the mauryan empire

The Mauryan Empire:


Magadha

Between the sixth and the fourth centuries BC Magadha became the

most powerful Mahajanapda.Modern historians explain this

development in a variety of ways: Magadha was a region where

agriculture was especially productive. Besides iron mines were

accessible and provided resources for tools and weapons. Elephants an

important component of the army was found in forests in the region.

Also the Ganga and its tributaries provided a means of cheap and

convenient communication. However early Buddhist and Jaina writers

who wrote about Magdha attributed its power to the policies of

individual's ruthlessly ambitious kings of whom Bimbisara, Ajatshastru

and Mahapadma Nanda are the best known and their ministers who

helped implement their policies. Initially Rajagaha was the capital of

Magadha.

The old name means house of the king.Rajagaha was a fortified

settlement located amongst hills later in the fourth century BC the

capital was shifted to Patliputra commanding routes of communication

along the Ganga.

Mauryans

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 epigraphically sources, literary sources, foreign accounts and

materials obtained from archaeological excavations. The Arthashastra

gives us detailed information about the administrative system of the

Mauryan Empire. The work was written by Kautilya who is also known

as Chanakya.Some scholars think that Kautilya was the real architect

of the Mauryan Empire and was also the prime minister of

Chandragupta Maurya.

Megasthenese the Greek ambassador from the court of Selectus to

that of Chandragupta Maurya wrote accounts of India and Indian

people. His book 'Indica' is lost but some fragments of it are known to

us in the form of quotations in the works of the later Greek writers.

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However the most important and authentic source for the history of

Mauryan period is provided by the inscriptions of Ashoka.

Sources of Mauryan History

1.Epigraphical Evidences

The most authentic source of Mauryan history is the epigraphical

evidence. The edicts of Ashoka are the oldest, the best preserved and

the most precisely dated epigraphic records of India. The inscriptions

are engraved on rocks, boulders, cave walls and pillars of stone. The

inscriptions of Ashoka are of two kinds -the smaller group consists of

declaration of the king as a lay Buddhist to his church. These describe

his own acceptance of Buddhism and his relationship with the

Samgha.The second group of important inscriptions consists of Major

and Minor rock edicts and the pillar edicts.

They describe his famous policy of Dhamma.These inscriptions were

installed in prominent places either near towns or on important trade

and travel routes or in the proximity of religious centres and places of

religious importance.

2.Literary Sources

Of the religious sources the Buddhist and Jain traditions the early

Dharmashastra are of great importance. The Ashokavadana and

Divyavadana are two Buddhist texts containing information about

Bindusara,Ashoka's expeditions to Taxila to suppress a rebellion and

about his conversion to Buddhism.DipVamsa and Maha Vamsa describe

in detail the role played by Ashoka in the spreading of Buddhism in

SriLanka.Chaitra or Parisisthaparvan ( biography of Chanakya) of

Hemachandra provides very interesting information on Chandra Gupta

Maurya.

Amongst the Brahmanical works the Puranas give information on the

history of the Mauryas.Megasthenese 's Indica is another source in

which he had described the physical features of the country-

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soil,climate,animals and plants, its government and religion, the

manners of the people and their art.

This book in original form has been lost. But most passages have been

preserved in form of epitomes and quotations which are found

scattered here and there in the later writings of various Greek and

Roman authors such as Strabo, Arrian and Plinius.Another important

source which gives valuable information on the Mauryan period is the

Arthashastra.It is believed to be the work of Vishnu Gupta Kautilya

also known as Chanakya.He was the chief advisor of Chandragupta

Maurya.His book Arthashastra is a standard work on politics and art of

government.

It is considered to be the most valuable work in the field of secular

literature.Mudra Rakshasa is another important work which throws

some light on Chandragupta Maurya's career. It is a drama written by

Vaisakha Dutta in the Gupta period. The author collected all the

information available to him in the 5th century AD.This drama gives

the detail of the revolution by which Chandragupta Maurya overthrew

the Nandas.It also mentioned that Chandragupta belonged to a low

caste

3.Foreign sources

As a sequence of Alexander's invasions of India a number of Greek

travellers visited India. They gave valuable information of India to the

outside world.Neachus was deputed by Alexander to explore the coast

between the Indus and the Persian Gulf.Onesicritus took part in the

voyage with Neachus and afterwards wrote a book about the voyage

and India.Megasthanese was sent as an ambassador to the court of

Chandragupta Maurya by Seleucus Nikator the Greek ruler of Persia.

His account about Mauryan India is compiled in Indika.

4.Evidences from Art and Architecture

The Mauryan Art remains include chaityas, viharas, stupas, animal

capitals surmounting the pillars. On some pillars the Edicts were

inscribed. These remains give us an information about the material

used at that time about the craftsmanship, about the peaceful times,

efficient administration ,religion of the king and people etc.From these

stupas,pillars,caves we can see the progress of Mauryan art in

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different spheres like architecture,sculpture,art of polishing,

engineering and art of ornamentation.

5.Numismatic Evidence

The Mauryan empire was based on the money economy.Kautilya refers

to suvarna,silver pana and copper mashaka as a token currency. A

horde of punch marked silver coins were found at Golakhpur at a site

of ancient Patliputra belonging to Pre-Mauryan times. Most of these

coins have only symbols like tree in railing, sun, moon, mountain, and

animals, birds etc punched or stamped on them. These symbols on the

coins had probably some connection with local commerce such as the

guilds, local or provincial administration, the royal and dynastic

symbols etc.The sites from where these coins have been found imply

that these places were inhabited during the Mauryan period.

Causes of Magadhan Supremacy

The kingdom of Magadha rose to pre-eminence during the period of

Bimbisara and became the first great empire in India by the time of

Nanda.Magadha occupied a strategic position of geographical

importance. It was bound on the north and west by the river Ganges

and Son on the south by the spurs of the Vindhyas and on the east by

the river Champa.In this way it was safe from all four sides. Even its

two capitals Rajgriha and Patliputra were situated at a strategic

position from a geographic viewpoint. Its first capital Rajagriha was

surrounded by five hills forming a natural defence. While its second

capital Pataliputra being at the junction of the Ganges and the Son had

natural means of defence.

Natural resources were also favourable to Magadha.The rich iron

deposits were situated not far away from Rajgir.It was from this that

its rulers could make effective and strong weapons. Its adversaries

lacked reserves of iron ore and could not equip themselves with

weapons of such high quality. Hence they were easily defeated by

Magadhan rulers. Thus the local iron ore deposits made possible better

implements and weapons and a profitable trade in iron.

The land of Magadha was also fertile which yielded rich harvests.

Heavy rainfall made the land more productive even without irrigation.

They produced varieties of paddy which are mentioned in the early

Buddhist texts. Land taxes could be kept high which proved to be

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regular and substantial source of income to the state without which

the maintenance of a big army could not be possible and the empire

could neither be built nor consolidated. Neighbouring forests provided

timber for buildings and elephants for the army.

Chandragupta Maurya (324-300 BC)

The Buddhist sources like Mahavamsa and Dipavamsa describe

Chandragupta Maurya as a scion of the Kshatriya clan of the Moriyas

branch of Sakyas who lived in Pipphalivana in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The Mudrarakshasa a play written by Vishakha Datta uses the terms

like Vrishla and Kulahina for Chandragupta which mean a person of

humble origin.Tuskin a Greek writer also says that Chandragupta was

born in humble life. According to Buddhist sources Chandragupta's

father was killed in a battle and he was brought up by his maternal

uncle.Chanakya finding the signs of royalty in the child Chandragupta

took him as his pupil and educated him at Taxila which was then a

great centre of learning.Chandragupta's early life and education at

Taxila is indirectly proved by the fact that the Greek sources says that

he had seen Alexander in course of the latter's campaign of Punjab.

Bindusara (300-273 BC)

Chandragupta Maurya was succeeded by his son Bindusara.The Jain

scholar Hemachandra and Tibetan historian Taranath say that

Chanakya outlived Chandragupta and continued as a minister of

Bindusara.From Divyavadana it come to know that Bindusara

appointed his eldest son Sumana as his viceroy at Taxila and Ashoka

at Ujjain.

It also tells that a revolt broke out at Taxila and when it could not be

suppressed by Susima Ashoka was sent to restore peace. Some

scholars give the credit of south India conquest to Bindusara but most

scholars believe that this was done by his father Chandragupta

Maurya.Bindusara continued the policy of friendly relations with

Hellenic world. Pling mentions that Ptolemy Philadelphus of Egypt sent

Dionysius as his ambassador to his court.

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