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The Mauryans THE MAURYANS Rise of the Mauryans to Justin, a Greek writer, he overthrew Nandas • Closeness to the source of natural resources like between 325-322 B.C. According to Plutarch, he met iron ores enabled the Magadhan princes to equip Alexander in Punjab and implicitly invited him to themselves with weapons. attack Nandas but offended him by his boldness of speech. • Agricultural tools of iron, which increased production and added to royal taxation alongwith • Chandragupta occupied Magadhan throne in 321 the alluvial soil of Gangatic plains and suffi cient B.C. with the help of Chanakya (Kautilya). rainfall which were very conducive for agricultural • He had allied with a Himalayan chief Parvartaka. practices. • He defeated Seleucus Nicator, then Alexander’s • Rise of towns and use of metallic money boosted governor in 305 B.C. who ceded to Chandragupta trade and commerce, which increased royal the three rich provinces of Kabul, KandaharY and revenue. Heart in return for 500 elephants. • Use of elephants on a large scale in its war supplied • Seleucus probably gave one of his daughters by the eastern part of the country added to the to Chandragupta and sent his ambassador, military power. Megasthenes to the Mauryan Court, who wrote • The unorthodox character of the Magadhan Society an account (Indica) not only of the administration as a result of racial admixture. of the city of Pataliputra but also of the entire Mauryan Empire. Historical Sources • The Greek writer Justin calls Chandragupta’s army • The history of Mauryas, unlike that of the earlier as a “Dacoits gang”. ruling houses, is rendered reliable by a variety • According to the Jain work Parishista-parvan, of evidences drawn from such sources as the Chandragupta converted to Jainism in the end years Buddhist and the Jain traditions; the Kalpasuta of of his life and went to south near Sravanbelgola Jains and the Jatakas, Dighanikaya, Dipavamsa and with his Guru Bhadrabahu. It is said that he starved Mahavamsa of Buddhists respectively. himself to death here. • The Arthashastra of Kautilya, the Greek accounts, • According to the same text, Chanakya made the first decipherable inscription of Ashoka Chandragupta enter into an alliance with (deciphered by James Princip in 1837) and the Paravartaka (king of Himvatakuta) and the allied archaeological remains. armies besieged Pataliputra. • The Puranas and Mudrarakshasa of Vishakhadutta • Vishakhadatta wrote a drama Mudrarakshasa though belong to a later date, throw light on the (describing Chandragupta’s enemy) and Debi history of the MauryansHRONICLE alongwith Patanjali’s Chandraguptam in 6th century A.D. Mahabhashya. Bindusara ChandraguptaC Maurya • Bindusara was the son of Chandragupta and was • Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of known as Amitraghata (slayer of foes), besides Mauryan dynasty. Also known as Sandrocottus the master of the land between the two seas (kind towards friends) by Greek scholars. – Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Succeeded • Brahmanical sources (Mudrarakshasa) say that the Chandragupta in 297 B.C. name Maurya was derived from Mura; a Shudra • He continued friendly links with Syrian king woman in the court of Nandas, and Chandragupta Antiochus I and is stated to have requested him for was son or grandson of the woman. a present of fi gs and wine together with a sophist • Vishnu Purana also IASmentions him of low originACADEM to which Antiochus sent fi gs and wine but replied i.e. a Shudra. But the Buddhist and Jain sources that Greek philosophers were not for export. ascribed him a Kshatriya status. • He also received a Greek ambassador Daimachos • His early career is shrouded in mystery. According from Antiochus I. © Chronicle IAS Academy ANCIENT 26 • Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt also sent an envoy • Ashoka’s Hellenistic contemporaries were Dionysius to Bindusara’s court. Antiochus II of Syria, Ptolemy II Philadelphus of • History credits him with the suppression of a revolt Egypt, Magas of Cyrene, Antigonus Gonatas of and further for the redressal of grievances against Macedonia and Alexander of Epirus. These are the misrule of wicked bureaucrats (dustanatyas). mentioned in his thirteenth Rock Edict. • According to Tibetan Lama Taranath and • Ashoka was the fi rst Indian king to speak directly Jain legends, Chanakya was the minister of to the people through his inscriptions, which seem Bindusara. to be the earliest specimens of Prakrit language in • There was a council of ministers of 500 members India. in the court of Bindusara, which was headed by • They are mostly engraved on rocks and found not Khallatak. only in Indian subcontinent but also in Afghanistan. • Bindusara did not make any territorial conquest These inscriptions communicate royal orders. These and towards the time of his death he joined the inscriptions were composed in Prakrit and were Ajivika sect. written in Brahmi script throughout the greater part of the empire. But in the north-western part Ashoka they appear in Aramaic and Kharoshthi script. • Ashoka (273-232 B.C.) had served as governor of • In his inscriptions following languages have been Taxila and Ujjain previously. used: Brahmi, Kharoshthi, Aramaic, Greek,Y etc. • Ashoka is called ‘Buddhashakya and Ashok’ • The Ashokan inscriptions were generally placed in Maski edict and ‘Dharmasoka’ in Sarnath on ancient highways and threw light on the career inscription. He was also known as ‘Devampriya’ i.e. of Ashok’s policies and the extent of his empire. beloved of the Gods and ‘Piyadassi’ i.e. of pleasing • Tarai pillars show Ashoka’s respect for appearance. Buddhism. • His empire covered the whole territory from • Ashoka in his fi fth rock edict mentions that he Hindukush to Bengal and extended over to had several brothers and sisters. Two of these Afghanistan, Baluchistan and the whole of India brothers are named in Divyavadana as Susima with the exception of a small area in the farthest and Vuigatasoka, whom the Sinhalese chronicles, south comprising of Kerela. Kashmir and Valleys name as Sumana and Tishya. The former was of Nepal were also included and was the first step-brother of Ashoka. Ashoka’s mother was empire to do so. Assam was not included in his Subhadrangi. dominion. • Ashoka does not call himself by his personal name • The Kalinga War fought in 261 B.C. and mentioned Ashoka in any of his inscriptions except two: these in XIII Rock Edict changed his attitude towards life are Maski and Gujarra inscriptions. and he became a Buddhist. • Ashoka died in 232 B.C. and with him departed the • He inaugurated his Dharmayatras from the 11th glory of Mauryan Empire. year of his reign by visiting Bodhgaya. Ashokan Edicts • In the 14th year of his reign he started the institution of Dhamma Mahamatras (the offi cers • Major Rock Edicts of righteousness) to spread the message of HRONICLEThese are related to administration and ethics. Dhamma. • During his reign the policy of Bherighosha (physical 1st Rock Edict: It puts prohibition on animal conquest) was replaced by that of Dhammaghosha sacrifi ces in festive gatherings. Interestingly, only (cultural conquest).C three animals (2 peacocks and 1 deer) could be used • In course of his second tour in the 21st year of his for the royal kitchen as well instead of hundreds of reign he visited Lumbini, the birth place of Buddha them used earlier. and exempted the village from Bali (tribute) and 2nd Rock Edict: It mentions about the medical the Bhaga (the royal share of the produce) which missions sent everywhere for both men and animals were reduced to one eighth. by Ashoka. It mentions Chola, Chera, Pandaya and • He organized a network of missionaries to preach Satyaputra and has also a list of herbs and trees to the doctrine of BuddhismIAS both in his kingdom ACADEM be planted in different areas. and beyond. He sent them to Ceylon, Burma (sent 3rd Rock Edict: In the 12th year of Ashoka’s his son Mahindra and daughter Sangamitra to inauguration the edict enjoins a quenquennial hu- Ceylon) and other South-east Asian regions notably miliation. Thailand. 4th Rock Edict: In the 12th year of Ashoka’s reign © Chronicle IAS Academy ANCIENT 27 compares the past condition of the kingdom with offi cer will tour every fi ve years to see that men are that of the present. never imprisoned or tortured without good reason. 5th Rock Edict: It, for the fi rst time, mentions about The prince of Ujjain shall send out a similar group the appointment of the Dhamma-mahamatras to look of offi cers, but at intervals not exceeding three years, after propagation of Dhamma. They were appointed similarly at Taxila. in the 13th year of Ashoka’s consecration. Second Separate Edict: Addressed to the prince 6th Rock Edict: It shows his concern for the peo- at Tosali and the offi cials at Samapa, it states that ple’s grievances for round the clock consultations or the offi cers shall at all times attend to the concilia- any type of appeal and that the mahamattas should tion of the people of the frontiers and to promoting communicate to him all the matters concerning public Dhamma among them. business even if he is in his harem. It announces the • Minor Inscriptions appointment of pativedakas, custodies morum and criminal magistrates. Queen’s Edict: On the Allahabad pillar, the gift 7th Rock Edict: It contains the kings desire to of the second queen, the mother of Tivara, Karuvaki obliterate diversities of religious opinions and tells for dispensing charity or any other donation. us that Ashoka, after ten years since his consecra- tion, visited Bodhi tree, ended all pleasure tours and Barabar Cave Inscription: instead, concentrated on the Dhamma tours. (i) In 12th year the Banyan cave given to Ajivikas. 8th Rock Edict: It contrasts the carnal enjoyments (ii) In 12th year cave in Khalitika mountainY given to of former rajas with the harmless enjoyments of the Ajivikas.
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