Mauryan Empire Went Into and Buddhism, the Social Order Largely Centred Decline
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UNIT Emergence of State and Empire 4 Learning Objectives To enable the students to acquire knowledge on the emergence of the first two important empires of India the significance of the invasions of Persians and Greeks the socio-political changes from 6th century to 3rd century BCE. the Pre-Mauryan administration and socio-economic conditions the Dharmic state of Ashoka through his edicts Introduction waterways for trade and travel. Bimbisara, who was a contemporary of Buddha, started the From the sixth century to the third process of empire building in Magadha. It was century BCE, North India passed through strengthened by his son Ajatashatru and then major political and social changes. Buddhism by the Nandas. The empire reached its glory and Jainism emerged as prominent religions and peaked with the advent of the Mauryan having a large number of followers. These Empire founded by Chandragupta Maurya. The two religious systems were antithetical to the first three Mauryan emperors, Chandragupta, mainstream Vedic religion. As a consequence Bindusara and Ashoka, were the best known. of new beliefs and ideas propounded by Jainism After Ashoka, the Mauryan Empire went into and Buddhism, the social order largely centred decline. on Vedic rituals underwent a significant change, Sources as people of many religious faiths were part of the emerging society. On the political front, The names of Chandragupta and his two minor states and federations of clans were successors in the Mauryan period are well merged through conquests to create an empire known now. But reconstructing their lives and during this period, resulting in a large state, careers was a laborious and difficult process ruled by a chakravartin or ekarat (emperor or for the earlier historians. There are hardly one supreme king). The rise of a centralised any comprehensive contemporary accounts empire in the Gangetic plains of present-day or literary works which refer to the Mauryan Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh changed the emperors though they are mentioned in various social, economic and administrative fabric of Buddhist and Jain texts as well as in some Hindu the region. works like the brahmanas. The Mahavamsa, the comprehensive historical chronicle in Pali The flat plains and the availability of from Sri Lanka, is an important additional plentiful water from the perennial rivers, such source. The scattered information from these as the Ganga and its many tributaries, were sources has been corroborated by accounts of among the favourable ecological conditions Greek historians who left their accounts about which promoted the rise of a large state in this India following Alexander’s campaign in north- particular region. Rivers also acted as major western part of the country. 48 XI History - Lesson 4.indd 48 29-02-2020 11:33:16 Archaeology and epigraphy are the Chandragupta. This is of importance for two tools that provide rich information for the reasons: (i) it indicates the extent of the Mauryan historian to understand earlier periods of Empire, which had expanded as far west as Gujarat history. Archaeology is particularly important and (ii) it shows that more than four centuries because excavations reveal the nature of urban after his death, the name of Chandragupta was morphology, that is, layout of the city and still well known and remembered in many parts construction of buildings. They also provide of the country. A second source is a literary work. concrete information about the material culture The play Mudrarakshasa by Visakhadatta was of people in the past, such as the metals that written during the Gupta period, sometime after were known, materials and tools they used, and the 4th century CE. It narrates Chandragupta’s the technology they employed. accession to the throne of the Magadha Empire The archaeological finds in the Gangetic and the exploits of his chief advisor Chanakya regions give us solid proof about the nature of the or Kautilya by listing the strategies he used to urban centres established in the region in course counter an invasion against Chandragupta. This of time. Epigraphical evidence is scanty for the play is often cited as a corroborative source since period. The most widely known are the edicts of it supports the information gathered from other Ashoka, which have been discovered in many contemporary sources about Chandragupta. It parts of the country. In fact, the reconstruction is important to note from both these sources of the Mauryan period to a great extent became that the fame of Chandragupta had survived possible only after the Brahmi script of the long after he was gone and became imbibed in inscriptions at Sanchi was deciphered by James popular lore and memory. They thus attest to Prinsep in 1837. Information about other the significance of oral traditions, which are now edicts in other parts of the country also became accepted as an additional valid source of history. available at that time. It must be remembered 4.1 Rise of Magadha under that these were the oldest historical artefacts found in India in the nineteenth century, until the Haryanka Dynasty archaeological excavations unearthed the Indus Among the 16 valley towns of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro mahajanapadas, Kasi in the twentieth century. All the edicts began was initially powerful. with a reference to a great king, “Thus spoke However, Kosala became devanampiya (beloved of the gods) piyadassi (of dominant later. A pleasing looks)”, and the geographical spread of power struggle broke the edicts make it clear that this was a king who out between Magadha, had ruled over a vast empire. But who was this Kosala, Vrijji and Avanti. king? Puranic and Buddhist texts referred to a Eventually Magadha chakravartin named Ashoka. As more edicts emerged as the dominant Bimbisara were deciphered, the decisive identification that mahajanapada and devananampiya piyadassi was Ashoka was made established the first Indian empire. The first in 1915. One more edict when deciphered, which known ruler of Magadha was Bimbisara of the referred to him as devanampiya Ashoka, made Haryanka dynasty. He extended the territory reconstruction of Mauryan history possible. of Magadhan Empire by matrimonial alliances Let us now turn to two later sources. The and conquests. By marrying off his sister to first is the rock inscription of Junagadh, near Prasenajit, ruler of Kosala, he received Kasi Girnar in Gujarat. This was carved during the as dowry. He also married the princesses of reign of Rudradaman, the local ruler and dates Lichchhavis and Madra. He maintained friendly back to 130–150 CE. It refers to Pushyagupta, relations with Avanti but annexed Anga by the provincial governor (rashtriya) of Emperor military might. Thus, Magadha became a Emergence of State and Empire 49 XI History - Lesson 4.indd 49 29-02-2020 11:33:17 powerful and prominent power. During his Nandas. During the process of empire building, reign, Bimbisara patronised various religious Nandas exterminated many kshatriya clans and sects and their leaders. He had an encounter subjugated kshatriya-ruled kingdoms, which had with Buddha as well. still retained a degree of autonomous authority, thus creating a centralised state. An inscription His son Ajatashatru ascended the known as the Hathigumpha (elephant cave) throne by killing his father. King Prasenajit from Udayagiri near Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, immediately took back Kasi, which he had records the aqueduct built by King Nanda three handed out as dowry to Bimbisara. This led to hundred years earlier. This is also indicative of a military confrontation between Magadha and the geographical extent of the Nanda Empire. Kosala. The struggle lasted until Prasenajit was Though the Nandas were able administrators overthrown and died at Rajgriha, the capital of and had strengthened the Magadha Empire, Magadha Empire. Kosala was then annexed to they were not popular among the people. Magadha. Ajatashatru also fought and won the battle against the Lichchhavis. He defeated the 4.3 Persian and Lichchhavis and the Mallas. Ajatashatru is also Macedonian Invasions believed to have met Buddha in his lifetime. By the time Ajatashatru died in 461 BCE Magadha The period from the sixth century witnessed had become undisputedly the strongest power. close cultural contact of the north-west of India The Haryanka dynasty was succeeded by with Persia and Greece. It might be surprising to the Shishunaga dynasty. Shishunaga, a viceroy know that Gandhara and its adjoining regions of Benaras, deposed the last Haryanka king and on the Indus were part of the Achaemenid ascended the throne. The Shishunagas ruled Empire of Persia. Cyrus, the emperor of Persia, for fifty years before the throne was usurped by invaded India around 530 BCE and destroyed Mahapadma Nanda. the city of Kapisha. According to Greek historian Herodotus, Gandhara constituted the twentieth 4.2 Nandas: The First and the richest satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire Builders of India Empire. The region continued to be part of the Persian Empire till the invasion of Alexander About a hundred years after Ajatashatru’s the Great. The inscriptions of Darius I mention demise, the Nandas became the emperors the presence of the Persians in the Indus region of Magadha in 362 BCE. The first Nanda and include “the people of Gadara, Haravati and ruler was Mahapadma. It is believed that he Maka” as subjects of the Achaemenid Empire. usurped the throne by murdering the last of the Shishunaga kings. Under the Nandas, the Taxila empire expanded considerably, and the wealth Takshashila or Taxila is situated in and power of the Nandas became widely present-day Pakistan. Between the fifth century known and feared. Mahapadma Nanda was and fourth century BCE, it was part of the succeeded by his eight sons, and they were Achaemenid Empire of Persia. Because of its together known as the navanandas or the nine strategic location on the trade route between the A centralised state required a new administrative framework to govern an extensive territory, the creation of a bureaucracy, resources of money and men for managing the administration and the army.