The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE.
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 was dependent on the loyalty of military commanders who controlled the armed cities sprinkling it.
During Ashoka's rule (ca. 268–232 BCE) the empire briefly controlled the major urban hubs and arteries of the Indian subcontinent except for the deep south. 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.
Sources of information about Mauryas
Literary sources
- Kautilya’s ‘Arthasastra’
- Megasthenese’s ‘Indica’
- Visakha Datta’s ‘Mudra Rakshasa’: although it was written during Gupta Period, it describes how Chandragupta Maurya got Chanakya’s assistance to overthrow Nandas.
- Puranas
- Buddhist text Jatakas portrays a general picture of socio-economic conditions of the Mauryan Period.
- Buddhist chronicles Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa describe the part played by Ashok in spread in Buddhism to Sri Lanka. 7. Tibetan Buddhist text Divyavadana gives information about Ashoka and his efforts to spread Buddhism
Archaeological Sources
- Punch mark coins
- Wooden palace of Chandragupta Maurya
- Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW)
- Ashokan Edicts and Inscriptions: There are Rock Edicts, Pillar Edicts, and Cave inscriptions located at several places in the Indian subcontinent.
Ashokan Edicts
- Edicts were written on rocks & pillars
- All pillar edicts are carved out of Chunar hills and from there they were dispatched to different places.
- The inscriptions are mostly in the Prakrit language and Brahmi script. In the Northwestern region, they are written in the Prakrit language & Khroshti and Aramaic script.
- In Afghanistan, they are written in Aramaic script and Greek language.
- At Sabhazgarhi and Manshera the script is Khroshti
- At Kandhar, the edicts found are bilingual.
Major rock edicts: various principles of dhamma
Minor rock edicts: a personal history of Ashoka & summary of his dhamma
Pillar edicts: appendix to rock edits
Contents of Major Rock Edict
- Prohibition of animal sacrifices & festive gatherings.
- Measures of social welfare and medical missions are sent everywhere.
- Respect to Brahamanas.
- Courtesy to relatives, and elders, and consideration for animals.
- Appointment of Dhamma Mahamatras & their duties.
- Need for efficient organization of administration (orders to Dhamma Mahamatras).
- Need for tolerance among all religious sects. “All sects dwell in peace”.
- System of Dhamma-yatras.
- Attack on meaningless ceremonies & rituals.
- Conquest through Dhamma instead of war.
- Explanation of Dhamma policy.
- Appeal for tolerance among all religious sects.
- Kalinga war, mention five contemporary Hellenic (Greek) kings.
- Inspiration to spend religious life.
- 1st separate Rock edict at Dhauli talks about “All subjects are my children” Origin of the Mauryas
- Buddhist texts describe them as Kshatriyas, According to Jaina texts Mauryas were neither of higher nor of lower origin
- The Puranas and Bhramanic literature describe them as Shudras. ‘Mudrakshasa’ of Vishakhadatta uses the terms like Vishal or Kulhina
- Justin describes Chandragupta only as a man of humble origin.
- The Junagarh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman (150 AD) has some indirect evidence, which suggests that the Mauryas may have been of Vaishya origin.
Chandragupta Maurya (322–298 B.C.)
- Chandragupta dethroned the last Nanda ruler Dhananand, he first captured the region of North West
- Apianus tells us that in 305 BC, Chandragupta Maurya defeated Selecus Nikator at the bank of river Indus, who surrendered a vast territory including Aria (herat), Arachosiam(Kandhar), Gedrosia (Baluchistan) & Paropanisade (Kabul), in return for 500 elephants.
- After the treaty with Selecus Nikator, the boundary of the empire reached up-to Hindukush.
- Megasthenese was a Greek ambassador sent to the court of Chandragupta Maurya by
- Selecus Nikator. Chandragupta adopted Jainism and went to Chandragiri Hill, Sravanbelgola
- (Karnataka) with Bhadrabahu, where he died by slow starvation.
- Under Chandragupta Maurya, for the first time, the whole of Northern India was united.
Bindusara: (298 –273 B.C.)
- Chandragupta Maurya was succeeded by his son Bindusara.
- He is known by different names like Madrasar, Simhasena, and Amitrochates
- King of Syria Antiochus I sent his ambassador Diamakus to the court of Bindusara. Antiochus I asked for sweet wine, dried figs, and a sophist. Wine and figs were sent but sophists were not. Bindusara patronized the Ajivika sect.
Ashoka:
The names of Ashoka from different sources are as:
Ashoka --------------------------------------Maski minor rock edict.
Devanampriyas Ashoka Rajas ----------Gurjara minor rock edict
Piyadassi Raja ---------------------------- Barabar cave inscription
Piyadassi ---------------------------------- Kandhar major rock edict
Ashoka Maurya ---------------- Rudradaman’s Junagarh rock edict
- According to Buddhist tradition, Ashoka usurped the throne after killing his 99 brothers and spared Tissa, the youngest one.
- This war of succession accounts for an interregnum of four years (273-269 BC), and only after securing his position on the throne, Ashoka had himself formally crowned in 269 BC.
- Radhagupta a minister of Bindusara helped him in a fratricidal struggle and captured the throne
- The queens of Ashoka were Assandhimitta, Kaurvaki, and Padmavati. Devi was his first love but she never got the status of queen.
- Under Ashoka, the Mauryan Empire reached its climax. For the first time, the whole of the sub-continent, leaving out the extreme south, was under imperial control.
- Ashoka fought the Kalinga war in 261 BC in the 9th year of his coronation. The King was moved by a massacre in this war and therefore abandoned the policy of physical occupation in favor of the policy of cultural conquest.
Ashokan Dhamma
- Ashoka’s Dhamma was different from Buddhism.
- Dhamma propagated the tenets of tolerance as well as moral and ethical conduct.
- Its broad objective was to preserve the social order as with the expansion of Mauryan
- Empire the population had become heterogeneous, diverse and multi-racial.
- It ordained that people should obey their parents, pay respect to Brahmanas and Buddhist monks and show mercy to slaves and servants.
- He held that if people behaved well they would attain Swarga (heaven).
Later Mauryas (232 – 185 B.C.)
- The Mauryan dynasty lasted for about 137 years.
- The three Mauryan rulers ruled for 90 years and later Mauryas for only 47 years
- Ashoka’s death was followed by the division of the Mauryan Empire into two parts- Western and Eastern. The Western part came to be ruled by Kunala and then by Samprati for a short while.
- The Eastern part came to be ruled by Dasaratha.
- The last Mauryan ruler, Brihadratha, was assassinated in 185 BC by his commander-in-chief, Pushyamitra Sunga, who established his own Sunga dynasty.
Mauryan administration
The Mauryan government was a centralized bureaucracy with king as the fountainhead of all the powers. However, he was assisted by the council of ministers i.e. Mantri Parishad.
According to Kautilya / Chanakya, there are 7 elements of states (Saptanga theory):
1. Raja (the king)
2. Amatya (the secretaries)
3. Janapada (territory)
4. Durg (fort)
5. Kosha (the treasure)
6. Sena (Army)
7. Mitra (Friend)
State during this period actively took part, as well as regulated trade and commerce. The officers were paid a salary in cash.
Local and Municipal Administration
- The provinces were divided into districts which were known as Vish or Ahara
- The three officials mentioned in Ashokan edicts i.e. Yukta, Rajjuka, and Pradeshika were associated with the district administration
- The Gramika was the head of the village
- Nagaraja was the chief officer responsible for the law and order in the city.
- The municipal administration of the cities was excellent during the Mauryan period.
- Megasthenese gives an account of the committee system of administering the municipalities in the cities.
There were 6 committees of five members each. The functions of these six committees were:
1. Industrial Arts
2. Entertainment of Foreigners
3. Registration of Births & Deaths
4. Trade & Commerce
5. Public sale of manufactured goods
6. Collection of taxes on the articles sold
Economy:
- The state took active participation in the economy
- Shudras were involved in agriculture for the first time
- Crown land was called Sita
- There were provisions for irrigation by the state
- The normal taxation rate was one-sixth of the produce
- The weight and measures were regulated by the states
- Tolls were also levied on commodities brought to town for sale & they were collected at the gate.
- The state enjoyed a monopoly in mining, forest, salt, sale of liquor, manufacture of arms, etc.
- Sohgaura (Gorakhpur district, U.P.) copper plate inscription & Mahasthana (Bogart district, Bangladesh) inscription deal with the relief measures to be adopted during a famine. Army:
- The most striking feature of the Mauryan administration was the maintenance of a huge army.
- Kautilya permitted all four varnas to serve in the army
- According to Pliny, Mauryas maintained a Navy
