Bindusara: Difference between revisions

{{For|the river|Bindusara River}}

{{Use Indian English|date=October 2013}}

| alt          = Coin of Bindusara

| reign        = {{circa|297|273 BCE}}

| coronation  = c. 297 BCE

| successor    = [[Ashoka]] (son)

| death_date  = c. 273 BCE

| dynasty      = [[Maurya Empire|Maurya]]

| father      = [[Chandragupta Maurya]]

}}

{{Maurya}}

Bindusara consolidated the empire created by his father. The 16th century [[Tibetan Buddhism|Tibetan Buddhist]] author [[Taranatha]] credits his administration with extensive territorial conquests in [[South India|southern India]], but some historians doubt the historical authenticity of this claim.

=== Territorial conquests ===

The 16th century Tibetan Buddhist author [[Taranatha]] states that [[Chanakya]], one of Bindusara's "great lords", destroyed the nobles and kings of 16 towns and made him master of all the territory between the western and the eastern seas ([[Arabian Sea]] and the [[Bay of Bengal]]). According to some historians, this implies conquest of [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]] by Bindusara, while others believe that this only refers to suppression of revolts.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=331}}

The ''[[Mahavamsa]]'' suggests that Bindusara appointed his son [[Ashoka]] as the viceroy of [[Ujjayini]].{{sfn|Srinivasachariar|1974|p=lxxxvii}} ''Ashokavadana'' states that Bindusara sent Ashoka to lay siege to [[Takshashila]]. The Emperor refused to provide any weapons or chariots for Ashoka's expedition. The [[devata]]s (deities) then miraculously brought him soldiers and weapons. When his army reached Takshashila, the residents of the city approached him. They told him that they only opposed Bindusara's oppressive ministers; they had no problem with the Emperor or the prince. Ashoka then entered the city without opposition, and the devatas declared that he would rule the entire earth one day. Shortly before Bindusara's death, there was a second revolt in Takshashila. This time, Sushima was sent to quell the rebellion, but he failed in the task.<ref name="EB_legends"/>

''Ashokavadana'' suggests that Bindusara had 500 royal councillors. It names two officials – Khallataka and Radhagupta – who helped his son Ashoka became the emperor after his death.<ref name="EB_legends"/>

Bindusara maintained friendly diplomatic relations with the Greeks. [[Deimachus|Deimachos of Plateia]] was the ambassador of [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid]] emperor [[Antiochus I]] at Bindusara's court.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mookerji |first1=Radhakumud |title=Chandragupta Maurya and His Times |date=1966 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=9788120804050 |page=38 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA38 |language=en}}</ref>{{sfn|Sen|1999|p=142}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Talbert |first1=Richard J. A. |last2=Naiden |first2=Fred S. |title=Mercury's Wings: Exploring Modes of Communication in the Ancient World |date=2017 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190663285 |page=295 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uEe1DgAAQBAJ&pg=PT295 |language=en}}</ref> Deimachos seems to have written a treatise entitled "On Piety" (''Peri Eusebeias'').<ref>{{cite book |last1=Erskine |first1=Andrew |title=A Companion to the Hellenistic World |date=2009 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9781405154413 |page=421 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=krJF3rnhQdsC&pg=PA421 |language=en}}</ref> The 3rd century Greek writer [[Athenaeus]], in his ''[[Deipnosophistae]]'', mentions an incident that he learned from [[Hegesander (historian)|Hegesander]]'s writings: Bindusara requested Antiochus to send him sweet [[wine]], dried [[common fig|figs]] and a [[sophist]].{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=35}} Antiochus replied that he would send the wine and the figs, but the Greek laws forbade him to sell a sophist.{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=38}}<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ADJpAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA99 |title=A Cabinet of Greek Curiosities: Strange Tales and Surprising Facts from the Cradle of Western Civilization |author=J. C. McKeown |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2013 |isbn=9780199982110 |page=99 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Athenaeus (of Naucratis) |author-link=Athenaeus |others=Literally Translated by C. D. Yonge, B. A. |title=The Deipnosophists, or, Banquet of the learned of Athenaeus |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g98IAAAAQAAJ |volume=III |year=1854 |publisher=Henry G. Bohn |location=London |page=1044 |id=Original Classification Number: 888 A96d tY55 1854 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231230353/http://books.google.com/books?id=g98IAAAAQAAJ |archive-date=31 December 2013}}</ref> Bindusara's request for a sophist probably reflects his intention to learn about the Greek philosophy.{{sfn|Irfan Habib|Vivekanand Jha|2004|p=20}}

Historical evidence suggests that Bindusara died in the 270s BCE. According to Upinder Singh, Bindusara died around 273 BCE.{{sfn|Singh|2008|p=331}} [[Alain Daniélou]] believes that he died around 274 BCE.{{sfn|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|Sen|1999|p=142}}

According to the ''Mahavamsa'', Bindusara reigned for 28 years, while according to the Puranas, he ruled for 25 years.{{sfn|Romila Thapar|1961|p=13}} The Buddhist text ''[[Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa|Manjushri-Mula-Kalpa]]'' claims that he ruled for 70 years, which is not historically accurate.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e9gcAAAAMAAJ |title=Bimbisāra to Aśoka: With an Appendix on the Later Mauryas |author=Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya |publisher=Roy and Chowdhury |year=1977 |page=102 }}</ref>

* {{cite book |last=Daniélou |first=Alain |author-link=Alain Daniélou |title=A Brief History of India |url=https://archive.org/details/briefhistoryofin00dani |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/briefhistoryofin00dani/page/139 139] |year=2003 |publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co |isbn=978-1-59477-794-3 }}

* {{cite book |first=Ananda W. P. |last=Guruge |author-link=Ananda W. P. Guruge |title=Aśoka, the Righteous: A Definitive Biography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dwjjAAAAMAAJ |year=1993 |publisher=Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Information |isbn=978-955-9226-00-0 }}

* {{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 |last=Sastri |first=K. A. Nilakanta |author-link=K. A. Nilakanta Sastri |title=Age of the Nandas and Mauryas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YoAwor58utYC&pg=PA165 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1988 |isbn=9788120804661 }}