The Empires of Classical India
By Cade Glover
Mauryan Empire
Rise of the Empire
The Mauryan (Maurya) Empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya around 322 B.C., after he conquered Macedonian fragmented satrapies left by Alexander the Great and the kingdom of Magadha. The government took the form of an absolute monarchy and quickly formed a powerful military and political empire. Under the rule of key emperors such as Maurya, Bindusara, and Ashoka, the empire rapidly expanded towards the west and north reaching its peak under the rule of Emperor Ashoka after he conquered Kalinga in the southern region around 260 B.C.
Key Emperors
The three most significant emperors of the Mauryan Empire were Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara, and Ashoka. Chandragupta Maurya was the first emperor and founder of the Mauryan Empire around 322 B.C. He established a centralized state with a highly advanced administrative system. Under his rule, the Mauryan Empire was able to conquer most of the northwestern land after taking the Nanda Empire and Seleucid Persia. He then took a significant amount of land in the south after expanding into the Deccan Plateau. His reign lasted until 298 B.C. when he died and his position was inherited by his son Bindusara. Under his rule, Bindusara was able to extend the empire farther south after conquering after he conquered sixteen states. He became known as Amitrochates which means "Destroyer of Foes." Not much more is known about him, but his rule was able to set the stage for his son Ashoka who took over in 273 B.C. after Bindusara died in 272 B.C. Ashoka is known as the greatest of the Indian Monarchs and one of the greatest rulers of all time. He asserted the superiority of the Mauryan Empire and through his rule was able to conquer Kalinga, which was the highlight of his rule. As he took on the teachings of Gautama Buddha, he turned from war and violence and set the stage for a mass takeover of the Buddhist religion. He increased relations and kept peace in the empire until his death in 232 B.C.
Relationships
No strong relationships were formed until Ashoka came to power and adopted the practices of Gautama Buddha. With this idea of peace radiating through the kingdom, the Mauryan Empire was able to form relationships the three Tamil dynasties of Chola, Chera, and Pandya. His relations expanded across Asia and Europe, with the help of Buddhist missions that he sponsored. Another important relationship was with the people of Kalinga that he had conquered. Some say that his determination to keep peace and relationships formed was the reason he became one of the most successful monarchs in Indian history.
Religion
Three main religions dominated the Mauryan Empire. The first is Jainism which was adopted by the first emperor, Chandragupta Maurya. It was the first major religion of the empire, and inspired people including Maurya to live a nomadic lifestyle of a monk. The religious beliefs of Jainism continued throughout the Mauryan Empire and was practiced in a very minute way. The second major religion was Hinduism, which was adopted by Ashoka prior to his switch to Buddhism. During the time of Hindu dominance, philosophical idea such as ahimsa become popular around the empire, but overtime as the government began to advocate peace, ideas such as the caste system and discrimination became unpopular therefor leading to the decline of Hinduism. The third major religion is Buddhism. This religion became popular after Ashoka embraced it and its culture. Buddhist played a major role in the success of the Mauryan empire and all of India as a whole. Buddhism encouraged Ashoka to give up violence and expansionism for a life of peace, which led to the formation of relationships between other states and empires. Without these relationships, it is uncertain if the Mauryan empire would have lasted as long as it did or have an influence on other empires like it did. The religion continued to prosper even after the death of Ashoka until the invasion of the white Huns during the 5th century A.D. Indian Ocean Trade played a big role in the spread of these religions and continued to do so overtime.
*Below is the Great Stupa, one of the only surviving Buddhist monuments.
Influence
Not much influence occurred during the Mauryan Empire considering that it was not conquered but instead fell because of weak successors that came after Ashoka and internal corruption of the empire as well as the shear size of the empire. The Mauryan Empire did experience a few greek invasion after the death of Ashoka, but this had little influence on the Indian society. It wasn't until later that India was influenced when participation in Indian Ocean Trade increased and attacks became more frequent. The only real major influence besides that occurred as different religions made their way into the economy which promoted a change in philosophy and formed the early stages of India's social hierarchy.
Contributions
One of the most impactful contributions of the Mauryan Empire was the spread of Buddhism though missionary work, like when he sent his children to Sri Lanka to spread the idea. The Mauryan Empire also succeeded in the unification of India through military force and finally a time of peace, which help set the stage for one of the largest and heavily populated countries in the world. Overall, the Empire created advanced infrastructure that carried on into the Gupta empire and laid the backbone for India by forming the geographic boundaries which are reflected in the geography of India today.
CCOT
One change that occurred after the fall of the Mauryan Empire was the formation of a decentralized government. The government of the Mauryan Empire was revolved around one central power, the Sultan, but as the Gupta and Delhi Sultanate rose to power, Nobles were assigned to different regions, so the empire could delegate the power to govern the people across the stretched out empires. One continuity is that the foreign policy created by Chandragupta Maurya was carried out by his son, Bindusara, and grandson Ashoka. All three rulers annexed territories and suppressed revolts throughout the Mauryan Empire.
Fall of Empire
After the death of Ashoka, a series of weak successors took over which continued to for the next fifty or so years until the fall of the Mauryan Empire due to internal corruption and division. The empire fragmented into multiple independent states and the was eventually replaced with multiple kingdoms. India will not become united again until the formation of the Gupta Empire around 375 A.D.
*Below shows the formation of states and kingdoms that rose up after the fall of the Mauryan Empire