Chandragiri hill|Chandragiri]] Hill, where Chandragupta (the unifier of India and founder of the [[Maurya Empire|Maurya]] Dynasty) performed [[Sallekhana]].]]
According to [[V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar]] – an Indologist and historian, several of the Digambara legends mention Prabhacandra, who had been misidentified as Chandragupta Maurya particularly after the original publication on Shravanabelagola epigraphy by [[B. Lewis Rice]]. The earliest and most important inscriptions mention Prabhacandra, which Rice presumed may have been the "clerical name assumed by Chadragupta Maurya" after he renounced and moved with Bhadrabahu from Patliputra. Dikshitar stated there is no evidence to support this and Prabhacandra was an important Jain monk scholar who migrated centuries after Chandragupta Maurya's death.{{sfn|Dikshitar|1993|pp=264–266}} Other scholars have taken Rice's deduction of Chandragupta Maurya retiring and dying in Shravanabelagola as the working hypothesis, since no alternative historical information or evidence is available about Chandragupta's final years and death.{{sfn|Dikshitar|1993|pp=264–266}}

==Legacy==
[[File:Grand Trunk Road Route.png|thumb|Route of the Grand Trunk Road using Open Street Maps.]]
*Chandragupta Maurya commissioned the construction of the Sudarshana Lake, an artificial reservoir in present-day Gujarat. According to the Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman I (c. 150 CE), the lake was built by his provincial governor Pushyagupta.<ref>Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman I. ''Epigraphia Indica'', Vol. VIII, pp. 36–49.</ref> The lake, a major feat of Mauryan engineering, remained in use for nearly a thousand years, later repaired by Rudradaman and Skandagupta.<ref>Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1967). ''Political History of Ancient India''. University of Calcutta. p. 145.</ref>
[[File:Lake on Girnar Taleti.jpg|thumb|Sudarshana Lake]]
*Chandragupta Maurya established the original corridor of the [[Grand Trunk Road]], known then as the ''Uttarapatha''. It connected Takshashila in the northwest to Pataliputra and further east to Tamralipta. The road, lined with rest houses and mile markers, facilitated trade, military movement, and administration, and remains one of the oldest continuously used roads in the world.<ref>Smith, Vincent A. (1911). ''The Early History of India''. Clarendon Press. pp. 156–157.</ref>
*A memorial to Chandragupta Maurya exists on [[Chandragiri hill]] in [[Shravanabelagola]], [[Karnataka]].{{sfn|Vallely|2018|pp=182–183}}

{{Gallery
|title=
|width=160 | height=170
|align=center
|footer=
|File:Chandragupta Maurya Stamp.jpg
|The [[Indian Postal Service]] issued a [[Commemorative stamp|commemorative postage stamp]] honouring Chandragupta Maurya in 2001.<ref name="PIBRelease">[http://pib.nic.in/archieve/lreleng/lyr2001/rjul2001/19072001/r190720012.html Commemorative postage stamp on Chandragupta Maurya] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427002333/http://pib.nic.in/archieve/lreleng/lyr2001/rjul2001/19072001/r190720012.html |date=27 April 2013 }}, Press Information Bureau, Govt. of India</ref>
|alt1=Commemorative stamp featuring Chandragupta Maurya
|File:Painting of Chandragupta and Cāṇakya.png
|Painting of Chandragupta and [[Chanakya]] in the central hall of the Srimadbhagavadgita Temple, [[Mathura ]].
|alt2=Artistic depiction of Chandragupta and Cāṇakya
|File:Capjhture (2).png
|Painting of Chandragupta and [[Chanakya]] in the hall of the New Vishwanath Temple, [[Varanasi]].
|alt3=Artwork portraying Chandragupta and Cāṇakya in Varanasi
|File:Chandragupta Maurya and Bhadrabahu.jpg
|Statue of Chandrgupta and [[Bhadrabahu]] at [[Shravanabelagola]].
|alt4=Artwork portraying Chandragupta and Bhadrabahu in Shravanabelagola
|File:Chandragupt maurya Birla mandir 6 dec 2009 (31).JPG
|Statue of the Chandragupta Maurya at Birla Temple, [[Delhi]].
|alt4=Artwork portraying Chandragupta and Bhadrabahu in Shravanabelagola
}}

==In popular culture==
*''Mudrarakshasa'' is a political drama in Sanskrit by [[Vishakhadatta]] composed 600 years after the conquest of Chandragupta – probably between 300 CE and 700 CE.{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=61–62}}
* [[Dwijendralal Ray|D. L. Roy]] wrote a Bengali drama named ''[[Chandragupta (play)|Chandragupta]]'' based on the life of Chandragupta. The story of the play is loosely borrowed from the [[Puranas]] and the Greek history.{{sfn|Ghosh|2001|pp=44–46}}
*Chanakya's role in the formation of the Maurya Empire is the essence of a historical/spiritual novel ''The Courtesan and the Sadhu'' by Dr. Mysore N. Prakash.<ref>''The Courtesan and the Sadhu, A Novel about Maya, Dharma, and God'', October 2008, Dharma Vision LLC., {{ISBN|978-0-9818237-0-6}}, Library of Congress Control Number: 2008934274</ref>
*''Chandragupta'' is a 1920 Indian silent film about the Mauryan king.<ref>{{cite book|author=[[Bhagwan Das Garga]]|title=So Many Cinemas: The Motion Picture in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wXRZAAAAMAAJ|year=1996|publisher=Eminence Designs|isbn=978-81-900602-1-9|page=43}}</ref>
*[[Chandragupta (film)|''Chandragupta'']] is a 1934 Indian film directed by [[Abdur Rashid Kardar]].
* ''[[Chandraguptha Chanakya]]'' is an Indian [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language historical drama film directed by C. K. Sachi, starring Bhavani K. Sambamurthy as Chandragupta.
*''Samrat Chandragupta'' is a 1945 Indian historical film by [[Jayant Desai]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Screen World Publication's 75 Glorious Years of Indian Cinema: Complete Filmography of All Films (silent & Hindi) Produced Between 1913-1988|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q7UEAQAAIAAJ|year=1988|publisher=Screen World Publication|page=109}}</ref>
*''Samrat Chandragupt'' is a 1958 Indian historical fiction film by [[Babubhai Mistry]], a remake of the 1945 film. It stars [[Bharat Bhushan]] in the titular role of the emperor.<ref>{{cite book|author=Hervé Dumont|title=L'Antiquité au cinéma: vérités, légendes et manipulations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ke0nAQAAIAAJ|year=2009|publisher=Nouveau Monde|isbn=978-2-84736-476-7}}</ref>
*The story of [[Chanakya]] and Chandragupta was made into a film in [[Telugu language|Telugu]] in 1977 titled ''[[Chanakya Chandragupta]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0259242/|title=Chanakya Chandragupta (1977)|work=IMDb|date=25 August 1977|access-date=2016-02-20|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311074910/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0259242/|archive-date=11 March 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
*The television series ''[[Chanakya (TV series)|Chanakya]]'' is an account of the life and times of Chanakya, based on the play "Mudra Rakshasa" (The Signet Ring of "Rakshasa").<ref name="ie-8sept91">{{cite news |title= Television |newspaper= The Indian Express |date= 8 September 1991 |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0X1lAAAAIBAJ&pg=0,1743861 |access-date= 22 August 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180511072641/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0X1lAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wZ0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=0,1743861 |archive-date= 11 May 2018 |url-status= live }}</ref>
*In 2011, a television series called ''[[Chandragupta Maurya (2011 TV series)|Chandragupta Maurya]]'' was telecast on [[Imagine TV]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/idiotbox/chandragupta-maurya-comes-to-small-screen_79683.html|title=Chandragupta Maurya comes to small screen|work=Zee News|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235717/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/idiotbox/chandragupta-maurya-comes-to-small-screen_79683.html|archive-date=3 March 2016|df=dmy-all|date=2011-01-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/Chandragupta-Maurya-on-Sony-TV/articleshow/13009059.cms|title=Chandragupta Maurya on Sony TV?|work=The Times of India|date=5 May 2012 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104234227/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/Chandragupta-Maurya-on-Sony-TV/articleshow/13009059.cms|archive-date=4 January 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=TV|first=Imagine|title=Channel|url=http://www.imagine.tv/in/shows/subhome/123/1779/|work=TV Channel|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725194239/http://www.imagine.tv/in/shows/subhome/123/1779/|archive-date=25 July 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
*In 2016, the television series ''[[Chandra Nandini]]'' was a fictionalized romance saga.<ref>{{cite news |title= Real truth behind Chandragupta's birth, his first love Durdhara and journey to becoming the Mauryan King |date= 17 October 2016 |url= https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/real-truth-about-chandragupta-maurya-his-birth-his-real-wives-and-death |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171028043805/https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/real-truth-about-chandragupta-maurya-his-birth-his-real-wives-and-death |archive-date= 28 October 2017 |df= dmy-all }}</ref>
*In 2018, a television series called ''[[Chandragupt Maurya (2018 TV Series)|Chandragupta Maurya]]'' portrays the life of Chandragupta Maurya.<ref>{{cite news |title='Chandraguta Maurya' to launch in November on Sony TV |url=https://www.bizasialive.com/chandragupta-maurya-to-launch-in-november-on-sony-tv/ |access-date=18 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113170050/https://www.bizasialive.com/chandragupta-maurya-to-launch-in-november-on-sony-tv/ |archive-date=13 November 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*He is a leader of the Indian civilization in the ''[[Civilization VI: Rise and Fall|Rise and Fall]]'' expansion of the [[4X]] video game [[Civilization VI]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://civilization.com/news/entries/civilization-vi-rise-and-fall-chandragupta-leads-india/|title=Civilization VI – The Official Site {{!}} News {{!}} CIVILIZATION VI: RISE AND FALL - CHANDRAGUPTA LEADS INDIA|website=civilization.com|language=en|access-date=2018-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727024252/https://civilization.com/news/entries/civilization-vi-rise-and-fall-chandragupta-leads-india/|archive-date=27 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
*''[[Nobunaga the Fool]]'', a Japanese stage play and anime, features a character named Chandragupta based on the emperor.
*In the 2001 film ''[[Aśoka (film)|Aśoka]]'', directed by [[Santosh Sivan]], Bollywood producer [[Umesh Mehra]] played the role of Chandragupta Maurya.

==See also==

*[[List of Indian monarchs]]
*[[List of Jain states and dynasties]]
*[[Mauryan art]]
*[[Shashigupta]]

==Notes==
{{notelist|30em}}
{{reflist|group=note|30em}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30}}

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{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Library resources box}}
*{{cite book |last=Bongard-Levin |first=Grigory Maksimovich |date=1985 |title=Mauryan India |location=New Delhi |publisher=Sterling Publishers |oclc=14395730 |author-link=Grigory Bongard-Levin }}
*{{citation |last=Kosmin |first=Paul J. |author-link=Paul J. Kosmin |title=The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in Seleucid Empire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9UWdAwAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-674-72882-0 }}
*{{citation |last=Mani |first=Braj Ranjan |title=Debrahmanising history: dominance and resistance in Indian society |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-kEwAQAAIAAJ |year=2005 |publisher=Manohar |isbn=978-81-7304-640-7 }}
*{{citation |last=Roy |first=Kaushik |title=Warfare in Pre-British India–1500BCE to 1740CE |publisher=Routledge | year=2015 }}
*{{citation |last=Sagar |first=Krishna Chandra |title=Foreign Influence on Ancient India |publisher=Northern Book Centre |year=1992 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0UA4rkm9MgkC |isbn=9788172110284 }}

==External links==

*[https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.34822/page/n3 Maurya and Sunga Art], N R Ray

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|Maurya dynasty||||}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Dhana Nanda]] (as king of the [[Magadha|Magadha Empire]])}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Maurya Empire#List of rulers|Emperor of the Maurya Empire]]|years=322–297 BCE}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Bindusara]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Patna|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:3rd-century BC Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:4th-century BC Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:290s BC deaths]]
[[Category:Mauryan emperors]]
[[Category:Founding monarchs]]
[[Category:3rd-century BC Hindus]]
[[Category:4th-century BC Hindus]]

Maurya Empire

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#REDIRECT [[Mauryan Empire]]

Template talk:Uttarakhand

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==cleaning==
The template image was deleted long back. [[User:Devanam|Devanam]] ([[User talk:Devanam|talk]]) 14:41, 11 May 2026 (IST)

Chandragupta Maurya

2026-05-11T09:08:14Z

Devanam: re-framing and cleaning, revised version

{{Infobox royalty
| title = [[Chakravartin|Chakravartin Samraat]] Maharajadhiraja Mahāsammata
| image = Chandragupta Maurya stamp.jpg
| image_size =
| alt = Stamp on Chandragupta Maurya
| caption = Chandragupta Maurya stamp issued by Indian Government in 2001
| succession = 1st [[List of Mauryan rulers|Mauryan Emperor]]
| reign = {{circa|324 or 321|297 BCE}}<ref name="britchandrag">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Chandragupta |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Chandragupta |access-date=2026-05-11}}</ref>{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2016|p=330}}
| father = [[Chandravardhana Maurya]]
| mother = [[Dharmadevi Maurya]]
| coronation = c. 324 or 321 BCE
| predecessor = Emperor [[Dhana Nanda]] (Nanda Dynasty)
| reg-type = Amatya
| successor = Emperor [[Bindusara Maurya]] (son){{sfn|Upinder Singh|2016|p=331}}
| spouses = Empress [[Durdhara]]
| issue = Emperor [[Bindusara Maurya]] , Justin (Kshenak)
| dynasty = [[Maurya Empire|Maurya]]
| religion = [[Hinduism]]{{sfn|Sastri|1988|pp=163–164}}<ref name="India1960">{{citation|last1=Majumdar|first1=R. C.|author-link1=R. C. Majumdar|last2=Raychauduhuri|first2=H. C.|author-link2=H. C. Raychaudhuri|last3=Datta|first3=Kalikinkar|title=An Advanced History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MyIWMwEACAAJ|year=1960|publisher=Macmillan & Company Ltd; New York: St Martin's Press|location=London|quote=If the Jaina tradition is to be believed, Chandragupta was converted to the religion of Mahavira. He is said to have abdicated his throne and passed his last days at Sravana Belgola in Mysore. Greek evidence, however, suggests that the first Maurya did not give up the performance of sacrificial rites and was far from following the Jaina creed of ''Ahimsa'' or non-injury to animals. He took delight in hunting, a practice that was continued by his son and alluded to by his grandson in his eighth Rock Edict. It is, however, possible that in his last days he showed some predilection for Jainism ...}}</ref>
 [[Jainism]]<ref name="India1960" />
}}
{{Maurya}}
'''Chandragupta Maurya'''{{efn|{{Ubl | [[Pali|Pāli]]:चन्दगुत्त मोरीय | [[Sanskrit]]: चन्द्रगुप्त मौर्य | {{lang-grc|Σανδράκοπτος}} {{transl|grc|Sandrákoptos}} {{lang|grc|Σανδράκοττος}} {{transl|grc|Sandrákottos}} {{lang|grc|Ανδροκόττος}} {{transl|grc|Androkóttos}}}}}} (350-295 BCE) was the first emperor of the [[Mauryan Empire]] in [[Ancient India]]. He extensively expanded the [[Kingdom of Magadha]] and founded the Maurya dynasty.<ref name=chakrabarti-maurya-dynasty>{{citation|last=Chakrabarty|first=Dilip K.|author-link=Dilip K. Chakrabarti|title=The Geopolitical Orbits of Ancient India: The Geographical Frames of the Ancient Indian Dynasties |location=New Delhi, Oxford and New York|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=29|year=2010|isbn= 978-0-19-908832-4|quote=We are assuming that the basic historical-geographical configuration of the Magadhan power was achieved before the beginning of the Maurya dynasty, whose founder Chandragupta Maurya simply added to it the stretch from the Indus valley to the southern foot of the Hindukush, giving the Mauryan India a strong foothold in the Oxus to the Indus interaction zone of Indian history. The evidence is in some cases, as in the cases of [[Gujarat]], [[Bengal]], and [[Assam]], shadowy, but if Chandragupta had undertaken expeditions in these directions, there would have been echoes of these expeditions in the literary traditions.}}</ref> He reigned from 320 BCE to 298 BCE.<ref name=fisher-env-history>{{citation|last=Fisher|first=Michael|title=An Environmental History of India, From the Earliest Times to the Twenty-First-Century|location=Cambridge and New York|series=New Approaches in Asian History Series|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2018|page=71|isbn=9781107111622|quote=Chandragupta (r. 320 – c. 298 BCE) led a rebellion that seized power in Magadha and founded the Maurya Dynasty. He located his capital Pataliputra (today’s Patna) at an especially strategic trading and defensive location, on the south bank of the Ganges where the Son River joined it. The actual origins of the Maurya family remain uncertain, but consensus holds that Chandragupta was low-born. One popular account asserts he was the previous king’s son by a low-ranked queen or concubine and overthrew his royal half-brothers. }}</ref> The [[Magadhan kingdom]] under the Mauryas expanded to become an [[Mauryan empire|empire]] that reached its peak under the reign of his grandson, [[Ashoka|Asoka]], from 268 BCE to 231 BCE.<ref name=bose-jalal>{{citation|last1=Bose|first1=Sugata|author1-link=Sugata Bose|last2=Jalal|first2=Ayesha|author2-link=Ayesha Jalal|title=Modern South Asia: History, Culture, Political Economy|location=London and New York|publisher=Routledge|year=|isbn=|page=39|quote=The political history of the centuries following the rise of Buddhism and Jainism saw the emergence and consolidation of powerful regional states in northern India. Among the strongest of these was the kingdom of Magadha, with its capital at Pataliputra (near the modern city of Patna). The [[Magadha|Magadhan kingdom]] expanded under the Maurya dynasty in the fourth and fifth centuries BCE to become an empire embracing almost the whole of the subcontinent. Chandragupta Maurya founded the dynasty in 322 BCE, just a few years after Alexander the Great's brief foray into northwestern India. The Maurya empire reached its apogee under the reign of Ashoka (268–231 BCE)}}</ref> The nature of the political formation that existed in Chandragupta's time is not certain.<ref name=burton-stein-maurya>{{citation|last1=Stein|first1=Burton|author1-link=Burton Stein|last2=Arnold|first2=David|author2-link=David Arnold (historian)|title=A History of India|page=16|edition=2|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|year=2010|isbn=978-1-4051-9509-6|quote=Around 270 bce, the first Indian documentary records, issued by the Buddhist king Ashoka, were added to the Greek source. Though Ashoka’s inscriptions were deciphered in the nineteenth century, we still cannot be sure about the political formation that existed under this Mauryan king, much less under the kingdom’s founder, Ashoka’s grandfather Chandragupta, who was possibly a contemporary of Alexander. Evidence in the form of a Sanskrit treatise called the Arthashastra – depicting a centralized, tyrannical, spy-ridden and compulsively controlling regime – probably does not pertain to Mauryan times. If its political world was not pure theory, it could only have been achieved within a small city-state, not a realm as vast as that defined by the distribution of Ashoka’s inscriptions, over some 1500 miles from Afghanistan to southern India.}}</ref>
Chandragupta Maurya was an important figure in the [[history of India]], who laid the foundations of the first state that united most of India. Chandragupta, under the tutelage of [[Chanakya]], created a new empire based on the principles of statecraft, built a large army, and continued expanding the boundaries of his empire until ultimately renouncing it for an ascetic life in his final years.
[[File:Chandragupta Maurya stamp.jpg|thumb|Chandragupta Maurya stamp issued by Indian Government in 2001]]
Prior to his consolidation of power, [[Alexander the Great]] had invaded the North-West Indian subcontinent before abandoning his campaign in 324 BCE due to a mutiny caused by the prospect of facing another large empire, presumably the [[Nanda Empire]]. Chandragupta defeated and conquered both the Nanda Empire and the Greek satraps that were appointed or formed from Alexander's Empire in [[South Asia]]. He set out to [[Conquest of the Nanda Empire|conquer the Nanda Empire]] centered in [[Pataliputra]], [[Magadha]]. Afterwards, Chandragupta expanded and secured his western border, where he was confronted by [[Seleucus I Nicator]] in the [[Seleucid–Mauryan war]]. After two years of war, Chandragupta was considered to have gained the upper hand in the conflict and annexed satrapies up to the [[Hindu Kush]]. Instead of prolonging the war, both parties settled on a marriage treaty between Chandragupta and [[Seleucus I Nicator]]'s daughter Helena.

[[File:Chandragupta wedding.png|thumb|The wedding Maṇḍapa depicting the marriage of Chandragupta and Helena.The Maṇḍapa painted in the [[Laxminarayan Temple]], New Delhi.]]

Chandragupta's empire extended throughout most of the Indian subcontinent, spanning from modern day [[Bengal]] to [[Afghanistan]] across North India as well as making inroads into Central and South India. Contemporary Greek evidence states that Chandragupta did not give up performing the rites of sacrificing animals associated with [[Vedic Brahminism]], an ancient form of Hinduism; he delighted in hunting and otherwise leading a life remote from the Jain practice of ''[[Ahimsa]]'' or nonviolence towards living beings.<ref name="India1960" /><ref>The authors and their affiliations listed in the title page of the reference (which has the Wikipedia page ''[[An Advanced History of India]]'') are: R. C. Majumdar, M.A., Ph.D. Vice-Chancellor, Dacca University; H. C. Raychaudhuri, M.A., Ph.D., Carmichael Professor of Ancient Indian History and Culture, Calcutta University; and Kalikinkar Datta, M.A., Ph.D. Premchand Raychand Scholar, Mount Medallist, Griffith Prizeman, Professor and Head of the Department of History, Patna College, Patna</ref> Chandragupta's reign, and the Maurya Empire, set an era of economic prosperity, reforms, infrastructure expansions, and tolerance. Many religions thrived within his realms and his descendants' empire. [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]] and [[Ājīvika]] gained prominence alongside [[Vedic]] and [[Brahmanism|Brahmanistic]] traditions, and minority religions such as [[Zoroastrianism]] and the [[Greek pantheon]] were respected. A memorial for Chandragupta Maurya exists on the [[Chandragiri hill]] along with a seventh-century hagiographic inscription.

==Historical sources==

Chandragupta's life and accomplishments are described in ancient and historical Greek, Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain texts, but they significantly vary in detail.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=2-14, 229-235}} Chandragupta was born about 340 BC and died at about 295 BC. His main biographical sources in chronological order are:{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=3-14}}
* Greek and Roman sources, which are the oldest surviving records that mention Chandragupta or circumstances related to him; these include works written by [[Nearchus]], [[Onesicritus]], [[Aristobulus of Cassandreia]], [[Strabo]], [[Megasthenes]], [[Diodorus]], [[Arrian]], [[Pliny the Elder]], [[Plutarch]] and [[Justin (historian)|Justin]].
* Hindu texts such as the [[Puranas]] and [[Arthashastra]]; later composed Hindu sources include legends in [[Vishakhadatta]]'s [[Mudrarakshasa]], [[Somadeva]]'s [[Kathasaritsagara]] and [[Kshemendra]]'s [[Brihatkathamanjari]].
* Buddhist sources are those dated in fourth-century or after, including the Sri Lankan Pali texts [[Dipavamsa]] (''Rajavamsa'' section), [[Mahavamsa]], [[Mahavamsa tika]] and [[Mahabodhivamsa]].
* 7th to 10th century Jain inscriptions at [[Shravanabelagola|Shravanabelgola]]; these are disputed by scholars as well as the Svetambara Jain tradition.{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}{{sfn|Fleet|1892|pp=156–162}} The second Digambara text interpreted to be mentioning the Maurya emperor is dated to about the 10th-century such as in the ''Brhatkathakosa'' of [[Harisena (Jain monk)]], while the complete Jain legend about Chandragupta is found in the 12th-century [[Parisishtaparvan]] by [[Hemachandra]].

The Greek and Roman texts do not mention Chandragupta directly, except for a second-century text written by the Roman historian [[Justin (historian)|Justin]]. They predominantly mention the last [[Nanda Empire|Nanda emperor]], who usurped the throne of the king before him. Justin states that Chandragupta was of humble origin, and includes stories of miraculous legends associated with him, such as a wild elephant appearing and submitting itself to him as a ride to him before a battle. Justin's text notes that Chandragupta and Chanakya defeated and removed Nanda from his throne. {{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=5-7}} [[Megasthenes]]' account, as it has survived in Greek texts that quote him, states that [[Alexander the Great]] and Chandragupta met, which, if true, would mean his rule started before 321 BCE. He is described as a great king, but not as great in power and influence as [[Porus the Elder|Porus]] in northwestern India or Agrammes ([[Dhana Nanda]]) in eastern India. As Alexander did not cross the [[Beas river]], Chandragupta's territory probably included the [[Punjab region]].{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2017|pp=264–265}}

The pre-4th century Hindu Puranic texts mostly mirror the Greek sources. These texts do not discuss the details of Chandragupta's ancestry, but rather cover the ancestry of the last Nanda king. The Nanda king is described to be cruel, against [[dharma]] and [[shastra]]s, and born out of an illicit relationship followed by a coup.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=7–9}} The Chanakya's ''Arthasastra'' refers to the Nanda rule as against the spiritual, cultural, and military interests of the country, a period where intrigue and vice multiplied.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=7–9}} Chanakya states that Chandragupta returned dharma, nurtured diversity of views, and ruled virtuously that kindled love among the subjects for his rule. {{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=7–9}}

Buddhist texts such as ''[[Mahavamsa]]'' describe Chandragupta to be of [[Kshatriya]] origin.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=14}} These sources, written about seven centuries after his dynasty ended, state that both Chandragupta and his grandson Ashoka – a patron of Buddhism {{En dash}} were from a branch of the [[Shakya]] noble family, from which [[Gautama Buddha]] descended.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13-15}} These Buddhist sources attempt to link the dynasty of their patron Ashoka directly to the Buddha.{{sfn|Thapar|1961|p=12}} The sources claim that the family branched off to escape persecution from a king of the [[Kosala Kingdom]] and Chandragupta's ancestors moved into a secluded Himalayan kingdom known for its peacocks. The Buddhist sources explain the epithet ''maurya'' comes from these peacocks, or ''Mora'' in Pali (Sanskrit: Mayura). {{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13-15}} The Buddhist texts are inconsistent; some offer other legends to explain his epithet. For example, they mention a city named "Moriya-nagara" where all buildings were made of bricks colored like the peacock's neck.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13-14}} The ''Maha-bodhi-vasa'' states he hailed from Moriya-nagara, while the ''Digha-Nikaya'' states he came from the maurya clan of Pipphalivana.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=14}}
{{Gallery
|title=
|width=160 | height=170
|align=center
|footer=
|File:Balustrade peacock Sanchi Stupa No1.jpg
|Design of a [[peacock]], on the stairway balustrade of the Great Stupa at [[Sanchi]].
|alt1=Chandragupta Maurya relation with Pipphalivana
|File:Indian Museum Sculpture - Peacock (9217548983).jpg
|Design of a peacock, on the railing of the [[Bharhuta Stupa]].
|alt2=Chandragupta Maurya relation with Pipphalivana
}}
The Buddhist sources also mention that "Brahmin Chanakya" was his counselor and with whose support Chandragupta became the king at Patliputra. .{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13-14}} He has also been variously identified with [[Shashigupta]] (which has same etymology as of Chandragupta) of [[Paropamisadae]] on the account of same life events.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Seth |first1=H. C. |title=Did Candragupta Maurya belong to North-Western India? |journal=Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute |date=1937 |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=158–165 |jstor=41688339 |issn=0378-1143}}</ref>

[[File:7th-century Bhadrabahu Sanskrit inscription, Purvahale Kannada script, Shravanabelgola Karnataka.jpg|thumb|upright=1.65|7th-century [[Bhadrabahu]] inscription at [[Shravanabelagola]] ([[Sanskrit]], Purvahale Kannada script). This is the oldest inscription at the site, and it mentions Bhadrabahu and [[Prabhācandra|Prabhacandra]]. [[B. Lewis Rice|Lewis Rice]] and [[Digambara Jainism|Digambara Jains]] interpret Prabhacandra to be Chandragupta Maurya, while others such as [[John Faithfull Fleet|J F Fleet]], [[V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar]], and [[Śvētāmbara|Svetambara]] Jains state this interpretation is wrong. {{sfn|Dikshitar|1993|pp=264–266}}{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}{{sfn|Fleet|1892|pp=156–162}}]]
The 12th-century Digambara text ''[[Parishishtaparvan]]'' by [[Hemachandra]] is the main and earliest Jain source of the complete legend of Chandragupta. It was written nearly 1,400 years after Chandragupta's death. Canto 8, verses 170 to 469, describes the legend of Chandragupta and Chanakya's influence on him. {{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=14}}{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}} Other Digambara Jain sources state he moved to [[Karnataka]] after renouncing his kingdom and performed [[Sallekhana]] – the Jain religious ritual of peacefully welcoming death by fasting.{{sfn|Jones|Ryan|2006|p=xxviii}} The earliest mention of Chandragupta's ritual death is found in [[Harisena]]'s ''Brhatkathakosa'', a Sanskrit text of stories about Digambara Jains. The ''Brhatkathakosa'' describes the legend of Bhadrabahu and mentions Chandragupta in its 131st story.{{sfn|Jaini|1991|pp=43–44}} However, the story makes no mention of the Maurya empire, and mentions that his disciple Chandragupta lived in and migrated from [[Ujjain]] – a kingdom (northwest Madhya Pradesh) about a thousand kilometers west of the [[Magadha]] and [[Pataliputra|Patliputra]] (central Bihar). This has led to the proposal that [[Harisena (Jain monk)|Harisena's]] Chandragupta may be a later era, different person.{{sfn|Jaini|1991|pp=43–44}}{{sfn|Dikshitar|1993|pp=264–266}}{{sfn|Upādhye|1977|pp=272–273}}

== Date ==

None of the ancient texts mention when Chandragupta was born. [[Plutarch]] claims that he was a young man when he met [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]] during the [[Indian campaign of Alexander the Great|latter's invasion of India]] ({{Circa|326}}-325 BCE). Assuming the Plutarch account is true, Raychaudhuri proposed in 1923 that Chandragupta may have been born after 350 BCE.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1923|p=142}} According to other Greco-Roman texts, Chandragupta attacked the Greek-Indian governors after Alexander's death ({{Circa|323 BCE}}) with [[Seleucus I Nicator]] entering into a treaty with Chandragupta years later.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1923|p=137}} Seleucus Nicator, under this treaty, gave up Arachosia (Kandahar), Gedrosia (Makran), and Paropanisadai (Paropamisadae, Kabul) to Chandragupta, in exchange for 500 war elephants. {{sfn|Upinder Singh|2017|pp=264–265}}

The texts do not include the start or end year of Chandragupta's reign.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1923|p=138}} According to some Hindu and Buddhist texts, Chandragupta ruled for 24 years.{{sfn|Thapar|1961|p=13}} The Buddhist sources state Chandragupta Maurya ruled 162 years after the death of the Buddha.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|pp=134–142}} However, the Buddha's birth and death vary by source and all these lead to a chronology that is significantly different from the Greek-Roman records. Similarly, Jain sources composed give different gaps between [[Mahavira|Mahavira's]] death and his accession.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|pp=134–142}} As with the Buddha's death, the date of Mahavira's death itself is also a matter of debate, and the inconsistencies and lack of unanimity among the Jain authors cast doubt on Jain sources. This Digambara Jain chronology, also, is not reconcilable with the chronology implied in other Indian and non-Indian sources.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|pp=134–142}}

Historians such as [[Irfan Habib]] and Vivekanand Jha assign Chandragupta's reign to c. 322-298 BCE.{{sfn|Habib|Jha|2004|p=15}} Upinder Singh dates his rule from 324 or 321 BCE to 297 BCE.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2016|p=331}} Kristi Wiley states he reigned between 320 and 293 BCE.{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}

== Early life ==
The Buddhist sources, written centuries later, claim that both Chandragupta and his grandson, the great patron of Buddhism called [[Ashoka]], were of noble lineage. Some texts link him to the same family of Sakyas from which the [[Buddha]] came, adding that his epithet ''Moriya'' (Sanskrit: Maurya, Mayura) comes from ''Mora'', which in Pali means peacock. Most Buddhist texts state that Chandragupta was a Kshatriya, the Hindu warrior class in Magadha and a student of Chanakya.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13-18}} The Buddhist texts are inconsistent, with some including legends about a city named "Moriya-nagara" where all buildings were made of bricks colored like the peacock's resplendent neck.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13-14}} The Jain sources, also written centuries later, claim Chandragupta to be the son of a village chief, a village known for raising peacocks.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13-14}}

One medieval commentator states Chandragupta to be the son of one of the Nanda's wives with the name Mura.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=7–9}} Other sources describe Mura as a concubine of the king.<ref name=":1">{{cite book |title=The Cambridge History of India |year=1968 |editor=Edward James Rapson |volume=4 |page=470 |quote="His surname Maurya is explained by Indian authorities as mean 'son of Mura,' who is described as a concubine of the king. |editor2=Wolseley Haig |editor3=Richard Burn |editor4=Henry Dodwell |editor5=Mortimer Wheeler}}</ref> Another Sanskrit dramatic text [[Mudrarakshasa]] uses the terms ''Vrishala'' and ''Kula-Hina'' (meaning - "not descending from a recognized clan or family.") to describe Chandragupta.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=9–11}} The word ''Vrishala'' has two meanings: one is the ''son of a [[Shudra]]''; the other means the ''best of kings''. A later commentator used the former interpretation to posit that Chandragupta had a Shudra background. However, historian [[Radha Kumud Mukherjee]] opposed this theory, and stated that the word should be interpreted as "the best of kings".{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=9–11}} The same drama also refers to Chandragupta as someone of humble origin, like Justin.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=9–11}} According to the 11th-century texts of the Kashmiri Hindu tradition – [[Kathasaritsagara]] and ''Brihat-Katha-Manjari'' – the Nanda lineage was very short. Chandragupta was a son of Purva-Nanda, the older Nanda based in Ayodhya. {{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=13}}{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=15-18}}{{refn|note|According to Kaushik Roy, Chandragupta Maurya was a [[Shudra]] lineage, king.{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=61-62}}}} The common theme in the Hindu sources is that Chandragupta came from a humble background and with Chanakya, he emerged as a dharmic king loved by his subjects.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=7–13}}

According to the Digambara legend by Hemachandra, [[Chanakya]] was a Jain layperson and a Brahmin. When Chanakya was born, Jain monks prophesied that Chanakya will one day grow up to help make someone an emperor and will be the power behind the throne.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=6}}{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}} Chanakya believed in the prophecy and fulfilled it by agreeing to help the daughter of a peacock-breeding community chief deliver a baby boy. In exchange, he asked the mother to give up the boy and let him adopt him at a later date.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=14}}{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}} The Jain Brahmin then went about making money through magic, and returned later to claim young Chandragupta,{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}} whom he taught and trained. Together, they recruited soldiers and attacked the [[Nanda Empire|Nanda kingdom]]. Eventually, they won and proclaimed Patliputra as their capital.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}}

=== Education ===

Chandragupta Maurya's influential prime minister [[Chanakya]] is said to have taught at Taxila.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Schlichtmann|first1=Klaus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1UYKDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT29|title=A Peace History of India: From Ashoka Maurya to Mahatma Gandhi|date=2016|publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd|isbn=9789385563522|page=29|language=en}}</ref> The Buddhist text ''Mahavamsa-tika'' states that Chanakya took Chandragupta to the [[University of ancient Taxila|Taxila University]] for training and education, where he was educated in "all the sciences and arts" of the time, including military science. He studied there for eight years.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=18-23, 53-54, 140-141}}<ref>{{cite journal|last=Modelski|first=George|year=1964|title=Kautilya: Foreign Policy and International System in the Ancient Hindu World.|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_american-political-science-review_1964-09_58_3/page/549|journal=American Political Science Review|publisher=Cambridge University Press (CUP)|volume=58|issue=3|pages=549–560|doi=10.2307/1953131|jstor=1953131|issn=0003-0554}}</ref> This account aligns with Plutarch's claim that Alexander met a young Chandragupta during his military campaign in Punjab:<ref name="RM16">{{cite book|last1=Mookerji|first1=Radhakumud|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA16|title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times|date=1966|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=9788120804050|pages=16–17|language=en|author-link1=Radha Kumud Mukherjee}}</ref>

{{quote|Androcottus, when he was a stripling, saw Alexander himself, and we are told that he often said in later times that Alexander narrowly missed making himself master of the country, since its king was hated and despised on account of his baseness and low birth.|Plutarch, Life of Alexander 62:9<ref>{{Cite web|title=Plutarch 62.9|url=https://topostext.org/work/172#Alex.62.9|access-date=2024-03-25|website=topostext.org}}</ref>}}

== Influence of Chanakya ==
[[File:Chanakya artistic depiction.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|alt=Chanakya|Chandragupta's [[guru]] was [[Chanakya]], with whom he studied as a child and with whose counsel he built the Empire. This image is a 1915 attempt at depicting Chanakya.]]

The Buddhist and Hindu sources present different versions of how Chandragupta met [[Chanakya]]. Broadly, they mention young Chandragupta creating a mock game of a royal court that he and his shepherd friends played near [[Vindhya Range|Vinjha forest]]. Chanakya saw him give orders to the others, bought him from the hunter, and adopted Chandragupta.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=15–17}} Chanakya taught and admitted him in [[Taxila]] to study the Vedas, military arts, law, and other sastras.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=15–17}}<ref>{{cite journal | last=Modelski | first=George | title=Kautilya: Foreign Policy and International System in the Ancient Hindu World | journal=American Political Science Review | publisher=Cambridge University Press | volume=58 | issue=3 | year=1964 | doi=10.2307/1953131 | pages=549–560| jstor=1953131 | s2cid=144135587 }}; Quote: "Kautilya is believed to have been Chanakya, a Brahmin who served as prime Minister to Chandragupta (321–296 B.C.), the founder of the Mauryan Empire."</ref>

After [[Taxila]], Chandragupta and [[Chanakya]] moved to [[Pataliputra]], the capital and a historic learning center in the eastern [[Magadha]] kingdom of India. They met Nanda there according to Hindu sources, and [[Dhana Nanda]] according to [[Pali]]-language Buddhist sources.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=19–20}} Chandragupta became a commander of the Nanda army, but according to Justin, Chandragupta offended the Nanda king ("Nandrum" or "Nandrus") who ordered his execution.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=6}} An alternative version states that it was the Nanda king who was publicly insulted by Chanakya.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=18}} Chandragupta and Chanakya escaped and became rebels who planned to remove the Nanda king from power.{{sfn|Habib|Jha|2004|p=14}}{{refn|group=note|Some early printed editions of Justin's work wrongly mentioned "Alexandrum" instead of "Nandrum"; this error was corrected in philologist [[J. W. McCrindle]]'s 1893 translation. In the 20th century, historians [[Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri]] and [[R. C. Majumdar]] believed "Alexandrum" to be correct reading, and theorized that Justin refers to a meeting between Chandragupta and [[Alexander the Great]] ("Alexandrum"). However, this is incorrect: research by historian [[Alfred von Gutschmid]] in the preceding century had clearly established that "Nandrum" is the correct reading supported by multiple manuscripts: only a single defective manuscript mentions "Alexandrum" in the margin.{{sfn|Trautmann|1970|pp=240-241}}}} The ''Mudrarakshasa'' also states that Chanakya swore to destroy the Nanda dynasty after he felt insulted by the king.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=History: Biography of Chandragupta Maurya and His Maurya Empire |url=https://www.mizanurrmizan.info/2022/08/history-biography-of-chandragupta-maurya-and-his-maurya-empire.html |access-date=2022-08-05 |website=Md. Mizanur Rahaman Mizan|date=4 August 2022 }}</ref>{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=18}}

The Roman text by [[Justin (historian)|Justin]] mentions a couple of miraculous incidents that involved Sandracottus (Chandragupta) and presents these legends as omens and portents of his fate. In the first incident, when Chandragupta was asleep after having escaped from Nandrum, a big lion came up to him, licked him, and then left. In the second incident, when Chandragupta was readying for war with Alexander's generals, a huge wild elephant approached him and offered itself to be his steed.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=32}}

== Names and titles ==
[[File:Chandragupt maurya Birla mandir 6 dec 2009 (31) (cropped).JPG|thumb|A modern statue depicting Chandragupta Maurya, [[Laxminarayan Temple]], Delhi]]
Greek writer [[Phylarchus]] (c. third century BCE), who is quoted by [[Athenaeus]], calls Chandragupta "Sandrokoptos". The later Greco-Roman writers [[Strabo]], [[Arrian]], and [[Justin (historian)|Justin]] (c. second century) call him "Sandrocottus".{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|p=139}} In [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Latin]] accounts, Chandragupta is known as '''Sandrakottos''' ({{lang-el|Σανδράκοττος}}) and '''Androcottus''' ({{lang-el|Ανδροκόττος}}).{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=177}}<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 41694901|title = The Indika of Megasthenes — an Appraisal|journal = Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute|volume = 72/73|issue = 1/4|pages = 307–329|last1 = Arora|first1 = U. P.|year = 1991}}</ref>

The king's epithets mentioned in the Sanskrit play ''[[Mudrarakshasa]]'' include "Chanda-siri" (Chandra-shri), "Piadamsana" (Priya-darshana), and Vrishala.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|p=139}} Piadamsana is similar to Piyadasi, an epithet of his grandson [[Ashoka]].{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|pp=139-140}} The word "Vrishala" is used in Indian epics and law books to refer to non-orthodox people. According to one theory, it may be derived from the Greek royal title [[Basileus]], but there is no concrete evidence of this: the Indian sources apply it to several non-royals, especially wandering teachers and ascetics.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|p=140}}

== Military strength ==

During the Maurya Empire, India had become considerably strong from the perspective of social, economic, and political prosperity.

[[File:035 The War over the Buddha's Relics (33813012975).jpg|thumb|The Mauryan army of Magadha, including infantry, elephant corps, archers, cavalry, chariots, and Emperor Ashoka on a chariot on the right. An artwork engraved at the Sanchi Stupa built by Ashoka, corroborating the accounts of Greek historians.]]

According to Vishakhadatta and Buddhist literature, Chandragupta's army, in addition to the warriors of the [[republics]], included a large number of [[Shakas]], [[Yavanas]] (Greeks), [[Kiratas]], [[Kambojas]], [[Persians|Parasikas]], and [[Bahlikas]].{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=27}} Information from Kautilya's ''Arthashastra'' indicates that a military contingent named "Shudrakarshaka" was also included. Although Kautilya sanctioned the inclusion of Shudras in the army, he was opposed to them becoming kings.{{sfn|Dr .R .S. Sharma, Sudras in ancient India|p= 150}}

[[File:Hellenistic World 300 BCE Standard map.jpg|thumb|The Western world after the [[Seleucid–Mauryan war]]]]

The Greek historian [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] states:

{{quote|The largest and wealthiest city is Palibothra (Pataliputra), from which some people have named this nation itself, yes, and commonly Palibothra (Pataliputra) beyond the Ganges. Their kings (Chandragupta Maurya) used to pay a daily wage to a military force of 600,000 infantry, 30,000 cavalry, and 9,000 elephants.|[https://archive.org/details/plinysnaturalhis00plinrich/page/n334/mode/1up Pliny, Natural History, Book VI, Chapter XIX]}}

According to [[Plutarch]], after his victorious war against Seleucus, Chandragupta Maurya proceeded towards southern India with a vast army to further expand his empire:
{{quote|Not long after, Sandrocottus (Chandragupta), who then sat on the throne, gave Seleucus 500 elephants and overran and conquered the whole of India with an army of 600,000 infantry.|Life of Alexander, Chapter LXII<ref>{{cite book |author=Plutarch |title=Life of Alexander |chapter=Chapter LXII |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=TXtEAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false |quote=Not long after, Sandrocottus (Chandragupta), who then sat on the throne, gave Seleucus 500 elephants and overran and conquered the whole of India with an army of 600,000 infantry.}}</ref>}}

The Greek historian [[Arrian]] notes:

{{quote|In each chariot of the Indian king, besides the driver, there were two soldiers, and on an elephant, besides the mahout, three archers.|Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander {{sfn|Radhakumud Mukharjee|1940|p=165}}{{sfn|Vincent Smith|1924|p=132}}}}

In Chandragupta's army, each of the 9,000 elephants carried four soldiers, totalling 36,000 men, and each of the 8,000 chariots carried three soldiers, totalling 24,000 men.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/aclcpl000001273|title=Man In India-volume 42|year=October 1962|pages=272}}</ref>

Based on the writings of the Greek historians [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]], [[Arrian]], and [[Plutarch]], historians [[Vincent Arthur Smith|Vincent Smith]], [[Radhakumud Mukherjee|Radha Kumud Mookerji]], [[Ashirbadi Lal Srivastava]] and Indologists such as Gyanchandra Mahajan concluded that Chandragupta's army consisted of a total of 600,000 infantry, 30,000 cavalry, 36,000 men with 9,000 elephants, and 24,000 men with 8,000 chariots. Excluding allied troops and attendants, the total fighting force was 690,000, approximately 700,000 men.<ref>Chandragupta military strength:
*{{Cite book|quote=Arrian has pointed out, each chariot carried two soldiers, besides the driver, and an elephant carried three archers, besides the Mahout, then the total number of men in Chandragupta’s army would be 6,00,000 infantry, 30,000 horse-men, 36,000 men with the elephants, and 24,000 men with the chariots, totalling 6,90,000 in all, excluding followers and attendants.|page=165|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.532631/page/n183/mode/1up|title=Chandragupta Maurya And His Times|last=Mookerji|first=Radha Kumud|date=1940}}
*{{citation|last=Smith|first=Vincent Arthur|title=The Oxford History of India: From the Earliest Times to the End of 1911|quote=The Maurya raised the number of the infantry to 600,000, and of the elephants to 9,000. But his cavalry is said to have mustered only 30,000..... Each chariot required at least three, and that each elephant carried at least four men, his total force must have amounted to not less than 690,000, or in round numbers 700,000 men.|url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordhistoryofi00smituoft/page/82/mode/1up|publisher=Clarendon Press|page=82}}
*{{Cite book|quote=In ancient India there was a highly organised system of military administration. The state maintained a powerful standing army, and it was well looked after. Chandra Gupta Maurya had a huge force consisting of six lakhs infantary, 30,000 cavalry, 9,000 elephants, and 8,000 chariots. The total strength of his army was 6,90,000 men, excluding camp followers and attendants. |page=11|url=https://archive.org/details/medievalindiancu0000ashi_1sted/page/11/mode/1up?q=Maurya+6%2C90%2C000|title=Medieval Indian culture|last=Ashirbadi Lal Srivastava|date=1964-01-01|publisher=Shiva Lal Agarwala}}
*{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.220182/page/n151/mode/1up|title=New Text Book Of Indian History To 1526|quote=The Mauryan war-machine was therefore perfected in every respect. The military might consisted of troops of different kinds, namely hereditary or feudatory troops, hired troops, gild levies, and forest tribes. They were fully and efficiently equipped. The regular military establishment consisted of 600,000 infantry, 30,000 horsemen, 36,000 men with 9,000 elephants, and 24,000 men with nearly 8,000 chariots. Thus there were 6,90,000 fighting men in addition to followers and attendants.|last=Gian Chand Mahajan|date=|pages=148}}</ref>

==Empire ==
During Chandragupta Maurya’s reign, forests were considered state property. A special department managed them under a revenue officer known as the samāharta. A forest officer supervised activities such as collecting forest resources, setting prices, and selling forest products. Water supply and rules governing forest use were also regulated. An official called the Akshatapala was responsible for auditing accounts. This administrative system helped maintain effective control over forest resources.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9789353883140/page/180/mode/1up?q=%22mauryan%22 |title=Critical Themes in Environmental History of India |date=2020|page=180|first=Ranjan|last=Chakrabarti|publisher=Indian Council of Historical Research |isbn=978-93-5388-316-4}}</ref> Historian Ram Sharan Sharma noted that Chandragupta’s empire maintained a large army and a strong judicial system, particularly to maintain order in tribal regions prone to unrest.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sharma |first=Ram Sharan|title=Prachin Bharat Me Rajneetik Vichar Avam Sansthae |year=1990 |publisher=Rajkamal Prakashan |isbn=9788126707584 |page=355 |quote=The tribal people living inside the empire and on its borders were equally a cause of trouble. So for this, there was a huge permanent army and tight judicial system.|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.401527/page/n355}}</ref> Archaeologist Dilip Chakrabarti argued that the foundations of a centralized administrative system including control over large forested regions of central India were laid by Chandragupta, as later evidenced by the distribution of Ashoka’s edicts. The strategic locations along the Kaimur hills and routes through Sasaram, Ahraura, Rupnath, and Panguraria suggest these areas were already under Mauryan authority.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chakrabarty |first=Dilip K. |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=EIAyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA46 |title=The Geopolitical Orbits of Ancient India: The Geographical Frames of the Ancient Indian Dynasties |date=2010-10-18 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-908832-4 |pages=42-43 |language=en |quote=...There is no reason to claim that the vast spaces of hilly and forested central India lay outside the Mauryan rule.}}</ref> D. R. Bhandarkar stated that the empire was well-administered from the start, with viceroys governing different regions to ensure tight control a system Chandragupta established.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bhandarkar |first=D. R. |title=Asoka |year=1925 |publisher=University of Calcutta |page=46|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.279637/page/n57/mode/2up}}</ref>
[[File:Seleucid Mauryan War.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Seleucid Mauryan War c.305 to 303 BC<ref>{{cite book |last=Schwartzberg |first=Joseph E. |title=Schwartzberg Atlas |publisher= |year= |isbn= |page=170 |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=208 |quote=By 311 B.C. or somewhat later the Indus had become the frontier of the Magadhan Empire. Further westward expansion was largely the outcome of the successful military encounter with Seleucus Nicator (Seleukos Nikator), founder of the Seleucid dynasty and inheritor of Alexander's eastern empire from northern Syria to India. Between 305 and 302 B.C. Seleucus ceded the satrapies of Gedrosia, Arachosia, Paropamisadai, and probably Aria, gave his adversary a Greek princess in marriage, and obtained in return 500 war elephants and permanent peace and friendship on his eastern frontier. About this time, perhaps earlier, western Gandhara and areas north to the Hindu Kush, Abhisara, and probably Kasmira were also annexed to the Mauryan dominions.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Dani |first1=Ahmad Hasan |last2=Bernard |first2=P. |title=History of Civilizations of Central Asia |volume=2: The Development of Sedentary and Nomadic Civilizations, 700 B.C. to A.D. 250 |publisher=UNESCO |year= |isbn= |pages=67–97 |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000097857 |quote=The Indus region fell to the rise of the Mauryans and later when Seleucus Nicator tried to recover this lost territory, he had further to cede to Candragupta Maurya the provinces of Aria, Arachosia, Gedrosia and the Paropamisadae.}}</ref>]]

Empire expansion is based on inferences from Greek and Roman historians and the religious Indian texts written centuries after his death. Based on these, the North-West reach of his empire included parts of present-day [[Afghanistan]] that [[Seleucus I Nicator]] ceded to him including [[Kabul]], [[Kandahar]], [[Taxila]] and [[Gandhara]].{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=36–37, 105}} These are the areas where his grandson Ashoka left the [[Kandahar Greek Edicts of Ashoka|major Kandahar rock edict]] and other edicts in the Greek and Aramaic languages.{{sfn|Dupree|2014|pp=285–289}}<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Dupont-Sommer|first1=André|title=Une nouvelle inscription araméenne d'Asoka trouvée dans la vallée du Laghman (Afghanistan)|journal=Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres| volume=114|issue=1| year=1970|pages=158–173| doi=10.3406/crai.1970.12491}}</ref>

===Building the empire===
{{Main|Conquest of the Nanda Empire}}
According to the Buddhist text ''Mahavamsa Tika'', Chandragupta and Chanakya raised an army by recruiting soldiers from many places after the former completed his education at Taxila. Chanakya made Chandragupta the leader of the army.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=22}} The Digambara Jain text ''Parishishtaparvan'' states that this army was raised by Chanakya with coins he minted and an alliance formed with Parvataka.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=175–188}}{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|pp=144-145}} According to Justin, Chandragupta organized an army. Early translators interpreted Justin's original expression as "body of robbers", but states Raychaudhuri, the original expression used by Justin may mean mercenary soldier, hunter, or robber.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|p=144}}

The Buddhist ''Mahavamsa Tika'' and Jain ''Parishishtaparvan'' records Chandragupta's army unsuccessfully attacking the Nanda capital. {{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=175–188}} Chandragupta and Chanakya then began a campaign at the frontier of the Nanda empire, gradually conquering various territories on their way to the Nanda capital.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=33}} He then refined his strategy by establishing garrisons in the conquered territories, and finally besieged the Nanda capital Pataliputra. There [[Dhana Nanda]] accepted defeat, and was killed by Buddhist accounts,{{sfn|Malalasekera|2002|p=383}} or deposed and exiled by Hindu accounts.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=33-34}}

===Conquest of the Nanda empire===
Greco-Roman writer [[Plutarch]] stated, in his ''Life of Alexander'', that the Nanda king was so unpopular that had Alexander tried, he could have easily conquered India.{{sfn|Habib|Jha|2004|p=14}}{{sfn|Stoneman|2019|p=155}} After Alexander ended his campaign and left, Chandragupta's army conquered the Nanda capital Pataliputra around 322 BCE with Chanakya's counsel.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=6}}

Buddhist texts such as ''[[Milindapanha]]'' claim Magadha was ruled by the Nanda dynasty, which, with Chanakya's counsel, Chandragupta conquered to restore ''[[dhamma]]''.{{sfn|Thapar|2013|pp=362–364}}{{sfn|Sen|1895|pp=26–32}} The army of Chandragupta and Chanakya first conquered the Nanda outer territories before invading Pataliputra. In contrast to the easy victory of Buddhist sources, the Hindu and Jain texts state that the campaign was bitterly fought because the Nanda dynasty had a powerful and well-trained army.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=28–33}}{{sfn|Sen|1895|pp=26–32}}

The conquest was fictionalised in ''Mudrarakshasa'', in which Chandragupta is said to have first acquired [[Punjab]] and allied with a local king named Parvatka under the Chanakya's advice before advancing on the [[Nanda Empire]].{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=27, 61-62}} Chandragupta laid siege to [[Kusumapura]] (now [[Patna]]), the capital of [[Magadha]], by deploying [[guerrilla warfare]] methods with the help of mercenaries from conquered areas.{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=61–62}}{{sfn|Grant|2010|p=49}} Historian P. K. Bhattacharyya states that the empire was built by a gradual conquest of provinces after the initial consolidation of Magadha.{{sfn|Bhattacharyya|1977|p=8}}

According to the Digambara Jain version by Hemachandra, the success of Chandragupta and his strategist Chanakya was stopped by a Nanda town that refused to surrender.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=176–177}} Chanakya disguised himself as a [[mendicant]] and found seven mother goddesses (''saptamatrika'') inside. He concluded these goddesses were protecting the town people.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=176–177}} The townspeople sought the disguised mendicant's advice on how to end the blockade of the army surrounding their town. Hemacandra wrote Chanakya swindled them into removing the mother goddesses. The townspeople removed the protective goddesses and an easy victory over the town followed. Thereafter, the alliance of Chandragupta and Parvataka overran the Nanda kingdom and attacked Patliputra with an "immeasurable army".{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=176–177}} With a depleted treasury, exhausted merit, and insufficient intelligence, the Nanda king lost.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=176–177}}

These legends state that the Nanda king was defeated, but allowed to leave Pataliputra alive with a chariot full of items his family needed.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=34}} The Jain sources attest that his daughter fell in [[love at first sight]] with Chandragupta and married him.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=176–177}}{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=14}} With the defeat of Nanda, Chandragupta Maurya founded the [[Maurya Empire]] in ancient India.{{sfn|Roy|2012|p=62}}

====Conquest of the Eastern Seleucid Empire====
[[File:Seleucid-Empire 200bc.jpg|thumb|Seleucid Empire 281 BCE]]
[[File:Chandragupta Maurya Empire c.290 BCE.png|thumb|Chandragupta Maurya Empire c.290 BCE]]

Greek historians mentioned the result of [[Seleucid–Mauryan war]] where Seleucid Empire's eastern satrapies( [[Gedrosia]],[[Arachosia]], [[Aria]], and [[Paropamisadae]]) ceded to Mauryan Empire :
{{quote|text= " Seleucus crossed the Indus and waged war with Sandrocottus [Maurya], king of he Indians, who dwelt on the banks of that stream, until they came to an understanding with each other and contracted a marriage relationship. Some of these exploits were performed before the death of Antigonus and some afterward." |sign=[[Appian]]|source=''History of Rome'', The Syrian Wars [https://www.livius.org/sources/content/appian/appian-the-syrian-wars/appian-the-syrian-wars-11/ 55]}}
{{quote|text= " The geographical position of the tribes is as follows: along the Indus are the Paropamisadae, above whom lies the Paropamisus mountain: then, towards the south, the Arachoti: then next, towards the south, the Gedroseni, with the other tribes that occupy the seaboard; and the Indus lies, latitudinally, alongside all these places; and of these places, in part, some that lie along the Indus are held by Indians, although they formerly belonged to the Persians. Alexander [III 'the Great' of Macedon] took these away from the Arians and established settlements of his own, but [[Seleucus Nicator]] gave them to [[Sandrocottus]] [Chandragupta], upon terms of intermarriage and of receiving in exchange five hundred elephants. " |sign=[[Strabo]] |source= 15.2.9<ref>[https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/15B*.html#2.9]</ref> }}
Greecian historian Pliny also quoted a passage from Megasthanes work about Chandragupta Empire boundaries:
<blockquote>
Most geographers, in fact, do not look upon India as bounded by the river Indus, but add to it the four satrapies of the [[Gedrosia|Gedrose]], the [[Arachosia|Arachotë]], the [[Herat|Aria]], and the [[Paropamisadë]], the [[Kabul River|River Cophes]] thus forming the extreme boundary of India. According to other writers, however, all these territories, are reckoned as belonging to the country of the Aria. 
— Pliny, Natural History VI, 23<ref>Pliny, Natural History VI, 23[https://archive.today/20121210070738/http://perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.+Nat.+6.23]</ref><ref>Pliny, Natural History VI, 23[https://archive.org/details/naturalhistoryof21855plin/page/50/mode/1up]</ref>
</blockquote>
The conquest of the south by Chandragupta Maurya may also perhaps be inferred from the following statement of Plutarch. "The throne" in the context is the Magadhan throne, the occupation of which by Chandragupta is thus followed by two other events, viz., the defeat of Selucus, and the conquest of the remaining part of India not included in the Magadhan empire of the Nandas:

<blockquote>"Not long afterwards Androkottos, who had by that time mounted the throne, presented Selukos with 500 elephants, and overran and subdued the whole of India with an army of 600,000." 
— Chapter LXII ,Life of Alexander, Plutarch<ref>Chapter LXII ,Life of Alexander, Plutarch [https://books.google.co.in/books?id=TXtEAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false]</ref>
</blockquote>
Megasthenes defined the region that Chandragupta won from Seleucus as likely western side Gedrosia which shares boundaries with the Euphrates River, and eastern side Arachosia shares boundaries with the Indus. The northern frontier boundary formed by Hindukush mountain range:
[[File:SakastanMap.jpg|thumb|Satrapian provinces in northwestern India which ceaded to Chandragupta by Selucus due to [[Treaty of Indus]].]]
<blockquote>
Sandrokottos the king of the Indians, India forms the largest of the four parts into which Southern Asia is divided, while the smallest part is that region which is included between the Euphrates and our own sea. The two remaining parts, which are separated from the others by the Euphrates and the Indus, and lie between these rivers. [...] India is bounded on its eastern side, right onwards to the south, by the great ocean; that its northern frontier is formed by the Kaukasos range(Hindukush Range) as far as the junction of that range with Tauros; and that the boundary. 
— Book I Fragment II , Indica, Megasthanes<ref>Book I Fragment II , Indica, Megasthanes[https://archive.org/details/AncientIndiaAsDescribedByMegasthenesAndArrianByMccrindleJ.W/page/n54/mode/1up]</ref>
</blockquote>

====Treaty of the Indus====
The ancient historians Justin, Appian, and Strabo preserve the three main terms of the Treaty of the Indus:<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=9UWdAwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in the Seleucid Empire|last=Kosmin|first=Paul J.|date=2014-06-23|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-72882-0|language=en}}</ref>
#Seleucus transferred to Chandragupta's kingdom the easternmost satrapies of his empire, certainly Gandhara, Parapamisadae, and the eastern parts of Gedrosia, Arachosia and Aria as far as Herat.
#Chandragupta gave Seleucus 500 Indian war elephants.
#The two kings were joined by some kind of marriage alliance (ἐπιγαμία οι κῆδος); most likely Chandragupta wed a female relative of Seleucus.

===War and marriage alliance with Seleucus===

According to Appian, [[Seleucus I Nicator]], one of Alexander's Macedonian generals who in 312 BCE established the [[Seleucid Kingdom]] with its capital at Babylon, brought Persia and [[Bactria]] under his own authority, putting his eastern front facing the empire of Chandragupta.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=2-3, 35-38}}{{sfn|Appian|p=55}} Seleucus and Chandragupta waged war until they came to an understanding with each other. Seleucus married off his daughter, Berenice, to Chandragupta to forge an alliance.{{sfn|Appian|p=55}}

According to Strabo, Chandragupta engaged in a marital alliance with [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]] to formalise the peace treaty:{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=37}}
[[File:Chandragupta.et.Helena.jpg|thumb|alt=Marriage|"Chandra Gupta Maurya entertains his bride from Babylon": a conjectural interpretation of the "marriage agreement" between the Seleucids and Chandragupta Maurya, related by [[Appian]]<ref>''History of Rome'', The Syrian Wars [http://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_syriaca_11.html 55] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103154609/http://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_syriaca_11.html |date=3 November 2007 }}</ref>]]
{{quote|The Indians occupy in part some of the countries situated along the Indus, which formerly belonged to the Persians: Alexander deprived the Ariani of them, and established there settlements of his own. But [[Seleucus Nicator]] gave them to [[Sandrocottus]] in consequence of a marriage contract ([[Epigamia]], Greek: Ἐπιγαμία), and received in return five hundred elephants.|[[Strabo]] 15.2.1(9)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0239&query=head%3D%23120|title=Strabo 15.2.1(9)}}</ref>}}

R. C. Majumdar and D. D. Kosambi note that Seleucus appeared to have fared poorly after ceding large territories west of the Indus to Chandragupta. The Maurya Empire added [[Arachosia]] ([[Kandahar]]), [[Gedrosia]] ([[Balochistan (Pakistan)|Balochistan]]), and [[Paropamisadae]] ([[Gandhara]]).{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=36–37, 105}}<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Walter Eugene | first1 = Clark | year = 1919 | title = The Importance of Hellenism from the Point of View of Indic-Philology | journal = Classical Philology | volume = 14 | issue = 4| pages = 297–313 | doi = 10.1086/360246 | s2cid = 161613588 }}</ref>{{efn|According to Grainger, Seleucus "must ... have held Aria" (Herat), and furthermore, his "son [[Antiochus I Soter|Antiochos]] was active there fifteen years later". (Grainger, John D. 1990, 2014. ''Seleukos Nikator: Constructing a Hellenistic Kingdom''. Routledge. p. 109).}} According to Strabo, [[Seleucus Nicator]] gave these regions to Chandragupta along with a marriage treaty, and in return received five hundred elephants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0239&query=head%3D%23120|title=Strabo 15.2.1(9)|access-date=14 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203225004/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0239&query=head%3D%23120|archive-date=3 February 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> The details of the engagement treaty are not known.{{sfn|Barua|2005|pp=13-15}} However, since the extensive sources available on Seleucus never mention an Indian princess, it is thought that the marital alliance went the other way, with Chandragupta himself or his son Bindusara marrying a Seleucid princess, in accordance with contemporary Greek practices to form dynastic alliances. An Indian [[Puranic]] source, the [[Pratisargaparvan|Pratisarga Parva]] of the [[Bhavishya Purana]], described the marriage of Chandragupta with a Greek ("[[Yavana]]") princess, daughter of Seleucus.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sagar |first=Chandra |title=Foreign Influence on Ancient India |publisher=Northern Book Centre |year=1992 |page=83}}</ref> [[Mahavamsa|The Mahavamsa]] also states that, seven months after the war ended, Seleucus gave one of his daughters, Berenice (known in Pali as ''Suvarnnaksi'') in marriage to Chandragupta.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Paranavithana |first=Senarat |title=The Greeks and the Mauryans |publisher=Lake House Investments |date=January 1971 |isbn=9780842607933 |language=English}}</ref>

Chandragupta sent 500 [[war elephant]]s to Seleucus, which played a key role in Seleucus' victory at the [[Battle of Ipsus]].<ref>''India, the Ancient Past'', Burjor Avari, p. 106-107</ref>{{sfn|Majumdar|2003|p=105}}<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Tarn | first1 = W. W. | year = 1940 | title = Two Notes on Seleucid History: 1. Seleucus' 500 Elephants, 2. Tarmita | journal = The Journal of Hellenic Studies | volume = 60 | pages = 84–94 | doi = 10.2307/626263 | jstor = 626263 | s2cid = 163980490 }}</ref> In addition to this treaty, Seleucus dispatched [[Megasthenes]] as an ambassador to Chandragupta's court, and later [[Antiochus I Soter|Antiochos]] sent [[Deimakos]] to his son Bindusara at the Maurya court at Patna.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=38}}

{{quote|text= " Seleucus crossed the Indus and waged war with Sandrocottus [Maurya], king of he Indians, who dwelt on the banks of that stream, until they came to an understanding with each other and contracted a marriage relationship. Some of these exploits were performed before the death of Antigonus and some afterward." |sign=[[Appian]]|source=''History of Rome'', The Syrian Wars [https://www.livius.org/sources/content/appian/appian-the-syrian-wars/appian-the-syrian-wars-11/ 55]}}

An Indian [[Puranic]] source, the ''[[Pratisargaparvan|Pratisarga Parva]]'' of the ''[[Bhavishya Purana]]'', described the marriage of Chandragupta with a Greek ("[[Yavana]]") princess, daughter of Seleucus,<ref name="Sagar">Foreign Influence on Ancient India, Krishna Chandra Sagar, Northern Book Centre, 1992, p.83 [https://books.google.com/books?id=0UA4rkm9MgkC&pg=PA83]</ref> before accurately detailing early Mauryan genealogy:

{{quote|"Chandragupta married with a daughter of [[Seleucus I Nicator|Suluva]] (Seleucus), the [[Yavana]] king of [[Persian Empire|Pausasa]] (Persia).<ref>The country is transliterated as "Pausasa" in the online translation: [http://mandhataglobal.com/wp-content/custom/articles/Puranas.pdf Pratisarga Parva p.18] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423144009/http://mandhataglobal.com/wp-content/custom/articles/Puranas.pdf |date=23 April 2016 }} and in Encyclopaedia of Indian Traditions and Cultural Heritage, Anmol Publications, 2009, p.18; and "Paursa" in the original Sanskrit of the first two verses given in Foreign Influence on Ancient India, Krishna Chandra Sagar, Northern Book Centre, 1992, [https://books.google.com/books?id=0UA4rkm9MgkC&pg=PA83 p.83]:</ref> Thus, he mixed the Buddhists and the Yavanas. He ruled for 60 years. From him, [[Bindusara]] was born and ruled for the same number of years as his father. His son was [[Ashoka]]."|''[[Pratisarga Parva]]''<ref>Translation given in: Encyclopaedia of Indian Traditions and Cultural Heritage, Anmol Publications, 2009, p.18. Also online translation: [http://mandhataglobal.com/wp-content/custom/articles/Puranas.pdf Pratisarga Parva p.18] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423144009/http://mandhataglobal.com/wp-content/custom/articles/Puranas.pdf |date=23 April 2016 }}.</ref><ref>Original Sanskrit of the first two verses given in Foreign Influence on Ancient India, Krishna Chandra Sagar, Northern Book Centre, 1992, [https://books.google.com/books?id=0UA4rkm9MgkC&pg=PA83 p.83]: "Chandragupta Sutah Paursadhipateh Sutam. Suluvasya Tathodwahya Yavani Baudhtatapar".</ref><ref name="Sagar"/>}}

===Southern conquest===

After annexing Seleucus' provinces west of the Indus river, Chandragupta had a vast empire extending across the northern Indian sub-continent from the [[Bay of Bengal]] to the [[Arabian Sea]]. Chandragupta began expanding his empire southwards beyond the [[Vindhya Range]] and into the [[Deccan Plateau]].{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=6}} By the time his conquests were complete, Chandragupta's empire extended over most of the subcontinent.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|1967|p=18}}

Two poetic anthologies from the Tamil [[Sangam literature]] corpus – ''[[Akananuru]]'' and ''[[Purananuru]]'' – allude to the Nanda rule and Maurya empire. For example, poems 69, 281 and 375 mention the army and chariots of the Mauryas, while poems 251 and 265 may be alluding to the Nandas.{{sfn|Zvelebil|1973|pp=53-54}} However, the poems dated between first-century BCE to fifth-century CE do not mention Chandragupta Maurya by name, and some of them could be referring to a different Moriya dynasty in the Deccan region in the fifth century CE.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=41–42}} According to Upinder Singh, these poems may be mentioning Mokur and Koshar kingdoms of Vadugars (northerners) in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, with one interpretation being that the Maurya empire had an alliance with these at some point of time.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2016|pp=330–331}}
===Conquest of the Saurashtra===
Chandragupta conquered Southern-Western part of India. Especially his conquest over Saurashtra and Sudarshana lake construction is preseved in later Satrapian king Rudradaman inscription:

<blockquote>(L.8)[] for the sake of ordered to be made by the Vaishya Pushyagupta, the provincial governor of the Maurya king Chandragupta; adorned with conduits for [[Ashoka]] the Maurya by the [[Yavana]] king [[Tushaspha]] while governing; and by the conduit ordered to be made by him, constructed in a manner worthy of a king (and) seen in that breach.

—Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman<ref name="WB">[http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm "Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman", ''Project South Asia''.]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223182107/http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm |date=23 February 2009 }}</ref>
</blockquote>

In the west, Chandragupta's rule over present-day [[Gujarat]] is attested to by Ashoka's inscription in [[Junagadh]]. On the same rock, about 400 years later, [[Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman|Rudradaman inscribed]] a longer text sometime about the mid second–century.{{sfn|Salomon|1998|pp=194, 199–200 with footnote 2}} Rudradaman's inscription states that the Sudarshana lake in the area was commissioned during the rule of Chandragupta through his governor Vaishya Pushyagupta and conduits were added during Ashoka's rule through Tushaspha. The Mauryan control of the region is further corroborated by the inscription on the rock, which suggests that Chandragupta controlled the [[Malwa]] region in Central India, located between Gujarat and Pataliputra.{{sfn|Habib|Jha|2004|p=19}}

There is uncertainty about the other conquests that Chandragupta may have achieved, especially in the [[Deccan]] region of southern India.{{sfn|Habib|Jha|2004|p=19}} At the time of his grandson Ashoka's ascension in c. 268 BCE, the empire extended up to present-day [[Karnataka]] in the south, so the southern conquests may be attributed to either Chandragupta or his son Bindusara. If the Jain tradition about Chandragupta ending his life as a renunciate in Karnakata is considered correct, it appears that Chandragupta initiated the southern conquest.{{sfn|Habib|Jha|2004|p=19}}
===Conquest of the Kuntala===
Shikarpur Taluq, inscription 225 mentioned about Mauryan ruling in the region of [[Kuntala country|Kuntala]] .Shikarpur Taluq inscription mentioned about Mauryan ruling in the region of [[Kuntala country|Kuntala]] .The Kuntala country is an ancient Indian political region including the western Deccan and some parts of central,south Karnataka and north Mysore.
[[File:South India 500 to 200 BCE.jpg|thumb|South India , Kuntala present in Western coastal region]]
<blockquote>
''Kuntala-kshôpiyam pesarvett â-nava-Nanda-Gupta-kula-Mauryya-kshmâpar aldar llasaj-jasad'' 
— Shikarpur Taluq, inscription 225<ref>Shikarpur Taluq inscription 225, Epigraphia Carnatica, Volume 17[https://archive.org/details/epigraphia_carnatica_vol7_myso/page/n327/mode/1up]</ref><ref>Shikarpur Taluq inscription 225, Epigraphia Carnatica Volume 17[https://archive.org/details/epigraphia_carnatica_vol7_myso/page/n587/mode/1up]</ref> 
'''Translation''' : The Kuntala country, which is like curls (kuntaja) to the lady Earth, was-ruled by the renowned nine Nandas, the Gupta and Mauryan kings.</blockquote>

== Economic condition ==

During the Mauryan period, the economic situation expanded. From the reign of Chandragupta Maurya to the reign of Ashoka, the economic condition improved significantly. Agriculture was the primary means of livelihood at this time.

[[File:Mauryan Empire. Circa late 4th-2nd century BC.jpg|thumb|centre|Coin from the period of Chandragupta Maurya<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=335378|title=Auction 396. INDIA, Mauryan Empire, Karshapana (14mm, 3.32 g). circa 315-310 BC|website=www.cngcoins.com|access-date=2024-04-24}}</ref>]]

[[File:Gorakhpur, Copper Plate Edict Of Chandragupta (3rd century BCE).jpg|thumb|An example of the district administration of Chandragupta Maurya. This copper plate, found from [[Sohgaura copper plate inscription|Sohgaura]] (district Gorakhpur). The text of the plate has been translated as follows. Its mentions the establishment of two grain depots (''Kosthagara'') to fight against famine.<ref name = "MCQ">2000+ MCQs with Explanatory Notes For HISTORY by Disha Experts [https://books.google.en/books?id=O65TDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA63 p.63]</ref>
{{blockquote |
''Sāvatiyānam Mahāma(ttā)nam sāsane Mānavāsītika-'' 
''ḍasilimate Ussagāme va ete duve koṭṭhāgālāni'' 
''tina-yavāni maṃthulloca-chammā-dāma-bhālakān(i)va'' 
''laṃ kayiyati atiyāyikāya no gahi(ta)vvāya''<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Barua |first1=B. M. |title=THE SOHGAURA COPPER-PLATE INSCRIPTION |journal=Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute |volume=11 |issue=1 |date=1930 |page=48 |jstor=41688160 }}</ref>|The order of the [[Mahamatra]]s of [[Shravasti]] issued from the Manavasiti camp. Only to the tenants, only on the advent of drought, these (the) dravya store houses of Triveni, [[Mathura]], Chanchu, Modama and Bhadra are to the distributed, in case of distress they are not to be withheld. —Translated by Jayaswal<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/hnch_mourya-samrajya-ka-itihas-by-satyaketu-vidyalankar-1980-new-delhi-shri-saraswati-sadan|title=Mourya Samrajya Ka Itihas By Satyaketu Vidyalankar 1980 New Delhi Shri Saraswati Sadan|last=|pages=455}}</ref>
 }}]]

Similar to Sohgaura, an inscription has also been found from Pundravardhana Nagar (Mahasthan) in Bangladesh, providing information about a famine that occurred.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC&pg=PA329&lpg=PA329&dq=FRAGMENTARY+MAURYA+INSCRIPTION+FROM+MATHURA&source=bl&ots=xh5A1Q9_mI&sig=ACfU3U0jG-ROa7wKNHFDCD53C2jhoyOFaA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjKueH-pP2FAxV3wjgGHQ3NAzw4FBDoAXoECAQQAg#v=onepage&q=FRAGMENTARY%20MAURYA%20INSCRIPTION%20FROM%20MATHURA&f=false|page=329|quote=The Sohgaura inscription has been commented on by numerous scholars, who have variously assigned it a pre-Ashokan or post-Maurya date, the majority opinion currently favouring the latter. K. P. Jayaswal interpreted the crescent on the top as an emblem of the Maurya king Chandragupta and connected the contents of the inscription with the Jain legend of a great famine during the reign of this king. Many years later, in 1931, Baru Faqir, a resident of Mahasthangarh village in Bagura district of Bangladesh .... The Mahasthan inscription appears to record an order issued by a ruler to the mahamatra stationed at Pundranagara (the site of which is represented by Mahasthangarh village), in order to relieve the distress caused on account of famine to some people known as the Samvamgiyas, who apparently lived in and around this town.|title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century|last=Singh|first=Upinder|date=2008|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=978-81-317-1120-0|language=en}}</ref>

[[Chanakya]], in the fourth section of the ''[[Arthashastra]]'' under "Upānipāt pratikāra" (measures to protect the populace from calamities), provided the following, which matches the arrangements made by Chandragupta in the Sohgaura and Mahasthan inscriptions:

{{quote|In times of famine, the king shall show favour by distributing seeds and food, or by constructing forts and bridges with the provision of food, or by sharing food, or by relocating them to another region. —Kautilya, [[Arthashastra]] 4.3.17<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/JhPw_kautilya-artha-shastra-of-vishnu-gupta-vol.-2-part-2-with-5-commentaries-ed.-by-|title=Kautilya Artha Shastra Of Vishnu Gupta Vol. 2 Part 2 With 5 Commentaries|last=Shastri Datara|first=Vishvanatha|publisher=Sampurnanand Sanskrit University Varanasi|pages=19}}</ref>}}

The famous scholar Megasthenes, who visited the Mauryan court, believed that grain never became expensive in India. The administration had formulated a policy for agricultural progress. Herdsmen were appointed to protect agriculture. For irrigation facilities, Chandragupta Maurya constructed the [[Sudarshana Lake]] near Junagadh.<ref>{{Cite book|page=198|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.269161|title=Prachin Bharat Mein Daan Ki Avdarana|last=S.k.tiwari}}</ref>

== Campaigns and conflicts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! style="background:orange;"|
 Dates 
! style="background:orange;width: 320px;"| Conflict 
! style="background:orange;"| Side 
! style="background:orange;width: 300px;"| Opponent 
! style="background:orange;width: 300px;"| Result 

|-
| 305–315 BCE
| '''[[Chandragupta Maurya's Macedonian campaign]]'''
| [[Mauryan Empire]]
| [[Macedonian Empire]]
| style="background:#8cff90"|'''Mauryan victory'''{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=6–8, 31–33}}
*[[Chandragupta Maurya]] conquered the Macedonian satrapies in the [[Indus Valley]] and [[Northwest India]].<ref name="greenwood">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JEvN6XwWTk8C&pg=PA252|title=From Polis to Empire, the Ancient World, C. 800 B.C.-A.D. 500|date=2002|publisher=Greenwood Publishing|isbn=0313309426|access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref>
*Chandragupta Maurya conquered the Macedonian satrapies in the Punjab region.<ref name="greenwood"/>
*Among the four satraps of Alexander he fought were [[Eudemus (general)|Eudemus]], ruler of western Punjab until his departure in 317 BCE, and [[Peithon, son of Agenor|Peithon]], ruler of the Greek colonies along the Indus until their departure for [[Babylon]] in 316 BCE. Both Peithon and Eudemus were defeated by Chandragupta and surrendered to him.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=33–34}}
|-
| 315–317 BCE
| '''Campaign against Greek governors'''
'''[[File:EasternSatrapsAfterAlexander.jpg|thumb|alt=Eastern Satraps|By 317 BCE, Chandragupta had defeated the remaining [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonian]] [[satraps]] in the north-west of the [[Indian subcontinent]].]]
| [[Mauryan Empire]]
| [[Macedonian Empire]]
| style="background:#8cff90"|'''Mauryan victory'''{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=6–8, 31–33}}
*Justin relates that after Alexander's death, Chandragupta freed Indian territories from the Greeks and executed some Greek governors.<ref>[http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html Justin XV.4.12-13]</ref>
*Chandragupta turned his attention to Northwestern India (modern-day [[Pakistan]]), where he fought against the four satraps (described as "prefects" in Western sources) left by Alexander and killed two satraps, [[Nicanor (satrap)|Nicanor]] and [[Philip (satrap)|Philip]]. The other two, Eudemus and Peithon, had already surrendered and returned to Babylon.<ref>Radha Kumud Mookerji, ''Chandragupta Maurya and His Times'', 4th ed. (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1988 [1966]), 31, 28–33.</ref>
|-
|322–320 BCE
| '''Conquest of the [[Nanda Empire]]'''
| [[Chandragupta Maurya]]
| [[Dhana Nanda]] of the [[Nanda dynasty|Nanda Empire]]
| style="background:#8cff90"|'''Mauryan victory'''{{sfn|Thapar|2013|pp=362–364}}{{sfn|Sen|1895|pp=26–32}}
* Chandragupta defeated the Nandas and established the Magadha-based Maurya Empire.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=272}}
* He married the Nanda princess [[Durdhara]].{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=175–188}}{{sfn|Malalasekera|2002|p=383}}{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=33-34}}
|-
| 305–303 BCE
| '''[[Seleucid–Mauryan war]]'''
| [[Mauryan Empire]]
| [[Seleucid Empire]]
| style="background:#8cff90"|'''Mauryan victory'''<ref name="JACKSON">"Pg.106 - Seleucid Kingdom Another Hellenistic monarchy was founded by the general Seleucus (suh-LOO-kuss), who established the Seleucid dynasty of Syria. This was the largest of the Hellenistic kingdoms and controlled much of the old Persian Empire from Turkey in the west to India in the east, although the Seleucids found it increasingly difficult to maintain control of the eastern territories. In fact, an Indian ruler named Chandragupta Maurya (chundruh-GOOP-tuh MOWR-yuh) (324-301 B.C.E.) created a new Indian state, the Mauryan Empire, and '''drove out the Seleucid forces.''' ... The Seleucid rulers maintained relations with the Mauryan Empire. Trade was fostered, especially in such luxuries as spices and jewels. Seleucus also sent Greek and Macedonian ambassadors to the Mauryan court. Best known of these was Megasthenes (muh-GAS-thuh-neez), whose report on the people of India remained one of the Western best sources of information on India until the Middle Ages." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/westerncivilizat08edspie|title=Western civilization|last=Spielvogel|first=Jackson J.|date=2012|page=106|publisher=Boston, MA : Wadsworth Cengage Learning|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-495-91329-0}}</ref>
* [[Treaty of the Indus]]{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=33–34}}
* The eastern satrapies of the Seleucid Empire were ceded to the Maurya Empire
* Seleucus gave his daughter to Chandragupta, initiating a dynastic partnership
* Chandragupta gave 500 [[war elephant]]s to Seleucus
* Establishment of [[Megasthenes|diplomatic relations]]
|}

==Rule ==
After unifying much of India, Chandragupta and [[Chanakya]] passed a series of major economic and political reforms. Chandragupta established a [[Mantriparishad|strong central administration]] from Pataliputra (now [[Patna]]).{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=13–18}} Chandragupta applied the statecraft and economic policies described in Chanakya's text ''[[Arthashastra]]''.{{sfn|Boesche|2003|pp=7–18}}<ref>MV Krishna Rao (1958, Reprinted 1979), Studies in Kautilya, 2nd Edition, {{oclc|551238868}}, {{ISBN|978-8121502429}}, pages 13–14, 231–233</ref>{{sfn|Olivelle|2013|pp=31–38}} There are varying accounts in the historic, legendary, and hagiographic literature of various Indian religions about Chandragupta's rule, but Allchin and Erdosy' are suspect; they state, "one cannot but be struck by the many close correspondences between the (Hindu) Arthashastra and the two other major sources the (Buddhist) Asokan inscriptions and (Greek) Megasthenes text".{{sfn|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|pp=187–194}}

The Maurya rule was a structured administration; Chandragupta had a council of ministers (''amatya''), with Chanakya was his chief minister.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Modelski | first=George | title=Kautilya: Foreign Policy and International System in the Ancient Hindu World | journal=American Political Science Review | volume=58 | issue=3 | year=1964 | doi=10.2307/1953131 | pages=549–560| jstor=1953131 | s2cid=144135587 }}; Quote: "Kautilya is believed to have been Chanakya, a Brahmin who served as Chief Minister to Chandragupta (321–296 B.C.), the founder of the Mauryan Empire."</ref>{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2017|p=220}} The empire was organised into territories (''janapada''), centres of regional power were protected with forts (''durga''), and state operations were funded with treasury (''kosa'').{{sfn|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|pp=189–192}} Strabo, in his ''Geographica'' composed about 300 years after Chandragupta's death, describes aspects of his rule in his chapter XV.46–69. He had councillors for matters of justice and assessors to collect taxes on commercial activity and trade goods. He routinely performed Vedic sacrifices,{{sfn|Eraly|2002|pp=414–415}} Brahmanical rituals,{{sfn|Sastri|1988|pp=163–164}} and hosted major festivals marked by procession of elephants and horses. His officers inspected situations requiring law and order in the cities; the crime rate was low.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=62–63, 79–80, 90, 159–160}}

According to Megasthenes, Chandragupta's rule was marked by three parallel administrative structures. One managed the affairs of villages, ensuring irrigation, recording land ownership, monitoring tools supply, enforcing hunting, wood products and forest-related laws, and settling disputes.{{sfn|Sastri|1988|pp=120–122}} Another administrative structure managed city affairs, including all matters related to trade, merchant activity, visit of foreigners, harbors, roads, temples, markets, and industries. They also collected taxes and ensured standardized weights and measures.{{sfn|Sastri|1988|pp=120–122}} The third administrative body overlooked the military, its training, its weapons supply, and the needs of the soldiers.{{sfn|Sastri|1988|pp=120–122}}

Chanakya was concerned about Chandragupta's safety and developed elaborate techniques to prevent assassination attempts. Various sources report Chandragupta frequently changed bedrooms to confuse conspirators. He left his palace only for certain tasks: to go on military expeditions, to visit his court for dispensing justice, to offer sacrifices, for celebrations, and for hunting. During celebrations, he was well-guarded, and on hunts, he was surrounded by female guards who were presumed to be less likely to participate in a coup conspiracy. These strategies may have resulted from the historical context of the Nanda king who had come to power by assassinating the previous king.{{sfn|Allan|1958|pp=25–28}}

During Chandragupta's reign and that of his dynasty, many religions thrived in India, with [[Buddhism]], Jainism and [[Ajivika]] gaining prominence along with other folk traditions.{{sfn|Obeyesekere|1980|pp=137–139 with footnote 3}}{{sfn|Albinski|1958|pp=62–75}}

==Infrastructure projects==
[[File:MauryanCoin.JPG|thumb|left|alt=Coins|Silver punch mark coin of the [[Maurya empire]], with symbols of wheel and elephant (3rd century BCE)]]
The empire built a [[Maurya Empire#Economy|strong economy]] from a solid infrastructure such as irrigation, temples, mines, and roads.{{sfn|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|pp=187–195}}{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=62–63}} Ancient epigraphical evidence suggests Chandragupta, under counsel from Chanakya, started and completed many irrigation reservoirs and networks across the Indian subcontinent to ensure food supplies for the civilian population and the army, a practice continued by his dynastic successors.{{sfn|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|pp=187–194}} Regional prosperity in agriculture was one of the required duties of his state officials.{{sfn|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|pp=192–194}}
Chandragupta's state also started mines, centers to produce goods, and networks for trading these goods. His rule developed land routes for goods transportation within the Indian subcontinent, disfavoring water transport. Chandragupta expanded "roads suitable for carts", preferring these over those narrow tracts that allowed only pack animals.{{sfn|F. R. Allchin|George Erdosy|1995|pp=194-195}}

The strongest evidence of infrastructure development is found in the [[Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman]] in Gujarat, dated to about 150 CE. It states, among other things, that Rudradaman repaired and enlarged the reservoir and irrigation conduit infrastructure built by Chandragupta and enhanced by Asoka.{{sfn|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|p=189}} Chandragupta's empire also built mines, manufacturing centres, and networks for trading goods. His rule developed land routes to transport goods across the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta expanded "roads suitable for carts" as he preferred those over narrow tracks suitable for only pack animals.{{sfn|Allchin|Erdosy|1995|pp=194–195}}

According to Kaushik Roy, the Maurya dynasty rulers were "great road builders".{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=62–63}} The Greek ambassador Megasthenes credited this tradition to Chandragupta after the completion of a thousand-mile-long highway connecting Chandragupta's capital [[Pataliputra]] in Bihar to [[Taxila]] in the north-west where he studied. The other major strategic road infrastructure credited to this tradition spread from Pataliputra in various directions, connecting it with Nepal, [[Kapilavastu (ancient city)|Kapilavastu]], [[Dehradun]], [[Mirzapur]], [[Odisha]], [[Andhra Pradesh|Andhra]], and [[Karnataka]].{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=62–63}} Roy stated this network boosted trade and commerce, and helped move armies rapidly and efficiently.{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=62–63}}

Chandragupta and Chanakya seeded weapon manufacturing centres, and kept them as a state monopoly of the state. The state, however, encouraged competing private parties to operate mines and supply these centres.{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=63–64}} They considered economic prosperity essential to the pursuit of [[dharma]] (virtuous life) and adopted a policy of avoiding war with diplomacy yet continuously preparing the army for war to defend its interests and other ideas in the ''[[Arthashastra]]''.{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=64–68}}{{sfn|Olivelle|2013|pp=49–51, 99–108, 277–294, 349–356, 373–382}}

==Arts and architecture ==
[[File:Didarganj_Yakshi_statue_in_the_Bihar_Museum.jpg|thumb|left|thumb|alt=Statue|3rd century BCE [[Didarganj Yakshi]], discovered in 1917 buried in the banks of the Ganges.<ref name=tapati51>{{cite book|author=Tapati Guha-Thakurta|editor=Partha Chatterjee and Anjan Ghosh|title=History and the Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-1eCdLyrpV8C |year=2006|publisher=Anthem|isbn=978-1-84331-224-6|pages=51–53, 58–59}}</ref><ref name=varadpande32>{{cite book|author=Manohar Laxman Varadpande|title=Woman in Indian Sculpture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IsE5KAja3jAC |year=2006|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=978-81-7017-474-5|pages=32–34 with Figure 11}}</ref>]]

The evidence of arts and architecture during Chandragupta's time is mostly limited to texts such as those by Megasthenes and Kautilya. The edict inscriptions and carvings on monumental pillars are attributed to his grandson Ashoka. The texts imply the existence of cities, public works, and prosperous architecture but the historicity of these is in question.{{sfn|Harrison|2009|pp=234–235}}

Archeological discoveries in the modern age, such as those [[Didarganj Yakshi]] discovered in 1917 buried beneath the banks of the Ganges suggest exceptional artisanal accomplishment.{{sfn|Guha-Thakurta|2006|pp=51–53, 58–59}}{{sfn|Varadpande|2006|pp=32–34 with Figure 11}} The site was dated to third century BCE by almost all scholars{{sfn|Guha-Thakurta|2006|pp=51–53, 58–59}}{{sfn|Varadpande|2006|pp=32–34 with Figure 11}} but Frederick Asher questioned it.{{sfn|Asher|2015|pp=421–423}}

==Succession and death (Sallekhana)==
[[File:Jain Inscription.jpg|thumb|alt=Inscription|1,300 years Old Shravanabelagola relief shows death of Chandragupta after taking the vow of [[Sallekhana]]. Some consider it about the legend of his arrival with Bhadrabahu.{{sfn|Dikshitar|1993|pp=264–266}}{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}{{sfn|Fleet|1892|pp=156–162}}]]
[[File:Chandragupta Maurya and Bhadrabahu.jpg|thumb|A statue depicting Chandragupta Maurya (right) with his spiritual mentor [[Acharya Bhadrabahu]] at [[Shravanabelagola]].]]

The circumstances and year of Chandragupta's death are unclear and disputed.{{sfn|Dikshitar|1993|pp=264–266}}{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}{{sfn|Fleet|1892|pp=156–162}} According to Digambara Jain accounts, Bhadrabahu forecast a 12-year famine because of all the killing and violence during the conquests by Chandragupta Maurya. He led a group of Jain monks to south India, where Chandragupta Maurya joined him as a monk after abdicating his kingdom to his son Bindusara. Together, states a Digambara legend, Chandragupta and Bhadrabahu moved to Shravanabelagola, in present-day south Karnataka.{{sfn|Habib|Jha|2004|p=20}} These Jain accounts appeared in texts such as ''Brihakathā kośa'' (931 CE) of Harishena, ''Bhadrabāhu charita'' (1450 CE) of Ratnanandi, ''Munivaṃsa bhyudaya'' (1680 CE) and ''Rajavali kathe''.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=39–40}}{{sfn|Samuel|2010|pp=60}}{{sfn|Thapar|2004|p=178}} Chandragupta lived as an ascetic at [[Shravanabelagola]] for several years before fasting to death as per the Jain practice of ''[[sallekhana]]'', according to the Digambara legend.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=39–41, 60–64}}{{sfn|Jones|Ryan|2006|p=xxviii}}{{sfn|Bentley|1993|pp=44–46}}
[[File:Tijara Jain temple painting 32.jpg|thumb|Chandragupta Maurya having 16 [[auspicious dreams in Jainism]] ]]
In accordance with the Digambara tradition, the hill on which Chandragupta is stated to have performed asceticism is now known as [[Chandragiri hill]], and Digambaras believe that Chandragupta Maurya erected an ancient temple that now survives as the [[Chandragupta basadi]].{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=40}} According to Roy, Chandragupta's abdication of throne may be dated to c. 298 BCE, and his death between 297 BCE and 293 BCE.{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=61–62}} His grandson was emperor [[Ashoka]] who is famed for his historic pillars and his role in helping spread [[Buddhism]] outside of ancient India.{{sfn|Mookerji|1962|pp=60–64}}{{sfn|Bentley|1993|pp=44-46}}

Regarding the inscriptions describing the relation of Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta Maurya, [[Radha Kumud Mukherjee|Radha Kumud Mookerji]] writes,<blockquote>The oldest inscription of about 600 AD associated "the pair (''yugma''), Bhadrabahu along with Chandragupta ''Muni''." Two inscriptions of about 900 AD on the [[Kaveri]] near [[Srirangapatna|Seringapatam]] describe the summit of a hill called [[Chandragiri hill|Chandragiri]] as marked by the footprints of Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta ''munipati''. A [[Shravanabelagola]] inscription of 1129 mentions Bhadrabahu "''Shrutakevali''", and Chandragupta who acquired such merit that he was worshipped by the forest deities. Another inscription of 1163 similarly couples and describes them. A third inscription of the year 1432 speaks of ''Yatindra'' Bhadrabahu, and his disciple Chandragupta, the fame of whose penance spread into other words.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mookerji|first=Radhakumud|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C|title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times|date=1966|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|isbn=978-81-208-0405-0|language=en}}</ref></blockquote>Along with texts, several Digambara Jain inscriptions dating from the 7th–15th century refer to Bhadrabahu and a Prabhacandra. Later Digambara tradition identified the Prabhacandra as Chandragupta, and some modern era scholars have accepted this Digambara tradition while others have not, {{sfn|Dikshitar|1993|pp=264–266}}{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}{{sfn|Fleet|1892|pp=156–162}} Several of the late Digambara inscriptions and texts in Karnataka state the journey started from Ujjain and not Patliputra (as stated in some Digambara texts).{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}{{sfn|Fleet|1892|pp=156–162}}

[[Jeffery D. Long]] – a scholar of Jain and Hindu studies {{En dash}} says in one Digambara version, it was Samprati Chandragupta who renounced, migrated and performed ''sallekhana'' in Shravanabelagola. Long states scholars attribute the disintegration of the Maurya empire to the times and actions of Samprati Chandragupta – the grandson of Ashoka and great-great-grandson of Chandragupta Maurya. The two Chandraguptas have been confused to be the same in some Digambara legends.{{sfn|Long|2013|pp=60–61}}

Scholar of Jain studies and Sanskrit [[Paul Dundas]] says the Svetambara tradition of Jainism disputes the ancient Digambara legends. According to a fifth-century text of the Svetambara Jains, the Digambara sect of Jainism was founded 609 years after Mahavira's death, or in first-century CE.{{sfn|Dundas|2003|pp=46–49}} Digambaras wrote their own versions and legends after the fifth-century, with their first expanded Digambara version of sectarian split within Jainism appearing in the tenth-century.{{sfn|Dundas|2003|pp=46–49}} The Svetambaras texts describe Bhadrabahu was based near Nepalese foothills of the Himalayas in third-century BCE, who neither moved nor travelled with Chandragupta Maurya to the south; rather, he died near Patliputra, according to the Svetambara Jains.{{sfn|Wiley|2009|pp=50–52}}{{sfn|Dundas|2003|pp=46–49, 67–69}}{{sfn|Jyoti Prasad Jain|2005|pp=65–67}}

The 12th-century Svetambara Jain legend by Hemachandra presents a different picture. The Hemachandra version includes stories about Jain monks who could become invisible to steal food from royal storage and the Jain Brahmin Chanakya using violence and cunning tactics to expand Chandragupta's kingdom and increase royal revenues.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}} It states in verses 8.415 to 8.435, that for 15 years as king, Chandragupta was a follower of non-Jain "ascetics with the wrong view of religion" (non-Jain) and "lusted for women". Chanakya, who was a Jain follower, persuaded Chandragupta to convert to Jainism by showing that Jain ascetics avoided women and focused on their religion.{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}} The legend mentions Chanakya aiding the premature birth of Bindusara,{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=155–157, 168–188}} It states in verse 8.444 that "Chandragupta died in meditation (can possibly be ''sallekhana''.) and went to heaven".{{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=185–188}} According to Hemachandra's legend, Chanakya also performed ''sallekhana''. {{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=185–188}}
[[File:Footprint of Chandragupta Maurya.jpg|thumb|The Footprints of Chandragupta Maurya on [[Chandragiri hill|Chandragiri]] Hill, where Chandragupta (the unifier of India and founder of the [[Maurya Empire|Maurya]] Dynasty) performed [[Sallekhana]].]]
According to [[V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar]] – an Indologist and historian, several of the Digambara legends mention Prabhacandra, who had been misidentified as Chandragupta Maurya particularly after the original publication on Shravanabelagola epigraphy by [[B. Lewis Rice]]. The earliest and most important inscriptions mention Prabhacandra, which Rice presumed may have been the "clerical name assumed by Chadragupta Maurya" after he renounced and moved with Bhadrabahu from Patliputra. Dikshitar stated there is no evidence to support this and Prabhacandra was an important Jain monk scholar who migrated centuries after Chandragupta Maurya's death.{{sfn|Dikshitar|1993|pp=264–266}} Other scholars have taken Rice's deduction of Chandragupta Maurya retiring and dying in Shravanabelagola as the working hypothesis, since no alternative historical information or evidence is available about Chandragupta's final years and death.{{sfn|Dikshitar|1993|pp=264–266}}

==Legacy==
[[File:Grand Trunk Road Route.png|thumb|Route of the Grand Trunk Road using Open Street Maps.]]
*Chandragupta Maurya commissioned the construction of the Sudarshana Lake, an artificial reservoir in present-day Gujarat. According to the Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman I (c. 150 CE), the lake was built by his provincial governor Pushyagupta.<ref>Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman I. ''Epigraphia Indica'', Vol. VIII, pp. 36–49.</ref> The lake, a major feat of Mauryan engineering, remained in use for nearly a thousand years, later repaired by Rudradaman and Skandagupta.<ref>Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1967). ''Political History of Ancient India''. University of Calcutta. p. 145.</ref>
[[File:Lake on Girnar Taleti.jpg|thumb|Sudarshana Lake]]
*Chandragupta Maurya established the original corridor of the [[Grand Trunk Road]], known then as the ''Uttarapatha''. It connected Takshashila in the northwest to Pataliputra and further east to Tamralipta. The road, lined with rest houses and mile markers, facilitated trade, military movement, and administration, and remains one of the oldest continuously used roads in the world.<ref>Smith, Vincent A. (1911). ''The Early History of India''. Clarendon Press. pp. 156–157.</ref>
*A memorial to Chandragupta Maurya exists on [[Chandragiri hill]] in [[Shravanabelagola]], [[Karnataka]].{{sfn|Vallely|2018|pp=182–183}}

{{Gallery
|title=
|width=160 | height=170
|align=center
|footer=
|File:Chandragupta Maurya Stamp.jpg
|The [[Indian Postal Service]] issued a [[Commemorative stamp|commemorative postage stamp]] honouring Chandragupta Maurya in 2001.<ref name="PIBRelease">[http://pib.nic.in/archieve/lreleng/lyr2001/rjul2001/19072001/r190720012.html Commemorative postage stamp on Chandragupta Maurya] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427002333/http://pib.nic.in/archieve/lreleng/lyr2001/rjul2001/19072001/r190720012.html |date=27 April 2013 }}, Press Information Bureau, Govt. of India</ref>
|alt1=Commemorative stamp featuring Chandragupta Maurya
|File:Painting of Chandragupta and Cāṇakya.png
|Painting of Chandragupta and [[Chanakya]] in the central hall of the Srimadbhagavadgita Temple, [[Mathura ]].
|alt2=Artistic depiction of Chandragupta and Cāṇakya
|File:Capjhture (2).png
|Painting of Chandragupta and [[Chanakya]] in the hall of the New Vishwanath Temple, [[Varanasi]].
|alt3=Artwork portraying Chandragupta and Cāṇakya in Varanasi
|File:Chandragupta Maurya and Bhadrabahu.jpg
|Statue of Chandrgupta and [[Bhadrabahu]] at [[Shravanabelagola]].
|alt4=Artwork portraying Chandragupta and Bhadrabahu in Shravanabelagola
|File:Chandragupt maurya Birla mandir 6 dec 2009 (31).JPG
|Statue of the Chandragupta Maurya at Birla Temple, [[Delhi]].
|alt4=Artwork portraying Chandragupta and Bhadrabahu in Shravanabelagola
}}

==In popular culture==
*''Mudrarakshasa'' is a political drama in Sanskrit by [[Vishakhadatta]] composed 600 years after the conquest of Chandragupta – probably between 300 CE and 700 CE.{{sfn|Roy|2012|pp=61–62}}
* [[Dwijendralal Ray|D. L. Roy]] wrote a Bengali drama named ''[[Chandragupta (play)|Chandragupta]]'' based on the life of Chandragupta. The story of the play is loosely borrowed from the [[Puranas]] and the Greek history.{{sfn|Ghosh|2001|pp=44–46}}
*Chanakya's role in the formation of the Maurya Empire is the essence of a historical/spiritual novel ''The Courtesan and the Sadhu'' by Dr. Mysore N. Prakash.<ref>''The Courtesan and the Sadhu, A Novel about Maya, Dharma, and God'', October 2008, Dharma Vision LLC., {{ISBN|978-0-9818237-0-6}}, Library of Congress Control Number: 2008934274</ref>
*''Chandragupta'' is a 1920 Indian silent film about the Mauryan king.<ref>{{cite book|author=[[Bhagwan Das Garga]]|title=So Many Cinemas: The Motion Picture in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wXRZAAAAMAAJ|year=1996|publisher=Eminence Designs|isbn=978-81-900602-1-9|page=43}}</ref>
*[[Chandragupta (film)|''Chandragupta'']] is a 1934 Indian film directed by [[Abdur Rashid Kardar]].
* ''[[Chandraguptha Chanakya]]'' is an Indian [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language historical drama film directed by C. K. Sachi, starring Bhavani K. Sambamurthy as Chandragupta.
*''Samrat Chandragupta'' is a 1945 Indian historical film by [[Jayant Desai]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Screen World Publication's 75 Glorious Years of Indian Cinema: Complete Filmography of All Films (silent & Hindi) Produced Between 1913-1988|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q7UEAQAAIAAJ|year=1988|publisher=Screen World Publication|page=109}}</ref>
*''Samrat Chandragupt'' is a 1958 Indian historical fiction film by [[Babubhai Mistry]], a remake of the 1945 film. It stars [[Bharat Bhushan]] in the titular role of the emperor.<ref>{{cite book|author=Hervé Dumont|title=L'Antiquité au cinéma: vérités, légendes et manipulations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ke0nAQAAIAAJ|year=2009|publisher=Nouveau Monde|isbn=978-2-84736-476-7}}</ref>
*The story of [[Chanakya]] and Chandragupta was made into a film in [[Telugu language|Telugu]] in 1977 titled ''[[Chanakya Chandragupta]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0259242/|title=Chanakya Chandragupta (1977)|work=IMDb|date=25 August 1977|access-date=2016-02-20|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311074910/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0259242/|archive-date=11 March 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
*The television series ''[[Chanakya (TV series)|Chanakya]]'' is an account of the life and times of Chanakya, based on the play "Mudra Rakshasa" (The Signet Ring of "Rakshasa").<ref name="ie-8sept91">{{cite news |title= Television |newspaper= The Indian Express |date= 8 September 1991 |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0X1lAAAAIBAJ&pg=0,1743861 |access-date= 22 August 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180511072641/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0X1lAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wZ0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=0,1743861 |archive-date= 11 May 2018 |url-status= live }}</ref>
*In 2011, a television series called ''[[Chandragupta Maurya (2011 TV series)|Chandragupta Maurya]]'' was telecast on [[Imagine TV]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/idiotbox/chandragupta-maurya-comes-to-small-screen_79683.html|title=Chandragupta Maurya comes to small screen|work=Zee News|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235717/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/idiotbox/chandragupta-maurya-comes-to-small-screen_79683.html|archive-date=3 March 2016|df=dmy-all|date=2011-01-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/Chandragupta-Maurya-on-Sony-TV/articleshow/13009059.cms|title=Chandragupta Maurya on Sony TV?|work=The Times of India|date=5 May 2012 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104234227/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/Chandragupta-Maurya-on-Sony-TV/articleshow/13009059.cms|archive-date=4 January 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=TV|first=Imagine|title=Channel|url=http://www.imagine.tv/in/shows/subhome/123/1779/|work=TV Channel|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725194239/http://www.imagine.tv/in/shows/subhome/123/1779/|archive-date=25 July 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
*In 2016, the television series ''[[Chandra Nandini]]'' was a fictionalized romance saga.<ref>{{cite news |title= Real truth behind Chandragupta's birth, his first love Durdhara and journey to becoming the Mauryan King |date= 17 October 2016 |url= https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/real-truth-about-chandragupta-maurya-his-birth-his-real-wives-and-death |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171028043805/https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/real-truth-about-chandragupta-maurya-his-birth-his-real-wives-and-death |archive-date= 28 October 2017 |df= dmy-all }}</ref>
*In 2018, a television series called ''[[Chandragupt Maurya (2018 TV Series)|Chandragupta Maurya]]'' portrays the life of Chandragupta Maurya.<ref>{{cite news |title='Chandraguta Maurya' to launch in November on Sony TV |url=https://www.bizasialive.com/chandragupta-maurya-to-launch-in-november-on-sony-tv/ |access-date=18 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113170050/https://www.bizasialive.com/chandragupta-maurya-to-launch-in-november-on-sony-tv/ |archive-date=13 November 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*He is a leader of the Indian civilization in the ''[[Civilization VI: Rise and Fall|Rise and Fall]]'' expansion of the [[4X]] video game [[Civilization VI]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://civilization.com/news/entries/civilization-vi-rise-and-fall-chandragupta-leads-india/|title=Civilization VI – The Official Site {{!}} News {{!}} CIVILIZATION VI: RISE AND FALL - CHANDRAGUPTA LEADS INDIA|website=civilization.com|language=en|access-date=2018-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727024252/https://civilization.com/news/entries/civilization-vi-rise-and-fall-chandragupta-leads-india/|archive-date=27 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
*''[[Nobunaga the Fool]]'', a Japanese stage play and anime, features a character named Chandragupta based on the emperor.
*In the 2001 film ''[[Aśoka (film)|Aśoka]]'', directed by [[Santosh Sivan]], Bollywood producer [[Umesh Mehra]] played the role of Chandragupta Maurya.

==See also==

*[[List of Indian monarchs]]
*[[List of Jain states and dynasties]]
*[[Mauryan art]]
*[[Shashigupta]]

==Notes==
{{notelist|30em}}
{{reflist|group=note|30em}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30}}

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* {{citation|last=Singh|first=Upinder|author-link=Upinder Singh|title=Political Violence in Ancient India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t6A4DwAAQBAJ|publisher=[[Harvard University Press]]|year=2017|isbn=978-0-674-97527-9|ref={{sfnref|Upinder Singh|2017}}}}
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{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Library resources box}}
*{{cite book |last=Bongard-Levin |first=Grigory Maksimovich |date=1985 |title=Mauryan India |location=New Delhi |publisher=Sterling Publishers |oclc=14395730 |author-link=Grigory Bongard-Levin }}
*{{citation |last=Kosmin |first=Paul J. |author-link=Paul J. Kosmin |title=The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in Seleucid Empire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9UWdAwAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-674-72882-0 }}
*{{citation |last=Mani |first=Braj Ranjan |title=Debrahmanising history: dominance and resistance in Indian society |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-kEwAQAAIAAJ |year=2005 |publisher=Manohar |isbn=978-81-7304-640-7 }}
*{{citation |last=Roy |first=Kaushik |title=Warfare in Pre-British India–1500BCE to 1740CE |publisher=Routledge | year=2015 }}
*{{citation |last=Sagar |first=Krishna Chandra |title=Foreign Influence on Ancient India |publisher=Northern Book Centre |year=1992 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0UA4rkm9MgkC |isbn=9788172110284 }}

==External links==

*[https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.34822/page/n3 Maurya and Sunga Art], N R Ray

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|Maurya dynasty||||}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Dhana Nanda]] (as king of the [[Magadha|Magadha Empire]])}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Maurya Empire#List of rulers|Emperor of the Maurya Empire]]|years=322–297 BCE}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Bindusara]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Patna|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:3rd-century BC Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:4th-century BC Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:290s BC deaths]]
[[Category:Mauryan emperors]]
[[Category:Founding monarchs]]
[[Category:3rd-century BC Hindus]]
[[Category:4th-century BC Hindus]]

Mauryan Empire

2024-01-06T22:55:44Z

Devanam: /* Popular Maps */

{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Mauryan Empire
| common_name = Mauryan Empire
| native_name =
| image_coat =
| era = [[Iron Age]]
| government_type = [[Absolute monarchy]], as described in [[Kautilya]]'s ''[[Arthashastra]]'' and [[Rajamandala]]<ref name="avari-2007">Avari, Burjor (2007). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Y1e2V_4Um10C India, the Ancient Past: A History of the Indian Sub-continent from C. 7000 BC to AD 1200] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123134054/https://books.google.com/books?id=Y1e2V_4Um10C |date=23 November 2022 }}'' Taylor & Francis. {{ISBN|0415356156}}. pp. 188-189.</ref>
| event_start = [[Conquest of the Nanda Empire]]
| year_start = 322 BCE 
| year_end =  184 BCE
| event_end = Assassination of Brihadratha by [[Pushyamitra Shunga]]
| p2 = Nanda Empire
| flag_p2 = Nanda_Empire,_c.325_BCE.png
| p1 = Mahajanapadas
| flag_p1 = Mahajanapadas_(c._500_BCE).png
| s1 = Shunga Empire
| flag_s1 = SungaEmpireMap.jpg
| s2 = Satavahana dynasty
| flag_s2 = Map_of_the_Satavahanas.png
| s3 = Mahameghavahana dynasty
| flag_s3 = Map_of_the_Maha-Meghavahanas.png
| s4 = Indo-Scythians
| flag_s4 = Map_of_the_Indo-Scythians.png
| s5 = Indo-Greek Kingdom
| flag_s5 = Map_of_the_Indo-Greeks.png
| s6 = Vidarbha kingdom (Mauryan era)
| flag_s6 =
| image_map = Ashoka Maurya Empire.png
| image_map_caption = Maximum extent of the Maurya Empire, as shown by the location of [[Edicts of Ashoka|Ashoka's inscriptions]], and visualized by ASI ([[Archeological Survey Of India]]) based on ancient inscriptions, ancient Greecian , ancient Indian texts,<ref>{{Cite book|page=412|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.06445|title=Indian Historical Quarterly, Vol-13, Issue no.-1-4}}</ref> modern archaeologist :[[Nayanjot Lahiri]]<ref name="NAVJOT>"
Pg.5 : In relation to his predecessors, he was the first Indian king to rule over an empire embracing much of India and its western borderlands, from Afghanistan to Orissa and towards the south as far as Karnataka. In relation to the rulers who followed him, it was his example which influenced thought-philosophical, religious, cultural-in Asia more profoundly than that of any other political figure of antiquity." {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=bJ_XCgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|page=5|title=Ashoka in Ancient India|last=Lahiri|first=Nayanjot|date=2015-08-05|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-05777-7|language=en}}</ref>,[[Dougald J. W. O'Reilly]],<ref name="DOUGLE">" {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.nl/books?id=eyHTschgg50C&pg=PA178&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=maurya&f=false|title=Early Civilizations of Southeast Asia|last=O'Reilly|first=Dougald J. W.|date=2007|publisher=Rowman Altamira|page=178|isbn=978-0-7591-0279-8|language=en}}</ref>old archeologist :[[D.R. Bhandarkar]]<ref name="BHANDARKAR">" Pg.42-43 : We thus obtain a fairly accurate idea of the extent of Asoka's dominions. They included the whole of India except the southern extremity of the peninsula held by the Choda, Pandya, Satiya- putra and Keralaputra kings. This southern boundary is marked roughly by a line drawn from Pulicat near Madras in the east, to Gooty and Chitaldrug in the north where the four copies of Aśoka's Minor Rock Edicts have been discovered right up to the northern point of the South Canara District on the west. Let us now see what Greek princes have been mentioned by Aśoka as his contemporaries, and try to identify them. They have all been named in Rock Edict XIII. Of course, Amtiyoka is the first to be named as he was a neighbour of Asoka. Beyond his kingdom, we are told, were ruling the four princes Turamaya, Amtekina or Amtikini, Maga and Alikasumdra. Amtiyoka is, of course, Antiochus II. Theos (B.C. 261-246), king of Syria, and Turamaya, Ptolemy II. Philadelphos of Egypt (285-247). Amtekina or Amtikini, as Bühler has remarked, corresponds to the Greek Antigenes rather than to Antigonus."{{Cite book|page=42-43|url=http://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.35379|title=Asoka|last=Bhandarkar|first=D. R.|publisher=Central Archelogical Library|isbn=978-93-837-2346-1}}</ref>, [[Myra Shackley]]:<ref name="SHACKLEY">" Pg.67 - After Alexanderâs retreat from the Indus the Emperor Chandragupta Maurya established the first indigenous empire to exercise control over much of the subcontinent, and eventually, under his successors, this covered all but the tip of the peninsula. Asoka, the greatest of the Mauryan emperors, took power in 272 BC and extended the empire from Afghanistan to Assam and from the Himalayas to Mysore, leaving behind a series of inscriptions recording his edicts on pillars and rocks across the continent." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/atlasoftraveltou0000shac|title=Atlas of travel and tourism development|last=Shackley|first=Myra L.|date=2006|publisher=Amsterdam ; Boston : Elsevier|others=Internet Archive|page=67|isbn=978-0-7506-6348-9}}</ref> modern historian : [[Robert W. Strayer]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/waysofworld0000robe|page=121|title=Ways of the World|last=Robert W. Strayer : Eric W. Nelson|date=2016|publisher=Bedford/St. Martin's|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-1-319-05448-9}}</ref>,[[Eric Nelson]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/waysofworld0000robe|page=121|title=Ways of the World|last=Robert W. Strayer : Eric W. Nelson|date=2016|publisher=Bedford/St. Martin's|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-1-319-05448-9}}</ref>, [[Upinder Singh]]<ref name="UPINDER"> Pg.740 : "Chandragupta and Seleucus Nikator, who had inherited the eastern provinces of Alexander empire. This may have occurred in about 301 BCE and was resolved by an agreement. Chandragupta obtained the territories of Arachosia (the Kandahar area of south-east Afghanistan), Gedrosia (south Baluchistan), and Paropomisadai (the area between Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent) and handed over 500 elephants in return. "

Pg.748 : "The distribution of Ashoka's inscriptions suggests the extent of the Maurya empire. In the north-west, it extended up to Kandahar in Afghanistan, with the kingdom of Antiochus II of Syria lying to the west. Its eastern frontier extended to Orissa. It included almost the entire subcontinent, except the southernmost parts, which, according to rock edict 13, were inhabited by the Cholas and Pandyas, and according to rock edict 2, by the Keralaputras and Satiyaputras."
{{Cite book|page=740,748|url=http://archive.org/details/history-of-ancient-and-early-medeival-india-from-the-stone-age-to-the-12th-century-pdfdrive|title=History Of Ancient And Early Medeival India From The Stone Age To The 12th Century|last=[[Upinder Singh]]|date=2008}}</ref>,[[Jackson J. Spielvogel]]<ref name="JACKSON"> " Pg.106 - Seleucid Kingdom Another Hellenistic monarchy was founded by the general Seleucus (suh-LOO-kuss), who established the Seleucid dynasty of Syria. This was the largest of the Hellenistic kingdoms and controlled much of the old Persian Empire from Turkey in the west to India in the east, although the Seleucids found it increasingly difficult to maintain control of the eastern territories. In fact, an Indian ruler named Chandragupta Maurya (chundruh-GOOP-tuh MOWR-yuh) (324-301 B.c.E.) created a new Indian state, the Mauryan Empire, and drove out the Seleucid forces. His grandson Asoka (uh-SOH-kuh) (269-232 b.c.e.) extended the empire to include most of India and is considered the greatest ruler in Indiaâ€™s history. Asoka, a pious Buddhist, sought to convert the remaining Greek communities in northwestern India to his religion and even sent Buddhist missionaries to Greek rulers. The Seleucid rulers maintained relations with the Mauryan Empire. Trade was fostered, especially in such luxuries as spices and jewels. Seleucus also sent Greek and Macedonian ambassadors to the Mauryan court. Best known of these was Megasthenes (muh-GAS-thuh-neez), whose report on the people of India remained one of the Westâ€™s best sources of information on India until the Middle Ages. " {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/westerncivilizat08edspie|title=Western civilization|last=Spielvogel|first=Jackson J.|date=2012|page=106|publisher=Boston, MA : Wadsworth Cengage Learning|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-495-91329-0}}</ref>[[Hugh Bowden]]<ref name="BOWDEN"> " Pg.122 : India's first approach towards becoming a unified state occurred under the first three kings of the Mauryan Empire. The founder of the dynasty, Chandragupta Maurya (c.310-286 BCE) , king of Magadha in Eastern India, unfied under his control the other kingdom of the Gangetic Plain. His grandson, Ashoka (c.270-234 BCE) , consolidated Mauryan imperial rule, extending it into eastern and southern "{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/timesancientcivi0000unse|title=The Times ancient civilizations|date=2002|page=122|publisher=London : Times Books|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-00-710859-6}}</ref>, [[Ram Sharan Sharma]]<ref name="SHARAN">“ Pg.355 : मौर्य राजनीतिक इतिहास का सबसे बड़ा तथ्य मग॒ध साम्राज्य वी स्थापना था, जिसमें सुदूर दक्षिण को छोडकर सपूर्ण भारत शामिल था । यह साम्राज्य तलवार के जोर से स्थापित किया गया था और इसकी रक्षा भी तलवार के जोर से ही हो सकती थी। बाहय सुरक्षा तथा आंतरिक शांति दोनो के लिए प्रबल सैन्यशक्ति आवश्यक थी। .. साम्राज्य के अंदर और उसकी सीमा पर रहनेवाले जनजात्तीय लोग बराबर परेशानी का कारण बने रहते थे। इस सबके लिए विशाल स्थायी सेना और चुस्त दंडव्यवस्था थी। "
English Translation of his statement - "The biggest fact of Maurya political history was the establishment of the Magadha Empire, which included the whole of India except the far south. This empire was established with the strength of the sword and it could be protected only with the strength of the sword. Strong military power was necessary for both external security and internal peace..The tribal people living inside the empire and on its borders were equally a cause of trouble. So for this, there was a huge permanent army and tight judicial system."{{Cite book|page=355|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.401527|title=Prachin Bharat Me Rajneetik Vichar Avam Sansthae|last=Sharma|first=Ramsharan|date=1990}}</ref>, [[Charles Allen]]<ref name="CHARLES"> " Pg.1 : Ashoka Maurya—or Ashoka the Great as he was later known—holds a special place in the history of Buddhism and India. At its height in around 250 BCE, his empire stretched across the Indian subcontinent to Kandahar in the east, and as far north as the Himalayas. Through his quest to govern by moral force alone, Ashoka transformed Buddhism from a minor sect into a major world religion, while simultaneously setting a new yardstick for government that had lasting implications for all of Asia. His bold experiment ended in tragedy, however, and in the tumult that followed the historical record was cleansed so effectively that his name was largely forgotten for almost two thousand years. Yet, a few mysterious stone monuments and inscriptions miraculously survived the purge.

" Pg. 60 : Pliny admits to the loss of Greek territory: "The Indians afterwards held a large part of Ariane [a satrapy of the Persian Empire encompassing what is now eastern Iran, south-western Afghanistan and Baluchistan] which they had received from the Macedonians, entering into marriage relations with him, and giving in return five hundred elephants, of which Sandrakottos had nine thousand." "{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/ashokasearchfori0000alle/page/n1/mode/1up?q=Ashoka+Maurya%E2%80%94or|title=Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor|last=Allen|page=1 ,60 and his created map on pg. 12|first=Charles|date=2012-02-21|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|isbn=978-1-4087-0388-5|language=en}}</ref>, [[Neil MacGregor]]<ref name="GREGOR">" Pg.205 : Chandragupta, who had risen to the throne following a military campaign that created a huge empire reaching from Kandahar in modern Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east. This included the great majority of modern India, and was the largest empire in Indian history. In 268 BC Ashoka took his place on the throne but not without considerable struggle. Buddhist writings tell us that in order to do so he killed ‘ninety-nine of his brothers’ presumably metaphorical as well as actual brothers. The same writings create a legend of Ashoka’s pre-Buddhist days as filled with self-indulgent frivolity and cruelty. When he became emperor he set out to complete the occupation of the whole subcontinent and attacked the independent state of Kalinga modern-day Orissa on the east coast. " {{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofworldin0000macg/page/205/mode/2up|title=A history of the world in 100 objects|last=MacGregor|first=Neil|date=2011|page=205|publisher=New York : Viking|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-670-02270-0}}</ref> old historians:[[Mark F. Whitters]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/e
ncyclopedia-of-world-history-7-volumes-set-facts-on-file-2008|page=33,262,270,590 |title=Encyclopedia Of World History 7 Volumes Set Facts On File 2008}}</ref>, [[Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur ]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/e
ncyclopedia-of-world-history-7-volumes-set-facts-on-file-2008|page=33,262,270,590 |title=Encyclopedia Of World History 7 Volumes Set Facts On File 2008}}</ref>, [[Janice J. Terry]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/e
ncyclopedia-of-world-history-7-volumes-set-facts-on-file-2008|page=33,262,270,590 |title=Encyclopedia Of World History 7 Volumes Set Facts On File 2008}}</ref>, [[Michael J. Schroeder ]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/e
ncyclopedia-of-world-history-7-volumes-set-facts-on-file-2008|page=33,262,270,590 |title=Encyclopedia Of World History 7 Volumes Set Facts On File 2008}}</ref>, [[Marsha E. Ackermann ]]<ref name="WORLDHISTO">“ Pg.33 : Ashoka (Asoka) was the third ruler of the MAURYAN Empire. Under his long rule the empire that he inherited reached its zenith territorially and culturally. Soon after his death the Mauryan Empire split up and ended. He is remembered as a great ruler in world history and the greatest ruler in India. Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan dynasty in 326 B.C.E. Both he and his son Bindusara were successful warriors, unifying northern India and part of modern Afghanistan for the first time in history. Ashoka was not Bindusara's eldest son, and there is a gap of time between his father's death and his succession, due perhaps to war with his brothers. Ashoka continued to expand the empire by conquering southward. One war against Kalinga in the southeast was particularly bloody and filled him with remorse. As a result he converted to Buddhism (from Vedic Hinduism) and renounced war as an instrument of policy.”
“Pg.262 : Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan Empire in 326 B.C.E. in northern India. His son Bindusara and grandson AsHOKA (Asoka) continued his conquest that unified the entire subcontinent, with the exception of the southern tip, and part of Afghanistan into India's first great empire. “
“Pg.270 :In 324 B.C.E. Chandragupta Maurya unified northern India by defeating his rivals. He went on to war against the successor of ALEXANDER THE GREAT in Asia, Seleucus Nicator, expelling his forces from the borderlands of India. In 305 B.C.E. the two men concluded a treaty in which the Greeks withdrew from the Punjab in northwestern India and which fixed the western boundary of the MAURYAN EMPIRE to the crest of the Hindu Kush. There was also exchange of ambassadors, gifts, and a vague mention of a marriage alliance. Megasthenes was Seleucus’s representative at Chandragupta’s court. “
&
“Check Mauryan Empire Map , Pg:590. “{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/e
ncyclopedia-of-world-history-7-volumes-set-facts-on-file-2008|page=33,262,270,590 |title=Encyclopedia Of World History 7 Volumes Set Facts On File 2008}}</ref>, [[Radha Kumud Mukherjee]]<ref name="MUKHERJEE">" Pg.12 : Asoka had the singular good fortune of being spared the ifficult task of founding and organising an inpare That ask was effectively executed by his grandfather, Chandragupta Maurya, who bequeathed to his successors an empire extending approximately from Afghanistan to Mysore Territories which are even now outside the Government of India were parts of the Indian Empire under Chandragupta, the four satrapies of Aria, Arochosia, Gedrosia, and the Paropanisadai, which Chanaragupta wrested in about 304 B C from the empire of Selukos as the penalty for his ill-advised aggression."

" Pg.13 :Yuan Chwang saw Asokan topes in Kapis (Kafiris- tan), Nagar (Jelalabad), and Udyana in the north-west. In Bengal, the authority of Asoka is proved by his stūpa at Tamralipti, the capital of Suhma, and the famous port of embarkation for voyages towards the south. According to Yuan Chwang, there was also a stupa of Asoka in the capital of Samatata or the Brahmaputra Delta, and others in different parts of Bengal and Bihar, viz., Punyavardhana (northern Bengal) and Karnasuvarna (modern Burdwan, Birbhum and Murshidabad districts) [Watters, ii 184 f]. Yuan Chwang refers to Asokan topes being erected at various places in the south, in Chola and Dravida, of which the capital, Kanchipura, has been sought to be identified with the Satiyaputra country of the Edict Indeed, the distribu- tion of the Asokan topes as mentioned by Yuan Chwang is almost co-terminous with that of the inscriptions, and is equally significant of the vastness of his empire.Lastly, the extent of his empire is also indicated by his own mention in the Edicts (R.E. II, V, and XIII] of the peoples on its borders In the south, these are mentioned as the Cholas, Pandyas, the Satiyaputra and Keralaputra, who were all within his sphere of influence Towards the north-west, his empire marched with that of the Synan monarch, Antiochos [R.E. II], and hence extended up to Persia and Syria which were held by Antiochos, while it is also known how Asoka's grandfather, Chandragupta, had wrested from Selukos the provinces of Aria, Arachosia, Paropanisadai and Gedrosia, which descended to Asoka as his inheritance.

Lastly, the extent of his empire is also indicated by his own mention in the Edicts (Rock Edict II, V, and XIII] of the peoples on its borders In the south, these are mentioned as the Cholas, Pandyas, the Satiyaputra and Keralaputra, who were all within his sphere of influence Towards the north-west, his empire marched with that of the Synan monarch, Antiochos [Rock Edict II], and hence extended up to Persia and Syria which were held by Antiochos, while it is also known how Asoka's grandfather, Chandragupta, had wrested from Selukos the provinces of Aria, Arachosia, Paropanisadai and Gedrosia, which descended to Asoka as his inheritance ."

" Pg.16 : The capital of the empire at Pataliputra [Rock Edict V. Girnar], and of outlying towns", such as Bodh-Gaya [Rock Edict VIII), Kosambi (Allahabad Pillar Edict], Ujjeni, Takkhasilä [K.R.Edict),Suvarnagiri, Isila [M.R.Edict], and Tosali and Samāpā in the province of Kalinga [K.R.Edict] Thus we have a fairly definite idea of the limits of Asoka's empire in different directions. We may even hazard the conjecture that the empire was so large that Asoka did not live to visit all its parts, and inspect the execution of his inscriptions in different localities."{{Cite book|page=12,13,16|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=uXyftdtE1ygC&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Radhakumud+Mookerji%22&hl=en&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Asoka|last=Mookerji|first=Radhakumud|date=1962|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishe|isbn=978-81-208-0582-8|language=en}}</ref><ref name="RADHA">"Pg.36-37: Chandragupta did not merely supplant the Nanda king in the sovereignty of Magadha. He made himself at once the sovereign of an empire which was much larger than that of Nanda, for it included the land of the five rivers up to the Indus. This empire also extended farther by his later conquests. His subsequent career may be gathered from the following statement of Plutarch [Lives^ Chap. LXII] : 'Not long afterwards, Androcottos, who had at that time mounted the throne, presented Seleukos with 500 elephants and overran and subdued the whole of India with an army of 600,000 . " The throne " here is the throne of Magadha which he had won by defeating the Nanda king. The present to Seleukos was the result of a war between the two. It would appear that in the struggle for power which ensued among the generals of Alexander after his death, Seleukos won for himself a secure position as the ruler of Babylon by about 311 B C. and felt free to devote himself to the consolidation of his authority in the distant provinces. Bactria was not subdued without hard fighting. And by about 305 or 304 B. C. at the latest, he planned for a recovery of the Indian conquests of Alexander. Taking the route along the Kabul river,and crossed the Indus [Appian, Syr. 55]. But the expedition proved abortive and ended in an alliance. It was because he had to confront a new India, strong and united, under Chandragupta in command of a formidable army, and felt that discretion was the better part of valour. By the terms of the treaty, Seleukos ceded to Chandragupta the Satrapies of Arachosia' (Kandahar) and the Paropanisadae (Kabul), together with portions of Aria (Herat) and Gedrosia (Baluchistan). Thus Chandragupta was able to add another glorious feather to his cap. He extended his empire beyond the frontiers of India up to the borders of Persia. That is why it was possible for his grandson Asoka to declare in two of his Rock Edicts [11 and XIII] that the Syrian emperor, Antiochus [Antiyoka Yona^raja]^ was his immediate neighbour, one of his frontagers (an Anta or a Pratyanta king). "{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times|last=Mookerji|first=Radhakumud|date=1966|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|isbn=978-81-208-0405-0|language=en}}</ref>,[[John Haywood (British historian)|John Haywood]];<ref name="HAYWOOD"> " Pg.24 : In 321 Chandragupta Maurya (321-c. 293) seized the throne of the kingdom of Magadha, overthrowing the Nanda dynasty. Chandragupta spent most of his reign building a strong central administration, but he defeated a Seleucid invasioin, adding all of northwest India to his domains. His son Bindusara also conquered much of southern India. Under Ashoka the Mauryan empire reached its greatest extent. Appalled by his bloody conquest of the east coast kingdom of Kalinga in 261 Ashoka abjured further warfare and, becoming a Buddhist, tried to impose Buddhist standards of behavior on his people." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/atlasofworldhist00hayw|page=24|title=Atlas of world history|last=Haywood|first=John|date=1997|publisher=New York : Barnes & Noble Books|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-7607-0687-9}}</ref>[[Patrick Karl O'Brien]],<ref name="BRIEN"> " Pg.46 - By 500 Bc kingdoms existed throughout the Ganges region. Chief among these was Magadha, favourably located for control both of riverborne trade and of the sources of raw materials such as iron. Magadha gradually expanded at the expense of its neighbours and before 297 Bc its king, Chandragupta Maurya, ruled most of north India . His grandson Ashoka (r. 272-231 Bc) further extended the empire, conquering Kalinga in 261 Bc, and only the extreme south retained its independence. Pillar and rock edicts mark the extent of Mauryan political authority: these proclaimed Ashokaâ€™s ethical code of social responsibility and toleration. It was an age of peace and prosperity."{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/philipsatlasofwo0000unse_u6t7|title=Philip's Atlas of World History: From the Origins of Humanity to the Year 2000|page=46|date=1999|publisher=The Softback Preview|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-540-07858-5}}</ref><ref>https://books.google.nl/books?id=ffZy5tDjaUkC&pg=PA46&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false</ref>[[H. C. Raychaudhuri]],<ref name="RAYCHAUDHARI">"Pg.273 : The ceded country comprised a large portion of Ariana itself, a fact ignored by Tarn. In exchange the Maurya a monarch gave the "comparatively small recompense of 500 elephantsâ€. It is believed that the territory ceded by the Syrian king included the four satrapies: Aria, Arachosia, Gedrosia and the Paropanisadai, i.e., Herat, Kandahar, Makran and Kabul. Doubts have been entertained about this by several scholars including Tarn. The inclusion of the Kabul valley within the Maurya Empire is, however, proved by the inscriptions of Asoka, the grandson of Chandragupta, which speak of the Yonas and Gandharas as vassals of the Empire. And the evidence of Strabo probably points to the cession by Seleukos of a large part of the Iranian Tableland besides the riparian provinces on the Indus."
" Pg.297: The conquest of the territory between the eastern and western seas has been taken by some scholars to refer to the annexation of the Deccan. But we should not forget that already in the time of Chandragupta the Maurya Empire extended from Saurashtra to Bengal (Gangaridae), i.e., from the western to the eastern sea. "
" Pg.327 : The full political effects of this change of policy became manifest only after the death of Ashoka, perhaps even after the 27th year of his consecration. From the time of Bimbisara to the Kalinga war' the history India was the story of the expansion of Magadha from a tiny state in South Bihar to a gigantic Empire extending from the foot of the Hindukush to the borders of the Tamil country."{{Cite book |last=Raychaud |first=Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri|page=273,297,327|url=http://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.1633 |title=Political history of ancient India |date=1953}}</ref>, [[John F. Cady]],<ref name="CADY"> " Pg.34 - The India from whose culture Southeast Asian peoples borrowed so extensively was partly united for the first time politically in the third century B.C. The Mauryan Empire (330 to 180 By.) included the north Indian valleys westward to Greek Bactria and southward along the eastern Indian coast to the mouths of the Kistna and Godavari Rivers. Mauryan power centering at Patna in the lower Ganges Valley reached its peak in the mid-third century B.c. under the leadership of the great Asoka, who was a political exemplar of Buddhist ideals and humanitarian principles of government. Asoka unified and promoted the Buddhist faith without persecuting dissident elements; he built Indiaâ€™s first shrines of cut stone and burned brick; he sponsored missionary efforts within India and beyond. Mauryan rule declined rapidly after his death in 237 B.c."{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/southeastasiaits0000cady_v1t8|title=Southeast Asia: its historical development|page=34|last=Cady|first=John F. (John Frank)|date=1964|publisher=New York, McGraw-Hill|others=Internet Archive}}</ref>[[Gerald Danzer]],<ref name="DANZER">" Pg.44 - The Mauryan Empire reached out from the Ganges valley to annex the Indus valley peoples shortly after the death of Alexander the Great. Asoka extended the empire in all directions, but had an even greater impact in spreading the teachings of the Buddha throughout his realm. He had pillars erected at crossroads locations covered with edicts written in stone to proclaim his ideals." ..."In the generation after Alexander, however, information resurfaces with the establishment of the Mauryan Empire by Chandragupta in 324 BCE. By 240 bce the Mauryan Empire reached its greatest extent, controlling the great river valleys of both the Ganges and Indus rivers. Of even more importance was the conversion of the emperor, Asoka, to Buddhism. "{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/atlasofworldhist0000danz|title=An atlas of world history|last=Danzer|first=Gerald A.|date=2000|page=44|publisher=Ann Arbor, MI : Borders Press|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-681-46572-5}}</ref>[[Vincent Arthur Smith]];<ref name="Smith1920">
Pg.75: The Indian conquests of Alexander to the east of the Indus, which extended across the Panjab as far as the Hyphasis or Bias river, quickly passed, as we have seen, soon after the death of Alexander, into the hands of Chandragupta Maurya, and the four satrapies of Aria, Arachosia, Gedrosia, and the Paropanisadai were ceded to him by Seleukos Nikator about B. c. 305. The Maurya frontier was thus extended as far as the Hindu Rush Mountains, and the greater part of the countries now called Afghanistan, Baluchistan and Makran, with the North- Western Frontier Province, became incorporated in the Indian Empire. That empire included the famous strongholds of Kabul, Zabul, Kandahar, and Herat, and so possessed the scientific frontier ' for which Anglo-Indian statesmen have long sighed in vain. There is no reason to suppose that the trans-Indus provinces were lost by Bindusara, and it is reasonable to assume that they continued under the sway of Asoka, who refers to Antiochos, King of Syria, in terms which suggest that the Syrian and Indian empires were conterminous. Costly buildings ascribed to Asoka were seen by Hiuen Tsang in different parts of Afghanistan. Among others he mentions a stone stupa, a hundred feet high, at the town of Kapisa, somewhere in Kafiristan, and a remarkable building of the same kind, three hundred feet in height and richly decorated, at Nangrahar, near Jalalabad, on the Kabul river. The Swat valley also contained evidences of Asoka's passion for building ."
"Pg.81 : Asoka's empire, therefore, comprised the countries now known as Afghanistan, as far as the Hindu Kush, Baluchistan, Makran, Sind, Kachh (Cutch), the Swat valley, with the adjoining regions, Kashmir, Nepal, and the whole of India proper, except the extreme south, Tamilakam or Tamil Land. His dominions were far more extensive than British India of to-day, excluding Burma. "{{citation|last=Smith|first=Vincent Arthur|title=The Oxford History of India: From the Earliest Times to the End of 1911|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p2gxAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA104%7Cyear=1920%7C|publisher=Clarendon Press|pages=75,81}}</ref> [[Robert Roswell Palmer]],<ref name="PALMER">" Pg.116 - Based on Magadha in the Ganges valley, the Mauryan empire flourished from 322 B.C., when its founder Chandragupta seized the capital city of Pataliputra to 185 B.C., when the last ruler of the dynasty died. Chandragupta united north India from the mouths of the Ganges to the watershed west of the Indus. He then took over, from a satrap of the Alexandrian empire, the regions of Arachosia and Gandhara up to the Hindu Kush mountains. His son Bindusara extended the empire to about the fifteenth parallel of latitude, except for Kalinga on the east coast, which was later annexed by Asoka. The reign of Asoka (273-232 B.C.) -saw the height of the Mauryan empire, and is one of the great periods of Indian history. Shortly after the conquest of Kahnga Asoka was converted to Buddhism, whereupon, forswearing mihtarism. he devoted himself to the welfare of his people and the propagation of Buddhism. His missionaries brought Buddhism and Indian civilization to Ceylon and elsewhere." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/randmcnallyatla00rand|title=Rand McNally atlas of world history|last=Rand McNally and Company|page=106|last2=Palmer|first2=R. R. (Robert Roswell)|date=1965|publisher=Chicago|others=Internet Archive}}</ref>[[Geoffrey Parker]],<ref name="GEOFFREY">" Pg.28 - A further turning point came in 320 BC when Chandragupta Maurya seized the state of Magadha on the lower Ganges, and occupied large parts of central India, and in 305 BC annexed the province of Trans-Indus from the successors of Alexander the Great (see page 32). Chandraguptaâ€™s grandson Ashoka (273-232 BC) expanded this Mauryan empire southwards, bringing the greater part of the sub-continent under his rule and inscribing edicts on pillars and rock-faces all over India as a permanent reminder of his power (map 2). Ashokaâ€™s death introduced a troubled period, punctuated by invasions of both Greeks and nomads who founded states in the north-west, such as the Kushan empire, where Hellenistic and Indian influences mingled. Further south, the Satavahanas of the Deccan ruled a state that straddled the peninsula by AD 150." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/timescompacthist0000unse_g4l2|page=28|title=The Times compact history of the world|date=2008|publisher=London : Times Books|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-00-726731-6}}</ref>[[R. C. Majumdar]];<ref name="MAJUMDAR">
"Pg.101 : Towards the close of the reign of Chandrgupta, the Maurya empire received a further extension in the north-west Seleucus the general of Alexander, who had made himself master of Babylon, gradually extended his empire from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indus and even tried to regain the provinces to the east of that river. He failed and had to conclude a treaty with Chandragupta by which he surrendered a large territory including, in the opinion of certain writers, the satrapies of Paropanisadai {Kabul), Aria (Herat), Arachosia (Qandahar), and Gedrosia (Baluchistan), in return for 500 elephant.
"Pg.104 : The conquest of this province rounded off the Maurya empire, which now embraced almost the whole of nonTamil India and a considerable portion of Afganistan. It stretched from the land of the Yonas, Kambojaa and Gandharas in the Kabul valley and some adjoining mountain territory to the country of the Andhra in the Godavari-Krishna basin and the district(Ahara) of Isila in the north of Mysore* and from Sopara and Girnar in the west to Dhauli and Jaugada in the east. In the north-west the empire touched the realm of Antiochos II the Greek king of Syria and Western Asia, and in the south it extended as far as the Kingdom of tho Chodas, Pandyas, Satiyaputra and Keralaputras in the Tamil country. If tradition is to be believed, the dominions of Ashoka included the secluded vales of Kashmir and Nepal as well as the riparian plins of Pundravardhana (North Bengal) and Samatata [East Bengal), The inclusion of the Himalayan valleys is rendered probably by the discovery of inscriptions at Mansera in the Hazara district, at Kalsi in the Dehradun district at Nigali Sagar and Rummindei in the Nepaleso Tarai and at Rampurva in the Champaran district of North Bihar. "{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.4263|title=Advanced history of India|last=Majumdar|first=R. C.|date=1953|publisher=Macmillan & Company|page=101,104}}</ref>and historical geographer:[[Joseph E. Schwartzberg]].<ref name="dsal.uchicago.edu">Schwartzberg, Joseph E. [https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/ ''A Historical Atlas of South Asia''] , 2nd ed. (University of Minnesota, 1992), Plate III.B.4b ([https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=055 p.18]) and Plate XIV.1a-c ([https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=182 p.145]) {{!}}url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/ {{!}}date=26 January 2021</ref> , Anthropologist and Bioarcheologist : [[Ian Barnes]]<ref name="IANBARNES">“ Pg.42 : Threatened by Chandragupta’s growing power, Seleucis of Syria, Alexander’s successor, challenged him by invading northern India in 305 BC but suffered a devastating defeat. A treaty ending the conflict gave Chandragupta all lands north to the Hindu Kush, including Baluchistan and Afghanistan. Chandragupta used an extensive and elaborate civil service, an army, and a secret service to rule. A virtual dictatorship coincided with widespread public works, building roads and developing irrigation systems……The Mauryan dynasty’s greatest ruler was Asoka, Chandragupta’s grandson. He came to the throne after fighting his brothers for the succession. His policy was to continue enlarging the empire, and in 251 BC, he invaded and conquered Kalinga, part of modern Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and Madhya Pradesh. The Kalinga campaign caused such extensive misery and destruction to the local population that Asoka renounced armed conquest and adopted a policy of “conquest by dharma,” by spiritual rectitude and law.
&
Check Mauryan Empire on Page 43 “{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/historyatlasofas00ianb|title=The history atlas of Asia|page=42|last=Barnes|first=Ian|last2=Hudson|first2=Robert|last3=Parekh|first3=Bhikhu C.|date=1998|publisher=New York : Macmillan|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-02-862581-2}}</ref>

| capital = [[Pataliputra]] (present-day [[Patna]])
| common_languages = [[Sanskrit]] (literary and academic),
[[Magadhi Prakrit]] (vernacular)
| religion = {{plainlist|
*[[Hinduism]]<ref>{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=164|isbn= 9788122411980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=maurya+dynasty+sen }}</ref><ref name="GF68">{{cite book |last1=Bronkhorst|first1=Johannes|last2=Flood |first2=Gavin|author-link1=Johannes Bronkhorst|author-link2=Gavin Flood|title=The Oxford History of Hinduism: Hindu Practice |date=July 2020|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-873350-8 |page=68 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fxT0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA68 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Omvedt |first1=Gail |title=Buddhism in India: Challenging Brahmanism and Caste |date=18 August 2003 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-0-7619-9664-4 |page=119 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rSF8b5hbyP0C&pg=PT70 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Jainism]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=vincent A. |title=The Oxford History Of India Part. 1-3, Ed. 4th |date=1981 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=99 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.99999/page/n121/mode/2up|quote="the only direct evidence throwing light ....is that of Jain tradition. ...it may be that he embraced Jainism towards the end of his reign. ...after much consideration I am inclined to accept the main facts as affirmed by tradition .... no alternative account exists."}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Dalrymple|first=William|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mc2IVc6obeAC&pg=PT21|title=Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India|date=2009-10-07|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-4088-0341-7|location=|pages=|language=en|quote="It was here, in the third century BC, that the first Emperor of India, Chandragupta Maurya, embraced the Jain religion and died through a self-imposed fast to the death,......"}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Keay |first1=John |title=India: A History |date=1981 |publisher=Open Road + Grove/Atlantic |isbn=978-0-8021-9550-0 |pages=85–86 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0IquM4BrJ4YC&pg=PT174 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Buddhism]]<ref name="GF68"/><ref name="JDL">{{cite book |last1=Long |first1=Jeffery D.|author-link=Jeffery D. Long |title=Historical Dictionary of Hinduism |date=15 April 2020|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-5381-2294-5 |page=255 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IWXRDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA255 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Ājīvika|Ajivikism]]<ref name="GF68"/><ref name="JDL"/>
*[[Greek polytheism]] [[Zoroastrianism]] (northwest)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Boyce |first1=Mary |last2=Grenet |first2=F. |title=A History of Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism under Macedonian and Roman Rule |date=January 1991 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-29391-5 |page=149 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Euh5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA149 |language=en}}</ref>}}
| GDP_PPP =
| currency = [[Pana (Currency)|Panas]]
| title_leader = [[List of Magadha monarchs#House of Maurya|Emperor]]
| leader1 = [[Chandragupta Maurya|Emperor Chandragupta]]
| year_leader1 = 322–298 BCE
| leader2 = [[Bindusara|Emperor Bindusara]]
| year_leader2 = 298–272 BCE
| leader3 = [[Ashoka|Emperor Ashoka]]
| year_leader3 = 268–232 BCE
| leader4 = [[Dasharatha Maurya|Emperor Dasharatha]]
| year_leader4 = 232–224 BCE
| leader5 = [[Samprati|Emperor Samprati]]
| year_leader5 = 224–215 BCE
| leader6 = [[Shalishuka|Emperor Shalishuka]]
| year_leader6 = 215–202 BCE
| leader7 = [[Devavarman (Maurya)|Emperor Devavarman]]
| year_leader7 = 202–195 BCE
| leader8 = [[Shatadhanvan|Emperor Shatadhanvan]]
| year_leader8 = 195–187 BCE
| leader9 = [[Brihadratha Maurya|Emperor Brihadratha]]
| year_leader9 = 187–184 BCE
| stat_year1 = 261 BCE
| stat_area1 = 3400000
| ref_area1 = <ref name="Taagepera132">{{cite journal|date=1979|title=Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D.|jstor=1170959|journal=[[Social Science History]]|volume=3|issue=3/4|page=132|doi=10.2307/1170959|last1=Taagepera|first1=Rein}}</ref>{{break}}(low-end estimate of peak area)
| stat_year2 = 250 BCE
| stat_area2 = 5000000
| ref_area2 = <ref name="Turchin223">{{cite journal|last2=Adams|first2=Jonathan M.|last3=Hall|first3=Thomas D|date=December 2006|title=East-West Orientation of Historical Empires|url=http://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/jwsr/article/view/369/381|journal=Journal of World-Systems Research|volume=12|issue=2|page=223|issn=1076-156X|last1=Turchin|first1=Peter|access-date=16 September 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520161830/http://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/jwsr/article/view/369/381|archive-date=20 May 2019|df=dmy-all}}</ref>{{break}}(high-end estimate of peak area)
}}

{{Maurya}}
The '''Maurya Empire''', or the '''Mauryan Empire''', was a geographically extensive [[Iron Age]] historical power on the [[Indian subcontinent]] based in [[Magadha]]. Founded by [[Chandragupta Maurya]] in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE.<ref name="Dyson2018-lead-maurya">
{{citation
|last=Dyson|first=Tim|title=A Population History of India: From the First Modern People to the Present Day|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA16|year=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-882905-8|pages=16–17}} Quote: "Magadha power came to extend over the main cities and communication routes of the Ganges basin. Then, under Chandragupta Maurya (c.321–297 bce), and subsequently Ashoka his grandson, Pataliputra became the centre of the loose-knit Mauryan 'Empire' which during Ashoka's reign (c.268–232 bce) briefly had a presence throughout the main urban centres and arteries of the subcontinent, except for the extreme south."</ref> The Maurya Empire was centralized by the conquest of the [[Indo-Gangetic Plain]], and its capital city was located at [[Pataliputra]], modern [[Patna]]. Outside this imperial center, the empire's geographical extent depended on the loyalty of military commanders who controlled the armed cities that sprinkled it.<ref name="Ludden2013-lead-4"/>{{sfn|Hermann Kulke|2004|pp=xii, 448}}<ref>{{cite book | first1=Romila | last1=Thapar | title=A History of India, Volume 1 | publisher=Penguin Books | author-link=Romila Thapar | year=1990 | page=384 | isbn=0-14-013835-8}}</ref> During [[Ashoka]]'s rule ({{Circa|268|232 BCE}}) the empire briefly controlled the major urban hubs and arteries of the Indian subcontinent except those in the deep south.<ref name="Dyson2018-lead-maurya"/> It declined for about 50 years after Ashoka's rule, and dissolved in 185 BCE with the assassination of Brihadratha by [[Pushyamitra Shunga]] and the foundation of the [[Shunga Empire]] in Magadh.

[[Chandragupta Maurya]] raised an army, with the assistance of [[Chanakya]], his teacher and the author of [[Arthashastra]],<ref>{{Cite book|title=India: A History|last=Keay|first=John|publisher=Grove Press|year=2000|isbn=978-0-8021-3797-5|pages=82}}</ref> and overthrew the [[Nanda Empire]] in {{circa|322 BCE}}, laying the foundation for the Maurya Empire. Chandragupta rapidly expanded his power west across central and western India by defeating the [[satrap]]s left by [[Alexander the Great]], and by 317 BCE the empire had fully occupied [[northwestern India]].{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=31}} The Mauryan Empire then defeated [[Seleucus I Nicator]], a [[Diadochi|diadochus]] and founder of the [[Seleucid Empire]], during the [[Seleucid–Mauryan war]], thus acquiring territory west of the [[Indus River]], [[Afghanistan]] and [[Balochistan]].<ref>[[Seleucus I]] ceded the territories of [[Arachosia]] (modern Kandahar), [[Gedrosia]] (modern Balochistan), and [[Paropamisadae]] (or [[Gandhara]]). [[Aria (satrapy)|Aria]] (modern [[Herat]]) "has been wrongly included in the list of ceded [[satrapy|satrapies]] by some scholars ... on the basis of wrong assessments of the passage of [[Strabo]] ... and a statement by [[Pliny]]{{dn|date=June 2023}}" (Raychaudhuri & Mukherjee 1996, p. 594).</ref>{{sfn|John D Grainger|2014|p=109|ps=: [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]] "must ... have held Aria", and furthermore, his "son [[Antiochus I Soter|Antiochos]] was active there fifteen years later".}}

Under the Mauryas, internal and external trade, agriculture, and economic activities thrived and expanded across India due to the creation of a single and efficient system of finance, administration, and security. The Maurya dynasty built a precursor of the [[Grand Trunk Road]] from Pataliputra to [[Taxila]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://roadsandkingdoms.com/2016/dinner-on-the-grand-trunk-road/|title=Dinner on the Grand Trunk Road|last=Bhandari|first=Shirin|date=2016-01-05|publisher=Roads & Kingdoms|language=en-US|access-date=2016-07-19}}</ref>After the [[Kalinga War]], the Empire experienced nearly half a century of centralized rule under Ashoka the Great. Ashoka's embrace of [[Buddhism]] and sponsorship of Buddhist missionaries allowed for the expansion of that faith into [[Sri Lanka]], northwest India, and [[Central Asia]].{{sfn|Hermann Kulke|2004|p=67}}

The population of South Asia during the Mauryan period has been estimated to be between 15 and 30 million.<ref name="Dyson2018-lead-maurya-4">
{{citation
|last=Dyson|first=Tim|title=A Population History of India: From the First Modern People to the Present Day|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA24|year=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-882905-8|page=24}} Quote: "Yet Sumit Guha considers that 20 million is an upper limit. This is because the demographic growth experienced in core areas is likely to have been less than that experienced in areas that were more lightly settled in the early historic period. The position taken here is that the population in Mauryan times (320–220 BCE) was between 15 and 30 million—although it may have been a little more, or it may have been a little less."</ref>
The Maurya period was marked by exceptional creativity in art, architecture, inscriptions and texts,<ref name="Ludden2013-lead-4">
{{citation
|last=Ludden
|first=David|title=India and South Asia: A Short History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EbFHAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA28|year=2013|publisher=Oneworld Publications|isbn=978-1-78074-108-6|pages=28–30}}
</ref> but also by the consolidation of [[caste]] in the Gangetic plain, and the declining rights of women in mainstream [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan speaking]] regions of India.<ref name="Dyson2018-lead-maurya-3">
{{citation
|last=Dyson|first=Tim|title=A Population History of India: From the First Modern People to the Present Day|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA19|year=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-882905-8|page=19}}</ref>
Archaeologically, the period of Mauryan rule in South Asia falls into the era of [[Northern Black Polished Ware]] (NBPW). The ''[[Arthashastra]]''<ref>"It is doubtful if, in its present shape, [the ''Arthashastra''] is as old as the time of the first Maurya", as it probably contains layers of text ranging from Maurya times till as late as the 2nd century CE. Nonetheless, "though a comparatively late work, it may be used ... to confirm and supplement the information gleaned from earlier sources". (Raychaudhuri & Mukherjee 1996, pp. 246–247)</ref> and the [[Edicts of Ashoka]] are the primary sources of written records of Mauryan times.{{cn|date=April 2023}} The [[Lion Capital of Ashoka]] at [[Sarnath]] is the national [[emblem]] of the [[Republic of India]].

== Etymology ==

The name "Maurya" does not occur in [[Edicts of Ashoka|Ashoka's inscriptions]], or the contemporary Greek accounts such as [[Megasthenes]]'s ''[[Indica (Megasthenes)|Indica]]'', but it is attested by the following sources:{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}}

*The [[Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman]] (c. 150 CE) prefixes "Maurya" to the names Chandragupta and Ashoka.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}}
* The [[Puranas]] (c. 4th century CE or earlier) use Maurya as a dynastic appellation.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}}
* The Buddhist texts state that Chandragupta belonged to the "[[Moriya (tribe)|Moriya]]" clan of the Shakyas, the tribe to which [[Gautama Buddha]] belonged.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}}
* The Jain texts state that Chandragupta was the son of a royal superintendent of peacocks (''mayura-poshaka'').{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}}
*[[Sangam literature|Tamil Sangam literature]] also designate them as '{{transliteration|ta|moriyar}}' and mention them after the [[Nanda Empire|Nandas]]<ref name="Singh 2008">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pq2iCwAAQBAJ&q=mokur+sangam+poem&pg=PA385|title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century|last=Singh|first=Upinder|date=2008|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=9788131716779|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Kuntala country|Kuntala]] inscription (from the town of Bandanikke, [[Mysore district|North Mysore]]) of 12th century AD chronologically mention Mauryya as one of the dynasties which ruled the region.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.107941|title=Annual Report Of Mysore 1886 To 1903|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
*The Kalpasutra of the Jains mentions a Mauryaputra of the Kasyapa gotra, which shows that the Mauryas were regarded as high class folk who was the disciple of Mahavira.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/chandraguptamaur035072mbp|title=Chandragupta Maurya|last=Purushottam Lal Bhargava|publisher=The Upper India Publishing House Ltd Lucknow|others=BRAOU, Digital Library Of India}}</ref>
According to Kharavela' [[Hathigumpha inscription]] (2nd-1st century BC) mentions era of Maurya Empire as Muriya Kala (Mauryan era),<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/epigrahiaindicav014769mbp|title=Epigraphia Indica Vol.20|date=1920|publisher=Archaeological Survey of India|page=[https://archive.org/details/epigrahiaindicav014769mbp/page/n106 80]|language=en}}</ref> but this reading is disputed: other scholars—such as epigraphist [[D. C. Sircar]]—read the phrase as mukhiya-kala ("the principal art").<ref>{{cite book | chapter=The Satavahanas and the Chedis | author = [[D. C. Sircar]] | year = 1968 | title =The Age of Imperial Unity | editor = [[R. C. Majumdar]] | publisher = Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan | page = 215 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=J1SgAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>

According to the Buddhist tradition, the ancestors of the Maurya kings had settled in a region where peacocks (''mora'' in [[Pali language|Pali]]) were abundant. Therefore, they came to be known as "Moriyas", literally meaning, "belonging to the place of peacocks". According to another Buddhist account, these ancestors built a city called Moriya-nagara ("Moriya-city"), which was so called, because it was built with the "bricks coloured like peacocks' necks".{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=14}}

The dynasty's connection to the peacocks, as mentioned in the Buddhist and Jain traditions, seems to be corroborated by archaeological evidence. For example, peacock figures are found on the [[Lauria Nandangarh#Pillar of Ashoka|Ashoka pillar at Nandangarh]] and several sculptures on the Great Stupa of [[Sanchi]]. Based on this evidence, modern scholars theorize that the peacock may have been the dynasty's emblem.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=15}}

Some later authors, such as [[Dhundhiraja of Svamimalai|Dhundhi-raja]] (an 18th-century commentator on the ''[[Mudrarakshasa]]'' and an annotator of the ''[[Vishnu Purana]]''), state that the word "Maurya" is derived from Mura and the mother of the first Maurya king. However, the Puranas themselves make no mention of Mura and do not talk of any relation between the Nanda and the Maurya dynasties.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=140}} Dhundiraja's derivation of the word seems to be his own invention: according to the Sanskrit rules, the derivative of the feminine name Mura ([[IAST]]: Murā) would be "Maureya"; the term "Maurya" can only be derived from the masculine "Mura".{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=8}}

==History==

===Founding===

Prior to the Maurya Empire, the [[Nanda Empire]] ruled over a broad swathe of the Indian subcontinent. The Nanda Empire was a large, militaristic, and economically powerful empire due to conquering the [[Mahajanapadas]]. According to several legends, Chanakya travelled to [[Pataliputra]], [[Magadha]], the capital of the Nanda Empire where Chanakya worked for the Nandas as a minister. However, Chanakya was insulted by the Emperor [[Dhana Nanda]] when he informed them of Alexander's invasion. Chanakya swore revenge and vowed to destroy the Nanda Empire.<ref name="Namita20082">{{cite book|last1=Sugandhi|first1=Namita Sanjay|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8bdULPF4gNYC&pg=PA88|title=Between the Patterns of History: Rethinking Mauryan Imperial Interaction in the Southern Deccan|year=2008|isbn=9780549744412|pages=88–89}}</ref> He had to flee in order to save his life and went to [[Taxila]], a notable center of learning, to work as a teacher. On one of his travels, Chanakya witnessed some young men playing a rural game practicing a pitched battle. One of the boys was none other than Chandragupta. Chanakya was impressed by the young Chandragupta and saw royal qualities in him as someone fit to rule.

Meanwhile, [[Alexander the Great]] was leading his Indian campaigns and ventured into Punjab. His army mutinied at the [[Beas River]] and refused to advance farther eastward when confronted by another army. Alexander returned to [[Babylon]] and re-deployed most of his troops west of the [[Indus River]]. Soon after Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BCE, his empire fragmented into independent kingdoms led by his generals.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=31}}

The Maurya Empire was established in the Magadha region under the leadership of Chandragupta Maurya and his mentor Chanakya. Chandragupta was taken to Taxila by Chanakya and was tutored about statecraft and governing. Requiring an army Chandragupta recruited and annexed local [[Gaṇasaṅgha|military republics]] such as the [[Yaudheya]]s that had resisted Alexander's Empire. The Mauryan army quickly rose to become the prominent regional power in the North West of the Indian subcontinent. The Mauryan army then conquered the satraps established by the [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonia ns]].<ref>{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=162|isbn= 9788122411980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=maurya+dynasty+sen
}}</ref> Ancient Greek historians [[Nearchus]], [[Onesictrius]], and [[Aristobolus]] have provided lot of information about the Mauryan empire.<ref>{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=130|isbn= 9788122411980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=maurya+dynasty+sen
}}</ref> The Greek generals [[Eudemus (general)|Eudemus]] and [[Peithon, son of Agenor|Peithon]] ruled in the Indus Valley until around 317 BCE, when Chandragupta Maurya (with the help of Chanakya, who was now his advisor) fought and drove out the Greek governors, and subsequently brought the Indus Valley under the control of his new seat of power in Magadha.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=31}}

Chandragupta Maurya's ancestry is shrouded in mystery and controversy. On one hand, a number of ancient Indian accounts, such as the drama ''[[Mudrarakshasa]]'' (''Signet ring of Rakshasa'' – ''Rakshasa'' was the prime minister of Magadha) by [[Vishakhadatta]], describe his royal ancestry and even link him with the Nanda family. A kshatriya clan known as the Mauryas are referred to in the earliest [[Buddhist texts]], [[Mahaparinibbana Sutta]]. However, any conclusions are hard to make without further historical evidence. Chandragupta first emerges in Greek accounts as "Sandrokottos". As a young man he is said to have met Alexander.<ref>:"Androcottus, when he was a stripling, saw Alexander himself, and we are told that he often said in later times that Alexander narrowly missed making himself master of the country, since its king was hated and despised on account of his baseness and low birth." [[Plutarch]] 62-3 [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0243&layout=&loc=62.1 Plutarch 62-3] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081028230118/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0243&layout=&loc=62.1 |date=28 October 2008 }}</ref> Chanakya is said to have met the Nanda king, angered him, and made a narrow escape.<ref>:"He was of humble Indian to a change of rule." Justin XV.4.15 "Fuit hic humili quidem genere natus, sed ad regni potestatem maiestate numinis inpulsus. Quippe cum procacitate sua Nandrum regem offendisset, interfici a rege iussus salutem pedum ceieritate quaesierat. (Ex qua fatigatione cum somno captus iaceret, leo ingentis formae ad dormientem accessit sudoremque profluentem lingua ei detersit expergefactumque blande reliquit. Hoc prodigio primum ad spem regni inpulsus) contractis latronibus Indos ad nouitatem regni sollicitauit." [http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/texte15.html Justin XV.4.15] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201051124/http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/texte15.html |date=1 February 2016 }}</ref>

==Empire Expansion==
===Conquest of the Nanda Empire===
Historically reliable inscription details of Chandragupta's campaign against [[Nanda Empire]] are unavailable and but later written Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu texts which claim [[Magadha]] was ruled by the [[Nanda dynasty]], which, with [[Chanakya]]'s counsel, [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]] conquered Nanda Empire.{{sfn|Thapar|2013|pp=362–364}}{{sfn|Sen|1895|pp=26–32}}{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=272}} The army of Chandragupta and Chanakya first conquered the Nanda outer territories, and finally besieged the Nanda capital '''Pataliputra'''. In contrast to the easy victory in Buddhist sources, the Hindu and Jain texts state that the campaign was bitterly fought because the Nanda dynasty had a powerful and well-trained army.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=28–33}}{{sfn|Sen|1895|pp=26–32}}
[[File:Nanda Empire, c.325 BCE.png|thumb|Nanda_Empire 323 BCE]]
The Buddhist ''Mahavamsa Tika'' and Jain ''Parishishtaparvan'' records Chandragupta's army unsuccessfully attacking the Nanda capital. {{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=175–188}} Chandragupta and Chanakya then began a campaign at the frontier of the Nanda empire, gradually conquering various territories on their way to the Nanda capital.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=33}} He then refined his strategy by establishing garrisons in the conquered territories, and finally besieged the Nanda capital Pataliputra. There [[Dhana Nanda]] accepted defeat.{{sfn|Malalasekera|2002|p=383}}{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=33-34}} The conquest was fictionalised in ''Mudrarakshasa'' play, it contains narratives not found in other versions of the Chanakya-Chandragupta legend.[[Radha Kumud Mukherjee]] similarly considers Mudrakshasa play without historical basis.<ref>Chandragupta Maurya and His Times, Radhakumud Mookerji, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1966, p.26-27 {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA27 |title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times |access-date=2016-11-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127023139/https://books.google.fr/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA27 |archive-date=27 November 2016 |df=dmy-all |isbn=9788120804050 |last1=Mookerji |first1=Radhakumud |year=1966 }}</ref>

These legends state that the Nanda king was defeated, deposed and exiled by some accounts, while Buddhist accounts claim he was killed.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=34}} With the defeat of Dhana Nanda, Chandragupta Maurya founded the Maurya Empire.{{sfn|Roy|2012|p=62}}

===Conquest of the Eastern Seleucid Empire===
[[File:Seleucid Empire.png|thumb|Seleucid Empire 281 BCE]]
[[File:Chandragupta Maurya Empire c.290 BCE.png|thumb|Chandragupta Maurya Empire c.290 BCE]]

Greek historians mentioned the result of [[Seleucid–Mauryan war]] where Seleucid Empire's eastern satrapies( [[Gedrosia]],[[Arachosia]], [[Aria]], and [[Paropamisadae]]) ceded to Mauryan Empire :
{{quote|text= " Seleucus crossed the Indus and waged war with Sandrocottus [Maurya], king of he Indians, who dwelt on the banks of that stream, until they came to an understanding with each other and contracted a marriage relationship. Some of these exploits were performed before the death of Antigonus and some afterward." |sign=[[Appian]]|source=''History of Rome'', The Syrian Wars [https://www.livius.org/sources/content/appian/appian-the-syrian-wars/appian-the-syrian-wars-11/ 55]}}<blockquote>" The geographical position of the tribes is as follows: along the Indus are the Paropamisadae, above whom lies the Paropamisus mountain: then, towards the south, the Arachoti: then next, towards the south, the Gedroseni, with the other tribes that occupy the seaboard; and the Indus lies, latitudinally, alongside all these places; and of these places, in part, some that lie along the Indus are held by Indians, although they formerly belonged to the Persians. Alexander [III 'the Great' of Macedon] took these away from the Arians and established settlements of his own, but [[Seleucus Nicator]] gave them to [[Sandrocottus]] [Chandragupta], upon terms of intermarriage and of receiving in exchange five hundred elephants. " — Strabo 15.2.9 [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/15B*.html#2.9]</blockquote>

Greecian historian Pliny also quoted a passage from Megasthanes work about Chandragupta Empire boundaries:
<blockquote>
Most geographers, in fact, do not look upon India as bounded by the river Indus, but add to it the four satrapies of the [[Gedrosia|Gedrose]], the [[Arachosia|Arachotë]], the [[Herat|Aria]], and the [[Paropamisadë]], the [[Kabul River|River Cophes]] thus forming the extreme boundary of India. According to other writers, however, all these territories, are reckoned as belonging to the country of the Aria.

— Pliny, Natural History VI, 23 [https://archive.today/20121210070738/http://perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.+Nat.+6.23][https://archive.org/details/naturalhistoryof21855plin/page/50/mode/1up]
</blockquote>
The conquest of the south by Chandragupta Maurya may also perhaps be inferred from the following statement of Plutarch. "The throne" in the context is the Magadhan throne, the occupation of which by Chandragupta is thus followed by two other events, viz., the defeat of Selucus, and the conquest of the remaining part of India not included in the Magadhan empire of the Nandas:

<blockquote>"Not long afterwards Androkottos, who had by that time mounted the throne, presented Selukos with 500 elephants, and overran and subdued the whole of India with an army of 600,000."

-Chapter LXII ,Life of Alexander, Plutarch [https://books.google.co.in/books?id=TXtEAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false]
</blockquote>

Megasthenes defined the region that Chandragupta won from Seleucus as likely western side Gedrosia which shares boundaries with the Euphrates River, and eastern side Arachosia shares boundaries with the Indus. The northern frontier boundary formed by Hindukush mountain range:
<blockquote>
India, which is in shape quadrilateral, has its eastern as well as its 'western side bounded by the great sea, but on the northern side it is divided by Mount Hemôdos from that part of Skythia which is inhabited by those Skythians who are called the Sakai, while the fourth or western side is bounded by the river called the Indus.

- Book I Fragment I , Indica, Megasthanes [https://archive.org/details/AncientIndiaAsDescribedByMegasthenesAndArrianByMccrindleJ.W/page/n39/mode/1up]
</blockquote>
[[File:SakastanMap.jpg|thumb|Satrapian provinces in northwestern India which ceaded to Chandragupta by Selucus due to [[Treaty of Indus]].]]
<blockquote>
Sandrokottos the king of the Indians, India forms the largest of the four parts into which Southorn Asia is divided, while the smallest part is that region which is included between the Euphrates and our own sea. The two remaining parts, which are separated from the others by the Euphrates and the Indus, and lie between these rivers...
India is bounded on its eastern side, right onwards to the south, by the great ocean; that its northern frontier is formed by the Kaukasos range(Hindukush Range) as far as the junction of that range with Tauros; and that the boundary.

- Book I Fragment II , Indica, Megasthanes [https://archive.org/details/AncientIndiaAsDescribedByMegasthenesAndArrianByMccrindleJ.W/page/n54/mode/1up]
</blockquote>

====Treaty of the Indus====
The ancient historians Justin, Appian, and Strabo preserve the three main terms of the Treaty of the Indus:<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=9UWdAwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in the Seleucid Empire|last=Kosmin|first=Paul J.|date=2014-06-23|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-72882-0|language=en}}</ref>

(i) Seleucus transferred to Chandragupta's kingdom the easternmost satrapies of his empire, certainly Gandhara, Parapamisadae, and the eastern parts of Gedrosia, Arachosia and Aria as far as Herat.

(ii) Chandragupta gave Seleucus 500 Indian war elephants.

(iii) The two kings were joined by some kind of marriage alliance (ἐπιγαμία οι κῆδος); most likely Chandragupta wed a female relative of Seleucus.
====Other account====
*Tibbetan Lama Taranatha (1575–1634)

<blockquote>Ashoka brought under his rule without bloodshed all the countries including those to the south of the Vindhya. And he conquered the northern Himalayas, the snowy ranges beyond Li-yul (Khotan)," the entire land of Jambudvipa bounded by seas on east, south and west, and also fifty small islands.

-History Of Buddhism In India ,Taranatha<ref>https://archive.org/details/TaranathasHistoryOfBuddhismInIndia/page/n89/mode/2up</ref>
</blockquote>

*Mahabodhivamsa, (pg.98)

Ashoka served as a viceroy during the rule of his father Bindusara.
According to established constitutional usage, Asoka as Prince served as viceroy in one of the remoter provinces of the Empire. This was the province of Western India called Avantirattham or province of Avanti with headquarter at Ujjain.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=uXyftdtE1ygC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Asoka|last=Mookerji|first=Radhakumud|date=1962|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishe|isbn=978-81-208-0582-8|language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Bindusara Empire.png|thumb|Bindusara Empire 273 BCE]]

===Conquest of the Saurashtra===
Chandragupta conquered Southern-Western part of India. Especially his conquest over Saurashtra and Sudarshana lake construction is preseved in later Satrapian king Rudradaman inscription:

<blockquote>

(L.8) Transliteration:
mauryasya rājyaḥ candra-guptasya rāṣṭriyena vaiśyena puṣpa-guptena kāritam śokasya mauryasya kṛte yavana-raj tuṣāra-saphenādhāyā

(L.8) for the sake of ordered to be made by the Vaishya Pushyagupta, the provincial governor of the Maurya king [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]]; adorned with conduits for [[Ashoka]] the Maurya by the [[Yavana]] king [[Tushaspha]] while governing; and by the conduit ordered to be made by him, constructed in a manner worthy of a king (and) seen in that breach.

—Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman<ref name="WB">[http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm "Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman", ''Project South Asia''.]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223182107/http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm |date=23 February 2009 }}</ref> </blockquote>

===Conquest of the Kalinga===
[[Kalinga War]] plays a very important role in Mauryan history which changes a cruel Emperor Chanda-Ashoka to Priyadarshi Ashoka.

<blockquote> "Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Priyadarsi(Ashoka)conquered the Kalingas eight years after his coronation. One hundred and fifty thousand were deported, one hundred thousand were killed and many more died (from other causes). After the Kalingas had been conquered, Beloved-of-the-Gods came to feel a strong inclination towards the Dharma, a love for the Dharma and for instruction in Dharma. Now Beloved-of-the-Gods feels deep remorse for having conquered the Kalingas. "</blockquote>
— Ashoka, Major Rock Edict No. 13 [https://books.google.co.in/books?id=K4vHjbUtf_4C&pg=PT82&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false]

===Conquest of the Kuntala===
Shikarpur Taluq, inscription 225 . Mentioned about Mauryan ruling in the region of [[Kuntala country|Kuntala]] .The Kuntala country is an ancient Indian political region included the western Deccan and some parts of central,south Karnataka and north Mysore.
[[File:South India 500 to 200 BCE.jpg|thumb|South India , Kuntala present in Western coastal region]]
<blockquote>
Kuntala-kshôpiyam pesarvett â-nava-Nanda-Gupta-kula-Mauryya-kshmâpar aldar llasaj-jasad [https://archive.org/details/epigraphia_carnatica_vol7_myso/page/n327/mode/1up]

Translation : The Kuntala country, which is like curls (kuntaja) to the lady Earth, was-ruled by the renowned nine Nandas, the Gupta and Mauryan kings.
[https://archive.org/details/epigraphia_carnatica_vol7_myso/page/n587/mode/1up]

</blockquote>
===Conquest of the Nepala===
According to the Asokavadana, it is stated that in his youth, Ashoka subdued the revolt in the of the Khasas (present day Nepala region) and [[Taxila|Taksasila]]. Similarly, in contrast, according to a 15th-century Tibetan historian:
<blockquote>
Meanwhile, peoples of the hilly countries like Nepal and Khasya revolted. Asoka was sent with the army to subdue them. Without difficulty Asoka subdued .the hilly races, imposed levy and annual tax on them, realised ransom from them and offered these to the king.
-History Of Buddhism In India ,Taranatha[https://archive.org/details/TaranathasHistoryOfBuddhismInIndia/page/n80/mode/1up]
</blockquote>
Apart from Taranath's account, it is noteworthy that Ashoka was responsible for the construction of several significant structures in Nepal. These include the [[Ramagrama Stupa]],[[Gotihawa|Gotihawa Pillar of Ashoka]], [[Nigali Sagar|Nigali-Sagar Ashoka Pillar inscription]] , and the [[Lumbini pillar inscription]] of Ashoka.The Chinese pilgrims [[Fa-Hien]] (337 CE – c. 422 CE) and [[Xuanzang]] (602–664 CE) describe the Kanakamuni Stupa and the Asoka Pillar of currently Nepal region in their travel accounts. Xuanzang speaks of a lion capital atop the pillar, now lost. A base of a [[Pillar of Ashoka]] has been discovered at [[Gotihawa]], a few miles from Nigali Sagar, and it has been suggested that it is the original base of the Nigalar Sagar pillar fragments.<ref name="jstor.org"/>

===Boundaries sharing territories===

Even though Ashoka defined the boundaries of his empire four times in various inscriptions (with same lines) but he never mentioned any inner hole or unconquered region inside his empire.This suggests that Ashoka's empire was likely contiguous, with no significant unconquered regions within its borders :

<blockquote>
Sav[r]atravijite [De]va[nam]priyasaPriyadrashisa y[e] cha [a]mtayatha [Choda] PamdiyaSatiyaputro KeradaputroTambapamni…,
</blockquote>
-Second Rock-Edict: Shahbazgarhi [https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.25989/page/51/mode/1up]
<blockquote>
Sav[a]ta vijitsi Devanampiyas[a] Piyadasis[a] lajine ye cha amta [a]tha Choda Pam[di]yaSatiyaputo Ke[lala]putoTamba[pa]mni..
</blockquote>
-Second Rock Edict: Kalsi [https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.25989/page/28/mode/1up]
<blockquote>
sa[vatra vi]jitasi Devanapriyasa Priyadrashisarajine ye cha ataatha [Choda] Pa[mdiya] Sa[ti]ya[p]u[tra] Keralaputra [Tam]bapani..
</blockquote>
-Second Rock Edict: Mansehra [https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.25989/page/71/mode/1up]
<blockquote>
Sav[r]atravijite [De]va[nam]priyasaPriyadrashisa Ye Ca anta ataChoda, Pandiya, Satiyaputo, Ketalaputo, Tam bapanni, Antiyogonaama, Yonalaja....
</blockquote> -Second Rock Edict :Girnar [https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.25520/page/117/mode/1up]
'''— Wilson Translation:''' Everywhere in the conquered dominions of king Priyadarsin, the beloved-of the gods, and the dominions on the boarders as those of the Choda (the Colas), Pandiya (the Pandyas). Satiyaputo (The Satiyaputras) and the Ketalaputo (the Keralaputras), as far as Tamraparni, the Yavana king named Antiyogonaama (Antiyoka) and the other neighbouring kings of this king Antiyoka.

—[[James Prinsep]] Translation : Everywhere within the conquered province of Raja Piyadasi (Ashoka), the beloved of the gods, as well as in the parts occupied by the faithful, such as Chola, Pandiya, Satiyaputra, and Keralaputra, even as fart as Tambapanni (Sri Lanka) and, moreover, within the dominions the Greek (of which Antiochus generals are the rulers ) everywhere the heaven-beloved Raja Piyadasi’s.

[[File:Ashoka Maurya Empire 250 BCE.jpg|thumb|Possible Mauryan Empire size according to details given in Ashoka Second Rock Edict of Shahbazgarhi , Kalsi ,Mansera and Girnar.]]

===Empire reconstruction from fragments===

According to the account of Fa Hein who was the first Chinese pilgrim to visit India during 399 and 414 CE. His work "The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D.)"mentioned that Ashoka constructed 84,000 Buddhist stupas and pillars after destroying seven stupas that initially housed Buddha relics. Ashoka divided the relics from these seven stupas into 84,000 parts :

<blockquote> " King Asoka having destroyed seven (of the original) pagodas, constructed 84,000 others. The very first which he built is the great tower which stands about three li to the south of this. city. In front of this pagoda is an impression of Buddha’s foot, (over which) they have raised a chapel, the gate of which faces the north. To the south of the tower is a stone pillar, about a chang and a half in girth (18 feet), and three cluing or so in height (35 feet). On the surface of this pillar is an inscription to the following effect: “King Asoka presented the whole of Jambudvipa to the priests of the four quarters, and redeemed it again with money, and tins he did three times.” Three or four hundred paces to the north of the pagoda is the spot where Asoka was horn (or resided). On this spot he raised the city of Ni-li, and in the midst of it erected a stone pillar, also about 35 feet in height, on the top of which he placed the figure of a lion, and also engraved an historical record on the pillar giving an account of the successive events connected with Ni-li, with the corresponding year, day, and month."

~Chapter XXVII , The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D)[https://www.wisdomlib.org/south-asia/book/the-travels-of-fa-hian/d/doc220127.html]</blockquote>

<blockquote>
" When King Asoka was living he wished to destroy the eight towers and to build eighty-four thousand others. Having destroyed seven, he next proceeded to treat this one in the same way."

~Chapter XXIII ,The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D)[https://www.wisdomlib.org/south-asia/book/the-travels-of-fa-hian/d/doc220123.html]
</blockquote>

Ashoka built one pillar beside every stupa :
<blockquote>
" In after times Asoka, wishing to discover the utmost depths to which these ladders went, employed men to dig down and examine into it. They went on digging till they came to the yellow spring (the earth's foundation), but yet had not come to the bottom. The king, deriving from this an increase of faith and reverence, forthwith built over the ladders a and facing the middle flight he placed a standing figure (of Buddha) sixteen feet high. Behind the vihara, he erected a stone pillar thirty cubits high, and on the top placed the figure of a lion. Within the pillar on the four sides are figures of Buddha; both within and without it is shining and bright as glass. It happened once that some heretical doctors had a contention with the Sramanas respecting this as a place of residence. Then the argument of the Sramanas failing, they all agreed to the following compact: "If this place properly belongs to the Sramanas, then there will he some supernatural proof given of it." Immediately on this the lion on the top of the pillar uttered a loud roar."
~Chapter XVII, The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D)[https://www.wisdomlib.org/south-asia/book/the-travels-of-fa-hian/d/doc220117.html]
</blockquote>

Ashoka commissioned the construction of 84,000 stupas for the preservation of Buddha's relics. However, over time, many of the Ashoka pillars , inscriptions and stupas have been subject to complete destruction and deterioration. According to the British historian Charles Allen, historical records of Ashoka were effectively cleansed to the extent that his name was largely forgotten for nearly two thousand years. However, very few mysterious stone monuments and inscriptions miraculously survived, preserving his historical legacy :

<blockquote>" Pg.2 - Ashoka Maurya—or Ashoka the Great as he was later known—holds a special place in the history of Buddhism and India. At its height in around 250 BCE, his empire stretched across the Indian subcontinent to Kandahar in the east, and as far north as the Himalayas. Through his quest to govern by moral force alone, Ashoka transformed Buddhism from a minor sect into a major world religion, while simultaneously setting a new yardstick for government that had lasting implications for all of Asia. His bold experiment ended in tragedy, however, and in the tumult that followed the historical record was cleansed so effectively that his name was largely forgotten for almost two thousand years. Yet, a few mysterious stone monuments and inscriptions miraculously survived the purge. "<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=K4vHjbUtf_4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Charles+Allen%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor|last=Allen|first=Charles|date=2012-02-21|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|isbn=978-1-4087-0388-5|language=en}}</ref> </blockquote>

According to the Indian historian Ram Sharan Sharma, the Mauryans maintained a large army and implemented a strict judicial system to exercise control over tribal populations under their Empire :
<blockquote>
" Pg.355 The biggest fact of Maurya political history was the establishment of the Magadha Empire, which included the whole of India except the far south. This empire was established with the strength of the sword and it could be protected only with the strength of the sword. Strong military power was necessary for both external security and internal peace..The tribal people living inside the empire and on its borders were equally a cause of trouble. So for this, there was a huge permanent army and tight judicial system."<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.401527|title=Prachin Bharat Me Rajneetik Vichar Avam Sansthae|last=Sharma|first=Ramsharan|date=1990}}</ref> </blockquote>
===North-East and South influence===
Ashoka's influence in North-East and South India is evident through the dissemination of Buddhist principles, rock edicts, and the broader cultural exchanges facilitated by the Mauryan Empire. While the direct impact may vary, Ashoka's legacy remains a significant part of India's historical and cultural tapestry. <ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/encyclopedia-of-world-history-7-volumes-set-facts-on-file-2008|title=Encyclopedia Of World History 7 Volumes Set Facts On File 2008}}</ref>

===Popular Maps===
Indian New Parliament already
have carved Mauryan Empire over mural which represents Indian integrity and glorious past: [https://bharatmotherofdemocracy.ignca.gov.in/contents/ashoka-responsible-and-accountable-governance/en)] [https://compass.rauias.com/current-affairs/mural-in-new-parliament/][https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/government-reacts-on-row-over-akhand-bharat-mural-in-new-parliament-4089062]. Several historians have reconstructed the map of the Mauryan Empire based on details from Ashoka's inscriptions and accounts from Greek historians, among other sources. For example :
*ASI (Archeological Survey Of India) referenced rough map of Mauryan Empire : [https://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.06445/page/n421/mode/1up]
*British Historian Geoffrey Parker created map on Mauryan Empire :[https://archive.org/details/timescompacthist0000unse_g4l2/page/29/mode/1up]
*British historian Patrick K. O'Brien created Mauryan Empire Map : [https://archive.org/details/philipsatlasofwo0000unse_u6t7/page/46/mode/1up] ,
*American historian Gerald Danzer created Mauryan Empire Map : [https://archive.org/details/atlasofworldhist0000danz/page/44/mode/1up]
*British Historian Charles Allen created Mauryan Empire Map : [https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Ashoka/K4vHjbUtf_4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PT5&printsec=frontcover]
*Historian [[Robert W. Strayer]] and [[Eric Nelson]] created Mauryan Empire Map : [https://archive.org/details/waysofworld0000robe/page/121/mode/1up]
*Irish Historian and Indologist [[Vincent Arthur Smith]] created Mauryan Empire Map : [https://archive.org/details/asokabuddhistemp00smitiala/asokabuddhistemp00smitiala/page/n284/mode/1up]
*nthropologist and Bioarcheologist [[Professor Ian Barnes]] created Mauryan Empire Map : [https://archive.org/details/historyatlasofas00ianb/page/43/mode/1up]

==Founding Emperors==
===Chandragupta Maurya===
{{Main|Chandragupta Maurya}}
{{further|Seleucid–Mauryan war}}
[[File:Mauryan ruins of pillared hall at Kumrahar site of Pataliputra ASIEC 1912-13.jpg|thumb|[[Pataliputra]], capital of the Mauryas. Ruins of pillared hall at Kumrahar site.]]
[[File:Pataliputra capital, Bihar Museum, Patna, 3rd century BCE.jpg|thumb|The [[Pataliputra capital]], discovered at the [[Bulandi Bagh]] site of Pataliputra, 4th–3rd c. BCE.]]

After the [[death of Alexander the Great]] in 323 BCE, Chandragupta led a [[Seleucid–Mauryan war|series of campaigns]] in 305 BCE to take [[satrapies]] in the Indus Valley and northwest India.<ref name="greenwood">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JEvN6XwWTk8C&pg=PA252|title=From Polis to Empire, the Ancient World, C. 800 B.C.-A.D. 500|date=2002|publisher=Greenwood Publishing|isbn=0313309426|access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref> When Alexander's remaining forces were routed, returning westwards, Seleucus I Nicator fought to defend these territories. Not many details of the campaigns are known from ancient sources. Seleucus was defeated and retreated into the mountainous region of Afghanistan.<ref name=kistler>{{cite book |last1=Kistler |first1=John M. |title=War Elephants |date=2007 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |isbn=978-0803260047 |page=67 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5RHK4Ol15QC&pg=PA64 |access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref>

The two rulers concluded a peace treaty in 303 BCE, including a marital alliance. Under its terms, Chandragupta received the satrapies of [[Paropamisadae]] ([[Kambojas|Kamboja]] and Gandhara) and [[Arachosia]] ([[Kandhahar]]) and [[Gedrosia]] ([[Balochistan]]). Seleucus I received the 500 [[war elephant]]s that were to have a decisive role in his victory against western [[Hellenistic]] kings at the [[Battle of Ipsus]] in 301 BCE. Diplomatic relations were established and several Greeks, such as the historian [[Megasthenes]], [[Deimakos]] and [[Dionysius (ambassador)|Dionysius]] resided at the Mauryan court.<ref>{{Cite book|last=s|first=deepak|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r5NRDQAAQBAJ&q=Megasthenes%2C+Deimakos+and+Dionysius&pg=PA89|title=Indian civilization|date=2016-10-25|publisher=deepak shinde|language=en}}</ref>

Megasthenes in particular was a notable Greek ambassador in the court of Chandragupta Maurya.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=38}} His book ''Indika'' is a major literary source for information about the Mauryan Empire. According to [[Arrian]], ambassador Megasthenes (c. 350 – c. 290 BCE) lived in Arachosia and travelled to [[Pataliputra]].<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=http://websfor.org/alexander/arrian/book5a.asp |chapter=Book 5 |title=Anabasis |title-link=Anabasis Alexandri |author-link=Arrian |author=Arrian |quote=Megasthenes lived with [[Sibyrtius]], satrap of Arachosia, and often speaks of his visiting [[Sandracottus]], the king of the Indians.}}</ref> Megasthenes' description of Mauryan society as freedom-loving gave Seleucus a means to avoid invasion, however, underlying Seleucus' decision was the improbability of success. In later years, Seleucus' successors maintained diplomatic relations with the Empire based on similar accounts from returning travellers.<ref name=greenwood />

Chandragupta established a strong centralised state with an administration at Pataliputra, which, according to Megasthenes, was "surrounded by a wooden wall pierced by 64 gates and 570 towers". [[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]], although not expressly quoting Megasthenes nor mentioning Pataliputra, described Indian palaces as superior in splendor to [[Persia]]'s [[Susa]] or [[Ecbatana]].<ref>"In the royal residences in India where the greatest of the kings of that country live, there are so many objects for admiration that neither [[Memnon (mythology)|Memnon]]'s city of [[Susa]] with all its extravagance, nor the magnificence of [[Ectabana]] is to be compared with them. ... In the parks, tame peacocks and pheasants are kept." [[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]], ''Characteristics of animals'' [https://archive.org/details/L449AelianCharacteristicsOfAnimalsIII1217 book XIII, Chapter 18], also quoted in ''The Cambridge History of India'', Volume 1, p411</ref> The architecture of the city seems to have had many similarities with Persian cities of the period.<ref>Romila Thapar (1961), ''Aśoka and the decline of the Mauryas'', Volume 5, p.129, Oxford University Press. "The architectural closeness of certain buildings in Achaemenid Iran and Mauryan India have raised much comment. The royal palace at Pataliputra is the most striking example and has been compared with the palaces at Susa, Ecbatana, and Persepolis."</ref>

Chandragupta's son [[Bindusara]] extended the rule of the Mauryan empire towards southern India. The famous [[Sri Lankan Tamil people|Tamil]] poet Mamulanar of the [[Sangam literature]] described how areas south of the [[Deccan Plateau]] which comprised Tamil country was invaded by the Maurya army using troops from Karnataka. Mamulanar states that Vadugar (people who resided in Andhra-Karnataka regions immediately to the north of Tamil Nadu) formed the vanguard of the Mauryan army.<ref name="Singh 2008"/>{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=331}} He also had a Greek ambassador at his court, named [[Deimachus]].{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=32}} According to [[Plutarch]], Chandragupta Maurya subdued all of India, and Justin also observed that Chandragupta Maurya was "in possession of India". These accounts are corroborated by Tamil sangam literature which mentions about Mauryan invasion with their south Indian allies and defeat of their rivals at Podiyil hill in [[Tirunelveli district]] in present-day [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KItocaxbibUC&q=nanda+empire+extension&pg=PA157|title=Indian Civilization and Culture|last=Chatterjee|first=Suhas|date=1998|publisher=M.D. Publications |isbn=9788175330832|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LA91rqvCB2EC&q=podiyil+hill+maurya&pg=PA58|title=The Mauryan Polity|last=Dikshitar|first=V. R. Ramachandra|date=1993|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=9788120810235|language=en}}</ref>

Chandragupta renounced his throne and followed Jain teacher [[Bhadrabahu]].{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|pp=39–40}}{{sfn|Geoffrey Samuel|2010|pp=60}}{{sfn|Romila Thapar|2004|p=178}} He is said to have lived as an ascetic at [[Shravanabelagola]] for several years before fasting to death, as per the Jain practice of ''[[sallekhana]]''.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|pp=39–41}}

===Bindusara===
{{Main|Bindusara}}
[[File:I42 1karshapana Maurya Bindusara MACW4165 1ar (8486583162).jpg|thumb|A silver coin of 1 [[karshapana]] of the Maurya empire, period of [[Bindusara]] Maurya about 297–272 BC, workshop of Pataliputra. '''Obv:''' Symbols with a sun. '''Rev:''' Symbol. '''Dimensions:''' 14 × 11 mm. '''Weight:''' 3.4 g.]]
Bindusara was born to [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]], the founder of the Mauryan Empire. This is attested by several sources, including the various [[Puranas]] and the ''[[Mahavamsa]]''.{{sfn|Srinivasachariar|1974|p=lxxxvii}}{{full citation needed|date=April 2019}} He is attested by the Buddhist texts such as ''[[Dipavamsa]]'' and ''[[Mahavamsa]]'' ("Bindusaro"); the Jain texts such as ''Parishishta-Parvan''; as well as the Hindu texts such as ''[[Vishnu Purana]]'' ("Vindusara").<ref name="VAS_Asoka">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/asokabuddhistemp00smitiala#page/18/mode/2up |title=Asoka, the Buddhist emperor of India |author=Vincent Arthur Smith |year=1920 |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9788120613034 |pages=18–19 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rlQOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA10 |title= On the Early Life of Asoka |author=Rajendralal Mitra |journal=Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal |year=1878 |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bengal |page=10 |author-link= Rajendralal Mitra }}</ref> According to the 12th century Jain writer [[Hemachandra]]'s ''[[Parishishtaparvan|Parishishta-Parvan]]'', the name of Bindusara's mother was [[Durdhara]].<ref name="Rosalind_1993">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Po9tUNX0SYAC&pg=PA204 |title=The Clever Adulteress and Other Stories: A Treasury of Jaina Literature |chapter=The Minister Cāṇakya, from the Pariśiṣtaparvan of Hemacandra|translator=Rosalind Lefeber |editor=[[Phyllis Granoff]] |author=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1993 |pages=204–206 |isbn=9788120811508 }}</ref> Some Greek sources also mention him by the name "Amitrochates" or its variations.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=35}}{{sfn|Alain Daniélou|2003|p=108}}

Historian [[Upinder Singh]] estimates that Bindusara ascended the throne around 297 BCE.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=331}} Bindusara, just 22 years old, inherited a large empire that consisted of what is now, Northern, Central and Eastern parts of India along with parts of Afghanistan and [[Balochistan (region)|Baluchistan]]. Bindusara extended this empire to the southern part of India, as far as what is now known as [[Karnataka]]. He brought sixteen states under the Mauryan Empire and thus conquered almost all of the Indian peninsula (he is said to have conquered the 'land between the two seas' – the peninsular region between the [[Bay of Bengal]] and the [[Arabian Sea]]). Bindusara did not conquer the friendly [[Tamils|Tamil]] kingdoms of the [[Chola Dynasty|Cholas]], ruled by King [[Ilamcetcenni]], the [[Pandyas]], and [[Chera Dynasty|Cheras]]. Apart from these southern states, [[Kalinga (historical kingdom)|Kalinga]] (modern Odisha) was the only kingdom in India that did not form part of Bindusara's empire.{{sfn|Dineschandra Sircar|1971|p=167}} It was later conquered by his son [[Ashoka]], who served as the viceroy of [[Ujjaini]] during his father's reign, which highlights the importance of the town.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-HeJS3nE9cAC&pg=PA152 |title=The Greeks in Bactria and India |author=William Woodthorpe Tarn |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2010 |isbn=9781108009416 |page=152 |author-link=William Woodthorpe Tarn }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Mookerji Radhakumud |title=Asoka |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uXyftdtE1ygC&pg=PA8 |year=1962 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0582-8 |page=8 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510200953/https://books.google.com/books?id=uXyftdtE1ygC&pg=PA8 |archive-date=10 May 2018 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Bindusara's life has not been documented as well as that of his father Chandragupta or of his son Ashoka. Chanakya continued to serve as prime minister during his reign. According to the medieval Tibetan scholar Taranatha who visited India, Chanakya helped Bindusara "to destroy the nobles and kings of the sixteen kingdoms and thus to become absolute master of the territory between the eastern and western oceans".{{sfn|Alain Daniélou|2003|p=109}} During his rule, the citizens of [[Taxila]] revolted twice. The reason for the first revolt was the maladministration of [[Susima]], his eldest son. The reason for the second revolt is unknown, but Bindusara could not suppress it in his lifetime. It was crushed by Ashoka after Bindusara's death.<ref name="EB_legends">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/legendsofindianb00burn#page/20/mode/2up |title=Legends of Indian Buddhism |author=Eugène Burnouf |publisher=E. P. Dutton |location=New York |year=1911 |pages=59 }}</ref>

Bindusara maintained friendly diplomatic relations with the Hellenic world. [[Deimachus]] was the ambassador of [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid]] emperor [[Antiochus I]] at Bindusara's court.{{sfn|S. N. Sen|1999|p=142}} [[Diodorus Siculus|Diodorus]] states that the king of Palibothra ([[Pataliputra]], the Mauryan capital) welcomed a Greek author, [[Iambulus]]. This king is usually identified as Bindusara.{{sfn|S. N. Sen|1999|p=142}} [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] states that the Egyptian king [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus|Philadelphus]] sent an envoy named [[Dionysius (ambassador)|Dionysius]] to India.<ref>"Three Greek ambassadors are known by name: Megasthenes, ambassador to Chandragupta; Deimachus, ambassador to [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta's]] son Bindusara; and Dyonisius, whom Ptolemy Philadelphus sent to the court of Ashoka, Bindusara's son", McEvilley, p.367</ref><ref>''India, the Ancient Past'', Burjor Avari, pp. 108–109</ref> According to Sailendra Nath Sen, this appears to have happened during Bindusara's reign.{{sfn|S. N. Sen|1999|p=142}}

Unlike his father Chandragupta (who at a later stage converted to [[Jainism]]), Bindusara believed in the [[Ajivika]] sect. Bindusara's guru Pingalavatsa (Janasana) was a Brahmin<ref>Arthur Llewellyn Basham, ''History and doctrines of the Ājīvikas: a vanished Indian religion'', pp. 138, 146</ref> of the Ajivika sect. Bindusara's wife, Queen [[Shubhadrangi|Subhadrangi]] (Queen Dharma/ Aggamahesi) was a Brahmin<ref>Anukul Chandra Banerjee, ''Buddhism in comparative light'', p. 24</ref> also of the Ajivika sect from Champa (present Bhagalpur district). Bindusara is credited with giving several grants to Brahmin monasteries (''Brahmana-bhatto'').<ref>Beni Madhab Barua, Ishwar Nath Topa, ''Ashoka and his inscriptions'', Volume 1, p. 171</ref>

Historical evidence suggests that Bindusara died in the 270s BCE. According to Upinder Singh, Bindusara died around 273 BCE.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=331}} [[Alain Daniélou]] believes that he died around 274 BCE.{{sfn|Alain Daniélou|2003|p=109}} Sailendra Nath Sen believes that he died around 273–272 BCE, and that his death was followed by a four-year struggle of succession, after which his son [[Ashoka]] became the emperor in 269–268 BCE.{{sfn|S. N. Sen|1999|p=142}} According to the ''[[Mahavamsa]]'', Bindusara reigned for 28 years.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JBbznHuPrTYC&pg=PA33 |title=Early Buddhism and the Bhagavadgita |author=Kashi Nath Upadhyaya |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1997 |isbn=9788120808805 |page=33 }}</ref> The ''[[Vayu Purana]]'', which names Chandragupta's successor as "Bhadrasara", states that he ruled for 25 years.<ref name="HHW_Vishnu">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0943AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA188 |title=The Vishnu Purana |volume=IV |translator=[[Horace Hayman Wilson|H. H. Wilson]] |editor=[[Fitzedward Hall]] |publisher=Trübner & Co |year=1868 |pages=188 }}</ref>

===Ashoka===
{{Main|Ashoka}}
[[File:Sarnath capital.jpg|right|thumb|[[Lion Capital of Ashoka]] at [[Sarnath]]. c. 250 BCE.]]
[[File:Ashoka pillar at Vaishali, Bihar, India.jpg|thumb| Ashoka pillar at [[Vaishali (ancient city)|Vaishali]].]]
[[File:6thPillarOfAshoka.JPG|thumb|Fragment of the 6th Pillar [[Edicts of Ashoka|Edict of Ashoka]] (238 BCE), in [[Brāhmī script|Brahmi]], sandstone, [[British Museum]].]]
As a young prince, Ashoka ({{reign|272|232}} BCE) was a brilliant commander who crushed revolts in Ujjain and Taxila. As monarch he was ambitious and aggressive, re-asserting the Empire's superiority in southern and western India. But it was his conquest of [[Kalinga (historical kingdom)|Kalinga]] (262–261 BCE) which proved to be the pivotal event of his life. Ashoka used Kalinga to project power over a large region by building a fortification there and securing it as a possession.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Archaeology of Early Historic South Asia: The Emergence of Cities and States|last1=Allchin|first1=F. R.|last2=Erdosy|first2=George|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1995|location=Cambridge|pages=306}}</ref> Although Ashoka's army succeeded in overwhelming Kalinga forces of royal soldiers and civilian units, an estimated 100,000 soldiers and civilians were killed in the furious warfare, including over 10,000 of Ashoka's own men. 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. He also propagated his own ''dhamma.''{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

Ashoka implemented principles of ''[[ahimsa]]'' by banning hunting and violent sports activity and ending indentured and forced labor (many thousands of people in war-ravaged Kalinga had been forced into hard labour and servitude). While he maintained a large and powerful army, to keep the peace and maintain authority, Ashoka expanded friendly relations with states across Asia and Europe, and he sponsored Buddhist missions. He undertook a massive public works building campaign across the country. 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.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

The [[Edicts of Ashoka]], set in stone, are found throughout the Subcontinent. Ranging from as far west as Afghanistan and as far south as Andhra ([[Nellore District]]), Ashoka's edicts state his policies and accomplishments. Although predominantly written in Prakrit, two of them were written in [[Greek language|Greek]], and one in both Greek and [[Aramaic]]. Ashoka's edicts refer to the Greeks, [[Kambojas]], and [[Gandhara]]s as peoples forming a frontier region of his empire. They also attest to Ashoka's having sent envoys to the Greek rulers in the West as far as the Mediterranean. The edicts precisely name each of the rulers of the [[Ancient Greece|Hellenic]] world at the time such as ''Amtiyoko'' ([[Antiochus II Theos|Antiochus]]), ''Tulamaya'' ([[Ptolemy II Philadelphus|Ptolemy]]), ''Amtikini'' ([[Antigonus II Gonatas|Antigonos]]), ''Maka'' ([[Magas of Cyrene|Magas]]) and ''Alikasudaro'' ([[Alexander II of Epirus|Alexander]]) as recipients of Ashoka's proselytism.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}} The Edicts also accurately locate their territory "600 yojanas away" (a yojanas being about 7 miles), corresponding to the distance between the center of India and Greece (roughly 4,000 miles).<ref>[[Edicts of Ashoka]], 13th Rock Edict, translation S. Dhammika.</ref>

===Decline===
Ashoka was followed for 50 years by a succession of weaker kings. He was succeeded by [[Dasharatha Maurya]], who was Ashoka's grandson. None of Ashoka's sons could ascend to the throne after him. [[Mahinda (Buddhist monk)|Mahinda]], his firstborn, became a Buddhist monk. [[Kunala|Kunala Maurya]] was blind and hence couldn't ascend to the throne; and Tivala, son of Kaurwaki, died even earlier than Ashoka. Little is known about another son, Jalauka.

The empire lost many territories under Dasharatha, which were later reconquered by [[Samprati]], Kunala's son. Post Samprati, the Mauryas slowly lost many territories. In 180 BCE, [[Brihadratha Maurya]], was killed by his general [[Pushyamitra Shunga]] in a military parade without any heir. Hence, the great Maurya empire finally ended, giving rise to the [[Shunga Empire]].

Reasons advanced for the decline include the succession of weak kings after Aśoka Maurya, the partition of the empire into two, the growing independence of some areas within the empire, such as that ruled by [[Sophagasenus]], a top-heavy administration where authority was entirely in the hands of a few persons, an absence of any national consciousness,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198077244.001.0001/acprof-9780198077244-chapter-7 |title=Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas |last=Thapar |first=Romila |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford Scholarship Online |isbn=9780198077244 |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198077244.003.0031}}</ref> the pure scale of the empire making it unwieldy, and invasion by the [[Greco-Bactrian Empire]].

Some historians, such as [[H. C. Raychaudhuri]], have argued that Ashoka's pacifism undermined the "military backbone" of the Maurya empire. Others, such as [[Romila Thapar]], have suggested that the extent and impact of his pacifism have been "grossly exaggerated".{{sfn|Singh|2012|p=131, 143}}

====Shunga coup (185 BCE)====
Buddhist records such as the [[Ashokavadana]] write that the assassination of Brihadratha and the rise of the Shunga empire led to a wave of religious persecution for [[Buddhists]],<ref>According to the [[Ashokavadana]]</ref> and a resurgence of [[Hinduism]]. According to [[Sir John Marshall]],<ref>Sir John Marshall (1990), "A Guide to Sanchi", Eastern Book House, {{ISBN|81-85204-32-2}}, p. 38</ref> Pushyamitra may have been the main author of the persecutions, although later Shunga kings seem to have been more supportive of Buddhism. Other historians, such as [[Etienne Lamotte]]<ref>E. Lamotte, ''History of Indian Buddhism'', Institut Orientaliste, Louvain-la-Neuve 1988 (1958)</ref> and [[Romila Thapar]],<ref>Romila Thapar (1960), ''Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas'', Oxford University Press, p. 200</ref> among others, have argued that archaeological evidence in favour of the allegations of persecution of Buddhists are lacking, and that the extent and magnitude of the atrocities have been exaggerated.

====Establishment of the Indo-Greek Kingdom (180 BCE)====
{{Main|Indo-Greek Kingdom}}
The fall of the Mauryas left the [[Khyber Pass]] unguarded, and a wave of foreign invasion followed. The [[Greco-Bactrian Kingdom|Greco-Bactrian]] king, [[Demetrius I of Bactria|Demetrius]], capitalized on the break-up, and he conquered southern Afghanistan and parts of northwestern India around 180 BCE, forming the [[Indo-Greek Kingdom]]. The Indo-Greeks would maintain holdings on the trans-Indus region, and make forays into central India, for about a century. Under them, Buddhism flourished, and one of their kings, [[Menander I|Menander]], became a famous figure of Buddhism; he was to establish a new capital of Sagala, the modern city of [[Sialkot]]. However, the extent of their domains and the lengths of their rule are subject to much debate. Numismatic evidence indicates that they retained holdings in the subcontinent right up to the birth of Christ. Although the extent of their successes against indigenous powers such as the [[Shunga Empire|Shunga]]s, [[Satavahana]]s, and [[Kalinga (historical kingdom)|Kalinga]]s are unclear, what is clear is that Scythian tribes, renamed [[Indo-Scythians]], brought about the demise of the Indo-Greeks from around 70 BCE and retained lands in the trans-Indus, the region of [[Mathura, Uttar Pradesh|Mathura]], and Gujarat.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

== Military ==
Megasthenes mentions military command consisting of six boards of five members each, (i) [[Navy]] (ii) military transport (iii) [[Infantry]] (iv) [[Cavalry]] with [[Catapults]] (v) [[Chariot|Chariot divisions]] and (vi) [[Elephant]]s.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kangle|first=R. P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dzxwTS0-nbUC&q=megasthenes+navy&pg=PA66|title=A Study|date=1986|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|isbn=978-81-208-0041-0|language=en}}</ref>

Historians theorise that the organisation of the Empire was in line with the extensive bureaucracy described by [[Chanakya]] in the [[Arthashastra]]: a sophisticated civil service governed everything from municipal hygiene to international trade. The expansion and defense of the empire was made possible by what appears to have been one of the largest armies in the world during the [[Iron Age]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Gabriel A |first=Richard |title=The Ancient World :Volume 1 of Soldiers' lives through history |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HscIwvtkq2UC&pg=PA301 |date=30 November 2006 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |page=28 |isbn=9780313333484 }}</ref> According to Megasthenes, the empire wielded a military of 600,000 infantry, 30,000 cavalry, 8,000 chariots and 9,000 war elephants besides followers and attendants.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|2003|p=107}}

==Administration==
[[File:MauryaStatuettes.jpg|thumb|Statuettes of the Mauryan era]]

The Empire was divided into four provinces, with the imperial capital at [[Pataliputra]]. From Ashokan edicts, the names of the four provincial capitals are [[Tosali]] (in the east), [[Ujjain]] (in the west), [[Suvarnagiri]] (in the south), and [[Taxila]] (in the north). The head of the provincial administration was the ''Kumara'' (royal prince), who governed the provinces as king's representative. The ''kumara'' was assisted by Mahamatyas and council of ministers. This organizational structure was reflected at the imperial level with the Emperor and his ''Mantriparishad'' (Council of Ministers).{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}. The mauryans established a well developed coin minting system. Coins were mostly made of silver and copper. Certain gold coins were in circulation as well. The coins were widely used for trade and commerce<ref>{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=160|isbn= 9788122411980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=maurya+dynasty+sen
}}</ref>

The economy of the empire has been described as, "a socialized monarchy", "a sort of state socialism", and the world's first welfare state.<ref name="Boesche2003">{{cite book|author=Roger Boesche|title=The First Great Political Realist: Kautilya and His Arthashastra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K85NA7Rg67wC&pg=PA67|year=2003|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-0607-5|pages=67–70}}</ref> Under the Mauryan system there was no private ownership of land as all land was owned by the king to whom tribute was paid by the by the laboring class. In return the emperor supplied the laborers with agricultural products, animals, seeds, tools, public infrastructure, and stored food in reserve for times of crisis.<ref name="Boesche2003" />

=== Local government ===
[[Arthashastra]] and [[Megasthenes]] accounts of [[Pataliputra]] describe the intricate municipal system formed by Maurya empire to govern its cities. A city counsel made up of thirty commissioners was divided into six committees or boards which governed the city. The first board fixed wages and looked after provided goods, second board made arrangement for foreign dignitaries, tourists and businessmen, third board made records and registrations, fourth looked after manufactured goods and sale of commodities, fifth board regulated trade, issued licenses and checked weights and measurements, sixth board collected sales taxes. Some cities such as Taxila had autonomy to issue their own coins. The city counsel had officers who looked after public welfare such as maintenance of roads, public buildings, markets, hospitals, educational institutions etc.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MazdaWXQFuQC&q=pataliputra+local+government+system&pg=SL1-PA262|title=Indian History|date=1988|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=9788184245684|language=en}}</ref> The official head of the village was Gramika (in towns [[Nagar Palika|Nagarika]]).<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.172447|title=India As Described By Megasthenes|last=Narain Singh Kalota|date=1978}}</ref> The city counsel also had some magisterial powers. The taking of Census was regular process in the Mauryan administration. The village officials (Gramika) and municipal officials ([[Nagar Palika|Nagarika]]) were responsible enumerating different classes of people in the Mauryan empire such as traders, agriculturists, smiths, potters, carpenters etc. and also cattle, mostly for taxation purposes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/explained-the-politics-behind-the-caste-census-in-bihar/articleshow/96916420.cms|title=Explained: History and politics of caste census in Bihar | India News - Times of India|website=The Times of India}}</ref> These vocations consolidated as castes, a feature of Indian society that continues to influence the Indian politics till today.

==Economy==
{{see also|Economic history of India|Coinage of India}}
[[File:MauryanStatuette2ndCenturyBCE.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Maurya statuette, 2nd century BCE.]]
For the first time in [[South Asia]], political unity and military security allowed for a common economic system and enhanced trade and commerce, with increased agricultural productivity. The previous situation involving hundreds of kingdoms, many small armies, powerful regional chieftains, and internecine warfare, gave way to a disciplined central authority. Farmers were freed of tax and crop collection burdens from regional kings, paying instead to a nationally administered and strict-but-fair system of taxation as advised by the principles in the ''Arthashastra''. Chandragupta Maurya established a single currency across India, and a network of regional governors and administrators and a civil service provided justice and security for merchants, farmers and traders. The Mauryan army wiped out many gangs of bandits, regional private armies, and powerful chieftains who sought to impose their own supremacy in small areas. Although regimental in revenue collection, Maurya also sponsored many public works and waterways to enhance productivity, while internal trade in India expanded greatly due to new-found political unity and internal peace.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

Under the Indo-Greek friendship treaty, and during Ashoka's reign, an international network of trade expanded. The [[Khyber Pass]], on the modern boundary of Pakistan and Afghanistan, became a strategically important port of trade and intercourse with the outside world. Greek states and Hellenic kingdoms in West Asia became important trade partners of India. Trade also extended through the [[Malay peninsula]] into Southeast Asia. India's exports included silk goods and textiles, spices and exotic foods. The external world came across new scientific knowledge and technology with expanding trade with the Mauryan Empire. Ashoka also sponsored the construction of thousands of roads, waterways, canals, hospitals, rest-houses and other public works. The easing of many over-rigorous administrative practices, including those regarding taxation and crop collection, helped increase productivity and economic activity across the Empire.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

In many ways, the economic situation in the Mauryan Empire is analogous to the Roman Empire of several centuries later. Both had extensive trade connections and both had organizations similar to [[corporation]]s. While Rome had organizational entities which were largely used for public state-driven projects, Mauryan India had numerous private commercial entities. These existed purely for private commerce and developed before the Mauryan Empire itself.<ref>[https://ssrn.com/abstract=796464 ''The Economic History of the Corporate Form in Ancient India.''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204000202/https://ssrn.com/abstract=796464 |date=4 February 2016 }} [[University of Michigan]].</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0 auto;" align="center" colspan="1" cellpadding="3" style="font-size: 80%;"
|align=center colspan=1 style="background:#F4A460; font-size: 100%;"| '''Maurya Empire coinage'''
|-
|<gallery mode="packed" heights="100px">
Hoard of mostly Mauryan coins.jpg|Hoard of mostly Mauryan coins.
File:MauryanCoin.JPG|Silver punch mark coin of the Maurya empire, with symbols of wheel and elephant. 3rd century BCE.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}
File:Mauryan coin with arched hill symbol on reverse.jpg|Mauryan coin with arched hill symbol on reverse.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}
File:Mauryan Empire. Circa late 4th-2nd century BC.jpg|Mauryan Empire coin. Circa late 4th-2nd century BCE.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}
Mauryan Empire. temp. Salisuka or later. Circa 207-194 BC.jpg|Mauryan Empire, Emperor [[Salisuka]] or later. Circa 207-194 BCE.<ref>[https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=304898 CNG Coins] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827130159/https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=304898 |date=27 August 2017 }}</ref>
</gallery>
|}

==Religion==
Throughout the period of empire, [[Vedic]] was an important religion.<ref name="Nath sen 1999 164">{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=164|isbn= 9788122411980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=maurya+dynasty+sen}}</ref> The Mauryans favored Brahmanism as well as Jainism and Buddhism. Minor religious sects such as [[Ajivika]]s also received patronage. A number of [[List of Hindu texts|Hindu texts]] were written during the Mauryan period.<ref>{{cite book | last=Ray | first=A. | title=Towns and Cities of Medieval India: A Brief Survey | publisher=Taylor & Francis | year=2016 | isbn=978-1-351-99731-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4TslDwAAQBAJ | page=22}}</ref>

[[File:Shravanabelagola2007 - 44.jpg|thumb|Bhadrabahu Cave, [[Shravanabelagola]] where [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]] is said to have died]]
According to a Jain text from the 12th century, Chandragupta Maurya followed [[Jainism]] after retiring, when he renounced his throne and material possessions to join a wandering group of Jain monks and in his last days, he observed the rigorous but self-purifying Jain ritual of [[santhara]] (fast unto death), at [[Shravana Belgola]] in [[Karnataka]].{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|pp=39-41}}{{sfn|Romila Thapar|2004|p=178}}{{sfn|Hermann Kulke|2004|pp=64-65}}{{sfn|Geoffrey Samuel|2010|pp=60}} Nevertheless, it is possible that Chandragupta Maurya "did not give up the performance of sacrificial rites and was far from following the Jaina creed of ''Ahimsa'' or non-injury to animals."<ref name="India1960">{{citation|last1=Majumdar|first1=R. C.|author-link1=R. C. Majumdar|last2=Raychauduhuri|first2=H. C.|author-link2=H. C. Raychaudhuri|last3=Datta|first3=Kalikinkar|title=An Advanced History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MyIWMwEACAAJ|year=1960|publisher=Macmillan & Company Ltd; New York: St Martin's Press|location=London|quote=If the Jaina tradition is to be believed, Chandragupta was converted to the religion of Mahavira. He is said to have abdicated his throne and passed his last days at Sravana Belgola in Mysore. Greek evidence, however, suggests that the first Maurya did not give up the performance of sacrificial rites and was far from following the Jaina creed of ''Ahimsa'' or non-injury to animals. He took delight in hunting, a practice that was continued by his son and alluded to by his grandson in his eighth Rock Edict. It is, however, possible that in his last days he showed some predilection for Jainism ...}}</ref> [[Samprati]], the grandson of [[Ashoka]], also patronized Jainism. Samprati was influenced by the teachings of Jain monks like [[Suhastin]] and he is said to have built 125,000 [[derasar]]s across India.{{sfn|John Cort|2010|p=142}} Some of them are still found in the towns of Ahmedabad, Viramgam, Ujjain, and Palitana.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}} It is also said that just like Ashoka, Samprati sent messengers and preachers to Greece, [[Persia]] and the [[Middle East]] for the spread of Jainism, but, to date, no evidence has been found to support this claim.{{sfn|John Cort|2010|p=199}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Tukol |first=T. K. |author-link=T. K. Tukol |title=Jainism in South India |url=http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/article/south.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304191052/http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/article/south.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

[[File:Sanchi2.jpg|thumb|The [[stupa]], which contained the relics of Buddha, at the center of the [[Sanchi]] complex was originally built by the Maurya Empire, but the balustrade around it is [[Sunga]], and the decorative gateways are from the later [[Satavahana]] period.]]
[[File:Taxila1.jpg|thumb|The [[Dharmarajika]] [[stupa]] in [[Taxila]], modern Pakistan, is also thought to have been established by Emperor [[Asoka]].]]

The Buddhist texts ''[[Samantapasadika]]'' and ''[[Mahavamsa]]'' suggest that Bindusara followed Hindu Brahmanism, calling him a "''Brahmana bhatto''" ("monk of the Brahmanas").<ref name="SMH_2001">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jOkQAQAAIAAJ |title=Buddhism in India and Sri Lanka (c. 300 BC to C. 600 AD) |author=S. M. Haldhar |publisher=Om |year=2001 |isbn=9788186867532 |page=38 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79w9AAAAMAAJ |title=Asoka and His Inscriptions |volume=1 |author=Beni Madhab Barua |author-link=Benimadhab Barua|year=1968 |page=171 }}</ref>

[[Magadha]], the centre of the empire, was also the birthplace of Buddhism. Ashoka initially practised Brahmanism{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} but later followed Buddhism; following the [[Kalinga War]], he renounced expansionism and aggression, and the harsher injunctions of the ''[[Arthashastra]]'' on the use of force, intensive policing, and ruthless measures for tax collection and against rebels. Ashoka sent a mission led by his son [[Mahinda (buddhist monk)|Mahinda]] and daughter [[Sanghamitta]] to [[Sri Lanka]], whose king [[Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura|Tissa]] was so charmed with Buddhist ideals that he adopted them himself and made Buddhism the state religion. Ashoka sent many Buddhist missions to [[West Asia]], Greece and [[South East Asia]], and commissioned the construction of monasteries and schools, as well as the publication of Buddhist literature across the empire. He is believed to have built as many as 84,000 stupas across India, such as [[Sanchi]] and [[Mahabodhi Temple]], and he increased the popularity of Buddhism in Afghanistan and [[Thailand]]. Ashoka helped convene the [[Buddhist Councils|Third Buddhist Council]] of India's and South Asia's Buddhist orders near his capital, a council that undertook much work of reform and expansion of the Buddhist religion. Indian merchants embraced Buddhism and played a large role in spreading the religion across the Mauryan Empire.<ref>Jerry Bentley, ''Old World Encounters: Cross-Cultural Contacts in Pre-Modern Times'' (New York: Oxford University Press), 46</ref>

==Society==
The population of South Asia during the Mauryan period has been estimated to be between 15 and 30 million.<ref name="Dyson2018-lead-maurya-4b">{{citation|last=Dyson|first=Tim|title=A Population History of India: From the First Modern People to the Present Day|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA24|year=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-882905-8|page=24}} Quote: "Yet Sumit Guha considers that 20 million is an upper limit. This is because the demographic growth experienced in core areas is likely to have been less than that experienced in areas that were more lightly settled in the early historic period. The position taken here is that the population in Mauryan times (320–220 bce) was between 15 and 30 million—although it may have been a little more, or it may have been a little less."</ref> According to Tim Dyson, the period of the Mauryan Empire saw the consolidation of [[Caste system in India|caste]] among the [[Vedic period|Indo-Aryan people]] who had settled in the Gangetic plain, increasingly meeting tribal people who were incorporated into their evolving caste-system, and the declining rights of women in the [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan speaking]] regions of India, though "these developments did not affect people living in large parts of the subcontinent."<ref name="Dyson2018-lead-maurya-3b">{{citation|last=Dyson|first=Tim|title=A Population History of India: From the First Modern People to the Present Day|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA19|year=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-882905-8|page=19}}</ref>

==Architectural remains==
{{Main|Edicts of Ashoka|Sanchi|Mauryan art}}
[[File:Barabar Caves 2.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Mauryan architecture in the [[Barabar Caves]]. [[Lomas Rishi Cave]]. 3rd century BCE.]]

The greatest monument of this period, executed in the reign of [[Chandragupta Maurya]], was the old palace at Paliputra, modern [[Kumhrar]] in [[Patna]]. Excavations have unearthed the remains of the palace, which is thought to have been a group of several buildings, the most important of which was an immense pillared hall supported on a high substratum of timbers. The pillars were set in regular rows, thus dividing the hall into a number of smaller square bays. The number of columns is 80, each about {{formatnum:{{#expr:9.75-2.74 round 0}}}} meters high. According to the eyewitness account of [[Megasthenes]], the palace was chiefly constructed of timber, and was considered to exceed in splendour and magnificence the palaces of Susa and Ecbatana, its gilded pillars being adorned with golden vines and silver birds. The buildings stood in an extensive park studded with fish ponds and furnished with a great variety of ornamental trees and shrubs.<ref>"L'age d'or de l'Inde Classique", p23</ref>Kauṭilya's [[Arthashastra]] also gives the method of palace construction from this period. Later fragments of stone pillars, including one nearly complete, with their round tapering shafts and smooth polish, indicate that Ashoka was responsible for the construction of the stone columns which replaced the earlier wooden ones.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

[[File:Early stupa 6 meters in diameter with fallen umbrella on side in Chakpat near Chakdara.jpg|thumb|left|An early [[stupa]], 6 meters in diameter, with fallen umbrella on side. Chakpat, near [[Chakdara]]. Probably Maurya, 3rd century BCE.]]
During the Ashokan period, stonework was of a highly diversified order and comprised lofty free-standing pillars, railings of [[stupas]], lion thrones and other colossal figures. The use of stone had reached such great perfection during this time that even small fragments of stone art were given a high lustrous polish resembling fine enamel. This period marked the beginning of [[Buddhist architecture]]. Ashoka was responsible for the construction of several [[stupas]], which were large domes and bearing symbols of Buddha. The most important ones are located at [[Sanchi]], [[Bodhgaya]], [[Bharhut]], and possibly [[Amaravati Stupa]]. The most widespread examples of Mauryan architecture are the [[Pillars of Ashoka|Ashoka pillars]] and carved edicts of Ashoka, often exquisitely decorated, with more than 40 spread throughout the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref>"L'age d'or de l'Inde Classique", p22</ref>

The peacock was a dynastic symbol of Mauryans, as depicted by Ashoka's pillars at Nandangarh and Sanchi Stupa.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=15}}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0 auto;" align="center" colspan="2" cellpadding="3" style="font-size: 80%; width: 100%;"
|align=center colspan=2 style="background:#F4A460; font-size: 100%;"| '''Maurya structures and decorations at [[Sanchi]] (3rd century BCE)'''
|-
|align="center" style="font-size: 100%; width: 1%;"|[[File:Sanchi Great Stupa Mauryan configuration.jpg|250px]] Approximate reconstitution of the Great Stupa at [[Sanchi]] under the [[Mauryan Empire|Mauryas]].
|
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
File:Ashokan Pillar - Stupa 1 - Sanchi Hill 2013-02-21 4361.JPG|Remains of the [[Pillars of Ashoka|Ashokan Pillar]] in polished stone (right of the Southern Gateway).
File:Ashoka pillar remains near Southern Gateway Stupa 1 Sanchi.jpg|Remains of the shaft of the pillar of Ashoka, under a shed near the Southern Gateway.
Sanchi Ashoka pillar with schism edit in 1913.jpg|Pillar and its inscription (the "Schism Edict") upon discovery.
File:Sanchi_capital_right_side_view.jpg|The capital nowadays.<ref>Described in Marshall [https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.532798 p.25-28 Ashoka pillar].</ref>
</gallery>
|}

==Natural history==
[[File:Patna Yakshas and inscriptions.jpg|thumb|The two [[Yaksha]]s, possibly 3rd century BCE, found in [[Pataliputra]]. The two [[Brahmi]] inscriptions starting with [[File:Gupta ashoka y.svg|14px]][[File:Gupta ashoka khe.jpg|12px]]... (''Yakhe...'' for "Yaksha...") are [[paleography|paleographically]] of a later date, circa 2nd century CE [[Kushan Empire|Kushan]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ramaprasad |first1=Chanda |title=Indian Antiquary A Journal Of Oriental Research Vol.48 |date=1919 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.532716/page/n296 25]-28 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.532716}}</ref>]]
The protection of animals in India was advocated by the time of the Maurya dynasty; being the first empire to provide a unified political entity in India, the attitude of the Mauryas towards forests, their denizens, and fauna in general is of interest.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor|last=Allen|first=Charles|publisher=Hachette Digital|year=2012|isbn=978-1-408-70388-5|location=London|pages=274}}</ref>

The Mauryas firstly looked at forests as resources. For them, the most important forest product was the elephant. Military might in those times depended not only upon horses and men but also [[War elephants|battle-elephants]]; these played a role in the defeat of [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]], one of [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]]'s former generals. The Mauryas sought to preserve supplies of elephants since it was cheaper and took less time to catch, tame and train wild elephants than to raise them. [[Kautilya]]'s ''[[Arthashastra]]'' contains not only maxims on ancient statecraft, but also unambiguously specifies the responsibilities of officials such as the ''Protector of the Elephant Forests''.<ref name="IWH4">Rangarajan, M. (2001) India's Wildlife History, pp 7.</ref>

{{blockquote|text=On the border of the forest, he should establish a forest for elephants guarded by foresters. The Office of the Chief Elephant Forester should with the help of guards protect the elephants in any terrain. The slaying of an elephant is punishable by death.|author=[[Kautilya]] |title=[[Arthashastra]]}}

The Mauryas also designated separate forests to protect supplies of timber, as well as lions and tigers for skins. Elsewhere the ''Protector of Animals'' also worked to eliminate thieves, tigers and other predators to render the woods safe for grazing cattle.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

The Mauryas valued certain forest tracts in strategic or economic terms and instituted curbs and control measures over them. They regarded all forest tribes with distrust and controlled them with bribery and political subjugation. They employed some of them, the food-gatherers or ''aranyaca'' to guard borders and trap animals. The sometimes tense and conflict-ridden relationship nevertheless enabled the Mauryas to guard their vast empire.<ref name="IWH5">Rangarajan, M. (2001) India's Wildlife History, pp 8.</ref>

When [[Ashoka]] embraced Buddhism in the latter part of his reign, he brought about significant changes in his style of governance, which included providing protection to fauna, and even relinquished the royal hunt. He was the first ruler in history{{failed verification|date=September 2017}} to advocate [[Conservation (ethic)|conservation]] measures for wildlife and even had rules inscribed in stone edicts. The edicts proclaim that many followed the king's example in giving up the slaughter of animals; one of them proudly states:<ref name="IWH5"/>

However, the edicts of Ashoka reflect more the desire of rulers than actual events; the mention of a 100 'panas' (coins) fine for poaching deer in royal hunting preserves shows that rule-breakers did exist. The legal restrictions conflicted with the practices freely exercised by the common people in hunting, felling, fishing and setting fires in forests.<ref name="IWH5"/>

==Contacts with the Hellenistic world==
[[File:MauryanRingstone.JPG|thumb|Mauryan ringstone, with standing goddess. Northwest Pakistan. 3rd Century BCE]]

===Foundation of the Empire===
Relations with the Hellenistic world may have started from the very beginning of the Maurya Empire. [[Plutarch]] reports that Chandragupta Maurya met with [[Alexander the Great]], probably around [[Taxila]] in the northwest:<ref name="RM16">{{cite book |last1=Mookerji |first1=Radhakumud |author-link1=Radha Kumud Mukherjee |title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times |date=1966 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=9788120804050 |pages=16–17 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA16 |language=en}}</ref>

{{blockquote|Sandrocottus(Chandragupta), when he was a stripling, saw Alexander himself, and we are told that he often said in later times that Alexander narrowly missed making himself master of the country, since its king (Dhananda) was hated and despised on account of his baseness and low birth.| Plutarch 62-4<ref name="RM16"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0243&redirect=true|title=Plutarch, Alexander, chapter 1, section 1|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref>}}

===Reconquest of the Northwest (c. 317–316 BCE)===
Chandragupta ultimately occupied Northwestern India, in the territories formerly ruled by the Greeks, where he fought the satraps (described as "Prefects" in Western sources) left in place after Alexander (Justin), among whom may have been [[Eudemus (general)|Eudemus]], ruler in the western Punjab until his departure in 317 BCE or [[Peithon, son of Agenor]], ruler of the Greek colonies along the Indus until his departure for [[Babylon]] in 316 BCE.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

{{blockquote|India, after the death of Alexander, had assassinated his prefects, as if shaking the burden of servitude. The author of this liberation was Sandracottos, but he had transformed liberation in servitude after victory, since, after taking the throne, he himself oppressed the very people he has liberated from foreign domination.| Justin XV.4.12–13<ref>"(Transitum deinde in Indiam fecit), quae post mortem Alexandri, ueluti ceruicibus iugo seruitutis excusso, praefectos eius occiderat. Auctor libertatis Sandrocottus fuerat, sed titulum libertatis post uictoriam in seruitutem uerterat; 14 siquidem occupato regno populum quem ab externa dominatione uindicauerat ipse seruitio premebat." [http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html Justin XV.4.12–13] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420013859/http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html |date=20 April 2017 }}</ref>}}

{{blockquote|Later, as he was preparing war against the prefects of Alexander, a huge wild elephant went to him and took him on his back as if tame, and he became a remarkable fighter and war leader. Having thus acquired royal power, Sandracottos possessed India at the time Seleucos was preparing future glory.|Justin XV.4.19<ref>"Molienti deinde bellum aduersus praefectos Alexandri elephantus ferus infinitae magnitudinis ultro se obtulit et ueluti domita mansuetudine eum tergo excepit duxque belli et proeliator insignis fuit. Sic adquisito regno Sandrocottus ea tempestate, qua Seleucus futurae magnitudinis fundamenta iaciebat, Indiam possidebat." [http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html Justin XV.4.19] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420013859/http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html |date=20 April 2017 }}</ref>}}

===Conflict and alliance with Seleucus (305 BCE)===
{{Main|Seleucid–Mauryan war}}
[[File:Hellenistic world and Maurya Empire 281 BCE.png|thumb|right|A map showing the north western border of Maurya Empire, including its various neighboring states.]]
[[Seleucus I Nicator]], the Macedonian [[satrap]] of the Asian portion of Alexander's former empire, conquered and put under his own authority eastern territories as far as Bactria and the Indus ([[Appian]], ''History of Rome'', The Syrian Wars 55), until in 305 BCE he entered into a confrontation with Emperor Chandragupta:

{{blockquote|Always lying in wait for the neighbouring nations, strong in arms and persuasive in council, he [Seleucus] acquired Mesopotamia, Armenia, 'Seleucid' Cappadocia, Persis, Parthia, Bactria, Arabia, Tapouria, Sogdia, Arachosia, Hyrcania, and other adjacent peoples that had been subdued by Alexander, as far as the river Indus, so that the boundaries of his empire were the most extensive in Asia after that of Alexander. The whole region from Phrygia to the Indus was subject to Seleucus. |[[Appian]], ''History of Rome'', "The Syrian Wars" 55<ref name="livius.org">{{cite web|url=https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_syriaca_11.html|title=Appian, The Syrian Wars 11|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103154609/https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_syriaca_11.html|archive-date=3 November 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}

Though no accounts of the conflict remain, it is clear that Seleucus fared poorly against the Indian Emperor as he failed to conquer any territory, and in fact was forced to surrender much that was already his. Regardless, Seleucus and Chandragupta ultimately reached a settlement and through a treaty sealed in 305 BCE, Seleucus, according to Strabo, ceded a number of territories to Chandragupta, including eastern Afghanistan and [[Balochistan]].{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

====Marriage alliance====
[[File:Mauryan head from Sarnath.jpg|thumb|upright|Figure of a foreigner, found in [[Sarnath]], 3rd century BCE.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bachhofer |first1=Ludwig |title=Early Indian Sculpture Vol. I |date=1929 |publisher=The Pegasus Press |location=Paris |pages=239–240 |url=https://indianculture.gov.in/rarebooks/early-indian-sculpture-vol-i |language=en}}</ref> This is a probable member of the West Asian [[Pahlava]] or [[Saka]] elite in the [[Gangetic plain]]s during the Mauryan period.<ref name="Gupta 122">Page 122: About the [[Masarh lion]]: "This particular example of a foreign model gets added support from the male heads of foreigners from Patna city and Sarnath since they also prove beyond doubt that a section of the elite in the Gangetic Basin was of foreign origin. However, as noted earlier, this is an example of the late Mauryan period since this is not the type adopted in any Ashoka pillar. We are, therefore, visualizing a historical situation in India in which the West Asian influence on Indian art was felt more in the late Mauryan than in the early Mauryan period. The term West Asia in this context stands for Iran and Afghanistan, where the Sakas and Pahlavas had their base-camps for eastward movement. The prelude to future inroads of the Indo-Bactrians in India had after all started in the second century B.C."... in {{cite book |last1=Gupta |first1=Swarajya Prakash |author-link=Swaraj Prakash Gupta|title=The Roots of Indian Art: A Detailed Study of the Formative Period of Indian Art and Architecture, Third and Second Centuries B.C., Mauryan and Late Mauryan |year=1980 |publisher=B.R. Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-0-391-02172-3 |pages=88, 122 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0lDqAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}.</ref><ref name="Gupta 318">According to Gupta [[:File:Mauryan head from Sarnath.jpg|this is]] a non-Indian face of a foreigner with a conical hat: "If there are a few faces which are nonIndian, such as one head from Sarnath with conical cap ( Bachhofer, Vol . I, Pl . 13 ), they are due to the presence of the foreigners their costumes, tastes and liking for portrait art and not their art styles." in {{cite book |last1=Gupta |first1=Swarajya Prakash |author-link=Swaraj Prakash Gupta|title=The Roots of Indian Art: A Detailed Study of the Formative Period of Indian Art and Architecture, Third and Second Centuries B.C., Mauryan and Late Mauryan |year=1980 |publisher=B.R. Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-0-391-02172-3 |page=318 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0lDqAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Annual Report 1907-08 |date=1911 |page=55 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.35434/page/n101/mode/2up}}</ref>]]
Chandragupta and [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]] concluded a peace treaty and a marriage alliance in 303 BCE. Chandragupta received vast territories and in a return gave Seleucus 500 [[war elephant]]s,{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|2003|p=105}}<ref>Ancient India, (Kachroo, p.196)</ref><ref>''The Imperial Gazetteer of India'' (Hunter, p.167)</ref><ref>''The evolution of man and society'' (Darlington, p.223)</ref><ref>W. W. Tarn (1940). "Two Notes on Seleucid History: 1. Seleucus' 500 Elephants, 2. Tarmita", ''The Journal of Hellenic Studies'' '''60''', p. 84–94.</ref> a military asset which would play a decisive role at the [[Battle of Ipsus]] in 301 BCE.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=37}} In addition to this treaty, Seleucus dispatched an ambassador, [[Megasthenes]], to Chandragupta, and later [[Deimakos]] to his son [[Bindusara]], at the Mauryan court at [[Pataliputra]] (modern [[Patna]] in [[Bihar state|Bihar]]). Later, [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus]], the ruler of [[Ptolemaic Egypt]] and contemporary of [[Ashoka]], is also recorded by [[Pliny the Elder]] as having sent an ambassador named [[Dionysius (ambassador)|Dionysius]] to the Mauryan court.<ref name="perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de">{{cite web|url=http://perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.+Nat.+6.21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728023626/http://perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.%2BNat.%2B6.21 |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 July 2013 |title=Pliny the Elder, The Natural History (eds. John Bostock, H. T. Riley) }}</ref>

Mainstream scholarship asserts that Chandragupta received vast territory west of the Indus, including the [[Hindu Kush]], modern-day Afghanistan, and the [[Balochistan, Pakistan|Balochistan]] province of Pakistan.<ref>[[Vincent Arthur Smith|Vincent A. Smith]] (1998). ''Ashoka''. Asian Educational Services. {{ISBN|81-206-1303-1}}.</ref><ref>[[Walter Eugene Clark]] (1919). "The Importance of Hellenism from the Point of View of Indic-Philology", ''Classical Philology'' '''14''' (4), pp. 297–313.</ref> Archaeologically, concrete indications of Mauryan rule, such as the inscriptions of the [[Edicts of Ashoka]], are known as far as [[Kandahar]] in southern Afghanistan.

{{blockquote|He (Seleucus) crossed the Indus and waged war with Sandrocottus [Maurya], king of the Indians, who dwelt on the banks of that stream, until they came to an understanding with each other and contracted a marriage relationship. | [[Appian]]| ''History of Rome'', The Syrian Wars [https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_syriaca_11.html 55]}}

{{blockquote|After having made a treaty with him (Sandrakotos) and put in order the Orient situation, Seleucos went to war against [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus|Antigonus]].|[[Junianus Justinus]]|''Historiarum Philippicarum, libri XLIV'', [http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html XV.4.15]}}

The treaty on "[[Epigamia]]" implies lawful marriage between Greeks and Indians was recognized at the State level, although it is unclear whether it occurred among dynastic rulers or common people, or both.

====Exchange of presents====
Classical sources have also recorded that following their treaty, Chandragupta and Seleucus exchanged presents, such as when Chandragupta sent various [[aphrodisiac]]s to Seleucus:{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=35}}

{{blockquote|And Theophrastus says that some contrivances are of wondrous efficacy in such matters [as to make people more amorous]. And Phylarchus confirms him, by reference to some of the presents which Sandrakottus, the king of the Indians, sent to Seleucus; which were to act like charms in producing a wonderful degree of affection, while some, on the contrary, were to banish love.|[[Athenaeus of Naucratis]], ''[[The deipnosophists]]'', Book I, chapter 32<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Literature/Literature-idx?type=turn&entity=Literature000701860036&isize=M&pview=hide|title=Problem while searching in The Literature Collection|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313151642/http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Literature/Literature-idx?type=turn&entity=Literature000701860036&isize=M&pview=hide|archive-date=13 March 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}

His son [[Bindusara]] 'Amitraghata' (Slayer of Enemies) also is recorded in Classical sources as having exchanged presents with [[Antiochus I]]:{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=35}}

{{blockquote|text=But dried figs were so very much sought after by all men (for really, as [[Aristophanes]] says, "There's really nothing nicer than dried figs"), that even Amitrochates, the king of the Indians, wrote to [[Antiochus I Soter|Antiochus]], entreating him (it is [[Hegesander (historian)|Hegesander]] who tells this story) to buy and send him some sweet wine, and some dried figs, and a [[sophist]]; and that Antiochus wrote to him in answer, "The dry figs and the sweet wine we will send you; but it is not lawful for a sophist to be sold in Greece. |author=[[Athenaeus]] |title=''[[Deipnosophistae]]'' XIV.67<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Literature/Literature-idx?type=goto&id=Literature.AthV3&isize=M&page=1044|title=The Literature Collection: The deipnosophists, or, Banquet of the learned of Athenæus (volume III): Book XIV|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011201316/http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Literature/Literature-idx?type=goto&id=Literature.AthV3&isize=M&page=1044|archive-date=11 October 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}

===Greek population in India===
[[File:AsokaKandahar.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Kandahar Edict of Ashoka]], a bilingual edict ([[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Aramaic]]) by king Ashoka, from [[Kandahar]]. [[Kabul]] Museum. (See image description page for translation.)]]

An influential and large Greek population was present in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent under Ashoka's rule, possibly remnants of Alexander's conquests in the Indus Valley region. In the [[Edicts of Ashoka|Rock Edicts of Ashoka]], some of them inscribed in Greek, Ashoka states that the Greeks within his dominion were converted to Buddhism:
{{blockquote|Here in the king's dominion among the [[Yona|Greeks]], the [[Kambojas]], the Nabhakas, the Nabhapamkits, the Bhojas, the Pitinikas, the [[Andhra Pradesh|Andhras]] and the Palidas, everywhere people are following Beloved-of-the-Gods' instructions in [[Dharma]].|[[Edicts of Ashoka|(Rock Edict Number 13]])}}
{{blockquote|Now, in times past (officers) called [[Mahamatras]] of morality did not exist before. Mahdmatras of morality were appointed by me (when I had been) anointed thirteen years. These are occupied with all sects in establishing morality, in promoting morality, and for the welfare and happiness of those who are devoted to morality (even) among the [[Yona|Greeks]], [[Kambojas]] and [[Gandharas]], and whatever other western borderers (of mine there are).|([[Major Rock Edicts|Rock Edict Number 5]])}}

Fragments of Edict 13 have been found in Greek, and a full Edict, written in both Greek and Aramaic, has been discovered in [[Kandahar]]. It is said to be written in excellent Classical Greek, using sophisticated philosophical terms. In this Edict, Ashoka uses the word [[Eusebeia]] ("[[Piety]]") as the Greek translation for the ubiquitous "[[Dharma]]" of his other Edicts written in [[Prakrit]]:

{{blockquote|Ten years (of reign) having been completed, King Piodasses (Ashoka) made known (the doctrine of) Piety (''εὐσέβεια'', [[Eusebeia]]) to men; and from this moment he has made men more pious, and everything thrives throughout the whole world. And the king abstains from (killing) living beings, and other men and those who (are) huntsmen and fishermen of the king have desisted from hunting. And if some (were) intemperate, they have ceased from their intemperance as was in their power; and obedient to their father and mother and to the elders, in opposition to the past also in the future, by so acting on every occasion, they will live better and more happily. |Trans. by G.P. Carratelli {{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20051103235517/http://www.afghanan.net/afghanistan/mauryans.htm]}}}}

===Dhamma Vijaya to the West (c. 250 BCE)===
<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
AiKhanoumAndIndia.jpg|The distribution of the [[Edicts of Ashoka]].<ref>Reference: "India: The Ancient Past" p.113, Burjor Avari, Routledge, {{ISBN|0-415-35615-6}}</ref>
Asoka̠ Buddhist Missions.png|Map of the Buddhist missions during the reign of [[Ashoka]].
Territories conquered by the Dharma according to Ashoka.jpg|Territories "conquered by the Dharma" according to [[Major Rock Edicts|Major Rock Edict No. 13]] of Ashoka (260–218 BCE).{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=57}}<ref name=ME368>Thomas Mc Evilly "The shape of ancient thought", Allworth Press, New York, 2002, p.368</ref>
</gallery>
Also, in the [[Edicts of Ashoka]], Ashoka mentions the Hellenistic kings of the period as recipients of his Buddhist proselytism, although no Western historical record of this event remains:

{{blockquote|The conquest by [[Dharma]] has been won here, on the borders, and even six hundred [[yojana]]s (5,400–9,600 km) away, where the Greek king [[Antiochus II Theos|Antiochos]] rules, beyond there where the four kings named [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus|Ptolemy]], [[Antigonus Gonatas|Antigonos]], [[Magas of Cyrene|Magas]] and [[Alexander II of Epirus|Alexander]] rule, likewise in the south among the [[Chola]]s, the [[Pandya]]s, and as far as [[Tamraparni]] ([[Sri Lanka]]). |[[Edicts of Ashoka]], 13th Rock Edict, S. Dhammika.}}

Ashoka also encouraged the development of [[herbal medicine]], for men and animals, in their territories:

{{blockquote|Everywhere within Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi's [Ashoka's] domain, and among the people beyond the borders, the [[Chola]]s, the [[Pandya]]s, the Satiyaputras, the Keralaputras, as far as [[Tamraparni]] and where the Greek king [[Antiochus II Theos|Antiochos]] rules, and among the kings who are neighbors of Antiochos, everywhere has Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, made provision for two types of medical treatment: medical treatment for humans and medical treatment for animals. Wherever medical herbs suitable for humans or animals are not available, I have had them imported and grown. Wherever medical roots or fruits are not available I have had them imported and grown. Along roads I have had wells dug and trees planted for the benefit of humans and animals. |[[Edicts of Ashoka|2nd Rock Edict]]}}

The Greeks in India even seem to have played an active role in the spread of Buddhism, as some of the emissaries of Ashoka, such as [[Dharmaraksita]], are described in [[Pāli|Pali]] sources as leading Greek ("[[Yona]]") Buddhist monks, active in Buddhist proselytism (the [[Mahavamsa]], XII)<ref>''Mahavamsa'' [http://lakdiva.org/mahavamsa/chapters.html chapter XII] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060905050433/http://lakdiva.org/mahavamsa/chapters.html |date=5 September 2006 }}</ref>

===Subhagasena and Antiochos III (206 BCE)===
{{Part of History of India|File:MET DT9196.jpg}}
[[Sophagasenus]] was an Indian [[Mauryan]] ruler of the 3rd century BCE, described in ancient Greek sources, and named Subhagasena or Subhashasena in [[Prakrit]]. His name is mentioned in the list of Mauryan princes. He may have been a grandson of [[Ashoka]], or [[Kunala]], the son of Ashoka. He ruled an area south of the [[Hindu Kush]], possibly in [[Gandhara]]. [[Antiochos III]], the [[Seleucid]] king, after having made peace with [[Euthydemus II|Euthydemus]] in [[Bactria]], went to India in 206 BCE and is said to have renewed his friendship with the Indian king there:

{{blockquote|text=He (Antiochus) crossed the Caucasus and descended into India; renewed his friendship with Sophagasenus the king of the Indians; received more elephants, until he had a hundred and fifty altogether; and having once more provisioned his troops, set out again personally with his army: leaving Androsthenes of Cyzicus the duty of taking home the treasure which this king had agreed to hand over to him.|author=[[Polybius]] |title=[[The Histories (Polybius)|The Histories]], 11.39<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/invalidquery.jsp?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0234:book=11:chapter=39|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307194743/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+11.39|url-status=dead|title=No document found|archive-date=7 March 2008|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref>}}

Fa-Hian, the Chinese Buddhist monk and traveler, mentioned Dharmavarddhana, who was believed to be Subhagsena by historians :
<blockquote>
From this, descending eastward, journeying for five days, we arrive at the country of Gandhara (Kien-to-wei). This is the place which Dharmavarddhana, the son of Asoka, governed. Buddha also in this country, when he was a Bodhisattva, gave his eyes in charity for the sake of a man. On this spot also they have raised a great stupa, adorned with silver and gold. The people of this country mostly study the Little Vehicle.

~Chapter X ,The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D.)
[https://www.wisdomlib.org/south-asia/book/the-travels-of-fa-hian/d/doc220110.html]
</blockquote>

==Later Mauryans==
The Rājataranginī mentions Jalauka as the successor of Asoka in Kasmira, while Tāranātha mentions another successor Virasena who ruled in Gandhāra and he was as Dr. Thomas suggests, probably the predecessor of Subhagasena.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.10359|title=Political History of ancient India|last=Hemchandra Raychaudhuri|first=M. A.|date=1932|page=238}}</ref>

Petty Maurya kings continued to rule in western India as well as Magadha long after the extinction of the imperial line. King Dhavala of the Maurya dynasty is referred to in the Kanaswa inscription of A.D. 738. Professor Bhandarkar identifies him with Dhavalappadeva, the overlord of Dhanika mentioned in the Dabok (Mewar) inscription of A.D. 725.” Maurya chief of the Konkan and Khandesh are referred to in the early epigraphs. A Maurya Prince of Magadha named Pürnavarman is mentioned by Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.10359|title=Political History of ancient India|last=Hemchandra Raychaudhuri|first=M. A.|date=1932|page=240}}</ref> In 7th century A.D. Hiuen Tsang, wrote about small dominions in eastern India for he relates that shortly before his visit Purnavarman, king of Magadha, a descendant of Ashoka who had restored the Bodhi-tree, which had been destroyed by Sasanka, apart from this he also mention Mauryan ruler named Narendragupta of Karnasuvarna(Bengal).<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.55603|title=The Cambridge History Of India Vol.i|last=Rapson|first=E. J.|date=1935|page=513}}</ref>

During the sixth century Kolaba along with the Northern Konkan coast was probably ruled by Mauryas and Nala Chiefs as Kirtivarman (550-567), the first of the Calukyas who conquered Konkan is described as the night of death to the Nalas and Mauryas [Indian Antiquary VIII. 24.].

From an inscribed stones of the fifth and the sixth century discovered in the Thānā district of North Konkan, it describes that a Mauryan King Suketuvarman was ruling in Konkan. Konkan was given in charge of a Maurya family.<ref name="HAI">"Konkan was given in charge of a Maurya family. A grant of the Maurya prince Suketuvarman, who ruled in this period, has been discovered in the Thānā district of North Konkan." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/jEqi_literay-and-historical-studies-in-indology-of-dr.-vasudev-vishnu-mirashi-mlbd-varanasi|page=128|title=Literay And Historical Studies In Indology Of Dr. Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi MLBD Varanasi|last=MLBD Varanasi}}</ref><ref name="CORPUS"> "A stone inscription from Vada in the north of the Thana District mentions a Maurya king named Suketuvarman ruling in Konkan." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.367473|title=Corpus Inscriptionium Indicarum Vol Iv Part 1|page=75|last=Vasudev Vishnu Mirshi|date=1955|publisher=Government Epigraphist For India, Ootacamund|language=Multilingual}}</ref><ref name="INSCRIPTION"> "We have discussed above about the Saka era. From the point of view of its early history as well as for the history of the later Mauryas of Konkana the Vala (or Vada) inscription of Suketuvarman, dated Saka 322, is one of utmost importance. The inscription was actually found at the place of this name in the Thane District of Maharashtra though wrongly attributed to Vala in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. It aims at registering the installation of the deity Koțiśvara by one Simhadatta, son of Anankiparadatta in the Saka year 322, and some grants to the divinity by one Isuprakki, the Vallabha-Talavara of the Maurya Dharma- mahārāja Suketuvarman of the Bhojas. The inscription adds one more name to the list of the Mauryas of Konkaņa." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.29982|page=32|title=puratattva: Bulletin of the Indian archaeological society number 25 1994-95|last=Dikshit|first=K. N.|date=1995|publisher=Indian Archaeological Society,New delhi}}</ref>

It is interesting to see that More is a name quite common among Marathas, Kunbis and Rolls of Kolaba. Probably here can be traced the name Maurya. Two small landing places of the name of More in Elephanta and in Karanja can be taken as relics of the Maurya power formerly existing in Konkan. The Mauryas of the Konkan, previously subdued, were overwhelmed and the city of Puri (either Gharapuri, i.e., the island of Elephanta near Bombay, or Rajpuri near Janjira), which was located in the Arabian Sea and was probably the Maurya capital, was invaded by Pulakesin's battleships and was captured.<ref>https://gazetteers.maharashtra.gov.in/cultural.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/KOLABA/his_early.html</ref>

===Rediscovery===

Coins of the Kalacuri king Krşņarāja have been found in the island of Bombay. But the country was not directly administered by the Kalacuris. They gave it to a feudadtory family called the Mauryas.The Kaņaśva inscription dated A.D. 738-39 mentions the Maurya king Dhavalappa, who was probably holding the fort of Chittorgarh.This family probably succumbed to the attack of the Arabs, who are credited with a victory over them. Another Maurya family was ruling at Valabhi (modern Valā) in Saurāştra. A later scion of it named Govindaraja Maurya was reigning from Väghli in Khāndeśa as a feudatory of the Mahamandaleśvara Seunacandra II. The family ruling in North Konkan in the sixth and seventh centuries A.D. was related to any of the branches of the great Maurya family. The first notice of the Maurya family ruling in North Konkan occurs in the description of the conquests of the early Chalukya king Kirtivarman I (A.D. 566-598). In the Aihole inscription where he is described as the Night of Destruction to the Nalas, Mauryas and Kadambas. The Kadambas were described as subclan of Southern Mauryans who where completely lost.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/ancient-history-of-maharashtra_202110|title=Ancient History of Maharashtra|page=140|last=Maharashtra State Gazetteers|date=1967}}</ref>

====The Mauryas of Konkan region====
Suketuvarman is known from a solitary stone inscription found at Vada to the north of Thana near Bombay but now preserved in the Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay. The epigraph, which is damaged and written in the southern characters of about the 4th or 5th century A.D. and refers to a king named Suketuvarman of the Maurya dynasty. He appears to have been ruling near about Thana during that period.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.07863|title=Central Provinces District Gazetteers: Nagpur District|page=65|last=N. V. SundaraRaman|first=Chairman|last2=P. Setu Madhava Rao|first2=Member|last3=V. B. Kolte|first3=Member|last4=C. D. Deshpande|first4=Member|last5=B. R. Rairikar|first5=Member|last6=Sarojini Babar|first6=Member|last7=V. T. Gune|first7=Member|last8=P. N. Chopra|first8=Member|last9=V. N. Gurav|first9=Member-Secretary|date=1908|publisher=Bombay, Times Press}}</ref>

====The Mauryas of Western coastline====
Two copper plate grants discovered in the Goa territory on the west coast reveal the existence of two kings named [[Chandravarman Maurya|Chandravarman]] and [[Anirjitavarman]] who belonged to the Maurya dynasty as per their inscription. As both the grants are dated in the regnal years of the ruling kings, from the palaeographical point of view, they may be assigned to the 6th or 7th century A.D., the grant of Chandravarman being slightly earlier than that of Anirjitvarman. Both these rulers, who assume the epithet of Mahārāja in their records. The charter of Chandravarman records the donation, by the king, of some lands to the Mahāvihāra situated in Sivapura which is identified with the village bearing the same name near Chandor in Goa. The grant of Anirjitavarman, registers certain gifts, made by the king, to a Brāhmaņa named Hastyärya. It is issued from a a place called Kumāradvīpa which appears to be located somewhere in the Goa territory. These two records show that Candravarman and Anirjitvarman were ruling somewhere in the Goa territory about the 6th-7th century A.D.<ref>{{Cite book|page=295|url=http://archive.org/details/epigraphia-indica|title=epigraphia-indica}}</ref>

====The Mauryas of the Mathura region====
[[Dindirāja]] alias Karka fragmentary stone inscription from Mathura city in Uttar Pradesh which, on palaeographical grounds, is referred to the latter half of the 7th century A.D., mentions four members of the Maurya dynasty viz. Krşņarāja in his family, Chandragupta his son, Aryarāja and, probably his son, Dindirāja alias Karka.<ref name="INSC">"Jhalarpatan inscription (AD 689) of Durgagana, the Kudarkot inscription of about the second half of the seventh century, the Nagar inscription (AD 684) of Dhanika, and the Kanaswa inscription (AD 738) of Sivagana." The inscription was composed "in adoration of a god whose epithets kal- anjana-rajah-punja-dyuti, (ma)havaraha-rupa and jangama have only been preserved". It leaves "no doubt that the reference is to the god Vishnu since the expression mahavaraha-rupa certainty speaks of the Boar incarnation of the deity." The hero of the prasasti is a king named Dindiraja of the Maurya dynasty.{{Cite book|page=80-81|url=http://archive.org/details/hindu-temples-vol.-ii-ed-sitaram-goel_202306|title=Hindu Temples Vol. II (Ed Sitaram Goel)|last=Ed Sitaram Goel|date=1993}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|page=208-209|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.11070|title=Pracyavidya-Tarangini|last=D. C. Sircar|date=1969}}</ref>The last named ruler of this Mauryan branch appears to have burnt the city of Kanyakubja (Kannauj). The Maurya kings mentioned in this record seem to have held sway over the south-western areas of Uttar Pradesh. The Jaina tradition represents king Yasovarman (circa 728-53 A.D.) of Kannauj as a descendant of Chandragupta Maurya. This may refer to Yasovarman's relations with Karka-Dindirāja who, in all probability, was the grandson of a Maurya ruler named Chandragupta of 7th century A.D.<ref>{{Cite book|page=207-212|url=http://archive.org/details/bmshri.epigraphiaindica0000unse_z3v3|title=Epigraphia indica (1957-1958)|publisher=The director general archaeological survey of india|others=Servants of Knowledge}}</ref>

====The Mauryas of the Rajasthan region====
King Dhavala or Dhavalātman inscription" from Kanaswa in the old Kota, State of Rajasthan, dated in the Mälava year (i.e. Vikrama Samvat) 795 or 738. A.D., refers to the Brahmana Sivagana as a feudatory of king Dhavala of the Maurya lineage. Dr. D.C. Sircar has suggested, on grounds of palaeographical resemblance and geographical proximity, that the Mauryas of the Mathura region mentioned above may be connected with the Maurya king Dhavala of the Kanaswa record.<ref>{{Cite book|page=209|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.06115|title=Epigraphia Indica, Vol-32, Issue no.-1-42}}</ref> It has also been suggested that the Mauryas who are stated to have been defeated by the Tājika (i. e. Arab) army in the Navsari plates of the Gujarat Chalukya chief Pulakeśin, dated 738 A.D., were probably these Mauryas of the Malwa Rajasthan region.<ref>{{Cite book|page=540|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.461080|title=The Dynastic History Of Northern India Vol. 2|last=Ray|first=H. C.|date=1935-11-18}}</ref>

Dhavala inscription from Dabok about 8 miles to the east of Udaipur in Rajasthan, mentions a Guhila chief Dhanika of Dhabagarta and his lord Dhavalappa Deva. Bhandarkar was inclined to identify Dhavalappa of this epigraph with the Maurya king Dhavalātman of the Kanaswa inscription referred.<ref>{{Cite book|page=73|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.16596|title=ANTIQUITIES OF INDIA|last=BARNETT|first=L. D.|date=1958|publisher=PUNTHI PUSTAK, CALCUTTA}}</ref> It is possible that they were related to the Mauryas of the West Coast region and might have extended their suzerainty over Rajasthan which then formed part of Harsa's (606-47 A.D.) dominion. As pointed out by Dr. Sircar, the date of the Dabok record as read by him shows that Harsa must have lost parts of Rajasthan before his death in 647 A.D., though the Mauryas of Rajasthan must have owed allegiance to him before.<ref name="INSCRI"> "The second inscription of Dhanıka, dated A.D. 725, was discovered at Dabok in Mewar .It mentions Śrī Dhanıka as ruling over DHAVALAGARTTA as a feudatory chief under paramabhattāraka-mahārājādhırājā paramēśvara-Śrī-DHAVALAPPADEVA According to Prof DR Bhandarkar, the paramount ruler mentioned in the record is the same as the king DHAVALA of the Maurya dynasty referred to in the Kansuvām inscription of AD 738" {{Cite book|294|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.48555|title=Bharata- Kaumudi Studies In Indology In Honur Of Dr Radha Kumud Mookerji Part-i|last=Mookerji|first=Radha Kumud|date=1945}}</ref><ref name="HAII"> "The Mauryas are referred to in a record at Jhalrapatan dated A.D. 690. Another record in Kotah State, dated A.D. 738-39, refers to the local prince as a friend of king Dhavala of Maurya lineage..As already noted above, the Mauryas fell a victim to the Arab aggression, and it was probably after this catastrophe that Bappa defeated them and took possession of Chitor." {{Cite book|page=162|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.505920|title=The Classical Age Vol-iii (1954)|last=Munshi K. M.|date=1954|publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.}}</ref>

Jhalrapatan (Jhalwar District Rajasthan) inscription dated 689 A.D. mentions a Maurya ruler named Durgagana.<ref name="DHAVAL"> "This inscription is dated in the 796th year of the Lords of Malava. It is probable that the Jhalrapathan inscription, which is dated in the 747th year of an unnamed era, is to be referred to the same method of computing time. The slight difference in the alphabet to which attention has been drawn is of the kind that might develop in the fifty years which, on this hypothesis, would separate the two. Neither the Sivagaņa of our inscription nor the Durgagana of the Jhalrapathan inscription is spoken of as a sovereign monarch: and when we find one spoken of as ruling at Kotah, under a Maurya Emperor, in the year 796 of the Lords of Malava, and the other referred to as ruler in the year 747, of a town only seventy miles to the south, which has always been very closely connected with Kotah, it seems natural to suppose that "Durgagana," and "Sivagana," are of the same stock. If this be so, it is to be noted that the want of any reference on the Jhalrâpâthan inscription speaks of an era which at the time had wide and undisputed currency. "{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/auchityalamkara00petegoog|title=The Auchityalamkara of Kshemendra, with a note on the date of Patanjali, and an inscription from Kotah; two papers read before the Bombay branch of the Royal Asiatic society, with a preface in reply to Professor Bhandarkar|last=Peterson|first=Peter|date=1885|publisher=Bombay, Printed at the Education society's press, Byculla|others=University of California}}</ref> Further, Bappa, son of Guhila or Guhadatta, founder of the Guhila family, supplanted his uncle known as the Mori (i.e. Maurya) ruler of Chitor in whose service he was before.<ref>{{Cite book|page=23-30|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.12693|title=MEDIEVAL STUDIES|last=BANERJEE|first=ANIL CHANDRA|date=1958|publisher=A. MUKHARJEE AND COMPANY , CALCUTTA}}</ref>
====The Mauryas of Khandesh region====
Govindarāja stone record from Väghli in the Khandesh District, Maharastra State, dated Saka 991 or 1069 A.D. refers to a Maurya chief Govinda or Govindaraja as a subordinate of the early Yadava king Seuņachandra II. The epigraph mentions twenty princes or chiefs who were predecessors of Mauryan King Govindaraja, the earliest member being Kikața. It is also stated that originally the capital of the Mauryas was at Valabhī in Surashtra.<ref>{{Cite book|page=418|url=http://archive.org/details/epigraphia-indica|title=epigraphia-indica}}</ref>
====Modern Assertion====
Ashoka appointed the princes of the royal blood as viceroys in the outlying provinces of his vast empire to carry on the administration.Four such Mauryan princes viceroys ruling at Taxila, Ujjain, Tosali and Suvarnagiri are known from lithic records of Ashoka edicts. So Mauryan lineage kings spreaded from the time of Ashoka.The Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang (7th century A.D.) mentions a Maurya ruler of Magadha named Pürņavarman. While some of the later Mauryan rulers enjoyed independent status, others were either semi-independent or feudatories or even petty chiefs. Future discoveries may throw further light on these later Mauryas.

==Timeline==

*322 BCE: Chandragupta Maurya [[Conquest of the Nanda Empire|conquers the Nanda Empire]], founding Maurya dynasty.<ref>{{cite book|title=Buddhism in North India and Pakistan|author=D. C. Ahir|year=1998|page=121}}</ref>
*317–316 BCE: Chandragupta Maurya conquers the Northwest of the Indian subcontinent.
*305–303 BCE: Chandragupta Maurya gains territory by [[Seleucid–Mauryan war|defeating the Seleucid Empire]].
*298–269 BCE: Reign of Bindusara, Chandragupta's son. He conquers parts of Deccan, southern India.
*269–232 BCE: The Mauryan Empire reaches its height under Ashoka, Chandragupta's grandson.
*261 BCE: Ashoka [[Kalinga War|conquers the kingdom of Kalinga]].
*250 BCE: Ashoka builds Buddhist stupas and erects pillars bearing inscriptions.
*184 BCE: The empire collapses when Brihadratha, the last emperor, is killed by [[Pushyamitra Shunga]], a Mauryan general and the founder of the [[Shunga Empire]].

== Sources of Mauryan History ==

{| class=wikitable
|-
! style="background: orange;" | Mauryan History Sources !! style="background: yellow;" | Authentic Names
|-
| Jain Scriptures ||
1 - Brihatkalpa Sutra

2 - Brihatkathakosha

3 - Aradhana Satkathaprabandh

4 - Shri Chandravirachita Kathakosha

5 - Nemichandrakrita Kathakosha

6 - Parishishtaparvana

7 - Vividhtirthakalpa

8 - Punyashravakathakosha

9 - Nisitha Sutra
|-
| Buddhist Scriptures ||
1 - Mahavansha

2‌‌ - Dipavansha

3‌‌ - Mahabodhivansha

4 - Tripitaka

5 - Divyavadana

6 - Ashokavadana

7 ‌- Vinayapitaka

8 - Mahavansatika (Vansatthappakasini)

9 - Uttara Vihara Attakatha
|-
| Vedic Scriptures ||
1 - Matsya Purana

2 - Vishnu Purana

3‌ - Bhagavata Purana

4 - Bhavishya Purana

5 - Brahmanda Purana

6 - Vayu Purana

7 - Kamandaka Neetisara
|-
| Inscriptions / Rock Edicts Evidence ||
1 - Ashoka's Rock Edicts, Cave Inscriptions, Pillar Edicts

2 - Kharavela's Hathigumpha Rock Edicts

3 - Rudradaman Inscription of Junagarh
|-
| Ancient Historical Books ||
1 - Arthashastra, Kautilya

2 - Mudrarakshasa, Vishakhadatta

3 - Mahabhashya, Patanjali

4 - Malavikagnimitram, Kalidasa

5 - Harshacharita, Banabhatta

6 - Rajatarangini, Kalhana

7 - Indica, Megasthenese

8 - Naturalis Historia, Pliny

9 - Epitome of Trogus, Justin

10 - Geographica, Strabo

11 - Anabasis Alexandri, Arrian

12 - The travels of Fa-Hian, Fa Hian

|}

==In literature==
According to ''Vicarasreni'' of [[Merutunga]], Mauryans rose to power in 312 BC.{{sfn|Kailash Chand Jain|1991|p=85}}

== List of rulers ==

;Rulers-
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor=#cccccc
! colspan=2 | Ruler!!Reign!!Notes
|-
|[[Chandragupta Maurya]]||[[File:Chandragupta Maurya and Bhadrabahu.png|100px]] ||322–297 BCE|| Founder of first Indian united empire.
|-
|[[Bindusara]]||[[File:I42 1karshapana Maurya Bindusara MACW4165 1ar (8486583162).jpg|100px]] ||297–273 BCE||Known for his foreign diplomacy and crushed of [[Vidarbha]] revolt.
|-
|[[Ashoka]]||[[File:Ashoka's visit to the Ramagrama stupa Sanchi Stupa 1 Southern gateway.jpg|100px]] ||268–232 BCE||Greatest emperor of dynasty. His son [[Kunala]] was blinded and died before his father. Ashoka was succeeded by his grandson. Also known for [[Kalinga War]] victory.
|-
|[[Dasharatha Maurya]]||[[File:Dasaratha Maurya inscription on entrance of Vadathika cave.jpg|100px]] ||232–224 BCE||Grandson of Ashoka.
|-
|[[Samprati]]||||224–215 BCE||Brother of Dasharatha.
|-
|[[Shalishuka]]||[[File:Mauryan Empire. temp. Salisuka or later. Circa 207-194 BC.jpg|100px]]||215–202 BCE||
|-
|[[Devavarman (Maurya)|Devavarman]]||||202–195 BCE||
|-
|[[Shatadhanvan]]||||195–187 BCE|| The Mauryan Empire had shrunk by the time of his reign
|-
|[[Brihadratha Maurya|Brihadratha]]||||187–184 BCE|| Assassinated by his Commander-in-chief [[Pushyamitra Shunga]] in 185 BCE.
|-
|}

== Family tree ==

{{Chart top|width=100%|collapsed=yes|Family tree of Maurya Emperors}}

{{Tree chart/start|align=center|style=font-size:95%}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta Maurya]]''' (1) r. 324/1-297 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Bindusara|Bindusara Amitraghata]]''' (2) r. 297-273 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Ashoka|Ashoka the Great]]''' (3) r. 268-232 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |,|-|^|-|.| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | |A02 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01=Child of Ashoka|
A02=[[Kunala]]}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | |A02 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Dasharatha Maurya|Dasharatha]]''' (4) r. 232-224 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700|
A02='''[[Samprati]]''' (5) r. 224-215 BCE|boxstyle_A02=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Shalishuka]]''' (6) r. 215-202 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Devavarman (Maurya)|Devavarman]]''' (7) r. 202-195 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Shatadhanvan]]''' (8) r. 195-187 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Brihadratha Maurya|Brihadratha]]''' (9) r. 187-184 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart/end}}

{{Chart bottom}}

==See also==
* [[Magadha]]
*[[Gupta Empire]]
*[[History of India]]
*[[List of Hindu empires and dynasties]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin|40em}}

* {{cite book |author=Alain Daniélou |title=A Brief History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xlwoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1 |year=2003 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-59477-794-3 }}
* {{cite book |author=Arthur Llewellyn Basham |author-link=Arthur Llewellyn Basham |others=foreword by L. D. Barnett |title=History and doctrines of the Ājīvikas: a vanished Indian religion |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5-cYAAAAIAAJ |edition=1 |year=1951 |publisher=Luzac |location=[[London]] }}
* Burton Stein (1998). ''A History of India'' (1st ed.), Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
* {{cite book |author=Geoffrey Samuel |year=2010 |title=The Origins of Yoga and Tantra. Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century |publisher=Cambridge University Press }}
* {{cite book |author=H. C. Raychaudhuri |author-link=Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri |chapter=India in the Age of the Nandas |editor=K. A. Nilakanta Sastri |editor-link=K. A. Nilakanta Sastri |title=Age of the Nandas and Mauryas |edition=Second |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YoAwor58utYC&pg=PA11 |year=1988 |orig-year=1967 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |location=Delhi |isbn=978-81-208-0466-1 }}
* {{cite book |author1=H. C. Raychaudhuri |author1-link=H C Raychaudhuri |author2=B. N. Mukherjee |year=1996 |title=Political History of Ancient India: From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] }}
* {{cite book |author1=Hermann Kulke |author2=Dietmar Rothermund |title=A History of India |edition=4th |year=2004 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=[[London]] |isbn=0-415-15481-2 |ref={{harvid|Hermann Kulke|2004}}}}
* {{cite book |author1=Irfan Habib |author2=Vivekanand Jha |title=Mauryan India |series=A People's History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nUvGQgAACAAJ |year=2004 |publisher=Aligarh Historians Society / [[Tulika Books]] |isbn=978-81-85229-92-8 }}
* J. E. Schwartzberg (1992). ''A Historical Atlas of South Asia''. University of Oxford Press.
* John Keay (2000). ''India, a History''. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
* {{cite book |author=John Cort |author-link=John E. Cort |title=Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MDBpq23-0QoC |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-19-538502-1 }}
* {{cite book |author=John D Grainger |title=Seleukos Nikator (Routledge Revivals): Constructing a Hellenistic Kingdom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0TXKAgAAQBAJ |year=2014 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-317-80098-9 }}
* {{citation |last=Hemacandra |translator=R.C.C. Fynes |title=The Lives of the Jain Elders |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=quNpKVqABGMC |year=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-283227-6}}
* {{cite book |author=Kailash Chand Jain |title=Lord Mahāvīra and His Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8-TxcO9dfrcC |date=1991 |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |isbn=978-81-208-0805-8 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Kosmin |first1=Paul J. |author-link=Paul J. Kosmin |title=The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in Seleucid Empire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9UWdAwAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |date=2014 |isbn=978-0-674-72882-0 }}
* {{citation |last=Malalasekera |first=Gunapala Piyasena |title=Encyclopaedia of Buddhism: Acala |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5UfYAAAAMAAJ |year=2002 |publisher=Government of Ceylon}}
* {{cite book |author=R. K. Mookerji |author-link=Radha Kumud Mukherjee |title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA3 |year=1966 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0405-0 }}
* {{citation |last=Mookerji |first=Radha Kumud |author-link=Radha Kumud Mukherjee |title=Chandragupta Maurya and his times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C |edition=4th |year=1988 |orig-year=first published in 1966 |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |isbn=81-208-0433-3}}
* {{cite book |author=R. C. Majumdar |author-link=R. C. Majumdar |title=Ancient India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XNxiN5tzKOgC |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |year=2003 |orig-year=1952 |isbn=81-208-0436-8 }}
* {{citation |last=Roy |first=Kaushik |title=Hinduism and the Ethics of Warfare in South Asia: From Antiquity to the Present |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-107-01736-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRE3n1VwDTIC}}
* {{citation |last=Sen |first=R.K. |title=Journal of the Buddhist Text Society of India |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r0ZBAQAAMAAJ |year=1895 |publisher=The Society |chapter=Origin of the Maurya of Magadha and of Chanakya}}
* {{cite book |author=S. N. Sen |title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC |year=1999 |publisher=New Age International |isbn=978-81-224-1198-0 }}
* {{cite book |author=Upinder Singh |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GW5Gx0HSXKUC |year=2008 |publisher=Pearson |isbn=978-81-317-1677-9 }}
* {{cite book |author=Romila Thapar |title=Early India: From the Origins to A.D. 1300 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5irrXX0apQC |year=2004 |orig-year=first published by Penguin in 2002 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-24225-8 }}
* {{citation |last=Thapar |first=Romila |author-link=Romila Thapar |title=The Past Before Us|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aei9AAAAQBAJ |year=2013 |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |isbn=978-0-674-72651-2 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==

*[https://www.livius.org/man-md/mauryas/mauryas.html Livius.org: Maurya dynasty]
*[http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/ancient/maurya.htm Extent of the Empire]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140328144411/http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/ashoka.html Ashoka's Edicts]

{{S-start}}
{{Succession box
| title = [[Magadha]] Maurya Empire
| years =
| before = [[Nanda dynasty]]
| after = [[Shunga dynasty]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Middle kingdoms of India}}
{{Empires}}
{{Uttarakhand}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maurya Empire}}
[[Category:Maurya Empire| ]]
[[Category:Ancient empires and kingdoms of India]]
[[Category:Ancient Hindu kingdoms]]
[[Category:Iron Age countries in Asia]]
[[Category:Iron Age cultures of South Asia]]
[[Category:Dynasties of Bengal]]
[[Category:Former empires]]
[[Category:Ancient history of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Ancient history of Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Jain empires and kingdoms]]
[[Category:Buddhist dynasties of India]]
[[Category:Magadha]]
[[Category:Kingdoms of Bihar]]
[[Category:4th century BC in India]]
[[Category:3rd century BC in India]]
[[Category:2nd century BC in India]]
[[Category:320s BC establishments]]
[[Category:States and territories established in the 4th century BC]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in the 2nd century BC]]
[[Category:4th-century BC establishments in India]]
[[Category:2nd-century BC disestablishments]]
[[Category:Former monarchies of South Asia]]
[[Category:History of Nepal]]
[[Category:4th-century BC establishments in Nepal]]
[[Category:2nd-century BC disestablishments in Nepal]]

Mauryan Empire

2024-01-06T22:55:05Z

Devanam: He is anthropologist

{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Mauryan Empire
| common_name = Mauryan Empire
| native_name =
| image_coat =
| era = [[Iron Age]]
| government_type = [[Absolute monarchy]], as described in [[Kautilya]]'s ''[[Arthashastra]]'' and [[Rajamandala]]<ref name="avari-2007">Avari, Burjor (2007). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Y1e2V_4Um10C India, the Ancient Past: A History of the Indian Sub-continent from C. 7000 BC to AD 1200] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123134054/https://books.google.com/books?id=Y1e2V_4Um10C |date=23 November 2022 }}'' Taylor & Francis. {{ISBN|0415356156}}. pp. 188-189.</ref>
| event_start = [[Conquest of the Nanda Empire]]
| year_start = 322 BCE 
| year_end =  184 BCE
| event_end = Assassination of Brihadratha by [[Pushyamitra Shunga]]
| p2 = Nanda Empire
| flag_p2 = Nanda_Empire,_c.325_BCE.png
| p1 = Mahajanapadas
| flag_p1 = Mahajanapadas_(c._500_BCE).png
| s1 = Shunga Empire
| flag_s1 = SungaEmpireMap.jpg
| s2 = Satavahana dynasty
| flag_s2 = Map_of_the_Satavahanas.png
| s3 = Mahameghavahana dynasty
| flag_s3 = Map_of_the_Maha-Meghavahanas.png
| s4 = Indo-Scythians
| flag_s4 = Map_of_the_Indo-Scythians.png
| s5 = Indo-Greek Kingdom
| flag_s5 = Map_of_the_Indo-Greeks.png
| s6 = Vidarbha kingdom (Mauryan era)
| flag_s6 =
| image_map = Ashoka Maurya Empire.png
| image_map_caption = Maximum extent of the Maurya Empire, as shown by the location of [[Edicts of Ashoka|Ashoka's inscriptions]], and visualized by ASI ([[Archeological Survey Of India]]) based on ancient inscriptions, ancient Greecian , ancient Indian texts,<ref>{{Cite book|page=412|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.06445|title=Indian Historical Quarterly, Vol-13, Issue no.-1-4}}</ref> modern archaeologist :[[Nayanjot Lahiri]]<ref name="NAVJOT>"
Pg.5 : In relation to his predecessors, he was the first Indian king to rule over an empire embracing much of India and its western borderlands, from Afghanistan to Orissa and towards the south as far as Karnataka. In relation to the rulers who followed him, it was his example which influenced thought-philosophical, religious, cultural-in Asia more profoundly than that of any other political figure of antiquity." {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=bJ_XCgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|page=5|title=Ashoka in Ancient India|last=Lahiri|first=Nayanjot|date=2015-08-05|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-05777-7|language=en}}</ref>,[[Dougald J. W. O'Reilly]],<ref name="DOUGLE">" {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.nl/books?id=eyHTschgg50C&pg=PA178&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=maurya&f=false|title=Early Civilizations of Southeast Asia|last=O'Reilly|first=Dougald J. W.|date=2007|publisher=Rowman Altamira|page=178|isbn=978-0-7591-0279-8|language=en}}</ref>old archeologist :[[D.R. Bhandarkar]]<ref name="BHANDARKAR">" Pg.42-43 : We thus obtain a fairly accurate idea of the extent of Asoka's dominions. They included the whole of India except the southern extremity of the peninsula held by the Choda, Pandya, Satiya- putra and Keralaputra kings. This southern boundary is marked roughly by a line drawn from Pulicat near Madras in the east, to Gooty and Chitaldrug in the north where the four copies of Aśoka's Minor Rock Edicts have been discovered right up to the northern point of the South Canara District on the west. Let us now see what Greek princes have been mentioned by Aśoka as his contemporaries, and try to identify them. They have all been named in Rock Edict XIII. Of course, Amtiyoka is the first to be named as he was a neighbour of Asoka. Beyond his kingdom, we are told, were ruling the four princes Turamaya, Amtekina or Amtikini, Maga and Alikasumdra. Amtiyoka is, of course, Antiochus II. Theos (B.C. 261-246), king of Syria, and Turamaya, Ptolemy II. Philadelphos of Egypt (285-247). Amtekina or Amtikini, as Bühler has remarked, corresponds to the Greek Antigenes rather than to Antigonus."{{Cite book|page=42-43|url=http://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.35379|title=Asoka|last=Bhandarkar|first=D. R.|publisher=Central Archelogical Library|isbn=978-93-837-2346-1}}</ref>, [[Myra Shackley]]:<ref name="SHACKLEY">" Pg.67 - After Alexanderâs retreat from the Indus the Emperor Chandragupta Maurya established the first indigenous empire to exercise control over much of the subcontinent, and eventually, under his successors, this covered all but the tip of the peninsula. Asoka, the greatest of the Mauryan emperors, took power in 272 BC and extended the empire from Afghanistan to Assam and from the Himalayas to Mysore, leaving behind a series of inscriptions recording his edicts on pillars and rocks across the continent." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/atlasoftraveltou0000shac|title=Atlas of travel and tourism development|last=Shackley|first=Myra L.|date=2006|publisher=Amsterdam ; Boston : Elsevier|others=Internet Archive|page=67|isbn=978-0-7506-6348-9}}</ref> modern historian : [[Robert W. Strayer]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/waysofworld0000robe|page=121|title=Ways of the World|last=Robert W. Strayer : Eric W. Nelson|date=2016|publisher=Bedford/St. Martin's|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-1-319-05448-9}}</ref>,[[Eric Nelson]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/waysofworld0000robe|page=121|title=Ways of the World|last=Robert W. Strayer : Eric W. Nelson|date=2016|publisher=Bedford/St. Martin's|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-1-319-05448-9}}</ref>, [[Upinder Singh]]<ref name="UPINDER"> Pg.740 : "Chandragupta and Seleucus Nikator, who had inherited the eastern provinces of Alexander empire. This may have occurred in about 301 BCE and was resolved by an agreement. Chandragupta obtained the territories of Arachosia (the Kandahar area of south-east Afghanistan), Gedrosia (south Baluchistan), and Paropomisadai (the area between Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent) and handed over 500 elephants in return. "

Pg.748 : "The distribution of Ashoka's inscriptions suggests the extent of the Maurya empire. In the north-west, it extended up to Kandahar in Afghanistan, with the kingdom of Antiochus II of Syria lying to the west. Its eastern frontier extended to Orissa. It included almost the entire subcontinent, except the southernmost parts, which, according to rock edict 13, were inhabited by the Cholas and Pandyas, and according to rock edict 2, by the Keralaputras and Satiyaputras."
{{Cite book|page=740,748|url=http://archive.org/details/history-of-ancient-and-early-medeival-india-from-the-stone-age-to-the-12th-century-pdfdrive|title=History Of Ancient And Early Medeival India From The Stone Age To The 12th Century|last=[[Upinder Singh]]|date=2008}}</ref>,[[Jackson J. Spielvogel]]<ref name="JACKSON"> " Pg.106 - Seleucid Kingdom Another Hellenistic monarchy was founded by the general Seleucus (suh-LOO-kuss), who established the Seleucid dynasty of Syria. This was the largest of the Hellenistic kingdoms and controlled much of the old Persian Empire from Turkey in the west to India in the east, although the Seleucids found it increasingly difficult to maintain control of the eastern territories. In fact, an Indian ruler named Chandragupta Maurya (chundruh-GOOP-tuh MOWR-yuh) (324-301 B.c.E.) created a new Indian state, the Mauryan Empire, and drove out the Seleucid forces. His grandson Asoka (uh-SOH-kuh) (269-232 b.c.e.) extended the empire to include most of India and is considered the greatest ruler in Indiaâ€™s history. Asoka, a pious Buddhist, sought to convert the remaining Greek communities in northwestern India to his religion and even sent Buddhist missionaries to Greek rulers. The Seleucid rulers maintained relations with the Mauryan Empire. Trade was fostered, especially in such luxuries as spices and jewels. Seleucus also sent Greek and Macedonian ambassadors to the Mauryan court. Best known of these was Megasthenes (muh-GAS-thuh-neez), whose report on the people of India remained one of the Westâ€™s best sources of information on India until the Middle Ages. " {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/westerncivilizat08edspie|title=Western civilization|last=Spielvogel|first=Jackson J.|date=2012|page=106|publisher=Boston, MA : Wadsworth Cengage Learning|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-495-91329-0}}</ref>[[Hugh Bowden]]<ref name="BOWDEN"> " Pg.122 : India's first approach towards becoming a unified state occurred under the first three kings of the Mauryan Empire. The founder of the dynasty, Chandragupta Maurya (c.310-286 BCE) , king of Magadha in Eastern India, unfied under his control the other kingdom of the Gangetic Plain. His grandson, Ashoka (c.270-234 BCE) , consolidated Mauryan imperial rule, extending it into eastern and southern "{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/timesancientcivi0000unse|title=The Times ancient civilizations|date=2002|page=122|publisher=London : Times Books|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-00-710859-6}}</ref>, [[Ram Sharan Sharma]]<ref name="SHARAN">“ Pg.355 : मौर्य राजनीतिक इतिहास का सबसे बड़ा तथ्य मग॒ध साम्राज्य वी स्थापना था, जिसमें सुदूर दक्षिण को छोडकर सपूर्ण भारत शामिल था । यह साम्राज्य तलवार के जोर से स्थापित किया गया था और इसकी रक्षा भी तलवार के जोर से ही हो सकती थी। बाहय सुरक्षा तथा आंतरिक शांति दोनो के लिए प्रबल सैन्यशक्ति आवश्यक थी। .. साम्राज्य के अंदर और उसकी सीमा पर रहनेवाले जनजात्तीय लोग बराबर परेशानी का कारण बने रहते थे। इस सबके लिए विशाल स्थायी सेना और चुस्त दंडव्यवस्था थी। "
English Translation of his statement - "The biggest fact of Maurya political history was the establishment of the Magadha Empire, which included the whole of India except the far south. This empire was established with the strength of the sword and it could be protected only with the strength of the sword. Strong military power was necessary for both external security and internal peace..The tribal people living inside the empire and on its borders were equally a cause of trouble. So for this, there was a huge permanent army and tight judicial system."{{Cite book|page=355|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.401527|title=Prachin Bharat Me Rajneetik Vichar Avam Sansthae|last=Sharma|first=Ramsharan|date=1990}}</ref>, [[Charles Allen]]<ref name="CHARLES"> " Pg.1 : Ashoka Maurya—or Ashoka the Great as he was later known—holds a special place in the history of Buddhism and India. At its height in around 250 BCE, his empire stretched across the Indian subcontinent to Kandahar in the east, and as far north as the Himalayas. Through his quest to govern by moral force alone, Ashoka transformed Buddhism from a minor sect into a major world religion, while simultaneously setting a new yardstick for government that had lasting implications for all of Asia. His bold experiment ended in tragedy, however, and in the tumult that followed the historical record was cleansed so effectively that his name was largely forgotten for almost two thousand years. Yet, a few mysterious stone monuments and inscriptions miraculously survived the purge.

" Pg. 60 : Pliny admits to the loss of Greek territory: "The Indians afterwards held a large part of Ariane [a satrapy of the Persian Empire encompassing what is now eastern Iran, south-western Afghanistan and Baluchistan] which they had received from the Macedonians, entering into marriage relations with him, and giving in return five hundred elephants, of which Sandrakottos had nine thousand." "{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/ashokasearchfori0000alle/page/n1/mode/1up?q=Ashoka+Maurya%E2%80%94or|title=Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor|last=Allen|page=1 ,60 and his created map on pg. 12|first=Charles|date=2012-02-21|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|isbn=978-1-4087-0388-5|language=en}}</ref>, [[Neil MacGregor]]<ref name="GREGOR">" Pg.205 : Chandragupta, who had risen to the throne following a military campaign that created a huge empire reaching from Kandahar in modern Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east. This included the great majority of modern India, and was the largest empire in Indian history. In 268 BC Ashoka took his place on the throne but not without considerable struggle. Buddhist writings tell us that in order to do so he killed ‘ninety-nine of his brothers’ presumably metaphorical as well as actual brothers. The same writings create a legend of Ashoka’s pre-Buddhist days as filled with self-indulgent frivolity and cruelty. When he became emperor he set out to complete the occupation of the whole subcontinent and attacked the independent state of Kalinga modern-day Orissa on the east coast. " {{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofworldin0000macg/page/205/mode/2up|title=A history of the world in 100 objects|last=MacGregor|first=Neil|date=2011|page=205|publisher=New York : Viking|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-670-02270-0}}</ref> old historians:[[Mark F. Whitters]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/e
ncyclopedia-of-world-history-7-volumes-set-facts-on-file-2008|page=33,262,270,590 |title=Encyclopedia Of World History 7 Volumes Set Facts On File 2008}}</ref>, [[Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur ]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/e
ncyclopedia-of-world-history-7-volumes-set-facts-on-file-2008|page=33,262,270,590 |title=Encyclopedia Of World History 7 Volumes Set Facts On File 2008}}</ref>, [[Janice J. Terry]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/e
ncyclopedia-of-world-history-7-volumes-set-facts-on-file-2008|page=33,262,270,590 |title=Encyclopedia Of World History 7 Volumes Set Facts On File 2008}}</ref>, [[Michael J. Schroeder ]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/e
ncyclopedia-of-world-history-7-volumes-set-facts-on-file-2008|page=33,262,270,590 |title=Encyclopedia Of World History 7 Volumes Set Facts On File 2008}}</ref>, [[Marsha E. Ackermann ]]<ref name="WORLDHISTO">“ Pg.33 : Ashoka (Asoka) was the third ruler of the MAURYAN Empire. Under his long rule the empire that he inherited reached its zenith territorially and culturally. Soon after his death the Mauryan Empire split up and ended. He is remembered as a great ruler in world history and the greatest ruler in India. Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan dynasty in 326 B.C.E. Both he and his son Bindusara were successful warriors, unifying northern India and part of modern Afghanistan for the first time in history. Ashoka was not Bindusara's eldest son, and there is a gap of time between his father's death and his succession, due perhaps to war with his brothers. Ashoka continued to expand the empire by conquering southward. One war against Kalinga in the southeast was particularly bloody and filled him with remorse. As a result he converted to Buddhism (from Vedic Hinduism) and renounced war as an instrument of policy.”
“Pg.262 : Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan Empire in 326 B.C.E. in northern India. His son Bindusara and grandson AsHOKA (Asoka) continued his conquest that unified the entire subcontinent, with the exception of the southern tip, and part of Afghanistan into India's first great empire. “
“Pg.270 :In 324 B.C.E. Chandragupta Maurya unified northern India by defeating his rivals. He went on to war against the successor of ALEXANDER THE GREAT in Asia, Seleucus Nicator, expelling his forces from the borderlands of India. In 305 B.C.E. the two men concluded a treaty in which the Greeks withdrew from the Punjab in northwestern India and which fixed the western boundary of the MAURYAN EMPIRE to the crest of the Hindu Kush. There was also exchange of ambassadors, gifts, and a vague mention of a marriage alliance. Megasthenes was Seleucus’s representative at Chandragupta’s court. “
&
“Check Mauryan Empire Map , Pg:590. “{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/e
ncyclopedia-of-world-history-7-volumes-set-facts-on-file-2008|page=33,262,270,590 |title=Encyclopedia Of World History 7 Volumes Set Facts On File 2008}}</ref>, [[Radha Kumud Mukherjee]]<ref name="MUKHERJEE">" Pg.12 : Asoka had the singular good fortune of being spared the ifficult task of founding and organising an inpare That ask was effectively executed by his grandfather, Chandragupta Maurya, who bequeathed to his successors an empire extending approximately from Afghanistan to Mysore Territories which are even now outside the Government of India were parts of the Indian Empire under Chandragupta, the four satrapies of Aria, Arochosia, Gedrosia, and the Paropanisadai, which Chanaragupta wrested in about 304 B C from the empire of Selukos as the penalty for his ill-advised aggression."

" Pg.13 :Yuan Chwang saw Asokan topes in Kapis (Kafiris- tan), Nagar (Jelalabad), and Udyana in the north-west. In Bengal, the authority of Asoka is proved by his stūpa at Tamralipti, the capital of Suhma, and the famous port of embarkation for voyages towards the south. According to Yuan Chwang, there was also a stupa of Asoka in the capital of Samatata or the Brahmaputra Delta, and others in different parts of Bengal and Bihar, viz., Punyavardhana (northern Bengal) and Karnasuvarna (modern Burdwan, Birbhum and Murshidabad districts) [Watters, ii 184 f]. Yuan Chwang refers to Asokan topes being erected at various places in the south, in Chola and Dravida, of which the capital, Kanchipura, has been sought to be identified with the Satiyaputra country of the Edict Indeed, the distribu- tion of the Asokan topes as mentioned by Yuan Chwang is almost co-terminous with that of the inscriptions, and is equally significant of the vastness of his empire.Lastly, the extent of his empire is also indicated by his own mention in the Edicts (R.E. II, V, and XIII] of the peoples on its borders In the south, these are mentioned as the Cholas, Pandyas, the Satiyaputra and Keralaputra, who were all within his sphere of influence Towards the north-west, his empire marched with that of the Synan monarch, Antiochos [R.E. II], and hence extended up to Persia and Syria which were held by Antiochos, while it is also known how Asoka's grandfather, Chandragupta, had wrested from Selukos the provinces of Aria, Arachosia, Paropanisadai and Gedrosia, which descended to Asoka as his inheritance.

Lastly, the extent of his empire is also indicated by his own mention in the Edicts (Rock Edict II, V, and XIII] of the peoples on its borders In the south, these are mentioned as the Cholas, Pandyas, the Satiyaputra and Keralaputra, who were all within his sphere of influence Towards the north-west, his empire marched with that of the Synan monarch, Antiochos [Rock Edict II], and hence extended up to Persia and Syria which were held by Antiochos, while it is also known how Asoka's grandfather, Chandragupta, had wrested from Selukos the provinces of Aria, Arachosia, Paropanisadai and Gedrosia, which descended to Asoka as his inheritance ."

" Pg.16 : The capital of the empire at Pataliputra [Rock Edict V. Girnar], and of outlying towns", such as Bodh-Gaya [Rock Edict VIII), Kosambi (Allahabad Pillar Edict], Ujjeni, Takkhasilä [K.R.Edict),Suvarnagiri, Isila [M.R.Edict], and Tosali and Samāpā in the province of Kalinga [K.R.Edict] Thus we have a fairly definite idea of the limits of Asoka's empire in different directions. We may even hazard the conjecture that the empire was so large that Asoka did not live to visit all its parts, and inspect the execution of his inscriptions in different localities."{{Cite book|page=12,13,16|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=uXyftdtE1ygC&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Radhakumud+Mookerji%22&hl=en&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Asoka|last=Mookerji|first=Radhakumud|date=1962|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishe|isbn=978-81-208-0582-8|language=en}}</ref><ref name="RADHA">"Pg.36-37: Chandragupta did not merely supplant the Nanda king in the sovereignty of Magadha. He made himself at once the sovereign of an empire which was much larger than that of Nanda, for it included the land of the five rivers up to the Indus. This empire also extended farther by his later conquests. His subsequent career may be gathered from the following statement of Plutarch [Lives^ Chap. LXII] : 'Not long afterwards, Androcottos, who had at that time mounted the throne, presented Seleukos with 500 elephants and overran and subdued the whole of India with an army of 600,000 . " The throne " here is the throne of Magadha which he had won by defeating the Nanda king. The present to Seleukos was the result of a war between the two. It would appear that in the struggle for power which ensued among the generals of Alexander after his death, Seleukos won for himself a secure position as the ruler of Babylon by about 311 B C. and felt free to devote himself to the consolidation of his authority in the distant provinces. Bactria was not subdued without hard fighting. And by about 305 or 304 B. C. at the latest, he planned for a recovery of the Indian conquests of Alexander. Taking the route along the Kabul river,and crossed the Indus [Appian, Syr. 55]. But the expedition proved abortive and ended in an alliance. It was because he had to confront a new India, strong and united, under Chandragupta in command of a formidable army, and felt that discretion was the better part of valour. By the terms of the treaty, Seleukos ceded to Chandragupta the Satrapies of Arachosia' (Kandahar) and the Paropanisadae (Kabul), together with portions of Aria (Herat) and Gedrosia (Baluchistan). Thus Chandragupta was able to add another glorious feather to his cap. He extended his empire beyond the frontiers of India up to the borders of Persia. That is why it was possible for his grandson Asoka to declare in two of his Rock Edicts [11 and XIII] that the Syrian emperor, Antiochus [Antiyoka Yona^raja]^ was his immediate neighbour, one of his frontagers (an Anta or a Pratyanta king). "{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times|last=Mookerji|first=Radhakumud|date=1966|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|isbn=978-81-208-0405-0|language=en}}</ref>,[[John Haywood (British historian)|John Haywood]];<ref name="HAYWOOD"> " Pg.24 : In 321 Chandragupta Maurya (321-c. 293) seized the throne of the kingdom of Magadha, overthrowing the Nanda dynasty. Chandragupta spent most of his reign building a strong central administration, but he defeated a Seleucid invasioin, adding all of northwest India to his domains. His son Bindusara also conquered much of southern India. Under Ashoka the Mauryan empire reached its greatest extent. Appalled by his bloody conquest of the east coast kingdom of Kalinga in 261 Ashoka abjured further warfare and, becoming a Buddhist, tried to impose Buddhist standards of behavior on his people." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/atlasofworldhist00hayw|page=24|title=Atlas of world history|last=Haywood|first=John|date=1997|publisher=New York : Barnes & Noble Books|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-7607-0687-9}}</ref>[[Patrick Karl O'Brien]],<ref name="BRIEN"> " Pg.46 - By 500 Bc kingdoms existed throughout the Ganges region. Chief among these was Magadha, favourably located for control both of riverborne trade and of the sources of raw materials such as iron. Magadha gradually expanded at the expense of its neighbours and before 297 Bc its king, Chandragupta Maurya, ruled most of north India . His grandson Ashoka (r. 272-231 Bc) further extended the empire, conquering Kalinga in 261 Bc, and only the extreme south retained its independence. Pillar and rock edicts mark the extent of Mauryan political authority: these proclaimed Ashokaâ€™s ethical code of social responsibility and toleration. It was an age of peace and prosperity."{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/philipsatlasofwo0000unse_u6t7|title=Philip's Atlas of World History: From the Origins of Humanity to the Year 2000|page=46|date=1999|publisher=The Softback Preview|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-540-07858-5}}</ref><ref>https://books.google.nl/books?id=ffZy5tDjaUkC&pg=PA46&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false</ref>[[H. C. Raychaudhuri]],<ref name="RAYCHAUDHARI">"Pg.273 : The ceded country comprised a large portion of Ariana itself, a fact ignored by Tarn. In exchange the Maurya a monarch gave the "comparatively small recompense of 500 elephantsâ€. It is believed that the territory ceded by the Syrian king included the four satrapies: Aria, Arachosia, Gedrosia and the Paropanisadai, i.e., Herat, Kandahar, Makran and Kabul. Doubts have been entertained about this by several scholars including Tarn. The inclusion of the Kabul valley within the Maurya Empire is, however, proved by the inscriptions of Asoka, the grandson of Chandragupta, which speak of the Yonas and Gandharas as vassals of the Empire. And the evidence of Strabo probably points to the cession by Seleukos of a large part of the Iranian Tableland besides the riparian provinces on the Indus."
" Pg.297: The conquest of the territory between the eastern and western seas has been taken by some scholars to refer to the annexation of the Deccan. But we should not forget that already in the time of Chandragupta the Maurya Empire extended from Saurashtra to Bengal (Gangaridae), i.e., from the western to the eastern sea. "
" Pg.327 : The full political effects of this change of policy became manifest only after the death of Ashoka, perhaps even after the 27th year of his consecration. From the time of Bimbisara to the Kalinga war' the history India was the story of the expansion of Magadha from a tiny state in South Bihar to a gigantic Empire extending from the foot of the Hindukush to the borders of the Tamil country."{{Cite book |last=Raychaud |first=Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri|page=273,297,327|url=http://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.1633 |title=Political history of ancient India |date=1953}}</ref>, [[John F. Cady]],<ref name="CADY"> " Pg.34 - The India from whose culture Southeast Asian peoples borrowed so extensively was partly united for the first time politically in the third century B.C. The Mauryan Empire (330 to 180 By.) included the north Indian valleys westward to Greek Bactria and southward along the eastern Indian coast to the mouths of the Kistna and Godavari Rivers. Mauryan power centering at Patna in the lower Ganges Valley reached its peak in the mid-third century B.c. under the leadership of the great Asoka, who was a political exemplar of Buddhist ideals and humanitarian principles of government. Asoka unified and promoted the Buddhist faith without persecuting dissident elements; he built Indiaâ€™s first shrines of cut stone and burned brick; he sponsored missionary efforts within India and beyond. Mauryan rule declined rapidly after his death in 237 B.c."{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/southeastasiaits0000cady_v1t8|title=Southeast Asia: its historical development|page=34|last=Cady|first=John F. (John Frank)|date=1964|publisher=New York, McGraw-Hill|others=Internet Archive}}</ref>[[Gerald Danzer]],<ref name="DANZER">" Pg.44 - The Mauryan Empire reached out from the Ganges valley to annex the Indus valley peoples shortly after the death of Alexander the Great. Asoka extended the empire in all directions, but had an even greater impact in spreading the teachings of the Buddha throughout his realm. He had pillars erected at crossroads locations covered with edicts written in stone to proclaim his ideals." ..."In the generation after Alexander, however, information resurfaces with the establishment of the Mauryan Empire by Chandragupta in 324 BCE. By 240 bce the Mauryan Empire reached its greatest extent, controlling the great river valleys of both the Ganges and Indus rivers. Of even more importance was the conversion of the emperor, Asoka, to Buddhism. "{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/atlasofworldhist0000danz|title=An atlas of world history|last=Danzer|first=Gerald A.|date=2000|page=44|publisher=Ann Arbor, MI : Borders Press|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-681-46572-5}}</ref>[[Vincent Arthur Smith]];<ref name="Smith1920">
Pg.75: The Indian conquests of Alexander to the east of the Indus, which extended across the Panjab as far as the Hyphasis or Bias river, quickly passed, as we have seen, soon after the death of Alexander, into the hands of Chandragupta Maurya, and the four satrapies of Aria, Arachosia, Gedrosia, and the Paropanisadai were ceded to him by Seleukos Nikator about B. c. 305. The Maurya frontier was thus extended as far as the Hindu Rush Mountains, and the greater part of the countries now called Afghanistan, Baluchistan and Makran, with the North- Western Frontier Province, became incorporated in the Indian Empire. That empire included the famous strongholds of Kabul, Zabul, Kandahar, and Herat, and so possessed the scientific frontier ' for which Anglo-Indian statesmen have long sighed in vain. There is no reason to suppose that the trans-Indus provinces were lost by Bindusara, and it is reasonable to assume that they continued under the sway of Asoka, who refers to Antiochos, King of Syria, in terms which suggest that the Syrian and Indian empires were conterminous. Costly buildings ascribed to Asoka were seen by Hiuen Tsang in different parts of Afghanistan. Among others he mentions a stone stupa, a hundred feet high, at the town of Kapisa, somewhere in Kafiristan, and a remarkable building of the same kind, three hundred feet in height and richly decorated, at Nangrahar, near Jalalabad, on the Kabul river. The Swat valley also contained evidences of Asoka's passion for building ."
"Pg.81 : Asoka's empire, therefore, comprised the countries now known as Afghanistan, as far as the Hindu Kush, Baluchistan, Makran, Sind, Kachh (Cutch), the Swat valley, with the adjoining regions, Kashmir, Nepal, and the whole of India proper, except the extreme south, Tamilakam or Tamil Land. His dominions were far more extensive than British India of to-day, excluding Burma. "{{citation|last=Smith|first=Vincent Arthur|title=The Oxford History of India: From the Earliest Times to the End of 1911|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p2gxAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA104%7Cyear=1920%7C|publisher=Clarendon Press|pages=75,81}}</ref> [[Robert Roswell Palmer]],<ref name="PALMER">" Pg.116 - Based on Magadha in the Ganges valley, the Mauryan empire flourished from 322 B.C., when its founder Chandragupta seized the capital city of Pataliputra to 185 B.C., when the last ruler of the dynasty died. Chandragupta united north India from the mouths of the Ganges to the watershed west of the Indus. He then took over, from a satrap of the Alexandrian empire, the regions of Arachosia and Gandhara up to the Hindu Kush mountains. His son Bindusara extended the empire to about the fifteenth parallel of latitude, except for Kalinga on the east coast, which was later annexed by Asoka. The reign of Asoka (273-232 B.C.) -saw the height of the Mauryan empire, and is one of the great periods of Indian history. Shortly after the conquest of Kahnga Asoka was converted to Buddhism, whereupon, forswearing mihtarism. he devoted himself to the welfare of his people and the propagation of Buddhism. His missionaries brought Buddhism and Indian civilization to Ceylon and elsewhere." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/randmcnallyatla00rand|title=Rand McNally atlas of world history|last=Rand McNally and Company|page=106|last2=Palmer|first2=R. R. (Robert Roswell)|date=1965|publisher=Chicago|others=Internet Archive}}</ref>[[Geoffrey Parker]],<ref name="GEOFFREY">" Pg.28 - A further turning point came in 320 BC when Chandragupta Maurya seized the state of Magadha on the lower Ganges, and occupied large parts of central India, and in 305 BC annexed the province of Trans-Indus from the successors of Alexander the Great (see page 32). Chandraguptaâ€™s grandson Ashoka (273-232 BC) expanded this Mauryan empire southwards, bringing the greater part of the sub-continent under his rule and inscribing edicts on pillars and rock-faces all over India as a permanent reminder of his power (map 2). Ashokaâ€™s death introduced a troubled period, punctuated by invasions of both Greeks and nomads who founded states in the north-west, such as the Kushan empire, where Hellenistic and Indian influences mingled. Further south, the Satavahanas of the Deccan ruled a state that straddled the peninsula by AD 150." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/timescompacthist0000unse_g4l2|page=28|title=The Times compact history of the world|date=2008|publisher=London : Times Books|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-00-726731-6}}</ref>[[R. C. Majumdar]];<ref name="MAJUMDAR">
"Pg.101 : Towards the close of the reign of Chandrgupta, the Maurya empire received a further extension in the north-west Seleucus the general of Alexander, who had made himself master of Babylon, gradually extended his empire from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indus and even tried to regain the provinces to the east of that river. He failed and had to conclude a treaty with Chandragupta by which he surrendered a large territory including, in the opinion of certain writers, the satrapies of Paropanisadai {Kabul), Aria (Herat), Arachosia (Qandahar), and Gedrosia (Baluchistan), in return for 500 elephant.
"Pg.104 : The conquest of this province rounded off the Maurya empire, which now embraced almost the whole of nonTamil India and a considerable portion of Afganistan. It stretched from the land of the Yonas, Kambojaa and Gandharas in the Kabul valley and some adjoining mountain territory to the country of the Andhra in the Godavari-Krishna basin and the district(Ahara) of Isila in the north of Mysore* and from Sopara and Girnar in the west to Dhauli and Jaugada in the east. In the north-west the empire touched the realm of Antiochos II the Greek king of Syria and Western Asia, and in the south it extended as far as the Kingdom of tho Chodas, Pandyas, Satiyaputra and Keralaputras in the Tamil country. If tradition is to be believed, the dominions of Ashoka included the secluded vales of Kashmir and Nepal as well as the riparian plins of Pundravardhana (North Bengal) and Samatata [East Bengal), The inclusion of the Himalayan valleys is rendered probably by the discovery of inscriptions at Mansera in the Hazara district, at Kalsi in the Dehradun district at Nigali Sagar and Rummindei in the Nepaleso Tarai and at Rampurva in the Champaran district of North Bihar. "{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.4263|title=Advanced history of India|last=Majumdar|first=R. C.|date=1953|publisher=Macmillan & Company|page=101,104}}</ref>and historical geographer:[[Joseph E. Schwartzberg]].<ref name="dsal.uchicago.edu">Schwartzberg, Joseph E. [https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/ ''A Historical Atlas of South Asia''] , 2nd ed. (University of Minnesota, 1992), Plate III.B.4b ([https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=055 p.18]) and Plate XIV.1a-c ([https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=182 p.145]) {{!}}url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/ {{!}}date=26 January 2021</ref> , Anthropologist and Bioarcheologist : [[Ian Barnes]]<ref name="IANBARNES">“ Pg.42 : Threatened by Chandragupta’s growing power, Seleucis of Syria, Alexander’s successor, challenged him by invading northern India in 305 BC but suffered a devastating defeat. A treaty ending the conflict gave Chandragupta all lands north to the Hindu Kush, including Baluchistan and Afghanistan. Chandragupta used an extensive and elaborate civil service, an army, and a secret service to rule. A virtual dictatorship coincided with widespread public works, building roads and developing irrigation systems……The Mauryan dynasty’s greatest ruler was Asoka, Chandragupta’s grandson. He came to the throne after fighting his brothers for the succession. His policy was to continue enlarging the empire, and in 251 BC, he invaded and conquered Kalinga, part of modern Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and Madhya Pradesh. The Kalinga campaign caused such extensive misery and destruction to the local population that Asoka renounced armed conquest and adopted a policy of “conquest by dharma,” by spiritual rectitude and law.
&
Check Mauryan Empire on Page 43 “{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/historyatlasofas00ianb|title=The history atlas of Asia|page=42|last=Barnes|first=Ian|last2=Hudson|first2=Robert|last3=Parekh|first3=Bhikhu C.|date=1998|publisher=New York : Macmillan|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-02-862581-2}}</ref>

| capital = [[Pataliputra]] (present-day [[Patna]])
| common_languages = [[Sanskrit]] (literary and academic),
[[Magadhi Prakrit]] (vernacular)
| religion = {{plainlist|
*[[Hinduism]]<ref>{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=164|isbn= 9788122411980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=maurya+dynasty+sen }}</ref><ref name="GF68">{{cite book |last1=Bronkhorst|first1=Johannes|last2=Flood |first2=Gavin|author-link1=Johannes Bronkhorst|author-link2=Gavin Flood|title=The Oxford History of Hinduism: Hindu Practice |date=July 2020|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-873350-8 |page=68 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fxT0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA68 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Omvedt |first1=Gail |title=Buddhism in India: Challenging Brahmanism and Caste |date=18 August 2003 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-0-7619-9664-4 |page=119 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rSF8b5hbyP0C&pg=PT70 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Jainism]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=vincent A. |title=The Oxford History Of India Part. 1-3, Ed. 4th |date=1981 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=99 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.99999/page/n121/mode/2up|quote="the only direct evidence throwing light ....is that of Jain tradition. ...it may be that he embraced Jainism towards the end of his reign. ...after much consideration I am inclined to accept the main facts as affirmed by tradition .... no alternative account exists."}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Dalrymple|first=William|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mc2IVc6obeAC&pg=PT21|title=Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India|date=2009-10-07|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-4088-0341-7|location=|pages=|language=en|quote="It was here, in the third century BC, that the first Emperor of India, Chandragupta Maurya, embraced the Jain religion and died through a self-imposed fast to the death,......"}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Keay |first1=John |title=India: A History |date=1981 |publisher=Open Road + Grove/Atlantic |isbn=978-0-8021-9550-0 |pages=85–86 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0IquM4BrJ4YC&pg=PT174 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Buddhism]]<ref name="GF68"/><ref name="JDL">{{cite book |last1=Long |first1=Jeffery D.|author-link=Jeffery D. Long |title=Historical Dictionary of Hinduism |date=15 April 2020|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-5381-2294-5 |page=255 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IWXRDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA255 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Ājīvika|Ajivikism]]<ref name="GF68"/><ref name="JDL"/>
*[[Greek polytheism]] [[Zoroastrianism]] (northwest)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Boyce |first1=Mary |last2=Grenet |first2=F. |title=A History of Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism under Macedonian and Roman Rule |date=January 1991 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-29391-5 |page=149 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Euh5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA149 |language=en}}</ref>}}
| GDP_PPP =
| currency = [[Pana (Currency)|Panas]]
| title_leader = [[List of Magadha monarchs#House of Maurya|Emperor]]
| leader1 = [[Chandragupta Maurya|Emperor Chandragupta]]
| year_leader1 = 322–298 BCE
| leader2 = [[Bindusara|Emperor Bindusara]]
| year_leader2 = 298–272 BCE
| leader3 = [[Ashoka|Emperor Ashoka]]
| year_leader3 = 268–232 BCE
| leader4 = [[Dasharatha Maurya|Emperor Dasharatha]]
| year_leader4 = 232–224 BCE
| leader5 = [[Samprati|Emperor Samprati]]
| year_leader5 = 224–215 BCE
| leader6 = [[Shalishuka|Emperor Shalishuka]]
| year_leader6 = 215–202 BCE
| leader7 = [[Devavarman (Maurya)|Emperor Devavarman]]
| year_leader7 = 202–195 BCE
| leader8 = [[Shatadhanvan|Emperor Shatadhanvan]]
| year_leader8 = 195–187 BCE
| leader9 = [[Brihadratha Maurya|Emperor Brihadratha]]
| year_leader9 = 187–184 BCE
| stat_year1 = 261 BCE
| stat_area1 = 3400000
| ref_area1 = <ref name="Taagepera132">{{cite journal|date=1979|title=Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D.|jstor=1170959|journal=[[Social Science History]]|volume=3|issue=3/4|page=132|doi=10.2307/1170959|last1=Taagepera|first1=Rein}}</ref>{{break}}(low-end estimate of peak area)
| stat_year2 = 250 BCE
| stat_area2 = 5000000
| ref_area2 = <ref name="Turchin223">{{cite journal|last2=Adams|first2=Jonathan M.|last3=Hall|first3=Thomas D|date=December 2006|title=East-West Orientation of Historical Empires|url=http://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/jwsr/article/view/369/381|journal=Journal of World-Systems Research|volume=12|issue=2|page=223|issn=1076-156X|last1=Turchin|first1=Peter|access-date=16 September 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520161830/http://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/jwsr/article/view/369/381|archive-date=20 May 2019|df=dmy-all}}</ref>{{break}}(high-end estimate of peak area)
}}

{{Maurya}}
The '''Maurya Empire''', or the '''Mauryan Empire''', was a geographically extensive [[Iron Age]] historical power on the [[Indian subcontinent]] based in [[Magadha]]. Founded by [[Chandragupta Maurya]] in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE.<ref name="Dyson2018-lead-maurya">
{{citation
|last=Dyson|first=Tim|title=A Population History of India: From the First Modern People to the Present Day|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA16|year=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-882905-8|pages=16–17}} Quote: "Magadha power came to extend over the main cities and communication routes of the Ganges basin. Then, under Chandragupta Maurya (c.321–297 bce), and subsequently Ashoka his grandson, Pataliputra became the centre of the loose-knit Mauryan 'Empire' which during Ashoka's reign (c.268–232 bce) briefly had a presence throughout the main urban centres and arteries of the subcontinent, except for the extreme south."</ref> The Maurya Empire was centralized by the conquest of the [[Indo-Gangetic Plain]], and its capital city was located at [[Pataliputra]], modern [[Patna]]. Outside this imperial center, the empire's geographical extent depended on the loyalty of military commanders who controlled the armed cities that sprinkled it.<ref name="Ludden2013-lead-4"/>{{sfn|Hermann Kulke|2004|pp=xii, 448}}<ref>{{cite book | first1=Romila | last1=Thapar | title=A History of India, Volume 1 | publisher=Penguin Books | author-link=Romila Thapar | year=1990 | page=384 | isbn=0-14-013835-8}}</ref> During [[Ashoka]]'s rule ({{Circa|268|232 BCE}}) the empire briefly controlled the major urban hubs and arteries of the Indian subcontinent except those in the deep south.<ref name="Dyson2018-lead-maurya"/> It declined for about 50 years after Ashoka's rule, and dissolved in 185 BCE with the assassination of Brihadratha by [[Pushyamitra Shunga]] and the foundation of the [[Shunga Empire]] in Magadh.

[[Chandragupta Maurya]] raised an army, with the assistance of [[Chanakya]], his teacher and the author of [[Arthashastra]],<ref>{{Cite book|title=India: A History|last=Keay|first=John|publisher=Grove Press|year=2000|isbn=978-0-8021-3797-5|pages=82}}</ref> and overthrew the [[Nanda Empire]] in {{circa|322 BCE}}, laying the foundation for the Maurya Empire. Chandragupta rapidly expanded his power west across central and western India by defeating the [[satrap]]s left by [[Alexander the Great]], and by 317 BCE the empire had fully occupied [[northwestern India]].{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=31}} The Mauryan Empire then defeated [[Seleucus I Nicator]], a [[Diadochi|diadochus]] and founder of the [[Seleucid Empire]], during the [[Seleucid–Mauryan war]], thus acquiring territory west of the [[Indus River]], [[Afghanistan]] and [[Balochistan]].<ref>[[Seleucus I]] ceded the territories of [[Arachosia]] (modern Kandahar), [[Gedrosia]] (modern Balochistan), and [[Paropamisadae]] (or [[Gandhara]]). [[Aria (satrapy)|Aria]] (modern [[Herat]]) "has been wrongly included in the list of ceded [[satrapy|satrapies]] by some scholars ... on the basis of wrong assessments of the passage of [[Strabo]] ... and a statement by [[Pliny]]{{dn|date=June 2023}}" (Raychaudhuri & Mukherjee 1996, p. 594).</ref>{{sfn|John D Grainger|2014|p=109|ps=: [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]] "must ... have held Aria", and furthermore, his "son [[Antiochus I Soter|Antiochos]] was active there fifteen years later".}}

Under the Mauryas, internal and external trade, agriculture, and economic activities thrived and expanded across India due to the creation of a single and efficient system of finance, administration, and security. The Maurya dynasty built a precursor of the [[Grand Trunk Road]] from Pataliputra to [[Taxila]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://roadsandkingdoms.com/2016/dinner-on-the-grand-trunk-road/|title=Dinner on the Grand Trunk Road|last=Bhandari|first=Shirin|date=2016-01-05|publisher=Roads & Kingdoms|language=en-US|access-date=2016-07-19}}</ref>After the [[Kalinga War]], the Empire experienced nearly half a century of centralized rule under Ashoka the Great. Ashoka's embrace of [[Buddhism]] and sponsorship of Buddhist missionaries allowed for the expansion of that faith into [[Sri Lanka]], northwest India, and [[Central Asia]].{{sfn|Hermann Kulke|2004|p=67}}

The population of South Asia during the Mauryan period has been estimated to be between 15 and 30 million.<ref name="Dyson2018-lead-maurya-4">
{{citation
|last=Dyson|first=Tim|title=A Population History of India: From the First Modern People to the Present Day|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA24|year=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-882905-8|page=24}} Quote: "Yet Sumit Guha considers that 20 million is an upper limit. This is because the demographic growth experienced in core areas is likely to have been less than that experienced in areas that were more lightly settled in the early historic period. The position taken here is that the population in Mauryan times (320–220 BCE) was between 15 and 30 million—although it may have been a little more, or it may have been a little less."</ref>
The Maurya period was marked by exceptional creativity in art, architecture, inscriptions and texts,<ref name="Ludden2013-lead-4">
{{citation
|last=Ludden
|first=David|title=India and South Asia: A Short History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EbFHAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA28|year=2013|publisher=Oneworld Publications|isbn=978-1-78074-108-6|pages=28–30}}
</ref> but also by the consolidation of [[caste]] in the Gangetic plain, and the declining rights of women in mainstream [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan speaking]] regions of India.<ref name="Dyson2018-lead-maurya-3">
{{citation
|last=Dyson|first=Tim|title=A Population History of India: From the First Modern People to the Present Day|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA19|year=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-882905-8|page=19}}</ref>
Archaeologically, the period of Mauryan rule in South Asia falls into the era of [[Northern Black Polished Ware]] (NBPW). The ''[[Arthashastra]]''<ref>"It is doubtful if, in its present shape, [the ''Arthashastra''] is as old as the time of the first Maurya", as it probably contains layers of text ranging from Maurya times till as late as the 2nd century CE. Nonetheless, "though a comparatively late work, it may be used ... to confirm and supplement the information gleaned from earlier sources". (Raychaudhuri & Mukherjee 1996, pp. 246–247)</ref> and the [[Edicts of Ashoka]] are the primary sources of written records of Mauryan times.{{cn|date=April 2023}} The [[Lion Capital of Ashoka]] at [[Sarnath]] is the national [[emblem]] of the [[Republic of India]].

== Etymology ==

The name "Maurya" does not occur in [[Edicts of Ashoka|Ashoka's inscriptions]], or the contemporary Greek accounts such as [[Megasthenes]]'s ''[[Indica (Megasthenes)|Indica]]'', but it is attested by the following sources:{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}}

*The [[Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman]] (c. 150 CE) prefixes "Maurya" to the names Chandragupta and Ashoka.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}}
* The [[Puranas]] (c. 4th century CE or earlier) use Maurya as a dynastic appellation.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}}
* The Buddhist texts state that Chandragupta belonged to the "[[Moriya (tribe)|Moriya]]" clan of the Shakyas, the tribe to which [[Gautama Buddha]] belonged.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}}
* The Jain texts state that Chandragupta was the son of a royal superintendent of peacocks (''mayura-poshaka'').{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=14}}
*[[Sangam literature|Tamil Sangam literature]] also designate them as '{{transliteration|ta|moriyar}}' and mention them after the [[Nanda Empire|Nandas]]<ref name="Singh 2008">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pq2iCwAAQBAJ&q=mokur+sangam+poem&pg=PA385|title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century|last=Singh|first=Upinder|date=2008|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=9788131716779|language=en}}</ref>
*[[Kuntala country|Kuntala]] inscription (from the town of Bandanikke, [[Mysore district|North Mysore]]) of 12th century AD chronologically mention Mauryya as one of the dynasties which ruled the region.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.107941|title=Annual Report Of Mysore 1886 To 1903|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
*The Kalpasutra of the Jains mentions a Mauryaputra of the Kasyapa gotra, which shows that the Mauryas were regarded as high class folk who was the disciple of Mahavira.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/chandraguptamaur035072mbp|title=Chandragupta Maurya|last=Purushottam Lal Bhargava|publisher=The Upper India Publishing House Ltd Lucknow|others=BRAOU, Digital Library Of India}}</ref>
According to Kharavela' [[Hathigumpha inscription]] (2nd-1st century BC) mentions era of Maurya Empire as Muriya Kala (Mauryan era),<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/epigrahiaindicav014769mbp|title=Epigraphia Indica Vol.20|date=1920|publisher=Archaeological Survey of India|page=[https://archive.org/details/epigrahiaindicav014769mbp/page/n106 80]|language=en}}</ref> but this reading is disputed: other scholars—such as epigraphist [[D. C. Sircar]]—read the phrase as mukhiya-kala ("the principal art").<ref>{{cite book | chapter=The Satavahanas and the Chedis | author = [[D. C. Sircar]] | year = 1968 | title =The Age of Imperial Unity | editor = [[R. C. Majumdar]] | publisher = Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan | page = 215 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=J1SgAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>

According to the Buddhist tradition, the ancestors of the Maurya kings had settled in a region where peacocks (''mora'' in [[Pali language|Pali]]) were abundant. Therefore, they came to be known as "Moriyas", literally meaning, "belonging to the place of peacocks". According to another Buddhist account, these ancestors built a city called Moriya-nagara ("Moriya-city"), which was so called, because it was built with the "bricks coloured like peacocks' necks".{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=14}}

The dynasty's connection to the peacocks, as mentioned in the Buddhist and Jain traditions, seems to be corroborated by archaeological evidence. For example, peacock figures are found on the [[Lauria Nandangarh#Pillar of Ashoka|Ashoka pillar at Nandangarh]] and several sculptures on the Great Stupa of [[Sanchi]]. Based on this evidence, modern scholars theorize that the peacock may have been the dynasty's emblem.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=15}}

Some later authors, such as [[Dhundhiraja of Svamimalai|Dhundhi-raja]] (an 18th-century commentator on the ''[[Mudrarakshasa]]'' and an annotator of the ''[[Vishnu Purana]]''), state that the word "Maurya" is derived from Mura and the mother of the first Maurya king. However, the Puranas themselves make no mention of Mura and do not talk of any relation between the Nanda and the Maurya dynasties.{{sfn|H. C. Raychaudhuri|1988|p=140}} Dhundiraja's derivation of the word seems to be his own invention: according to the Sanskrit rules, the derivative of the feminine name Mura ([[IAST]]: Murā) would be "Maureya"; the term "Maurya" can only be derived from the masculine "Mura".{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=8}}

==History==

===Founding===

Prior to the Maurya Empire, the [[Nanda Empire]] ruled over a broad swathe of the Indian subcontinent. The Nanda Empire was a large, militaristic, and economically powerful empire due to conquering the [[Mahajanapadas]]. According to several legends, Chanakya travelled to [[Pataliputra]], [[Magadha]], the capital of the Nanda Empire where Chanakya worked for the Nandas as a minister. However, Chanakya was insulted by the Emperor [[Dhana Nanda]] when he informed them of Alexander's invasion. Chanakya swore revenge and vowed to destroy the Nanda Empire.<ref name="Namita20082">{{cite book|last1=Sugandhi|first1=Namita Sanjay|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8bdULPF4gNYC&pg=PA88|title=Between the Patterns of History: Rethinking Mauryan Imperial Interaction in the Southern Deccan|year=2008|isbn=9780549744412|pages=88–89}}</ref> He had to flee in order to save his life and went to [[Taxila]], a notable center of learning, to work as a teacher. On one of his travels, Chanakya witnessed some young men playing a rural game practicing a pitched battle. One of the boys was none other than Chandragupta. Chanakya was impressed by the young Chandragupta and saw royal qualities in him as someone fit to rule.

Meanwhile, [[Alexander the Great]] was leading his Indian campaigns and ventured into Punjab. His army mutinied at the [[Beas River]] and refused to advance farther eastward when confronted by another army. Alexander returned to [[Babylon]] and re-deployed most of his troops west of the [[Indus River]]. Soon after Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BCE, his empire fragmented into independent kingdoms led by his generals.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=31}}

The Maurya Empire was established in the Magadha region under the leadership of Chandragupta Maurya and his mentor Chanakya. Chandragupta was taken to Taxila by Chanakya and was tutored about statecraft and governing. Requiring an army Chandragupta recruited and annexed local [[Gaṇasaṅgha|military republics]] such as the [[Yaudheya]]s that had resisted Alexander's Empire. The Mauryan army quickly rose to become the prominent regional power in the North West of the Indian subcontinent. The Mauryan army then conquered the satraps established by the [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonia ns]].<ref>{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=162|isbn= 9788122411980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=maurya+dynasty+sen
}}</ref> Ancient Greek historians [[Nearchus]], [[Onesictrius]], and [[Aristobolus]] have provided lot of information about the Mauryan empire.<ref>{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=130|isbn= 9788122411980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=maurya+dynasty+sen
}}</ref> The Greek generals [[Eudemus (general)|Eudemus]] and [[Peithon, son of Agenor|Peithon]] ruled in the Indus Valley until around 317 BCE, when Chandragupta Maurya (with the help of Chanakya, who was now his advisor) fought and drove out the Greek governors, and subsequently brought the Indus Valley under the control of his new seat of power in Magadha.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=31}}

Chandragupta Maurya's ancestry is shrouded in mystery and controversy. On one hand, a number of ancient Indian accounts, such as the drama ''[[Mudrarakshasa]]'' (''Signet ring of Rakshasa'' – ''Rakshasa'' was the prime minister of Magadha) by [[Vishakhadatta]], describe his royal ancestry and even link him with the Nanda family. A kshatriya clan known as the Mauryas are referred to in the earliest [[Buddhist texts]], [[Mahaparinibbana Sutta]]. However, any conclusions are hard to make without further historical evidence. Chandragupta first emerges in Greek accounts as "Sandrokottos". As a young man he is said to have met Alexander.<ref>:"Androcottus, when he was a stripling, saw Alexander himself, and we are told that he often said in later times that Alexander narrowly missed making himself master of the country, since its king was hated and despised on account of his baseness and low birth." [[Plutarch]] 62-3 [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0243&layout=&loc=62.1 Plutarch 62-3] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081028230118/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0243&layout=&loc=62.1 |date=28 October 2008 }}</ref> Chanakya is said to have met the Nanda king, angered him, and made a narrow escape.<ref>:"He was of humble Indian to a change of rule." Justin XV.4.15 "Fuit hic humili quidem genere natus, sed ad regni potestatem maiestate numinis inpulsus. Quippe cum procacitate sua Nandrum regem offendisset, interfici a rege iussus salutem pedum ceieritate quaesierat. (Ex qua fatigatione cum somno captus iaceret, leo ingentis formae ad dormientem accessit sudoremque profluentem lingua ei detersit expergefactumque blande reliquit. Hoc prodigio primum ad spem regni inpulsus) contractis latronibus Indos ad nouitatem regni sollicitauit." [http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/texte15.html Justin XV.4.15] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201051124/http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/texte15.html |date=1 February 2016 }}</ref>

==Empire Expansion==
===Conquest of the Nanda Empire===
Historically reliable inscription details of Chandragupta's campaign against [[Nanda Empire]] are unavailable and but later written Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu texts which claim [[Magadha]] was ruled by the [[Nanda dynasty]], which, with [[Chanakya]]'s counsel, [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]] conquered Nanda Empire.{{sfn|Thapar|2013|pp=362–364}}{{sfn|Sen|1895|pp=26–32}}{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=272}} The army of Chandragupta and Chanakya first conquered the Nanda outer territories, and finally besieged the Nanda capital '''Pataliputra'''. In contrast to the easy victory in Buddhist sources, the Hindu and Jain texts state that the campaign was bitterly fought because the Nanda dynasty had a powerful and well-trained army.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=28–33}}{{sfn|Sen|1895|pp=26–32}}
[[File:Nanda Empire, c.325 BCE.png|thumb|Nanda_Empire 323 BCE]]
The Buddhist ''Mahavamsa Tika'' and Jain ''Parishishtaparvan'' records Chandragupta's army unsuccessfully attacking the Nanda capital. {{sfn|Hemacandra|1998|pp=175–188}} Chandragupta and Chanakya then began a campaign at the frontier of the Nanda empire, gradually conquering various territories on their way to the Nanda capital.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=33}} He then refined his strategy by establishing garrisons in the conquered territories, and finally besieged the Nanda capital Pataliputra. There [[Dhana Nanda]] accepted defeat.{{sfn|Malalasekera|2002|p=383}}{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|pp=33-34}} The conquest was fictionalised in ''Mudrarakshasa'' play, it contains narratives not found in other versions of the Chanakya-Chandragupta legend.[[Radha Kumud Mukherjee]] similarly considers Mudrakshasa play without historical basis.<ref>Chandragupta Maurya and His Times, Radhakumud Mookerji, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1966, p.26-27 {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA27 |title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times |access-date=2016-11-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127023139/https://books.google.fr/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA27 |archive-date=27 November 2016 |df=dmy-all |isbn=9788120804050 |last1=Mookerji |first1=Radhakumud |year=1966 }}</ref>

These legends state that the Nanda king was defeated, deposed and exiled by some accounts, while Buddhist accounts claim he was killed.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=34}} With the defeat of Dhana Nanda, Chandragupta Maurya founded the Maurya Empire.{{sfn|Roy|2012|p=62}}

===Conquest of the Eastern Seleucid Empire===
[[File:Seleucid Empire.png|thumb|Seleucid Empire 281 BCE]]
[[File:Chandragupta Maurya Empire c.290 BCE.png|thumb|Chandragupta Maurya Empire c.290 BCE]]

Greek historians mentioned the result of [[Seleucid–Mauryan war]] where Seleucid Empire's eastern satrapies( [[Gedrosia]],[[Arachosia]], [[Aria]], and [[Paropamisadae]]) ceded to Mauryan Empire :
{{quote|text= " Seleucus crossed the Indus and waged war with Sandrocottus [Maurya], king of he Indians, who dwelt on the banks of that stream, until they came to an understanding with each other and contracted a marriage relationship. Some of these exploits were performed before the death of Antigonus and some afterward." |sign=[[Appian]]|source=''History of Rome'', The Syrian Wars [https://www.livius.org/sources/content/appian/appian-the-syrian-wars/appian-the-syrian-wars-11/ 55]}}<blockquote>" The geographical position of the tribes is as follows: along the Indus are the Paropamisadae, above whom lies the Paropamisus mountain: then, towards the south, the Arachoti: then next, towards the south, the Gedroseni, with the other tribes that occupy the seaboard; and the Indus lies, latitudinally, alongside all these places; and of these places, in part, some that lie along the Indus are held by Indians, although they formerly belonged to the Persians. Alexander [III 'the Great' of Macedon] took these away from the Arians and established settlements of his own, but [[Seleucus Nicator]] gave them to [[Sandrocottus]] [Chandragupta], upon terms of intermarriage and of receiving in exchange five hundred elephants. " — Strabo 15.2.9 [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/15B*.html#2.9]</blockquote>

Greecian historian Pliny also quoted a passage from Megasthanes work about Chandragupta Empire boundaries:
<blockquote>
Most geographers, in fact, do not look upon India as bounded by the river Indus, but add to it the four satrapies of the [[Gedrosia|Gedrose]], the [[Arachosia|Arachotë]], the [[Herat|Aria]], and the [[Paropamisadë]], the [[Kabul River|River Cophes]] thus forming the extreme boundary of India. According to other writers, however, all these territories, are reckoned as belonging to the country of the Aria.

— Pliny, Natural History VI, 23 [https://archive.today/20121210070738/http://perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.+Nat.+6.23][https://archive.org/details/naturalhistoryof21855plin/page/50/mode/1up]
</blockquote>
The conquest of the south by Chandragupta Maurya may also perhaps be inferred from the following statement of Plutarch. "The throne" in the context is the Magadhan throne, the occupation of which by Chandragupta is thus followed by two other events, viz., the defeat of Selucus, and the conquest of the remaining part of India not included in the Magadhan empire of the Nandas:

<blockquote>"Not long afterwards Androkottos, who had by that time mounted the throne, presented Selukos with 500 elephants, and overran and subdued the whole of India with an army of 600,000."

-Chapter LXII ,Life of Alexander, Plutarch [https://books.google.co.in/books?id=TXtEAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false]
</blockquote>

Megasthenes defined the region that Chandragupta won from Seleucus as likely western side Gedrosia which shares boundaries with the Euphrates River, and eastern side Arachosia shares boundaries with the Indus. The northern frontier boundary formed by Hindukush mountain range:
<blockquote>
India, which is in shape quadrilateral, has its eastern as well as its 'western side bounded by the great sea, but on the northern side it is divided by Mount Hemôdos from that part of Skythia which is inhabited by those Skythians who are called the Sakai, while the fourth or western side is bounded by the river called the Indus.

- Book I Fragment I , Indica, Megasthanes [https://archive.org/details/AncientIndiaAsDescribedByMegasthenesAndArrianByMccrindleJ.W/page/n39/mode/1up]
</blockquote>
[[File:SakastanMap.jpg|thumb|Satrapian provinces in northwestern India which ceaded to Chandragupta by Selucus due to [[Treaty of Indus]].]]
<blockquote>
Sandrokottos the king of the Indians, India forms the largest of the four parts into which Southorn Asia is divided, while the smallest part is that region which is included between the Euphrates and our own sea. The two remaining parts, which are separated from the others by the Euphrates and the Indus, and lie between these rivers...
India is bounded on its eastern side, right onwards to the south, by the great ocean; that its northern frontier is formed by the Kaukasos range(Hindukush Range) as far as the junction of that range with Tauros; and that the boundary.

- Book I Fragment II , Indica, Megasthanes [https://archive.org/details/AncientIndiaAsDescribedByMegasthenesAndArrianByMccrindleJ.W/page/n54/mode/1up]
</blockquote>

====Treaty of the Indus====
The ancient historians Justin, Appian, and Strabo preserve the three main terms of the Treaty of the Indus:<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=9UWdAwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in the Seleucid Empire|last=Kosmin|first=Paul J.|date=2014-06-23|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-72882-0|language=en}}</ref>

(i) Seleucus transferred to Chandragupta's kingdom the easternmost satrapies of his empire, certainly Gandhara, Parapamisadae, and the eastern parts of Gedrosia, Arachosia and Aria as far as Herat.

(ii) Chandragupta gave Seleucus 500 Indian war elephants.

(iii) The two kings were joined by some kind of marriage alliance (ἐπιγαμία οι κῆδος); most likely Chandragupta wed a female relative of Seleucus.
====Other account====
*Tibbetan Lama Taranatha (1575–1634)

<blockquote>Ashoka brought under his rule without bloodshed all the countries including those to the south of the Vindhya. And he conquered the northern Himalayas, the snowy ranges beyond Li-yul (Khotan)," the entire land of Jambudvipa bounded by seas on east, south and west, and also fifty small islands.

-History Of Buddhism In India ,Taranatha<ref>https://archive.org/details/TaranathasHistoryOfBuddhismInIndia/page/n89/mode/2up</ref>
</blockquote>

*Mahabodhivamsa, (pg.98)

Ashoka served as a viceroy during the rule of his father Bindusara.
According to established constitutional usage, Asoka as Prince served as viceroy in one of the remoter provinces of the Empire. This was the province of Western India called Avantirattham or province of Avanti with headquarter at Ujjain.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=uXyftdtE1ygC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Asoka|last=Mookerji|first=Radhakumud|date=1962|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishe|isbn=978-81-208-0582-8|language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Bindusara Empire.png|thumb|Bindusara Empire 273 BCE]]

===Conquest of the Saurashtra===
Chandragupta conquered Southern-Western part of India. Especially his conquest over Saurashtra and Sudarshana lake construction is preseved in later Satrapian king Rudradaman inscription:

<blockquote>

(L.8) Transliteration:
mauryasya rājyaḥ candra-guptasya rāṣṭriyena vaiśyena puṣpa-guptena kāritam śokasya mauryasya kṛte yavana-raj tuṣāra-saphenādhāyā

(L.8) for the sake of ordered to be made by the Vaishya Pushyagupta, the provincial governor of the Maurya king [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]]; adorned with conduits for [[Ashoka]] the Maurya by the [[Yavana]] king [[Tushaspha]] while governing; and by the conduit ordered to be made by him, constructed in a manner worthy of a king (and) seen in that breach.

—Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman<ref name="WB">[http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm "Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman", ''Project South Asia''.]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223182107/http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm |date=23 February 2009 }}</ref> </blockquote>

===Conquest of the Kalinga===
[[Kalinga War]] plays a very important role in Mauryan history which changes a cruel Emperor Chanda-Ashoka to Priyadarshi Ashoka.

<blockquote> "Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Priyadarsi(Ashoka)conquered the Kalingas eight years after his coronation. One hundred and fifty thousand were deported, one hundred thousand were killed and many more died (from other causes). After the Kalingas had been conquered, Beloved-of-the-Gods came to feel a strong inclination towards the Dharma, a love for the Dharma and for instruction in Dharma. Now Beloved-of-the-Gods feels deep remorse for having conquered the Kalingas. "</blockquote>
— Ashoka, Major Rock Edict No. 13 [https://books.google.co.in/books?id=K4vHjbUtf_4C&pg=PT82&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false]

===Conquest of the Kuntala===
Shikarpur Taluq, inscription 225 . Mentioned about Mauryan ruling in the region of [[Kuntala country|Kuntala]] .The Kuntala country is an ancient Indian political region included the western Deccan and some parts of central,south Karnataka and north Mysore.
[[File:South India 500 to 200 BCE.jpg|thumb|South India , Kuntala present in Western coastal region]]
<blockquote>
Kuntala-kshôpiyam pesarvett â-nava-Nanda-Gupta-kula-Mauryya-kshmâpar aldar llasaj-jasad [https://archive.org/details/epigraphia_carnatica_vol7_myso/page/n327/mode/1up]

Translation : The Kuntala country, which is like curls (kuntaja) to the lady Earth, was-ruled by the renowned nine Nandas, the Gupta and Mauryan kings.
[https://archive.org/details/epigraphia_carnatica_vol7_myso/page/n587/mode/1up]

</blockquote>
===Conquest of the Nepala===
According to the Asokavadana, it is stated that in his youth, Ashoka subdued the revolt in the of the Khasas (present day Nepala region) and [[Taxila|Taksasila]]. Similarly, in contrast, according to a 15th-century Tibetan historian:
<blockquote>
Meanwhile, peoples of the hilly countries like Nepal and Khasya revolted. Asoka was sent with the army to subdue them. Without difficulty Asoka subdued .the hilly races, imposed levy and annual tax on them, realised ransom from them and offered these to the king.
-History Of Buddhism In India ,Taranatha[https://archive.org/details/TaranathasHistoryOfBuddhismInIndia/page/n80/mode/1up]
</blockquote>
Apart from Taranath's account, it is noteworthy that Ashoka was responsible for the construction of several significant structures in Nepal. These include the [[Ramagrama Stupa]],[[Gotihawa|Gotihawa Pillar of Ashoka]], [[Nigali Sagar|Nigali-Sagar Ashoka Pillar inscription]] , and the [[Lumbini pillar inscription]] of Ashoka.The Chinese pilgrims [[Fa-Hien]] (337 CE – c. 422 CE) and [[Xuanzang]] (602–664 CE) describe the Kanakamuni Stupa and the Asoka Pillar of currently Nepal region in their travel accounts. Xuanzang speaks of a lion capital atop the pillar, now lost. A base of a [[Pillar of Ashoka]] has been discovered at [[Gotihawa]], a few miles from Nigali Sagar, and it has been suggested that it is the original base of the Nigalar Sagar pillar fragments.<ref name="jstor.org"/>

===Boundaries sharing territories===

Even though Ashoka defined the boundaries of his empire four times in various inscriptions (with same lines) but he never mentioned any inner hole or unconquered region inside his empire.This suggests that Ashoka's empire was likely contiguous, with no significant unconquered regions within its borders :

<blockquote>
Sav[r]atravijite [De]va[nam]priyasaPriyadrashisa y[e] cha [a]mtayatha [Choda] PamdiyaSatiyaputro KeradaputroTambapamni…,
</blockquote>
-Second Rock-Edict: Shahbazgarhi [https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.25989/page/51/mode/1up]
<blockquote>
Sav[a]ta vijitsi Devanampiyas[a] Piyadasis[a] lajine ye cha amta [a]tha Choda Pam[di]yaSatiyaputo Ke[lala]putoTamba[pa]mni..
</blockquote>
-Second Rock Edict: Kalsi [https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.25989/page/28/mode/1up]
<blockquote>
sa[vatra vi]jitasi Devanapriyasa Priyadrashisarajine ye cha ataatha [Choda] Pa[mdiya] Sa[ti]ya[p]u[tra] Keralaputra [Tam]bapani..
</blockquote>
-Second Rock Edict: Mansehra [https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.25989/page/71/mode/1up]
<blockquote>
Sav[r]atravijite [De]va[nam]priyasaPriyadrashisa Ye Ca anta ataChoda, Pandiya, Satiyaputo, Ketalaputo, Tam bapanni, Antiyogonaama, Yonalaja....
</blockquote> -Second Rock Edict :Girnar [https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.25520/page/117/mode/1up]
'''— Wilson Translation:''' Everywhere in the conquered dominions of king Priyadarsin, the beloved-of the gods, and the dominions on the boarders as those of the Choda (the Colas), Pandiya (the Pandyas). Satiyaputo (The Satiyaputras) and the Ketalaputo (the Keralaputras), as far as Tamraparni, the Yavana king named Antiyogonaama (Antiyoka) and the other neighbouring kings of this king Antiyoka.

—[[James Prinsep]] Translation : Everywhere within the conquered province of Raja Piyadasi (Ashoka), the beloved of the gods, as well as in the parts occupied by the faithful, such as Chola, Pandiya, Satiyaputra, and Keralaputra, even as fart as Tambapanni (Sri Lanka) and, moreover, within the dominions the Greek (of which Antiochus generals are the rulers ) everywhere the heaven-beloved Raja Piyadasi’s.

[[File:Ashoka Maurya Empire 250 BCE.jpg|thumb|Possible Mauryan Empire size according to details given in Ashoka Second Rock Edict of Shahbazgarhi , Kalsi ,Mansera and Girnar.]]

===Empire reconstruction from fragments===

According to the account of Fa Hein who was the first Chinese pilgrim to visit India during 399 and 414 CE. His work "The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D.)"mentioned that Ashoka constructed 84,000 Buddhist stupas and pillars after destroying seven stupas that initially housed Buddha relics. Ashoka divided the relics from these seven stupas into 84,000 parts :

<blockquote> " King Asoka having destroyed seven (of the original) pagodas, constructed 84,000 others. The very first which he built is the great tower which stands about three li to the south of this. city. In front of this pagoda is an impression of Buddha’s foot, (over which) they have raised a chapel, the gate of which faces the north. To the south of the tower is a stone pillar, about a chang and a half in girth (18 feet), and three cluing or so in height (35 feet). On the surface of this pillar is an inscription to the following effect: “King Asoka presented the whole of Jambudvipa to the priests of the four quarters, and redeemed it again with money, and tins he did three times.” Three or four hundred paces to the north of the pagoda is the spot where Asoka was horn (or resided). On this spot he raised the city of Ni-li, and in the midst of it erected a stone pillar, also about 35 feet in height, on the top of which he placed the figure of a lion, and also engraved an historical record on the pillar giving an account of the successive events connected with Ni-li, with the corresponding year, day, and month."

~Chapter XXVII , The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D)[https://www.wisdomlib.org/south-asia/book/the-travels-of-fa-hian/d/doc220127.html]</blockquote>

<blockquote>
" When King Asoka was living he wished to destroy the eight towers and to build eighty-four thousand others. Having destroyed seven, he next proceeded to treat this one in the same way."

~Chapter XXIII ,The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D)[https://www.wisdomlib.org/south-asia/book/the-travels-of-fa-hian/d/doc220123.html]
</blockquote>

Ashoka built one pillar beside every stupa :
<blockquote>
" In after times Asoka, wishing to discover the utmost depths to which these ladders went, employed men to dig down and examine into it. They went on digging till they came to the yellow spring (the earth's foundation), but yet had not come to the bottom. The king, deriving from this an increase of faith and reverence, forthwith built over the ladders a and facing the middle flight he placed a standing figure (of Buddha) sixteen feet high. Behind the vihara, he erected a stone pillar thirty cubits high, and on the top placed the figure of a lion. Within the pillar on the four sides are figures of Buddha; both within and without it is shining and bright as glass. It happened once that some heretical doctors had a contention with the Sramanas respecting this as a place of residence. Then the argument of the Sramanas failing, they all agreed to the following compact: "If this place properly belongs to the Sramanas, then there will he some supernatural proof given of it." Immediately on this the lion on the top of the pillar uttered a loud roar."
~Chapter XVII, The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D)[https://www.wisdomlib.org/south-asia/book/the-travels-of-fa-hian/d/doc220117.html]
</blockquote>

Ashoka commissioned the construction of 84,000 stupas for the preservation of Buddha's relics. However, over time, many of the Ashoka pillars , inscriptions and stupas have been subject to complete destruction and deterioration. According to the British historian Charles Allen, historical records of Ashoka were effectively cleansed to the extent that his name was largely forgotten for nearly two thousand years. However, very few mysterious stone monuments and inscriptions miraculously survived, preserving his historical legacy :

<blockquote>" Pg.2 - Ashoka Maurya—or Ashoka the Great as he was later known—holds a special place in the history of Buddhism and India. At its height in around 250 BCE, his empire stretched across the Indian subcontinent to Kandahar in the east, and as far north as the Himalayas. Through his quest to govern by moral force alone, Ashoka transformed Buddhism from a minor sect into a major world religion, while simultaneously setting a new yardstick for government that had lasting implications for all of Asia. His bold experiment ended in tragedy, however, and in the tumult that followed the historical record was cleansed so effectively that his name was largely forgotten for almost two thousand years. Yet, a few mysterious stone monuments and inscriptions miraculously survived the purge. "<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=K4vHjbUtf_4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Charles+Allen%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor|last=Allen|first=Charles|date=2012-02-21|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|isbn=978-1-4087-0388-5|language=en}}</ref> </blockquote>

According to the Indian historian Ram Sharan Sharma, the Mauryans maintained a large army and implemented a strict judicial system to exercise control over tribal populations under their Empire :
<blockquote>
" Pg.355 The biggest fact of Maurya political history was the establishment of the Magadha Empire, which included the whole of India except the far south. This empire was established with the strength of the sword and it could be protected only with the strength of the sword. Strong military power was necessary for both external security and internal peace..The tribal people living inside the empire and on its borders were equally a cause of trouble. So for this, there was a huge permanent army and tight judicial system."<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.401527|title=Prachin Bharat Me Rajneetik Vichar Avam Sansthae|last=Sharma|first=Ramsharan|date=1990}}</ref> </blockquote>
===North-East and South influence===
Ashoka's influence in North-East and South India is evident through the dissemination of Buddhist principles, rock edicts, and the broader cultural exchanges facilitated by the Mauryan Empire. While the direct impact may vary, Ashoka's legacy remains a significant part of India's historical and cultural tapestry. <ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/encyclopedia-of-world-history-7-volumes-set-facts-on-file-2008|title=Encyclopedia Of World History 7 Volumes Set Facts On File 2008}}</ref>

===Popular Maps===
Indian New Parliament already
have carved Mauryan Empire over mural which represents Indian integrity and glorious past: [https://bharatmotherofdemocracy.ignca.gov.in/contents/ashoka-responsible-and-accountable-governance/en)] [https://compass.rauias.com/current-affairs/mural-in-new-parliament/][https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/government-reacts-on-row-over-akhand-bharat-mural-in-new-parliament-4089062]. Several historians have reconstructed the map of the Mauryan Empire based on details from Ashoka's inscriptions and accounts from Greek historians, among other sources. For example :
*ASI (Archeological Survey Of India) referenced rough map of Mauryan Empire : [https://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.06445/page/n421/mode/1up]
*British Historian Geoffrey Parker created map on Mauryan Empire :[https://archive.org/details/timescompacthist0000unse_g4l2/page/29/mode/1up]
*British historian Patrick K. O'Brien created Mauryan Empire Map : [https://archive.org/details/philipsatlasofwo0000unse_u6t7/page/46/mode/1up] ,
*American historian Gerald Danzer created Mauryan Empire Map : [https://archive.org/details/atlasofworldhist0000danz/page/44/mode/1up]
*British Historian Charles Allen created Mauryan Empire Map : [https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Ashoka/K4vHjbUtf_4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PT5&printsec=frontcover]
*Historian [[Robert W. Strayer]] and [[Eric Nelson]] created Mauryan Empire Map : [https://archive.org/details/waysofworld0000robe/page/121/mode/1up]
*Irish Historian and Indologist [[Vincent Arthur Smith]] created Mauryan Empire Map : [https://archive.org/details/asokabuddhistemp00smitiala/asokabuddhistemp00smitiala/page/n284/mode/1up]
*nthropologist and Bioarcheologist[[Professor Ian Barnes|P rofessor Ian Barnes]] created Mauryan Empire Map : [https://archive.org/details/historyatlasofas00ianb/page/43/mode/1up]
==Founding Emperors==
===Chandragupta Maurya===
{{Main|Chandragupta Maurya}}
{{further|Seleucid–Mauryan war}}
[[File:Mauryan ruins of pillared hall at Kumrahar site of Pataliputra ASIEC 1912-13.jpg|thumb|[[Pataliputra]], capital of the Mauryas. Ruins of pillared hall at Kumrahar site.]]
[[File:Pataliputra capital, Bihar Museum, Patna, 3rd century BCE.jpg|thumb|The [[Pataliputra capital]], discovered at the [[Bulandi Bagh]] site of Pataliputra, 4th–3rd c. BCE.]]

After the [[death of Alexander the Great]] in 323 BCE, Chandragupta led a [[Seleucid–Mauryan war|series of campaigns]] in 305 BCE to take [[satrapies]] in the Indus Valley and northwest India.<ref name="greenwood">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JEvN6XwWTk8C&pg=PA252|title=From Polis to Empire, the Ancient World, C. 800 B.C.-A.D. 500|date=2002|publisher=Greenwood Publishing|isbn=0313309426|access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref> When Alexander's remaining forces were routed, returning westwards, Seleucus I Nicator fought to defend these territories. Not many details of the campaigns are known from ancient sources. Seleucus was defeated and retreated into the mountainous region of Afghanistan.<ref name=kistler>{{cite book |last1=Kistler |first1=John M. |title=War Elephants |date=2007 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |isbn=978-0803260047 |page=67 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5RHK4Ol15QC&pg=PA64 |access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref>

The two rulers concluded a peace treaty in 303 BCE, including a marital alliance. Under its terms, Chandragupta received the satrapies of [[Paropamisadae]] ([[Kambojas|Kamboja]] and Gandhara) and [[Arachosia]] ([[Kandhahar]]) and [[Gedrosia]] ([[Balochistan]]). Seleucus I received the 500 [[war elephant]]s that were to have a decisive role in his victory against western [[Hellenistic]] kings at the [[Battle of Ipsus]] in 301 BCE. Diplomatic relations were established and several Greeks, such as the historian [[Megasthenes]], [[Deimakos]] and [[Dionysius (ambassador)|Dionysius]] resided at the Mauryan court.<ref>{{Cite book|last=s|first=deepak|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r5NRDQAAQBAJ&q=Megasthenes%2C+Deimakos+and+Dionysius&pg=PA89|title=Indian civilization|date=2016-10-25|publisher=deepak shinde|language=en}}</ref>

Megasthenes in particular was a notable Greek ambassador in the court of Chandragupta Maurya.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=38}} His book ''Indika'' is a major literary source for information about the Mauryan Empire. According to [[Arrian]], ambassador Megasthenes (c. 350 – c. 290 BCE) lived in Arachosia and travelled to [[Pataliputra]].<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=http://websfor.org/alexander/arrian/book5a.asp |chapter=Book 5 |title=Anabasis |title-link=Anabasis Alexandri |author-link=Arrian |author=Arrian |quote=Megasthenes lived with [[Sibyrtius]], satrap of Arachosia, and often speaks of his visiting [[Sandracottus]], the king of the Indians.}}</ref> Megasthenes' description of Mauryan society as freedom-loving gave Seleucus a means to avoid invasion, however, underlying Seleucus' decision was the improbability of success. In later years, Seleucus' successors maintained diplomatic relations with the Empire based on similar accounts from returning travellers.<ref name=greenwood />

Chandragupta established a strong centralised state with an administration at Pataliputra, which, according to Megasthenes, was "surrounded by a wooden wall pierced by 64 gates and 570 towers". [[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]], although not expressly quoting Megasthenes nor mentioning Pataliputra, described Indian palaces as superior in splendor to [[Persia]]'s [[Susa]] or [[Ecbatana]].<ref>"In the royal residences in India where the greatest of the kings of that country live, there are so many objects for admiration that neither [[Memnon (mythology)|Memnon]]'s city of [[Susa]] with all its extravagance, nor the magnificence of [[Ectabana]] is to be compared with them. ... In the parks, tame peacocks and pheasants are kept." [[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]], ''Characteristics of animals'' [https://archive.org/details/L449AelianCharacteristicsOfAnimalsIII1217 book XIII, Chapter 18], also quoted in ''The Cambridge History of India'', Volume 1, p411</ref> The architecture of the city seems to have had many similarities with Persian cities of the period.<ref>Romila Thapar (1961), ''Aśoka and the decline of the Mauryas'', Volume 5, p.129, Oxford University Press. "The architectural closeness of certain buildings in Achaemenid Iran and Mauryan India have raised much comment. The royal palace at Pataliputra is the most striking example and has been compared with the palaces at Susa, Ecbatana, and Persepolis."</ref>

Chandragupta's son [[Bindusara]] extended the rule of the Mauryan empire towards southern India. The famous [[Sri Lankan Tamil people|Tamil]] poet Mamulanar of the [[Sangam literature]] described how areas south of the [[Deccan Plateau]] which comprised Tamil country was invaded by the Maurya army using troops from Karnataka. Mamulanar states that Vadugar (people who resided in Andhra-Karnataka regions immediately to the north of Tamil Nadu) formed the vanguard of the Mauryan army.<ref name="Singh 2008"/>{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=331}} He also had a Greek ambassador at his court, named [[Deimachus]].{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=32}} According to [[Plutarch]], Chandragupta Maurya subdued all of India, and Justin also observed that Chandragupta Maurya was "in possession of India". These accounts are corroborated by Tamil sangam literature which mentions about Mauryan invasion with their south Indian allies and defeat of their rivals at Podiyil hill in [[Tirunelveli district]] in present-day [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KItocaxbibUC&q=nanda+empire+extension&pg=PA157|title=Indian Civilization and Culture|last=Chatterjee|first=Suhas|date=1998|publisher=M.D. Publications |isbn=9788175330832|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LA91rqvCB2EC&q=podiyil+hill+maurya&pg=PA58|title=The Mauryan Polity|last=Dikshitar|first=V. R. Ramachandra|date=1993|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=9788120810235|language=en}}</ref>

Chandragupta renounced his throne and followed Jain teacher [[Bhadrabahu]].{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|pp=39–40}}{{sfn|Geoffrey Samuel|2010|pp=60}}{{sfn|Romila Thapar|2004|p=178}} He is said to have lived as an ascetic at [[Shravanabelagola]] for several years before fasting to death, as per the Jain practice of ''[[sallekhana]]''.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|pp=39–41}}

===Bindusara===
{{Main|Bindusara}}
[[File:I42 1karshapana Maurya Bindusara MACW4165 1ar (8486583162).jpg|thumb|A silver coin of 1 [[karshapana]] of the Maurya empire, period of [[Bindusara]] Maurya about 297–272 BC, workshop of Pataliputra. '''Obv:''' Symbols with a sun. '''Rev:''' Symbol. '''Dimensions:''' 14 × 11 mm. '''Weight:''' 3.4 g.]]
Bindusara was born to [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]], the founder of the Mauryan Empire. This is attested by several sources, including the various [[Puranas]] and the ''[[Mahavamsa]]''.{{sfn|Srinivasachariar|1974|p=lxxxvii}}{{full citation needed|date=April 2019}} He is attested by the Buddhist texts such as ''[[Dipavamsa]]'' and ''[[Mahavamsa]]'' ("Bindusaro"); the Jain texts such as ''Parishishta-Parvan''; as well as the Hindu texts such as ''[[Vishnu Purana]]'' ("Vindusara").<ref name="VAS_Asoka">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/asokabuddhistemp00smitiala#page/18/mode/2up |title=Asoka, the Buddhist emperor of India |author=Vincent Arthur Smith |year=1920 |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9788120613034 |pages=18–19 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rlQOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA10 |title= On the Early Life of Asoka |author=Rajendralal Mitra |journal=Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal |year=1878 |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bengal |page=10 |author-link= Rajendralal Mitra }}</ref> According to the 12th century Jain writer [[Hemachandra]]'s ''[[Parishishtaparvan|Parishishta-Parvan]]'', the name of Bindusara's mother was [[Durdhara]].<ref name="Rosalind_1993">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Po9tUNX0SYAC&pg=PA204 |title=The Clever Adulteress and Other Stories: A Treasury of Jaina Literature |chapter=The Minister Cāṇakya, from the Pariśiṣtaparvan of Hemacandra|translator=Rosalind Lefeber |editor=[[Phyllis Granoff]] |author=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1993 |pages=204–206 |isbn=9788120811508 }}</ref> Some Greek sources also mention him by the name "Amitrochates" or its variations.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=35}}{{sfn|Alain Daniélou|2003|p=108}}

Historian [[Upinder Singh]] estimates that Bindusara ascended the throne around 297 BCE.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=331}} Bindusara, just 22 years old, inherited a large empire that consisted of what is now, Northern, Central and Eastern parts of India along with parts of Afghanistan and [[Balochistan (region)|Baluchistan]]. Bindusara extended this empire to the southern part of India, as far as what is now known as [[Karnataka]]. He brought sixteen states under the Mauryan Empire and thus conquered almost all of the Indian peninsula (he is said to have conquered the 'land between the two seas' – the peninsular region between the [[Bay of Bengal]] and the [[Arabian Sea]]). Bindusara did not conquer the friendly [[Tamils|Tamil]] kingdoms of the [[Chola Dynasty|Cholas]], ruled by King [[Ilamcetcenni]], the [[Pandyas]], and [[Chera Dynasty|Cheras]]. Apart from these southern states, [[Kalinga (historical kingdom)|Kalinga]] (modern Odisha) was the only kingdom in India that did not form part of Bindusara's empire.{{sfn|Dineschandra Sircar|1971|p=167}} It was later conquered by his son [[Ashoka]], who served as the viceroy of [[Ujjaini]] during his father's reign, which highlights the importance of the town.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-HeJS3nE9cAC&pg=PA152 |title=The Greeks in Bactria and India |author=William Woodthorpe Tarn |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2010 |isbn=9781108009416 |page=152 |author-link=William Woodthorpe Tarn }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Mookerji Radhakumud |title=Asoka |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uXyftdtE1ygC&pg=PA8 |year=1962 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0582-8 |page=8 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510200953/https://books.google.com/books?id=uXyftdtE1ygC&pg=PA8 |archive-date=10 May 2018 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Bindusara's life has not been documented as well as that of his father Chandragupta or of his son Ashoka. Chanakya continued to serve as prime minister during his reign. According to the medieval Tibetan scholar Taranatha who visited India, Chanakya helped Bindusara "to destroy the nobles and kings of the sixteen kingdoms and thus to become absolute master of the territory between the eastern and western oceans".{{sfn|Alain Daniélou|2003|p=109}} During his rule, the citizens of [[Taxila]] revolted twice. The reason for the first revolt was the maladministration of [[Susima]], his eldest son. The reason for the second revolt is unknown, but Bindusara could not suppress it in his lifetime. It was crushed by Ashoka after Bindusara's death.<ref name="EB_legends">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/legendsofindianb00burn#page/20/mode/2up |title=Legends of Indian Buddhism |author=Eugène Burnouf |publisher=E. P. Dutton |location=New York |year=1911 |pages=59 }}</ref>

Bindusara maintained friendly diplomatic relations with the Hellenic world. [[Deimachus]] was the ambassador of [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid]] emperor [[Antiochus I]] at Bindusara's court.{{sfn|S. N. Sen|1999|p=142}} [[Diodorus Siculus|Diodorus]] states that the king of Palibothra ([[Pataliputra]], the Mauryan capital) welcomed a Greek author, [[Iambulus]]. This king is usually identified as Bindusara.{{sfn|S. N. Sen|1999|p=142}} [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] states that the Egyptian king [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus|Philadelphus]] sent an envoy named [[Dionysius (ambassador)|Dionysius]] to India.<ref>"Three Greek ambassadors are known by name: Megasthenes, ambassador to Chandragupta; Deimachus, ambassador to [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta's]] son Bindusara; and Dyonisius, whom Ptolemy Philadelphus sent to the court of Ashoka, Bindusara's son", McEvilley, p.367</ref><ref>''India, the Ancient Past'', Burjor Avari, pp. 108–109</ref> According to Sailendra Nath Sen, this appears to have happened during Bindusara's reign.{{sfn|S. N. Sen|1999|p=142}}

Unlike his father Chandragupta (who at a later stage converted to [[Jainism]]), Bindusara believed in the [[Ajivika]] sect. Bindusara's guru Pingalavatsa (Janasana) was a Brahmin<ref>Arthur Llewellyn Basham, ''History and doctrines of the Ājīvikas: a vanished Indian religion'', pp. 138, 146</ref> of the Ajivika sect. Bindusara's wife, Queen [[Shubhadrangi|Subhadrangi]] (Queen Dharma/ Aggamahesi) was a Brahmin<ref>Anukul Chandra Banerjee, ''Buddhism in comparative light'', p. 24</ref> also of the Ajivika sect from Champa (present Bhagalpur district). Bindusara is credited with giving several grants to Brahmin monasteries (''Brahmana-bhatto'').<ref>Beni Madhab Barua, Ishwar Nath Topa, ''Ashoka and his inscriptions'', Volume 1, p. 171</ref>

Historical evidence suggests that Bindusara died in the 270s BCE. According to Upinder Singh, Bindusara died around 273 BCE.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2008|p=331}} [[Alain Daniélou]] believes that he died around 274 BCE.{{sfn|Alain Daniélou|2003|p=109}} Sailendra Nath Sen believes that he died around 273–272 BCE, and that his death was followed by a four-year struggle of succession, after which his son [[Ashoka]] became the emperor in 269–268 BCE.{{sfn|S. N. Sen|1999|p=142}} According to the ''[[Mahavamsa]]'', Bindusara reigned for 28 years.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JBbznHuPrTYC&pg=PA33 |title=Early Buddhism and the Bhagavadgita |author=Kashi Nath Upadhyaya |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1997 |isbn=9788120808805 |page=33 }}</ref> The ''[[Vayu Purana]]'', which names Chandragupta's successor as "Bhadrasara", states that he ruled for 25 years.<ref name="HHW_Vishnu">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0943AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA188 |title=The Vishnu Purana |volume=IV |translator=[[Horace Hayman Wilson|H. H. Wilson]] |editor=[[Fitzedward Hall]] |publisher=Trübner & Co |year=1868 |pages=188 }}</ref>

===Ashoka===
{{Main|Ashoka}}
[[File:Sarnath capital.jpg|right|thumb|[[Lion Capital of Ashoka]] at [[Sarnath]]. c. 250 BCE.]]
[[File:Ashoka pillar at Vaishali, Bihar, India.jpg|thumb| Ashoka pillar at [[Vaishali (ancient city)|Vaishali]].]]
[[File:6thPillarOfAshoka.JPG|thumb|Fragment of the 6th Pillar [[Edicts of Ashoka|Edict of Ashoka]] (238 BCE), in [[Brāhmī script|Brahmi]], sandstone, [[British Museum]].]]
As a young prince, Ashoka ({{reign|272|232}} BCE) was a brilliant commander who crushed revolts in Ujjain and Taxila. As monarch he was ambitious and aggressive, re-asserting the Empire's superiority in southern and western India. But it was his conquest of [[Kalinga (historical kingdom)|Kalinga]] (262–261 BCE) which proved to be the pivotal event of his life. Ashoka used Kalinga to project power over a large region by building a fortification there and securing it as a possession.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Archaeology of Early Historic South Asia: The Emergence of Cities and States|last1=Allchin|first1=F. R.|last2=Erdosy|first2=George|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1995|location=Cambridge|pages=306}}</ref> Although Ashoka's army succeeded in overwhelming Kalinga forces of royal soldiers and civilian units, an estimated 100,000 soldiers and civilians were killed in the furious warfare, including over 10,000 of Ashoka's own men. 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. He also propagated his own ''dhamma.''{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

Ashoka implemented principles of ''[[ahimsa]]'' by banning hunting and violent sports activity and ending indentured and forced labor (many thousands of people in war-ravaged Kalinga had been forced into hard labour and servitude). While he maintained a large and powerful army, to keep the peace and maintain authority, Ashoka expanded friendly relations with states across Asia and Europe, and he sponsored Buddhist missions. He undertook a massive public works building campaign across the country. 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.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

The [[Edicts of Ashoka]], set in stone, are found throughout the Subcontinent. Ranging from as far west as Afghanistan and as far south as Andhra ([[Nellore District]]), Ashoka's edicts state his policies and accomplishments. Although predominantly written in Prakrit, two of them were written in [[Greek language|Greek]], and one in both Greek and [[Aramaic]]. Ashoka's edicts refer to the Greeks, [[Kambojas]], and [[Gandhara]]s as peoples forming a frontier region of his empire. They also attest to Ashoka's having sent envoys to the Greek rulers in the West as far as the Mediterranean. The edicts precisely name each of the rulers of the [[Ancient Greece|Hellenic]] world at the time such as ''Amtiyoko'' ([[Antiochus II Theos|Antiochus]]), ''Tulamaya'' ([[Ptolemy II Philadelphus|Ptolemy]]), ''Amtikini'' ([[Antigonus II Gonatas|Antigonos]]), ''Maka'' ([[Magas of Cyrene|Magas]]) and ''Alikasudaro'' ([[Alexander II of Epirus|Alexander]]) as recipients of Ashoka's proselytism.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}} The Edicts also accurately locate their territory "600 yojanas away" (a yojanas being about 7 miles), corresponding to the distance between the center of India and Greece (roughly 4,000 miles).<ref>[[Edicts of Ashoka]], 13th Rock Edict, translation S. Dhammika.</ref>

===Decline===
Ashoka was followed for 50 years by a succession of weaker kings. He was succeeded by [[Dasharatha Maurya]], who was Ashoka's grandson. None of Ashoka's sons could ascend to the throne after him. [[Mahinda (Buddhist monk)|Mahinda]], his firstborn, became a Buddhist monk. [[Kunala|Kunala Maurya]] was blind and hence couldn't ascend to the throne; and Tivala, son of Kaurwaki, died even earlier than Ashoka. Little is known about another son, Jalauka.

The empire lost many territories under Dasharatha, which were later reconquered by [[Samprati]], Kunala's son. Post Samprati, the Mauryas slowly lost many territories. In 180 BCE, [[Brihadratha Maurya]], was killed by his general [[Pushyamitra Shunga]] in a military parade without any heir. Hence, the great Maurya empire finally ended, giving rise to the [[Shunga Empire]].

Reasons advanced for the decline include the succession of weak kings after Aśoka Maurya, the partition of the empire into two, the growing independence of some areas within the empire, such as that ruled by [[Sophagasenus]], a top-heavy administration where authority was entirely in the hands of a few persons, an absence of any national consciousness,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198077244.001.0001/acprof-9780198077244-chapter-7 |title=Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas |last=Thapar |first=Romila |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford Scholarship Online |isbn=9780198077244 |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198077244.003.0031}}</ref> the pure scale of the empire making it unwieldy, and invasion by the [[Greco-Bactrian Empire]].

Some historians, such as [[H. C. Raychaudhuri]], have argued that Ashoka's pacifism undermined the "military backbone" of the Maurya empire. Others, such as [[Romila Thapar]], have suggested that the extent and impact of his pacifism have been "grossly exaggerated".{{sfn|Singh|2012|p=131, 143}}

====Shunga coup (185 BCE)====
Buddhist records such as the [[Ashokavadana]] write that the assassination of Brihadratha and the rise of the Shunga empire led to a wave of religious persecution for [[Buddhists]],<ref>According to the [[Ashokavadana]]</ref> and a resurgence of [[Hinduism]]. According to [[Sir John Marshall]],<ref>Sir John Marshall (1990), "A Guide to Sanchi", Eastern Book House, {{ISBN|81-85204-32-2}}, p. 38</ref> Pushyamitra may have been the main author of the persecutions, although later Shunga kings seem to have been more supportive of Buddhism. Other historians, such as [[Etienne Lamotte]]<ref>E. Lamotte, ''History of Indian Buddhism'', Institut Orientaliste, Louvain-la-Neuve 1988 (1958)</ref> and [[Romila Thapar]],<ref>Romila Thapar (1960), ''Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas'', Oxford University Press, p. 200</ref> among others, have argued that archaeological evidence in favour of the allegations of persecution of Buddhists are lacking, and that the extent and magnitude of the atrocities have been exaggerated.

====Establishment of the Indo-Greek Kingdom (180 BCE)====
{{Main|Indo-Greek Kingdom}}
The fall of the Mauryas left the [[Khyber Pass]] unguarded, and a wave of foreign invasion followed. The [[Greco-Bactrian Kingdom|Greco-Bactrian]] king, [[Demetrius I of Bactria|Demetrius]], capitalized on the break-up, and he conquered southern Afghanistan and parts of northwestern India around 180 BCE, forming the [[Indo-Greek Kingdom]]. The Indo-Greeks would maintain holdings on the trans-Indus region, and make forays into central India, for about a century. Under them, Buddhism flourished, and one of their kings, [[Menander I|Menander]], became a famous figure of Buddhism; he was to establish a new capital of Sagala, the modern city of [[Sialkot]]. However, the extent of their domains and the lengths of their rule are subject to much debate. Numismatic evidence indicates that they retained holdings in the subcontinent right up to the birth of Christ. Although the extent of their successes against indigenous powers such as the [[Shunga Empire|Shunga]]s, [[Satavahana]]s, and [[Kalinga (historical kingdom)|Kalinga]]s are unclear, what is clear is that Scythian tribes, renamed [[Indo-Scythians]], brought about the demise of the Indo-Greeks from around 70 BCE and retained lands in the trans-Indus, the region of [[Mathura, Uttar Pradesh|Mathura]], and Gujarat.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

== Military ==
Megasthenes mentions military command consisting of six boards of five members each, (i) [[Navy]] (ii) military transport (iii) [[Infantry]] (iv) [[Cavalry]] with [[Catapults]] (v) [[Chariot|Chariot divisions]] and (vi) [[Elephant]]s.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kangle|first=R. P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dzxwTS0-nbUC&q=megasthenes+navy&pg=PA66|title=A Study|date=1986|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|isbn=978-81-208-0041-0|language=en}}</ref>

Historians theorise that the organisation of the Empire was in line with the extensive bureaucracy described by [[Chanakya]] in the [[Arthashastra]]: a sophisticated civil service governed everything from municipal hygiene to international trade. The expansion and defense of the empire was made possible by what appears to have been one of the largest armies in the world during the [[Iron Age]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Gabriel A |first=Richard |title=The Ancient World :Volume 1 of Soldiers' lives through history |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HscIwvtkq2UC&pg=PA301 |date=30 November 2006 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |page=28 |isbn=9780313333484 }}</ref> According to Megasthenes, the empire wielded a military of 600,000 infantry, 30,000 cavalry, 8,000 chariots and 9,000 war elephants besides followers and attendants.{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|2003|p=107}}

==Administration==
[[File:MauryaStatuettes.jpg|thumb|Statuettes of the Mauryan era]]

The Empire was divided into four provinces, with the imperial capital at [[Pataliputra]]. From Ashokan edicts, the names of the four provincial capitals are [[Tosali]] (in the east), [[Ujjain]] (in the west), [[Suvarnagiri]] (in the south), and [[Taxila]] (in the north). The head of the provincial administration was the ''Kumara'' (royal prince), who governed the provinces as king's representative. The ''kumara'' was assisted by Mahamatyas and council of ministers. This organizational structure was reflected at the imperial level with the Emperor and his ''Mantriparishad'' (Council of Ministers).{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}. The mauryans established a well developed coin minting system. Coins were mostly made of silver and copper. Certain gold coins were in circulation as well. The coins were widely used for trade and commerce<ref>{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=160|isbn= 9788122411980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=maurya+dynasty+sen
}}</ref>

The economy of the empire has been described as, "a socialized monarchy", "a sort of state socialism", and the world's first welfare state.<ref name="Boesche2003">{{cite book|author=Roger Boesche|title=The First Great Political Realist: Kautilya and His Arthashastra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K85NA7Rg67wC&pg=PA67|year=2003|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-0607-5|pages=67–70}}</ref> Under the Mauryan system there was no private ownership of land as all land was owned by the king to whom tribute was paid by the by the laboring class. In return the emperor supplied the laborers with agricultural products, animals, seeds, tools, public infrastructure, and stored food in reserve for times of crisis.<ref name="Boesche2003" />

=== Local government ===
[[Arthashastra]] and [[Megasthenes]] accounts of [[Pataliputra]] describe the intricate municipal system formed by Maurya empire to govern its cities. A city counsel made up of thirty commissioners was divided into six committees or boards which governed the city. The first board fixed wages and looked after provided goods, second board made arrangement for foreign dignitaries, tourists and businessmen, third board made records and registrations, fourth looked after manufactured goods and sale of commodities, fifth board regulated trade, issued licenses and checked weights and measurements, sixth board collected sales taxes. Some cities such as Taxila had autonomy to issue their own coins. The city counsel had officers who looked after public welfare such as maintenance of roads, public buildings, markets, hospitals, educational institutions etc.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MazdaWXQFuQC&q=pataliputra+local+government+system&pg=SL1-PA262|title=Indian History|date=1988|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=9788184245684|language=en}}</ref> The official head of the village was Gramika (in towns [[Nagar Palika|Nagarika]]).<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.172447|title=India As Described By Megasthenes|last=Narain Singh Kalota|date=1978}}</ref> The city counsel also had some magisterial powers. The taking of Census was regular process in the Mauryan administration. The village officials (Gramika) and municipal officials ([[Nagar Palika|Nagarika]]) were responsible enumerating different classes of people in the Mauryan empire such as traders, agriculturists, smiths, potters, carpenters etc. and also cattle, mostly for taxation purposes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/explained-the-politics-behind-the-caste-census-in-bihar/articleshow/96916420.cms|title=Explained: History and politics of caste census in Bihar | India News - Times of India|website=The Times of India}}</ref> These vocations consolidated as castes, a feature of Indian society that continues to influence the Indian politics till today.

==Economy==
{{see also|Economic history of India|Coinage of India}}
[[File:MauryanStatuette2ndCenturyBCE.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Maurya statuette, 2nd century BCE.]]
For the first time in [[South Asia]], political unity and military security allowed for a common economic system and enhanced trade and commerce, with increased agricultural productivity. The previous situation involving hundreds of kingdoms, many small armies, powerful regional chieftains, and internecine warfare, gave way to a disciplined central authority. Farmers were freed of tax and crop collection burdens from regional kings, paying instead to a nationally administered and strict-but-fair system of taxation as advised by the principles in the ''Arthashastra''. Chandragupta Maurya established a single currency across India, and a network of regional governors and administrators and a civil service provided justice and security for merchants, farmers and traders. The Mauryan army wiped out many gangs of bandits, regional private armies, and powerful chieftains who sought to impose their own supremacy in small areas. Although regimental in revenue collection, Maurya also sponsored many public works and waterways to enhance productivity, while internal trade in India expanded greatly due to new-found political unity and internal peace.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

Under the Indo-Greek friendship treaty, and during Ashoka's reign, an international network of trade expanded. The [[Khyber Pass]], on the modern boundary of Pakistan and Afghanistan, became a strategically important port of trade and intercourse with the outside world. Greek states and Hellenic kingdoms in West Asia became important trade partners of India. Trade also extended through the [[Malay peninsula]] into Southeast Asia. India's exports included silk goods and textiles, spices and exotic foods. The external world came across new scientific knowledge and technology with expanding trade with the Mauryan Empire. Ashoka also sponsored the construction of thousands of roads, waterways, canals, hospitals, rest-houses and other public works. The easing of many over-rigorous administrative practices, including those regarding taxation and crop collection, helped increase productivity and economic activity across the Empire.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

In many ways, the economic situation in the Mauryan Empire is analogous to the Roman Empire of several centuries later. Both had extensive trade connections and both had organizations similar to [[corporation]]s. While Rome had organizational entities which were largely used for public state-driven projects, Mauryan India had numerous private commercial entities. These existed purely for private commerce and developed before the Mauryan Empire itself.<ref>[https://ssrn.com/abstract=796464 ''The Economic History of the Corporate Form in Ancient India.''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204000202/https://ssrn.com/abstract=796464 |date=4 February 2016 }} [[University of Michigan]].</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0 auto;" align="center" colspan="1" cellpadding="3" style="font-size: 80%;"
|align=center colspan=1 style="background:#F4A460; font-size: 100%;"| '''Maurya Empire coinage'''
|-
|<gallery mode="packed" heights="100px">
Hoard of mostly Mauryan coins.jpg|Hoard of mostly Mauryan coins.
File:MauryanCoin.JPG|Silver punch mark coin of the Maurya empire, with symbols of wheel and elephant. 3rd century BCE.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}
File:Mauryan coin with arched hill symbol on reverse.jpg|Mauryan coin with arched hill symbol on reverse.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}
File:Mauryan Empire. Circa late 4th-2nd century BC.jpg|Mauryan Empire coin. Circa late 4th-2nd century BCE.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}
Mauryan Empire. temp. Salisuka or later. Circa 207-194 BC.jpg|Mauryan Empire, Emperor [[Salisuka]] or later. Circa 207-194 BCE.<ref>[https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=304898 CNG Coins] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827130159/https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=304898 |date=27 August 2017 }}</ref>
</gallery>
|}

==Religion==
Throughout the period of empire, [[Vedic]] was an important religion.<ref name="Nath sen 1999 164">{{cite book|title= Ancient Indian History and Civilization|first= Sailendra |last= Nath sen |publisher= Routledge |year=1999 |page=164|isbn= 9788122411980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&q=maurya+dynasty+sen}}</ref> The Mauryans favored Brahmanism as well as Jainism and Buddhism. Minor religious sects such as [[Ajivika]]s also received patronage. A number of [[List of Hindu texts|Hindu texts]] were written during the Mauryan period.<ref>{{cite book | last=Ray | first=A. | title=Towns and Cities of Medieval India: A Brief Survey | publisher=Taylor & Francis | year=2016 | isbn=978-1-351-99731-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4TslDwAAQBAJ | page=22}}</ref>

[[File:Shravanabelagola2007 - 44.jpg|thumb|Bhadrabahu Cave, [[Shravanabelagola]] where [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]] is said to have died]]
According to a Jain text from the 12th century, Chandragupta Maurya followed [[Jainism]] after retiring, when he renounced his throne and material possessions to join a wandering group of Jain monks and in his last days, he observed the rigorous but self-purifying Jain ritual of [[santhara]] (fast unto death), at [[Shravana Belgola]] in [[Karnataka]].{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|pp=39-41}}{{sfn|Romila Thapar|2004|p=178}}{{sfn|Hermann Kulke|2004|pp=64-65}}{{sfn|Geoffrey Samuel|2010|pp=60}} Nevertheless, it is possible that Chandragupta Maurya "did not give up the performance of sacrificial rites and was far from following the Jaina creed of ''Ahimsa'' or non-injury to animals."<ref name="India1960">{{citation|last1=Majumdar|first1=R. C.|author-link1=R. C. Majumdar|last2=Raychauduhuri|first2=H. C.|author-link2=H. C. Raychaudhuri|last3=Datta|first3=Kalikinkar|title=An Advanced History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MyIWMwEACAAJ|year=1960|publisher=Macmillan & Company Ltd; New York: St Martin's Press|location=London|quote=If the Jaina tradition is to be believed, Chandragupta was converted to the religion of Mahavira. He is said to have abdicated his throne and passed his last days at Sravana Belgola in Mysore. Greek evidence, however, suggests that the first Maurya did not give up the performance of sacrificial rites and was far from following the Jaina creed of ''Ahimsa'' or non-injury to animals. He took delight in hunting, a practice that was continued by his son and alluded to by his grandson in his eighth Rock Edict. It is, however, possible that in his last days he showed some predilection for Jainism ...}}</ref> [[Samprati]], the grandson of [[Ashoka]], also patronized Jainism. Samprati was influenced by the teachings of Jain monks like [[Suhastin]] and he is said to have built 125,000 [[derasar]]s across India.{{sfn|John Cort|2010|p=142}} Some of them are still found in the towns of Ahmedabad, Viramgam, Ujjain, and Palitana.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}} It is also said that just like Ashoka, Samprati sent messengers and preachers to Greece, [[Persia]] and the [[Middle East]] for the spread of Jainism, but, to date, no evidence has been found to support this claim.{{sfn|John Cort|2010|p=199}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Tukol |first=T. K. |author-link=T. K. Tukol |title=Jainism in South India |url=http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/article/south.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304191052/http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/article/south.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

[[File:Sanchi2.jpg|thumb|The [[stupa]], which contained the relics of Buddha, at the center of the [[Sanchi]] complex was originally built by the Maurya Empire, but the balustrade around it is [[Sunga]], and the decorative gateways are from the later [[Satavahana]] period.]]
[[File:Taxila1.jpg|thumb|The [[Dharmarajika]] [[stupa]] in [[Taxila]], modern Pakistan, is also thought to have been established by Emperor [[Asoka]].]]

The Buddhist texts ''[[Samantapasadika]]'' and ''[[Mahavamsa]]'' suggest that Bindusara followed Hindu Brahmanism, calling him a "''Brahmana bhatto''" ("monk of the Brahmanas").<ref name="SMH_2001">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jOkQAQAAIAAJ |title=Buddhism in India and Sri Lanka (c. 300 BC to C. 600 AD) |author=S. M. Haldhar |publisher=Om |year=2001 |isbn=9788186867532 |page=38 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79w9AAAAMAAJ |title=Asoka and His Inscriptions |volume=1 |author=Beni Madhab Barua |author-link=Benimadhab Barua|year=1968 |page=171 }}</ref>

[[Magadha]], the centre of the empire, was also the birthplace of Buddhism. Ashoka initially practised Brahmanism{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} but later followed Buddhism; following the [[Kalinga War]], he renounced expansionism and aggression, and the harsher injunctions of the ''[[Arthashastra]]'' on the use of force, intensive policing, and ruthless measures for tax collection and against rebels. Ashoka sent a mission led by his son [[Mahinda (buddhist monk)|Mahinda]] and daughter [[Sanghamitta]] to [[Sri Lanka]], whose king [[Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura|Tissa]] was so charmed with Buddhist ideals that he adopted them himself and made Buddhism the state religion. Ashoka sent many Buddhist missions to [[West Asia]], Greece and [[South East Asia]], and commissioned the construction of monasteries and schools, as well as the publication of Buddhist literature across the empire. He is believed to have built as many as 84,000 stupas across India, such as [[Sanchi]] and [[Mahabodhi Temple]], and he increased the popularity of Buddhism in Afghanistan and [[Thailand]]. Ashoka helped convene the [[Buddhist Councils|Third Buddhist Council]] of India's and South Asia's Buddhist orders near his capital, a council that undertook much work of reform and expansion of the Buddhist religion. Indian merchants embraced Buddhism and played a large role in spreading the religion across the Mauryan Empire.<ref>Jerry Bentley, ''Old World Encounters: Cross-Cultural Contacts in Pre-Modern Times'' (New York: Oxford University Press), 46</ref>

==Society==
The population of South Asia during the Mauryan period has been estimated to be between 15 and 30 million.<ref name="Dyson2018-lead-maurya-4b">{{citation|last=Dyson|first=Tim|title=A Population History of India: From the First Modern People to the Present Day|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA24|year=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-882905-8|page=24}} Quote: "Yet Sumit Guha considers that 20 million is an upper limit. This is because the demographic growth experienced in core areas is likely to have been less than that experienced in areas that were more lightly settled in the early historic period. The position taken here is that the population in Mauryan times (320–220 bce) was between 15 and 30 million—although it may have been a little more, or it may have been a little less."</ref> According to Tim Dyson, the period of the Mauryan Empire saw the consolidation of [[Caste system in India|caste]] among the [[Vedic period|Indo-Aryan people]] who had settled in the Gangetic plain, increasingly meeting tribal people who were incorporated into their evolving caste-system, and the declining rights of women in the [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan speaking]] regions of India, though "these developments did not affect people living in large parts of the subcontinent."<ref name="Dyson2018-lead-maurya-3b">{{citation|last=Dyson|first=Tim|title=A Population History of India: From the First Modern People to the Present Day|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA19|year=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-882905-8|page=19}}</ref>

==Architectural remains==
{{Main|Edicts of Ashoka|Sanchi|Mauryan art}}
[[File:Barabar Caves 2.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Mauryan architecture in the [[Barabar Caves]]. [[Lomas Rishi Cave]]. 3rd century BCE.]]

The greatest monument of this period, executed in the reign of [[Chandragupta Maurya]], was the old palace at Paliputra, modern [[Kumhrar]] in [[Patna]]. Excavations have unearthed the remains of the palace, which is thought to have been a group of several buildings, the most important of which was an immense pillared hall supported on a high substratum of timbers. The pillars were set in regular rows, thus dividing the hall into a number of smaller square bays. The number of columns is 80, each about {{formatnum:{{#expr:9.75-2.74 round 0}}}} meters high. According to the eyewitness account of [[Megasthenes]], the palace was chiefly constructed of timber, and was considered to exceed in splendour and magnificence the palaces of Susa and Ecbatana, its gilded pillars being adorned with golden vines and silver birds. The buildings stood in an extensive park studded with fish ponds and furnished with a great variety of ornamental trees and shrubs.<ref>"L'age d'or de l'Inde Classique", p23</ref>Kauṭilya's [[Arthashastra]] also gives the method of palace construction from this period. Later fragments of stone pillars, including one nearly complete, with their round tapering shafts and smooth polish, indicate that Ashoka was responsible for the construction of the stone columns which replaced the earlier wooden ones.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

[[File:Early stupa 6 meters in diameter with fallen umbrella on side in Chakpat near Chakdara.jpg|thumb|left|An early [[stupa]], 6 meters in diameter, with fallen umbrella on side. Chakpat, near [[Chakdara]]. Probably Maurya, 3rd century BCE.]]
During the Ashokan period, stonework was of a highly diversified order and comprised lofty free-standing pillars, railings of [[stupas]], lion thrones and other colossal figures. The use of stone had reached such great perfection during this time that even small fragments of stone art were given a high lustrous polish resembling fine enamel. This period marked the beginning of [[Buddhist architecture]]. Ashoka was responsible for the construction of several [[stupas]], which were large domes and bearing symbols of Buddha. The most important ones are located at [[Sanchi]], [[Bodhgaya]], [[Bharhut]], and possibly [[Amaravati Stupa]]. The most widespread examples of Mauryan architecture are the [[Pillars of Ashoka|Ashoka pillars]] and carved edicts of Ashoka, often exquisitely decorated, with more than 40 spread throughout the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref>"L'age d'or de l'Inde Classique", p22</ref>

The peacock was a dynastic symbol of Mauryans, as depicted by Ashoka's pillars at Nandangarh and Sanchi Stupa.{{sfn|R. K. Mookerji|1966|p=15}}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0 auto;" align="center" colspan="2" cellpadding="3" style="font-size: 80%; width: 100%;"
|align=center colspan=2 style="background:#F4A460; font-size: 100%;"| '''Maurya structures and decorations at [[Sanchi]] (3rd century BCE)'''
|-
|align="center" style="font-size: 100%; width: 1%;"|[[File:Sanchi Great Stupa Mauryan configuration.jpg|250px]] Approximate reconstitution of the Great Stupa at [[Sanchi]] under the [[Mauryan Empire|Mauryas]].
|
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
File:Ashokan Pillar - Stupa 1 - Sanchi Hill 2013-02-21 4361.JPG|Remains of the [[Pillars of Ashoka|Ashokan Pillar]] in polished stone (right of the Southern Gateway).
File:Ashoka pillar remains near Southern Gateway Stupa 1 Sanchi.jpg|Remains of the shaft of the pillar of Ashoka, under a shed near the Southern Gateway.
Sanchi Ashoka pillar with schism edit in 1913.jpg|Pillar and its inscription (the "Schism Edict") upon discovery.
File:Sanchi_capital_right_side_view.jpg|The capital nowadays.<ref>Described in Marshall [https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.532798 p.25-28 Ashoka pillar].</ref>
</gallery>
|}

==Natural history==
[[File:Patna Yakshas and inscriptions.jpg|thumb|The two [[Yaksha]]s, possibly 3rd century BCE, found in [[Pataliputra]]. The two [[Brahmi]] inscriptions starting with [[File:Gupta ashoka y.svg|14px]][[File:Gupta ashoka khe.jpg|12px]]... (''Yakhe...'' for "Yaksha...") are [[paleography|paleographically]] of a later date, circa 2nd century CE [[Kushan Empire|Kushan]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ramaprasad |first1=Chanda |title=Indian Antiquary A Journal Of Oriental Research Vol.48 |date=1919 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.532716/page/n296 25]-28 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.532716}}</ref>]]
The protection of animals in India was advocated by the time of the Maurya dynasty; being the first empire to provide a unified political entity in India, the attitude of the Mauryas towards forests, their denizens, and fauna in general is of interest.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor|last=Allen|first=Charles|publisher=Hachette Digital|year=2012|isbn=978-1-408-70388-5|location=London|pages=274}}</ref>

The Mauryas firstly looked at forests as resources. For them, the most important forest product was the elephant. Military might in those times depended not only upon horses and men but also [[War elephants|battle-elephants]]; these played a role in the defeat of [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]], one of [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]]'s former generals. The Mauryas sought to preserve supplies of elephants since it was cheaper and took less time to catch, tame and train wild elephants than to raise them. [[Kautilya]]'s ''[[Arthashastra]]'' contains not only maxims on ancient statecraft, but also unambiguously specifies the responsibilities of officials such as the ''Protector of the Elephant Forests''.<ref name="IWH4">Rangarajan, M. (2001) India's Wildlife History, pp 7.</ref>

{{blockquote|text=On the border of the forest, he should establish a forest for elephants guarded by foresters. The Office of the Chief Elephant Forester should with the help of guards protect the elephants in any terrain. The slaying of an elephant is punishable by death.|author=[[Kautilya]] |title=[[Arthashastra]]}}

The Mauryas also designated separate forests to protect supplies of timber, as well as lions and tigers for skins. Elsewhere the ''Protector of Animals'' also worked to eliminate thieves, tigers and other predators to render the woods safe for grazing cattle.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

The Mauryas valued certain forest tracts in strategic or economic terms and instituted curbs and control measures over them. They regarded all forest tribes with distrust and controlled them with bribery and political subjugation. They employed some of them, the food-gatherers or ''aranyaca'' to guard borders and trap animals. The sometimes tense and conflict-ridden relationship nevertheless enabled the Mauryas to guard their vast empire.<ref name="IWH5">Rangarajan, M. (2001) India's Wildlife History, pp 8.</ref>

When [[Ashoka]] embraced Buddhism in the latter part of his reign, he brought about significant changes in his style of governance, which included providing protection to fauna, and even relinquished the royal hunt. He was the first ruler in history{{failed verification|date=September 2017}} to advocate [[Conservation (ethic)|conservation]] measures for wildlife and even had rules inscribed in stone edicts. The edicts proclaim that many followed the king's example in giving up the slaughter of animals; one of them proudly states:<ref name="IWH5"/>

However, the edicts of Ashoka reflect more the desire of rulers than actual events; the mention of a 100 'panas' (coins) fine for poaching deer in royal hunting preserves shows that rule-breakers did exist. The legal restrictions conflicted with the practices freely exercised by the common people in hunting, felling, fishing and setting fires in forests.<ref name="IWH5"/>

==Contacts with the Hellenistic world==
[[File:MauryanRingstone.JPG|thumb|Mauryan ringstone, with standing goddess. Northwest Pakistan. 3rd Century BCE]]

===Foundation of the Empire===
Relations with the Hellenistic world may have started from the very beginning of the Maurya Empire. [[Plutarch]] reports that Chandragupta Maurya met with [[Alexander the Great]], probably around [[Taxila]] in the northwest:<ref name="RM16">{{cite book |last1=Mookerji |first1=Radhakumud |author-link1=Radha Kumud Mukherjee |title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times |date=1966 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=9788120804050 |pages=16–17 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA16 |language=en}}</ref>

{{blockquote|Sandrocottus(Chandragupta), when he was a stripling, saw Alexander himself, and we are told that he often said in later times that Alexander narrowly missed making himself master of the country, since its king (Dhananda) was hated and despised on account of his baseness and low birth.| Plutarch 62-4<ref name="RM16"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0243&redirect=true|title=Plutarch, Alexander, chapter 1, section 1|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref>}}

===Reconquest of the Northwest (c. 317–316 BCE)===
Chandragupta ultimately occupied Northwestern India, in the territories formerly ruled by the Greeks, where he fought the satraps (described as "Prefects" in Western sources) left in place after Alexander (Justin), among whom may have been [[Eudemus (general)|Eudemus]], ruler in the western Punjab until his departure in 317 BCE or [[Peithon, son of Agenor]], ruler of the Greek colonies along the Indus until his departure for [[Babylon]] in 316 BCE.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

{{blockquote|India, after the death of Alexander, had assassinated his prefects, as if shaking the burden of servitude. The author of this liberation was Sandracottos, but he had transformed liberation in servitude after victory, since, after taking the throne, he himself oppressed the very people he has liberated from foreign domination.| Justin XV.4.12–13<ref>"(Transitum deinde in Indiam fecit), quae post mortem Alexandri, ueluti ceruicibus iugo seruitutis excusso, praefectos eius occiderat. Auctor libertatis Sandrocottus fuerat, sed titulum libertatis post uictoriam in seruitutem uerterat; 14 siquidem occupato regno populum quem ab externa dominatione uindicauerat ipse seruitio premebat." [http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html Justin XV.4.12–13] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420013859/http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html |date=20 April 2017 }}</ref>}}

{{blockquote|Later, as he was preparing war against the prefects of Alexander, a huge wild elephant went to him and took him on his back as if tame, and he became a remarkable fighter and war leader. Having thus acquired royal power, Sandracottos possessed India at the time Seleucos was preparing future glory.|Justin XV.4.19<ref>"Molienti deinde bellum aduersus praefectos Alexandri elephantus ferus infinitae magnitudinis ultro se obtulit et ueluti domita mansuetudine eum tergo excepit duxque belli et proeliator insignis fuit. Sic adquisito regno Sandrocottus ea tempestate, qua Seleucus futurae magnitudinis fundamenta iaciebat, Indiam possidebat." [http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html Justin XV.4.19] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420013859/http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html |date=20 April 2017 }}</ref>}}

===Conflict and alliance with Seleucus (305 BCE)===
{{Main|Seleucid–Mauryan war}}
[[File:Hellenistic world and Maurya Empire 281 BCE.png|thumb|right|A map showing the north western border of Maurya Empire, including its various neighboring states.]]
[[Seleucus I Nicator]], the Macedonian [[satrap]] of the Asian portion of Alexander's former empire, conquered and put under his own authority eastern territories as far as Bactria and the Indus ([[Appian]], ''History of Rome'', The Syrian Wars 55), until in 305 BCE he entered into a confrontation with Emperor Chandragupta:

{{blockquote|Always lying in wait for the neighbouring nations, strong in arms and persuasive in council, he [Seleucus] acquired Mesopotamia, Armenia, 'Seleucid' Cappadocia, Persis, Parthia, Bactria, Arabia, Tapouria, Sogdia, Arachosia, Hyrcania, and other adjacent peoples that had been subdued by Alexander, as far as the river Indus, so that the boundaries of his empire were the most extensive in Asia after that of Alexander. The whole region from Phrygia to the Indus was subject to Seleucus. |[[Appian]], ''History of Rome'', "The Syrian Wars" 55<ref name="livius.org">{{cite web|url=https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_syriaca_11.html|title=Appian, The Syrian Wars 11|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103154609/https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_syriaca_11.html|archive-date=3 November 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}

Though no accounts of the conflict remain, it is clear that Seleucus fared poorly against the Indian Emperor as he failed to conquer any territory, and in fact was forced to surrender much that was already his. Regardless, Seleucus and Chandragupta ultimately reached a settlement and through a treaty sealed in 305 BCE, Seleucus, according to Strabo, ceded a number of territories to Chandragupta, including eastern Afghanistan and [[Balochistan]].{{citation needed|date=August 2016}}

====Marriage alliance====
[[File:Mauryan head from Sarnath.jpg|thumb|upright|Figure of a foreigner, found in [[Sarnath]], 3rd century BCE.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bachhofer |first1=Ludwig |title=Early Indian Sculpture Vol. I |date=1929 |publisher=The Pegasus Press |location=Paris |pages=239–240 |url=https://indianculture.gov.in/rarebooks/early-indian-sculpture-vol-i |language=en}}</ref> This is a probable member of the West Asian [[Pahlava]] or [[Saka]] elite in the [[Gangetic plain]]s during the Mauryan period.<ref name="Gupta 122">Page 122: About the [[Masarh lion]]: "This particular example of a foreign model gets added support from the male heads of foreigners from Patna city and Sarnath since they also prove beyond doubt that a section of the elite in the Gangetic Basin was of foreign origin. However, as noted earlier, this is an example of the late Mauryan period since this is not the type adopted in any Ashoka pillar. We are, therefore, visualizing a historical situation in India in which the West Asian influence on Indian art was felt more in the late Mauryan than in the early Mauryan period. The term West Asia in this context stands for Iran and Afghanistan, where the Sakas and Pahlavas had their base-camps for eastward movement. The prelude to future inroads of the Indo-Bactrians in India had after all started in the second century B.C."... in {{cite book |last1=Gupta |first1=Swarajya Prakash |author-link=Swaraj Prakash Gupta|title=The Roots of Indian Art: A Detailed Study of the Formative Period of Indian Art and Architecture, Third and Second Centuries B.C., Mauryan and Late Mauryan |year=1980 |publisher=B.R. Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-0-391-02172-3 |pages=88, 122 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0lDqAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}.</ref><ref name="Gupta 318">According to Gupta [[:File:Mauryan head from Sarnath.jpg|this is]] a non-Indian face of a foreigner with a conical hat: "If there are a few faces which are nonIndian, such as one head from Sarnath with conical cap ( Bachhofer, Vol . I, Pl . 13 ), they are due to the presence of the foreigners their costumes, tastes and liking for portrait art and not their art styles." in {{cite book |last1=Gupta |first1=Swarajya Prakash |author-link=Swaraj Prakash Gupta|title=The Roots of Indian Art: A Detailed Study of the Formative Period of Indian Art and Architecture, Third and Second Centuries B.C., Mauryan and Late Mauryan |year=1980 |publisher=B.R. Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-0-391-02172-3 |page=318 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0lDqAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Annual Report 1907-08 |date=1911 |page=55 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.35434/page/n101/mode/2up}}</ref>]]
Chandragupta and [[Seleucus I Nicator|Seleucus]] concluded a peace treaty and a marriage alliance in 303 BCE. Chandragupta received vast territories and in a return gave Seleucus 500 [[war elephant]]s,{{sfn|R. C. Majumdar|2003|p=105}}<ref>Ancient India, (Kachroo, p.196)</ref><ref>''The Imperial Gazetteer of India'' (Hunter, p.167)</ref><ref>''The evolution of man and society'' (Darlington, p.223)</ref><ref>W. W. Tarn (1940). "Two Notes on Seleucid History: 1. Seleucus' 500 Elephants, 2. Tarmita", ''The Journal of Hellenic Studies'' '''60''', p. 84–94.</ref> a military asset which would play a decisive role at the [[Battle of Ipsus]] in 301 BCE.{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=37}} In addition to this treaty, Seleucus dispatched an ambassador, [[Megasthenes]], to Chandragupta, and later [[Deimakos]] to his son [[Bindusara]], at the Mauryan court at [[Pataliputra]] (modern [[Patna]] in [[Bihar state|Bihar]]). Later, [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus]], the ruler of [[Ptolemaic Egypt]] and contemporary of [[Ashoka]], is also recorded by [[Pliny the Elder]] as having sent an ambassador named [[Dionysius (ambassador)|Dionysius]] to the Mauryan court.<ref name="perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de">{{cite web|url=http://perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.+Nat.+6.21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728023626/http://perseus.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.%2BNat.%2B6.21 |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 July 2013 |title=Pliny the Elder, The Natural History (eds. John Bostock, H. T. Riley) }}</ref>

Mainstream scholarship asserts that Chandragupta received vast territory west of the Indus, including the [[Hindu Kush]], modern-day Afghanistan, and the [[Balochistan, Pakistan|Balochistan]] province of Pakistan.<ref>[[Vincent Arthur Smith|Vincent A. Smith]] (1998). ''Ashoka''. Asian Educational Services. {{ISBN|81-206-1303-1}}.</ref><ref>[[Walter Eugene Clark]] (1919). "The Importance of Hellenism from the Point of View of Indic-Philology", ''Classical Philology'' '''14''' (4), pp. 297–313.</ref> Archaeologically, concrete indications of Mauryan rule, such as the inscriptions of the [[Edicts of Ashoka]], are known as far as [[Kandahar]] in southern Afghanistan.

{{blockquote|He (Seleucus) crossed the Indus and waged war with Sandrocottus [Maurya], king of the Indians, who dwelt on the banks of that stream, until they came to an understanding with each other and contracted a marriage relationship. | [[Appian]]| ''History of Rome'', The Syrian Wars [https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/appian/appian_syriaca_11.html 55]}}

{{blockquote|After having made a treaty with him (Sandrakotos) and put in order the Orient situation, Seleucos went to war against [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus|Antigonus]].|[[Junianus Justinus]]|''Historiarum Philippicarum, libri XLIV'', [http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/justin/trad15.html XV.4.15]}}

The treaty on "[[Epigamia]]" implies lawful marriage between Greeks and Indians was recognized at the State level, although it is unclear whether it occurred among dynastic rulers or common people, or both.

====Exchange of presents====
Classical sources have also recorded that following their treaty, Chandragupta and Seleucus exchanged presents, such as when Chandragupta sent various [[aphrodisiac]]s to Seleucus:{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=35}}

{{blockquote|And Theophrastus says that some contrivances are of wondrous efficacy in such matters [as to make people more amorous]. And Phylarchus confirms him, by reference to some of the presents which Sandrakottus, the king of the Indians, sent to Seleucus; which were to act like charms in producing a wonderful degree of affection, while some, on the contrary, were to banish love.|[[Athenaeus of Naucratis]], ''[[The deipnosophists]]'', Book I, chapter 32<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Literature/Literature-idx?type=turn&entity=Literature000701860036&isize=M&pview=hide|title=Problem while searching in The Literature Collection|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313151642/http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Literature/Literature-idx?type=turn&entity=Literature000701860036&isize=M&pview=hide|archive-date=13 March 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}

His son [[Bindusara]] 'Amitraghata' (Slayer of Enemies) also is recorded in Classical sources as having exchanged presents with [[Antiochus I]]:{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=35}}

{{blockquote|text=But dried figs were so very much sought after by all men (for really, as [[Aristophanes]] says, "There's really nothing nicer than dried figs"), that even Amitrochates, the king of the Indians, wrote to [[Antiochus I Soter|Antiochus]], entreating him (it is [[Hegesander (historian)|Hegesander]] who tells this story) to buy and send him some sweet wine, and some dried figs, and a [[sophist]]; and that Antiochus wrote to him in answer, "The dry figs and the sweet wine we will send you; but it is not lawful for a sophist to be sold in Greece. |author=[[Athenaeus]] |title=''[[Deipnosophistae]]'' XIV.67<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Literature/Literature-idx?type=goto&id=Literature.AthV3&isize=M&page=1044|title=The Literature Collection: The deipnosophists, or, Banquet of the learned of Athenæus (volume III): Book XIV|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011201316/http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Literature/Literature-idx?type=goto&id=Literature.AthV3&isize=M&page=1044|archive-date=11 October 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}

===Greek population in India===
[[File:AsokaKandahar.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Kandahar Edict of Ashoka]], a bilingual edict ([[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Aramaic]]) by king Ashoka, from [[Kandahar]]. [[Kabul]] Museum. (See image description page for translation.)]]

An influential and large Greek population was present in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent under Ashoka's rule, possibly remnants of Alexander's conquests in the Indus Valley region. In the [[Edicts of Ashoka|Rock Edicts of Ashoka]], some of them inscribed in Greek, Ashoka states that the Greeks within his dominion were converted to Buddhism:
{{blockquote|Here in the king's dominion among the [[Yona|Greeks]], the [[Kambojas]], the Nabhakas, the Nabhapamkits, the Bhojas, the Pitinikas, the [[Andhra Pradesh|Andhras]] and the Palidas, everywhere people are following Beloved-of-the-Gods' instructions in [[Dharma]].|[[Edicts of Ashoka|(Rock Edict Number 13]])}}
{{blockquote|Now, in times past (officers) called [[Mahamatras]] of morality did not exist before. Mahdmatras of morality were appointed by me (when I had been) anointed thirteen years. These are occupied with all sects in establishing morality, in promoting morality, and for the welfare and happiness of those who are devoted to morality (even) among the [[Yona|Greeks]], [[Kambojas]] and [[Gandharas]], and whatever other western borderers (of mine there are).|([[Major Rock Edicts|Rock Edict Number 5]])}}

Fragments of Edict 13 have been found in Greek, and a full Edict, written in both Greek and Aramaic, has been discovered in [[Kandahar]]. It is said to be written in excellent Classical Greek, using sophisticated philosophical terms. In this Edict, Ashoka uses the word [[Eusebeia]] ("[[Piety]]") as the Greek translation for the ubiquitous "[[Dharma]]" of his other Edicts written in [[Prakrit]]:

{{blockquote|Ten years (of reign) having been completed, King Piodasses (Ashoka) made known (the doctrine of) Piety (''εὐσέβεια'', [[Eusebeia]]) to men; and from this moment he has made men more pious, and everything thrives throughout the whole world. And the king abstains from (killing) living beings, and other men and those who (are) huntsmen and fishermen of the king have desisted from hunting. And if some (were) intemperate, they have ceased from their intemperance as was in their power; and obedient to their father and mother and to the elders, in opposition to the past also in the future, by so acting on every occasion, they will live better and more happily. |Trans. by G.P. Carratelli {{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20051103235517/http://www.afghanan.net/afghanistan/mauryans.htm]}}}}

===Dhamma Vijaya to the West (c. 250 BCE)===
<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
AiKhanoumAndIndia.jpg|The distribution of the [[Edicts of Ashoka]].<ref>Reference: "India: The Ancient Past" p.113, Burjor Avari, Routledge, {{ISBN|0-415-35615-6}}</ref>
Asoka̠ Buddhist Missions.png|Map of the Buddhist missions during the reign of [[Ashoka]].
Territories conquered by the Dharma according to Ashoka.jpg|Territories "conquered by the Dharma" according to [[Major Rock Edicts|Major Rock Edict No. 13]] of Ashoka (260–218 BCE).{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=57}}<ref name=ME368>Thomas Mc Evilly "The shape of ancient thought", Allworth Press, New York, 2002, p.368</ref>
</gallery>
Also, in the [[Edicts of Ashoka]], Ashoka mentions the Hellenistic kings of the period as recipients of his Buddhist proselytism, although no Western historical record of this event remains:

{{blockquote|The conquest by [[Dharma]] has been won here, on the borders, and even six hundred [[yojana]]s (5,400–9,600 km) away, where the Greek king [[Antiochus II Theos|Antiochos]] rules, beyond there where the four kings named [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus|Ptolemy]], [[Antigonus Gonatas|Antigonos]], [[Magas of Cyrene|Magas]] and [[Alexander II of Epirus|Alexander]] rule, likewise in the south among the [[Chola]]s, the [[Pandya]]s, and as far as [[Tamraparni]] ([[Sri Lanka]]). |[[Edicts of Ashoka]], 13th Rock Edict, S. Dhammika.}}

Ashoka also encouraged the development of [[herbal medicine]], for men and animals, in their territories:

{{blockquote|Everywhere within Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi's [Ashoka's] domain, and among the people beyond the borders, the [[Chola]]s, the [[Pandya]]s, the Satiyaputras, the Keralaputras, as far as [[Tamraparni]] and where the Greek king [[Antiochus II Theos|Antiochos]] rules, and among the kings who are neighbors of Antiochos, everywhere has Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, made provision for two types of medical treatment: medical treatment for humans and medical treatment for animals. Wherever medical herbs suitable for humans or animals are not available, I have had them imported and grown. Wherever medical roots or fruits are not available I have had them imported and grown. Along roads I have had wells dug and trees planted for the benefit of humans and animals. |[[Edicts of Ashoka|2nd Rock Edict]]}}

The Greeks in India even seem to have played an active role in the spread of Buddhism, as some of the emissaries of Ashoka, such as [[Dharmaraksita]], are described in [[Pāli|Pali]] sources as leading Greek ("[[Yona]]") Buddhist monks, active in Buddhist proselytism (the [[Mahavamsa]], XII)<ref>''Mahavamsa'' [http://lakdiva.org/mahavamsa/chapters.html chapter XII] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060905050433/http://lakdiva.org/mahavamsa/chapters.html |date=5 September 2006 }}</ref>

===Subhagasena and Antiochos III (206 BCE)===
{{Part of History of India|File:MET DT9196.jpg}}
[[Sophagasenus]] was an Indian [[Mauryan]] ruler of the 3rd century BCE, described in ancient Greek sources, and named Subhagasena or Subhashasena in [[Prakrit]]. His name is mentioned in the list of Mauryan princes. He may have been a grandson of [[Ashoka]], or [[Kunala]], the son of Ashoka. He ruled an area south of the [[Hindu Kush]], possibly in [[Gandhara]]. [[Antiochos III]], the [[Seleucid]] king, after having made peace with [[Euthydemus II|Euthydemus]] in [[Bactria]], went to India in 206 BCE and is said to have renewed his friendship with the Indian king there:

{{blockquote|text=He (Antiochus) crossed the Caucasus and descended into India; renewed his friendship with Sophagasenus the king of the Indians; received more elephants, until he had a hundred and fifty altogether; and having once more provisioned his troops, set out again personally with his army: leaving Androsthenes of Cyzicus the duty of taking home the treasure which this king had agreed to hand over to him.|author=[[Polybius]] |title=[[The Histories (Polybius)|The Histories]], 11.39<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/invalidquery.jsp?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0234:book=11:chapter=39|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307194743/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+11.39|url-status=dead|title=No document found|archive-date=7 March 2008|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref>}}

Fa-Hian, the Chinese Buddhist monk and traveler, mentioned Dharmavarddhana, who was believed to be Subhagsena by historians :
<blockquote>
From this, descending eastward, journeying for five days, we arrive at the country of Gandhara (Kien-to-wei). This is the place which Dharmavarddhana, the son of Asoka, governed. Buddha also in this country, when he was a Bodhisattva, gave his eyes in charity for the sake of a man. On this spot also they have raised a great stupa, adorned with silver and gold. The people of this country mostly study the Little Vehicle.

~Chapter X ,The travels of Fa-Hian (400 A.D.)
[https://www.wisdomlib.org/south-asia/book/the-travels-of-fa-hian/d/doc220110.html]
</blockquote>

==Later Mauryans==
The Rājataranginī mentions Jalauka as the successor of Asoka in Kasmira, while Tāranātha mentions another successor Virasena who ruled in Gandhāra and he was as Dr. Thomas suggests, probably the predecessor of Subhagasena.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.10359|title=Political History of ancient India|last=Hemchandra Raychaudhuri|first=M. A.|date=1932|page=238}}</ref>

Petty Maurya kings continued to rule in western India as well as Magadha long after the extinction of the imperial line. King Dhavala of the Maurya dynasty is referred to in the Kanaswa inscription of A.D. 738. Professor Bhandarkar identifies him with Dhavalappadeva, the overlord of Dhanika mentioned in the Dabok (Mewar) inscription of A.D. 725.” Maurya chief of the Konkan and Khandesh are referred to in the early epigraphs. A Maurya Prince of Magadha named Pürnavarman is mentioned by Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.10359|title=Political History of ancient India|last=Hemchandra Raychaudhuri|first=M. A.|date=1932|page=240}}</ref> In 7th century A.D. Hiuen Tsang, wrote about small dominions in eastern India for he relates that shortly before his visit Purnavarman, king of Magadha, a descendant of Ashoka who had restored the Bodhi-tree, which had been destroyed by Sasanka, apart from this he also mention Mauryan ruler named Narendragupta of Karnasuvarna(Bengal).<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.55603|title=The Cambridge History Of India Vol.i|last=Rapson|first=E. J.|date=1935|page=513}}</ref>

During the sixth century Kolaba along with the Northern Konkan coast was probably ruled by Mauryas and Nala Chiefs as Kirtivarman (550-567), the first of the Calukyas who conquered Konkan is described as the night of death to the Nalas and Mauryas [Indian Antiquary VIII. 24.].

From an inscribed stones of the fifth and the sixth century discovered in the Thānā district of North Konkan, it describes that a Mauryan King Suketuvarman was ruling in Konkan. Konkan was given in charge of a Maurya family.<ref name="HAI">"Konkan was given in charge of a Maurya family. A grant of the Maurya prince Suketuvarman, who ruled in this period, has been discovered in the Thānā district of North Konkan." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/jEqi_literay-and-historical-studies-in-indology-of-dr.-vasudev-vishnu-mirashi-mlbd-varanasi|page=128|title=Literay And Historical Studies In Indology Of Dr. Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi MLBD Varanasi|last=MLBD Varanasi}}</ref><ref name="CORPUS"> "A stone inscription from Vada in the north of the Thana District mentions a Maurya king named Suketuvarman ruling in Konkan." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.367473|title=Corpus Inscriptionium Indicarum Vol Iv Part 1|page=75|last=Vasudev Vishnu Mirshi|date=1955|publisher=Government Epigraphist For India, Ootacamund|language=Multilingual}}</ref><ref name="INSCRIPTION"> "We have discussed above about the Saka era. From the point of view of its early history as well as for the history of the later Mauryas of Konkana the Vala (or Vada) inscription of Suketuvarman, dated Saka 322, is one of utmost importance. The inscription was actually found at the place of this name in the Thane District of Maharashtra though wrongly attributed to Vala in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. It aims at registering the installation of the deity Koțiśvara by one Simhadatta, son of Anankiparadatta in the Saka year 322, and some grants to the divinity by one Isuprakki, the Vallabha-Talavara of the Maurya Dharma- mahārāja Suketuvarman of the Bhojas. The inscription adds one more name to the list of the Mauryas of Konkaņa." {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.29982|page=32|title=puratattva: Bulletin of the Indian archaeological society number 25 1994-95|last=Dikshit|first=K. N.|date=1995|publisher=Indian Archaeological Society,New delhi}}</ref>

It is interesting to see that More is a name quite common among Marathas, Kunbis and Rolls of Kolaba. Probably here can be traced the name Maurya. Two small landing places of the name of More in Elephanta and in Karanja can be taken as relics of the Maurya power formerly existing in Konkan. The Mauryas of the Konkan, previously subdued, were overwhelmed and the city of Puri (either Gharapuri, i.e., the island of Elephanta near Bombay, or Rajpuri near Janjira), which was located in the Arabian Sea and was probably the Maurya capital, was invaded by Pulakesin's battleships and was captured.<ref>https://gazetteers.maharashtra.gov.in/cultural.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/KOLABA/his_early.html</ref>

===Rediscovery===

Coins of the Kalacuri king Krşņarāja have been found in the island of Bombay. But the country was not directly administered by the Kalacuris. They gave it to a feudadtory family called the Mauryas.The Kaņaśva inscription dated A.D. 738-39 mentions the Maurya king Dhavalappa, who was probably holding the fort of Chittorgarh.This family probably succumbed to the attack of the Arabs, who are credited with a victory over them. Another Maurya family was ruling at Valabhi (modern Valā) in Saurāştra. A later scion of it named Govindaraja Maurya was reigning from Väghli in Khāndeśa as a feudatory of the Mahamandaleśvara Seunacandra II. The family ruling in North Konkan in the sixth and seventh centuries A.D. was related to any of the branches of the great Maurya family. The first notice of the Maurya family ruling in North Konkan occurs in the description of the conquests of the early Chalukya king Kirtivarman I (A.D. 566-598). In the Aihole inscription where he is described as the Night of Destruction to the Nalas, Mauryas and Kadambas. The Kadambas were described as subclan of Southern Mauryans who where completely lost.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/ancient-history-of-maharashtra_202110|title=Ancient History of Maharashtra|page=140|last=Maharashtra State Gazetteers|date=1967}}</ref>

====The Mauryas of Konkan region====
Suketuvarman is known from a solitary stone inscription found at Vada to the north of Thana near Bombay but now preserved in the Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay. The epigraph, which is damaged and written in the southern characters of about the 4th or 5th century A.D. and refers to a king named Suketuvarman of the Maurya dynasty. He appears to have been ruling near about Thana during that period.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.07863|title=Central Provinces District Gazetteers: Nagpur District|page=65|last=N. V. SundaraRaman|first=Chairman|last2=P. Setu Madhava Rao|first2=Member|last3=V. B. Kolte|first3=Member|last4=C. D. Deshpande|first4=Member|last5=B. R. Rairikar|first5=Member|last6=Sarojini Babar|first6=Member|last7=V. T. Gune|first7=Member|last8=P. N. Chopra|first8=Member|last9=V. N. Gurav|first9=Member-Secretary|date=1908|publisher=Bombay, Times Press}}</ref>

====The Mauryas of Western coastline====
Two copper plate grants discovered in the Goa territory on the west coast reveal the existence of two kings named [[Chandravarman Maurya|Chandravarman]] and [[Anirjitavarman]] who belonged to the Maurya dynasty as per their inscription. As both the grants are dated in the regnal years of the ruling kings, from the palaeographical point of view, they may be assigned to the 6th or 7th century A.D., the grant of Chandravarman being slightly earlier than that of Anirjitvarman. Both these rulers, who assume the epithet of Mahārāja in their records. The charter of Chandravarman records the donation, by the king, of some lands to the Mahāvihāra situated in Sivapura which is identified with the village bearing the same name near Chandor in Goa. The grant of Anirjitavarman, registers certain gifts, made by the king, to a Brāhmaņa named Hastyärya. It is issued from a a place called Kumāradvīpa which appears to be located somewhere in the Goa territory. These two records show that Candravarman and Anirjitvarman were ruling somewhere in the Goa territory about the 6th-7th century A.D.<ref>{{Cite book|page=295|url=http://archive.org/details/epigraphia-indica|title=epigraphia-indica}}</ref>

====The Mauryas of the Mathura region====
[[Dindirāja]] alias Karka fragmentary stone inscription from Mathura city in Uttar Pradesh which, on palaeographical grounds, is referred to the latter half of the 7th century A.D., mentions four members of the Maurya dynasty viz. Krşņarāja in his family, Chandragupta his son, Aryarāja and, probably his son, Dindirāja alias Karka.<ref name="INSC">"Jhalarpatan inscription (AD 689) of Durgagana, the Kudarkot inscription of about the second half of the seventh century, the Nagar inscription (AD 684) of Dhanika, and the Kanaswa inscription (AD 738) of Sivagana." The inscription was composed "in adoration of a god whose epithets kal- anjana-rajah-punja-dyuti, (ma)havaraha-rupa and jangama have only been preserved". It leaves "no doubt that the reference is to the god Vishnu since the expression mahavaraha-rupa certainty speaks of the Boar incarnation of the deity." The hero of the prasasti is a king named Dindiraja of the Maurya dynasty.{{Cite book|page=80-81|url=http://archive.org/details/hindu-temples-vol.-ii-ed-sitaram-goel_202306|title=Hindu Temples Vol. II (Ed Sitaram Goel)|last=Ed Sitaram Goel|date=1993}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|page=208-209|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.11070|title=Pracyavidya-Tarangini|last=D. C. Sircar|date=1969}}</ref>The last named ruler of this Mauryan branch appears to have burnt the city of Kanyakubja (Kannauj). The Maurya kings mentioned in this record seem to have held sway over the south-western areas of Uttar Pradesh. The Jaina tradition represents king Yasovarman (circa 728-53 A.D.) of Kannauj as a descendant of Chandragupta Maurya. This may refer to Yasovarman's relations with Karka-Dindirāja who, in all probability, was the grandson of a Maurya ruler named Chandragupta of 7th century A.D.<ref>{{Cite book|page=207-212|url=http://archive.org/details/bmshri.epigraphiaindica0000unse_z3v3|title=Epigraphia indica (1957-1958)|publisher=The director general archaeological survey of india|others=Servants of Knowledge}}</ref>

====The Mauryas of the Rajasthan region====
King Dhavala or Dhavalātman inscription" from Kanaswa in the old Kota, State of Rajasthan, dated in the Mälava year (i.e. Vikrama Samvat) 795 or 738. A.D., refers to the Brahmana Sivagana as a feudatory of king Dhavala of the Maurya lineage. Dr. D.C. Sircar has suggested, on grounds of palaeographical resemblance and geographical proximity, that the Mauryas of the Mathura region mentioned above may be connected with the Maurya king Dhavala of the Kanaswa record.<ref>{{Cite book|page=209|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.06115|title=Epigraphia Indica, Vol-32, Issue no.-1-42}}</ref> It has also been suggested that the Mauryas who are stated to have been defeated by the Tājika (i. e. Arab) army in the Navsari plates of the Gujarat Chalukya chief Pulakeśin, dated 738 A.D., were probably these Mauryas of the Malwa Rajasthan region.<ref>{{Cite book|page=540|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.461080|title=The Dynastic History Of Northern India Vol. 2|last=Ray|first=H. C.|date=1935-11-18}}</ref>

Dhavala inscription from Dabok about 8 miles to the east of Udaipur in Rajasthan, mentions a Guhila chief Dhanika of Dhabagarta and his lord Dhavalappa Deva. Bhandarkar was inclined to identify Dhavalappa of this epigraph with the Maurya king Dhavalātman of the Kanaswa inscription referred.<ref>{{Cite book|page=73|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.16596|title=ANTIQUITIES OF INDIA|last=BARNETT|first=L. D.|date=1958|publisher=PUNTHI PUSTAK, CALCUTTA}}</ref> It is possible that they were related to the Mauryas of the West Coast region and might have extended their suzerainty over Rajasthan which then formed part of Harsa's (606-47 A.D.) dominion. As pointed out by Dr. Sircar, the date of the Dabok record as read by him shows that Harsa must have lost parts of Rajasthan before his death in 647 A.D., though the Mauryas of Rajasthan must have owed allegiance to him before.<ref name="INSCRI"> "The second inscription of Dhanıka, dated A.D. 725, was discovered at Dabok in Mewar .It mentions Śrī Dhanıka as ruling over DHAVALAGARTTA as a feudatory chief under paramabhattāraka-mahārājādhırājā paramēśvara-Śrī-DHAVALAPPADEVA According to Prof DR Bhandarkar, the paramount ruler mentioned in the record is the same as the king DHAVALA of the Maurya dynasty referred to in the Kansuvām inscription of AD 738" {{Cite book|294|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.48555|title=Bharata- Kaumudi Studies In Indology In Honur Of Dr Radha Kumud Mookerji Part-i|last=Mookerji|first=Radha Kumud|date=1945}}</ref><ref name="HAII"> "The Mauryas are referred to in a record at Jhalrapatan dated A.D. 690. Another record in Kotah State, dated A.D. 738-39, refers to the local prince as a friend of king Dhavala of Maurya lineage..As already noted above, the Mauryas fell a victim to the Arab aggression, and it was probably after this catastrophe that Bappa defeated them and took possession of Chitor." {{Cite book|page=162|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.505920|title=The Classical Age Vol-iii (1954)|last=Munshi K. M.|date=1954|publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.}}</ref>

Jhalrapatan (Jhalwar District Rajasthan) inscription dated 689 A.D. mentions a Maurya ruler named Durgagana.<ref name="DHAVAL"> "This inscription is dated in the 796th year of the Lords of Malava. It is probable that the Jhalrapathan inscription, which is dated in the 747th year of an unnamed era, is to be referred to the same method of computing time. The slight difference in the alphabet to which attention has been drawn is of the kind that might develop in the fifty years which, on this hypothesis, would separate the two. Neither the Sivagaņa of our inscription nor the Durgagana of the Jhalrapathan inscription is spoken of as a sovereign monarch: and when we find one spoken of as ruling at Kotah, under a Maurya Emperor, in the year 796 of the Lords of Malava, and the other referred to as ruler in the year 747, of a town only seventy miles to the south, which has always been very closely connected with Kotah, it seems natural to suppose that "Durgagana," and "Sivagana," are of the same stock. If this be so, it is to be noted that the want of any reference on the Jhalrâpâthan inscription speaks of an era which at the time had wide and undisputed currency. "{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/auchityalamkara00petegoog|title=The Auchityalamkara of Kshemendra, with a note on the date of Patanjali, and an inscription from Kotah; two papers read before the Bombay branch of the Royal Asiatic society, with a preface in reply to Professor Bhandarkar|last=Peterson|first=Peter|date=1885|publisher=Bombay, Printed at the Education society's press, Byculla|others=University of California}}</ref> Further, Bappa, son of Guhila or Guhadatta, founder of the Guhila family, supplanted his uncle known as the Mori (i.e. Maurya) ruler of Chitor in whose service he was before.<ref>{{Cite book|page=23-30|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.12693|title=MEDIEVAL STUDIES|last=BANERJEE|first=ANIL CHANDRA|date=1958|publisher=A. MUKHARJEE AND COMPANY , CALCUTTA}}</ref>
====The Mauryas of Khandesh region====
Govindarāja stone record from Väghli in the Khandesh District, Maharastra State, dated Saka 991 or 1069 A.D. refers to a Maurya chief Govinda or Govindaraja as a subordinate of the early Yadava king Seuņachandra II. The epigraph mentions twenty princes or chiefs who were predecessors of Mauryan King Govindaraja, the earliest member being Kikața. It is also stated that originally the capital of the Mauryas was at Valabhī in Surashtra.<ref>{{Cite book|page=418|url=http://archive.org/details/epigraphia-indica|title=epigraphia-indica}}</ref>
====Modern Assertion====
Ashoka appointed the princes of the royal blood as viceroys in the outlying provinces of his vast empire to carry on the administration.Four such Mauryan princes viceroys ruling at Taxila, Ujjain, Tosali and Suvarnagiri are known from lithic records of Ashoka edicts. So Mauryan lineage kings spreaded from the time of Ashoka.The Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang (7th century A.D.) mentions a Maurya ruler of Magadha named Pürņavarman. While some of the later Mauryan rulers enjoyed independent status, others were either semi-independent or feudatories or even petty chiefs. Future discoveries may throw further light on these later Mauryas.

==Timeline==

*322 BCE: Chandragupta Maurya [[Conquest of the Nanda Empire|conquers the Nanda Empire]], founding Maurya dynasty.<ref>{{cite book|title=Buddhism in North India and Pakistan|author=D. C. Ahir|year=1998|page=121}}</ref>
*317–316 BCE: Chandragupta Maurya conquers the Northwest of the Indian subcontinent.
*305–303 BCE: Chandragupta Maurya gains territory by [[Seleucid–Mauryan war|defeating the Seleucid Empire]].
*298–269 BCE: Reign of Bindusara, Chandragupta's son. He conquers parts of Deccan, southern India.
*269–232 BCE: The Mauryan Empire reaches its height under Ashoka, Chandragupta's grandson.
*261 BCE: Ashoka [[Kalinga War|conquers the kingdom of Kalinga]].
*250 BCE: Ashoka builds Buddhist stupas and erects pillars bearing inscriptions.
*184 BCE: The empire collapses when Brihadratha, the last emperor, is killed by [[Pushyamitra Shunga]], a Mauryan general and the founder of the [[Shunga Empire]].

== Sources of Mauryan History ==

{| class=wikitable
|-
! style="background: orange;" | Mauryan History Sources !! style="background: yellow;" | Authentic Names
|-
| Jain Scriptures ||
1 - Brihatkalpa Sutra

2 - Brihatkathakosha

3 - Aradhana Satkathaprabandh

4 - Shri Chandravirachita Kathakosha

5 - Nemichandrakrita Kathakosha

6 - Parishishtaparvana

7 - Vividhtirthakalpa

8 - Punyashravakathakosha

9 - Nisitha Sutra
|-
| Buddhist Scriptures ||
1 - Mahavansha

2‌‌ - Dipavansha

3‌‌ - Mahabodhivansha

4 - Tripitaka

5 - Divyavadana

6 - Ashokavadana

7 ‌- Vinayapitaka

8 - Mahavansatika (Vansatthappakasini)

9 - Uttara Vihara Attakatha
|-
| Vedic Scriptures ||
1 - Matsya Purana

2 - Vishnu Purana

3‌ - Bhagavata Purana

4 - Bhavishya Purana

5 - Brahmanda Purana

6 - Vayu Purana

7 - Kamandaka Neetisara
|-
| Inscriptions / Rock Edicts Evidence ||
1 - Ashoka's Rock Edicts, Cave Inscriptions, Pillar Edicts

2 - Kharavela's Hathigumpha Rock Edicts

3 - Rudradaman Inscription of Junagarh
|-
| Ancient Historical Books ||
1 - Arthashastra, Kautilya

2 - Mudrarakshasa, Vishakhadatta

3 - Mahabhashya, Patanjali

4 - Malavikagnimitram, Kalidasa

5 - Harshacharita, Banabhatta

6 - Rajatarangini, Kalhana

7 - Indica, Megasthenese

8 - Naturalis Historia, Pliny

9 - Epitome of Trogus, Justin

10 - Geographica, Strabo

11 - Anabasis Alexandri, Arrian

12 - The travels of Fa-Hian, Fa Hian

|}

==In literature==
According to ''Vicarasreni'' of [[Merutunga]], Mauryans rose to power in 312 BC.{{sfn|Kailash Chand Jain|1991|p=85}}

== List of rulers ==

;Rulers-
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor=#cccccc
! colspan=2 | Ruler!!Reign!!Notes
|-
|[[Chandragupta Maurya]]||[[File:Chandragupta Maurya and Bhadrabahu.png|100px]] ||322–297 BCE|| Founder of first Indian united empire.
|-
|[[Bindusara]]||[[File:I42 1karshapana Maurya Bindusara MACW4165 1ar (8486583162).jpg|100px]] ||297–273 BCE||Known for his foreign diplomacy and crushed of [[Vidarbha]] revolt.
|-
|[[Ashoka]]||[[File:Ashoka's visit to the Ramagrama stupa Sanchi Stupa 1 Southern gateway.jpg|100px]] ||268–232 BCE||Greatest emperor of dynasty. His son [[Kunala]] was blinded and died before his father. Ashoka was succeeded by his grandson. Also known for [[Kalinga War]] victory.
|-
|[[Dasharatha Maurya]]||[[File:Dasaratha Maurya inscription on entrance of Vadathika cave.jpg|100px]] ||232–224 BCE||Grandson of Ashoka.
|-
|[[Samprati]]||||224–215 BCE||Brother of Dasharatha.
|-
|[[Shalishuka]]||[[File:Mauryan Empire. temp. Salisuka or later. Circa 207-194 BC.jpg|100px]]||215–202 BCE||
|-
|[[Devavarman (Maurya)|Devavarman]]||||202–195 BCE||
|-
|[[Shatadhanvan]]||||195–187 BCE|| The Mauryan Empire had shrunk by the time of his reign
|-
|[[Brihadratha Maurya|Brihadratha]]||||187–184 BCE|| Assassinated by his Commander-in-chief [[Pushyamitra Shunga]] in 185 BCE.
|-
|}

== Family tree ==

{{Chart top|width=100%|collapsed=yes|Family tree of Maurya Emperors}}

{{Tree chart/start|align=center|style=font-size:95%}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta Maurya]]''' (1) r. 324/1-297 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Bindusara|Bindusara Amitraghata]]''' (2) r. 297-273 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Ashoka|Ashoka the Great]]''' (3) r. 268-232 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |,|-|^|-|.| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | |A02 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01=Child of Ashoka|
A02=[[Kunala]]}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | |A02 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Dasharatha Maurya|Dasharatha]]''' (4) r. 232-224 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700|
A02='''[[Samprati]]''' (5) r. 224-215 BCE|boxstyle_A02=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Shalishuka]]''' (6) r. 215-202 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Devavarman (Maurya)|Devavarman]]''' (7) r. 202-195 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Shatadhanvan]]''' (8) r. 195-187 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Brihadratha Maurya|Brihadratha]]''' (9) r. 187-184 BCE|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FFD700}}

{{Tree chart/end}}

{{Chart bottom}}

==See also==
* [[Magadha]]
*[[Gupta Empire]]
*[[History of India]]
*[[List of Hindu empires and dynasties]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin|40em}}

* {{cite book |author=Alain Daniélou |title=A Brief History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xlwoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1 |year=2003 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-59477-794-3 }}
* {{cite book |author=Arthur Llewellyn Basham |author-link=Arthur Llewellyn Basham |others=foreword by L. D. Barnett |title=History and doctrines of the Ājīvikas: a vanished Indian religion |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5-cYAAAAIAAJ |edition=1 |year=1951 |publisher=Luzac |location=[[London]] }}
* Burton Stein (1998). ''A History of India'' (1st ed.), Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
* {{cite book |author=Geoffrey Samuel |year=2010 |title=The Origins of Yoga and Tantra. Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century |publisher=Cambridge University Press }}
* {{cite book |author=H. C. Raychaudhuri |author-link=Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri |chapter=India in the Age of the Nandas |editor=K. A. Nilakanta Sastri |editor-link=K. A. Nilakanta Sastri |title=Age of the Nandas and Mauryas |edition=Second |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YoAwor58utYC&pg=PA11 |year=1988 |orig-year=1967 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |location=Delhi |isbn=978-81-208-0466-1 }}
* {{cite book |author1=H. C. Raychaudhuri |author1-link=H C Raychaudhuri |author2=B. N. Mukherjee |year=1996 |title=Political History of Ancient India: From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] }}
* {{cite book |author1=Hermann Kulke |author2=Dietmar Rothermund |title=A History of India |edition=4th |year=2004 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=[[London]] |isbn=0-415-15481-2 |ref={{harvid|Hermann Kulke|2004}}}}
* {{cite book |author1=Irfan Habib |author2=Vivekanand Jha |title=Mauryan India |series=A People's History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nUvGQgAACAAJ |year=2004 |publisher=Aligarh Historians Society / [[Tulika Books]] |isbn=978-81-85229-92-8 }}
* J. E. Schwartzberg (1992). ''A Historical Atlas of South Asia''. University of Oxford Press.
* John Keay (2000). ''India, a History''. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
* {{cite book |author=John Cort |author-link=John E. Cort |title=Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MDBpq23-0QoC |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-19-538502-1 }}
* {{cite book |author=John D Grainger |title=Seleukos Nikator (Routledge Revivals): Constructing a Hellenistic Kingdom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0TXKAgAAQBAJ |year=2014 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-317-80098-9 }}
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* {{cite book |author=Kailash Chand Jain |title=Lord Mahāvīra and His Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8-TxcO9dfrcC |date=1991 |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |isbn=978-81-208-0805-8 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Kosmin |first1=Paul J. |author-link=Paul J. Kosmin |title=The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in Seleucid Empire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9UWdAwAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |date=2014 |isbn=978-0-674-72882-0 }}
* {{citation |last=Malalasekera |first=Gunapala Piyasena |title=Encyclopaedia of Buddhism: Acala |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5UfYAAAAMAAJ |year=2002 |publisher=Government of Ceylon}}
* {{cite book |author=R. K. Mookerji |author-link=Radha Kumud Mukherjee |title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA3 |year=1966 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0405-0 }}
* {{citation |last=Mookerji |first=Radha Kumud |author-link=Radha Kumud Mukherjee |title=Chandragupta Maurya and his times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C |edition=4th |year=1988 |orig-year=first published in 1966 |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |isbn=81-208-0433-3}}
* {{cite book |author=R. C. Majumdar |author-link=R. C. Majumdar |title=Ancient India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XNxiN5tzKOgC |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |year=2003 |orig-year=1952 |isbn=81-208-0436-8 }}
* {{citation |last=Roy |first=Kaushik |title=Hinduism and the Ethics of Warfare in South Asia: From Antiquity to the Present |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-107-01736-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRE3n1VwDTIC}}
* {{citation |last=Sen |first=R.K. |title=Journal of the Buddhist Text Society of India |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r0ZBAQAAMAAJ |year=1895 |publisher=The Society |chapter=Origin of the Maurya of Magadha and of Chanakya}}
* {{cite book |author=S. N. Sen |title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC |year=1999 |publisher=New Age International |isbn=978-81-224-1198-0 }}
* {{cite book |author=Upinder Singh |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GW5Gx0HSXKUC |year=2008 |publisher=Pearson |isbn=978-81-317-1677-9 }}
* {{cite book |author=Romila Thapar |title=Early India: From the Origins to A.D. 1300 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5irrXX0apQC |year=2004 |orig-year=first published by Penguin in 2002 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-24225-8 }}
* {{citation |last=Thapar |first=Romila |author-link=Romila Thapar |title=The Past Before Us|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aei9AAAAQBAJ |year=2013 |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |isbn=978-0-674-72651-2 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==

*[https://www.livius.org/man-md/mauryas/mauryas.html Livius.org: Maurya dynasty]
*[http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/ancient/maurya.htm Extent of the Empire]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140328144411/http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/ashoka.html Ashoka's Edicts]

{{S-start}}
{{Succession box
| title = [[Magadha]] Maurya Empire
| years =
| before = [[Nanda dynasty]]
| after = [[Shunga dynasty]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Middle kingdoms of India}}
{{Empires}}
{{Uttarakhand}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maurya Empire}}
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