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( August 2015 ) Maurya Empire 322 BCE -- 180 BCE The maximum extent of the Maurya Empire, as shown in many modern maps Capital Pataliputra ( Present - day Patna, Bihar ) Languages Old Indic Languages ( e.g. Sanskrit, Magadhi Prakrit, Other Prakrits ) Religion Hinduism ( Brahmanism ) Buddhism Jainism Ājīvika Government Absolute monarchy as described in Chanakya 's Arthashastra Emperor 322 -- 298 BCE Chandragupta 298 -- 272 BCE Bindusara 268 -- 232 BCE Ashoka 232 -- 224 BCE Dasharatha 224 -- 215 BCE Samprati 215 -- 202 BCE Shalishuka 202 -- 195 BCE Devavarman 195 -- 187 BCE Shatadhanvan 187 -- 180 BCE Brihadratha Historical era Antiquity Established 322 BCE Disestablished 180 BCE Area 250 BCE 5,000,000 km ( 1,900,000 sq mi ) Currency Panas Preceded by Succeeded by Nanda Empire Mahajanapada Magadha Shunga Empire Satavahana dynasty Mahameghavahana dynasty Indo - Scythians Today part of India Pakistan Bangladesh Afghanistan Nepal Iran Maurya Empire ( 322 BCE -- 180 BCE ) Chandragupta ( 322 -- 297 BCE ) Bindusara ( 297 -- 272 / 268 BCE ) Ashoka ( 272 / 268 -- 232 BCE ) Dasharatha ( 232 -- 224 BCE ) Samprati ( 224 -- 215 BCE ) Shalishuka ( 215 -- 202 BCE ) Devavarman ( 202 -- 195 BCE ) Shatadhanvan ( 195 -- 187 BCE ) Brihadratha ( 187 -- 180 BCE ) Part of a series on the History of India Ancient Madrasian Culture Soanian, c. 500,000 BCE Neolithic, c. 7600 -- c. 3300 BCE Bhirrana 7570 - 6200 BCE Indus Valley Civilization, c. 3300 -- c. 1700 BCE Post Indus Valley Period, c. 1700 -- c. 1500 BCE Vedic Civilization, c. 1500 -- c. 500 BCE Early Vedic Period Rise of Śramaṇa movement Later Vedic Period Spread of Jainism - Parshvanatha Spread of Jainism - Mahavira Rise of Buddhism Mahajanapadas, c. 500 -- c. 345 BCE Nanda Dynasty, c. 345 -- c. 322 BCE Classical Maurya Dynasty, c. 322 -- c. 185 BCE Shunga Dynasty, c. 185 -- c. 75 BCE Kanva Dynasty, c. 75 -- c. 30 BCE Kushan Dynasty, c. 30 -- c. 230 CE Satavahana Dynasty, c. 30 BCE -- c. 220 CE Gupta Dynasty, c. 200 -- c. 550 CE Early Medieval Chalukya Dynasty, c. 543 -- c. 753 CE Harsha 's Dynasty, c. 606 CE -- c. 647 CE Karakota Dynasty, c. 724 -- c. 760 CE Arab Invasion, c. 738 CE Tripartite Struggle, c. 760 -- c. 973 CE Gurjara - Pratihara Dynasty Rastrakuta Dynasty Pala Dynasty Chola Dynasty, c. 848 -- c. 1251 CE 2nd Chalukya Dynasty, c. 973 -- c. 1187 CE Late Medieval Delhi Sultanate, c. 1206 -- c. 1526 CE Slave Dynasty Khalji Dynasty Tugluq Dynasty Sayyid Dynasty Lodhi Dynasty Pandyan Dynasty, c. 1251 -- c. 1323 CE Vijayanagara, c. 1336 -- c. 1646 CE Bengal Sultanate, c. 1342 -- c. 1576 CE Early Modern Mughal Dynasty, c. 1526 -- c. 1540 CE Suri Dynasty, c. 1540 -- c. 1556 CE Mughal Dynasty, c. 1556 -- c. 1857 CE Bengal Subah, c. 1576 -- c. 1757 CE Maratha Empire, c. 1674 -- c. 1818 CE Company Raj, c. 1757 -- c. 1858 CE Kingdom of Mysore, c. 1760 -- c. 1799 CE Sikh Empire, c. 1799 -- c. 1849 CE Modern The Great Rebellion, c. 1857 -- c. 1858 CE British Raj, c. 1858 -- c. 1947 CE Independence Movement Independent India, c. 1947 CE -- present Related articles Timeline of Indian History Dynasties in Indian History Economic History Demographic History Linguistic History Architectural History Art History Literary History Philosophical History History of Religion Musical History Education History Coinage History Science and Technology History List of Inventions and Discoveries Military History Naval History Wars involving India Outline of South Asian history Palaeolithic ( 2,500,000 -- 250,000 BCE ) Madrasian Culture Soanian Culture ( 500,000 -- 250,000 BCE ) Neolithic ( 10,800 -- 3300 BCE ) Bhirrana Culture ( 7570 -- 6200 BCE ) Mehrgarh Culture ( 7000 -- 3300 BCE ) Chalcolithic ( 3500 -- 1500 BCE ) Ahar - 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Originating from the kingdom of Magadha in the Indo - Gangetic Plain in the eastern side of the Indian subcontinent, the empire had its capital city at Pataliputra ( modern Patna ). The empire was the largest to have ever existed in the Indian subcontinent, spanning over 5 million square kilometres ( 1.9 million square miles ) at its zenith under Ashoka. Chandragupta Maurya raised an army and with the assistance of Chanakya ( also known as Kauṭilya ), overthrew the Nanda Empire in c. 322 BCE and rapidly expanded his power westwards across central and western India, taking advantage of the disruptions caused by the withdrawal westward of Alexander the Great 's armies. By 317 BCE the empire had fully occupied Northwestern India, defeating and conquering the satraps left by Alexander. Chandragupta then defeated the invasion led by Seleucus I, a Macedonian general from Alexander 's army, gaining additional territory west of the Indus River. The Maurya Empire was one of the largest empires of the world in its time. At its greatest extent, the empire stretched to the north along the natural boundaries of the Himalayas, to the east into Assam, to the west into Balochistan ( southwest Pakistan and southeast Iran ) and the Hindu Kush mountains of what is now Afghanistan. The Empire was expanded into India 's central and southern regions by the emperors Chandragupta and Bindusara, but it excluded a small portion of unexplored tribal and forested regions near Kalinga ( modern Odisha ), until it was conquered by Ashoka. It declined for about 50 years after Ashoka 's rule ended, and it dissolved in 185 BCE with the foundation of the Shunga dynasty in Magadha. Under Chandragupta Maurya and his successors, internal and external trade, agriculture, and economic activities all thrived and expanded across India thanks to the creation of a single and efficient system of finance, administration, and security. After the Kalinga War, the Empire experienced nearly half a century of peace and security under Ashoka. Mauryan India also enjoyed an era of social harmony, religious transformation, and expansion of the sciences and of knowledge. Chandragupta Maurya 's embrace of Jainism increased social and religious renewal and reform across his society, while Ashoka 's embrace of Buddhism has been said to have been the foundation of the reign of social and political peace and non-violence across all of India. Ashoka sponsored the spreading of Buddhist missionaries into Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, West Asia, North Africa, and Mediterranean Europe. The population of the empire has been estimated to be about 50 -- 60 million, making the Mauryan Empire one of the most populous empires of Antiquity. Archaeologically, the period of Mauryan rule in South Asia falls into the era of Northern Black Polished Ware ( NBPW ). The Arthashastra and the Edicts of Ashoka are the primary sources of written records of Mauryan times. The Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath has been made the national emblem of India. Contents 1 History 1.1 Chandragupta Maurya and Chanakya 1.2 Conquest of Magadha 1.3 Chandragupta Maurya 1.4 Bindusara 1.5 Ashoka 1.6 Decline 1.6. 1 Shunga coup ( 185 BCE ) 1.6. 2 Establishment of the Indo - Greek Kingdom ( 180 BCE ) 2 Administration 3 Economy 4 Religion 4.1 Hinduism 4.2 Buddhism 4.3 Jainism 5 Architectural remains 6 Natural history 7 Contacts with the Hellenistic world 7.1 Foundation of the Empire 7.2 Reconquest of the Northwest ( c. 317 -- 316 BCE ) 7.3 Conflict and alliance with Seleucus ( 305 BCE ) 7.3. 1 Marital alliance 7.3. 2 Exchange of presents 7.4 Greek population in India 7.5 Buddhist missions to the West ( c. 250 BCE ) 7.6 Subhagasena and Antiochos III ( 206 BCE ) 8 Timeline 9 In literature 10 See also 11 Notes 11.1 Sources 12 External links History Chandragupta Maurya and Chanakya Main articles : Chanakya and Chandragupta Maurya See also : List of Mauryan rulers The Maurya Empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya, with help from Chanakya, at Takshashila. According to several legends, Chanakya travelled to Magadha, a kingdom that was large and militarily powerful and feared by its neighbors, but was insulted by its king Dhana Nanda, of the Nanda dynasty. Chanakya swore revenge and vowed to destroy the Nanda Empire. Meanwhile, the conquering armies of Alexander the Great refused to cross the Beas River and advance further eastward, deterred by the prospect of battling Magadha. Alexander returned to Babylon and re-deployed most of his troops west of the Indus River. Soon after Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BCE, his empire fragmented, and local kings declared their independence, leaving several smaller disunited satraps. The Greek generals Eudemus and Peithon ruled until around 317 BCE, when Chandragupta Maurya ( with the help of Chanakya, who was now his advisor ) utterly defeated the Macedonians and consolidated the region under the control of his new seat of power in Magadha. Chandragupta Maurya 's rise to power is shrouded in mystery and controversy. On one hand, a number of ancient Indian accounts, such as the drama Mudrarakshasa ( Poem of Rakshasa -- Rakshasa was the prime minister of Magadha ) by Vishakhadatta, describe his royal ancestry and even link him with the Nanda family. A kshatriya clan known as the Maurya 's are referred to in the earliest Buddhist texts, Mahaparinibbana Sutta. However, any conclusions are hard to make without further historical evidence. Chandragupta first emerges in Greek accounts as `` Sandrokottos ''. As a young man he is said to have met Alexander. He is also said to have met the Nanda king, angered him, and made a narrow escape. Chanakya 's original intentions were to train a guerilla army under Chandragupta 's command. The Mudrarakshasa of Vishakhadatta as well as the Jaina work Parishishtaparvan talk of Chandragupta 's alliance with the Himalayan king Parvatka, sometimes identified with Porus Conquest of Magadha Main articles : Chandragupta Maurya, Nanda Dynasty, and Magadha Chanakya encouraged Chandragupta Maurya and his army to take over the throne of Magadha. Using his intelligence network, Chandragupta gathered many young men from across Magadha and other provinces, men upset over the corrupt and oppressive rule of king Dhana Nanda, plus the resources necessary for his army to fight a long series of battles. These men included the former general of Taxila, accomplished students of Chanakya, the representative of King Porus of Kakayee, his son Malayketu, and the rulers of small states. The Macedonians ( described as Yona or Yavana in Indian sources ) may then have participated, together with other groups, in the armed uprising of Chandragupta Maurya against the Nanda dynasty. The Mudrarakshasa of Visakhadutta as well as the Jaina work Parisishtaparvan talk of Chandragupta 's alliance with the Himalayan king Parvatka, often identified with Porus. This Himalayan alliance gave Chandragupta a composite and powerful army made up of Yavanas ( Greeks ), Kambojas, Shakas ( Scythians ), Kiratas ( Nepalese ), Parasikas ( Persians ) and Bahlikas ( Bactrians ) who took Pataliputra ( also called Kusumapura, `` The City of Flowers '' ) : `` Kusumapura was besieged from every direction by the forces of Parvata and Chandragupta : Shakas, Yavanas, Kiratas, Kambojas, Parasikas, Bahlikas and others, assembled on the advice of Chanakya '' in Mudrarakshasa 2 Preparing to invade Pataliputra, Maurya came up with a strategy. A battle was announced and the Magadhan army was drawn from the city to a distant battlefield to engage with Maurya 's forces. Maurya 's general and spies meanwhile bribed the corrupt general of Nanda. He also managed to create an atmosphere of civil war in the kingdom, which culminated in the death of the heir to the throne. Chanakya managed to win over popular sentiment. Ultimately Nanda resigned, handing power to Chandragupta, and went into exile and was never heard of again. Chanakya contacted the prime minister, Rakshasas, and made him understand that his loyalty was to Magadha, not to the Nanda dynasty, insisting that he continue in office. Chanakya also reiterated that choosing to resist would start a war that would severely affect Magadha and destroy the city. Rakshasa accepted Chanakya 's reasoning, and Chandragupta Maurya was legitimately installed as the new King of Magadha. Rakshasa became Chandragupta 's chief advisor, and Chanakya assumed the position of an elder statesman. Territorial evolution of the Mauryan Empire The approximate extent of the Magadha state in the 5th century BCE. The Maurya Empire when it was first founded by Chandragupta Maurya c. 320 BCE, after conquering the Nanda Empire when he was only about 20 years old. Chandragupta extended the borders of the Maurya Empire towards Seleucid Persia after defeating Seleucus c. 305 BCE. Bindusara extended the borders of the empire southward into the Deccan Plateau c. 300 BCE. Ashoka extended into Kalinga during the Kalinga War c. 265 BCE, and established superiority over the southern kingdoms. Hermann Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund believe that Ashoka 's empire did not include large parts of India, which were controlled by autonomous tribes Chandragupta Maurya Main article : Chandragupta Maurya The Pataliputra capital, showing Greek and Persian influence, early Maurya Empire period, 4th - 3rd century BC. Chandragupta campaigned against the Macedonians when Seleucus I Nicator, in the process of creating the Seleucid Empire out of the eastern conquests of Alexander the Great, tried to reconquer the northwestern parts of India in 305 BCE. Seleucus failed ( Seleucid -- Mauryan war ), the two rulers finally concluded a peace treaty : a marital treaty ( Epigamia ) was concluded, in which the Greeks offered their Princess for alliance and help from him. Chandragupta snatched the satrapies of Paropamisade ( Kamboja and Gandhara ), Arachosia ( Kandhahar ) and Gedrosia ( Balochistan ), and Seleucus I Nicator received 500 war elephants that were to have a decisive role in his victory against western Hellenistic kings at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BCE. Diplomatic relations were established and several Greeks, such as the historian Megasthenes, Deimakos and Dionysius resided at the Mauryan court. Chandragupta established a strong centralized state with an administration at Pataliputra, which, according to Megasthenes, was `` surrounded by a wooden wall pierced by 64 gates and 570 towers ''. Aelian, although not expressly quoting Megasthenes nor mentionning Pataliputra, described Indian palaces as superior in splendor to Persia 's Susa or Ectabana. The architecture of the city seems to have had many similarities with Persian cities of the period. Chandragupta 's son Bindusara extended the rule of the Mauryan empire towards southern India. The famous Tamil poet Mamulanar of the Sangam literature described how the Deccan Plateau was invaded by the Maurya army. He also had a Greek ambassador at his court, named Megasthenes. Megasthenes describes a disciplined multitude under Chandragupta, who live simply, honestly, and do not know writing : `` The Indians all live frugally, especially when in camp. They dislike a great undisciplined multitude, and consequently they observe good order. Theft is of very rare occurrence. Megasthenes says that those who were in the camp of Sandrakottos, wherein lay 400,000 men, found that the thefts reported on any one day did not exceed the value of two hundred drachmae, and this among a people who have no written laws, but are ignorant of writing, and must therefore in all the business of life trust to memory. They live, nevertheless, happily enough, being simple in their manners and frugal. They never drink wine except at sacrifices. Their beverage is a liquor composed from rice instead of barley, and their food is principally a rice - pottage. '' Strabo XV. i. 53 -- 56, quoting Megasthenes. Bindusara Main article : Bindusara According to Arrian, Megasthenes ( c. 350 -- c. 290 BCE ) lived in Arachosia and travelled to Pataliputra. Bindusara was the son of the first Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya and his queen Durdhara. During his reign, the empire expanded southwards. According to the Rajavalikatha, a Jain work, the original name of this emperor was Simhasena. According to a legend mentioned in the Jain texts, Chandragupta 's Guru and advisor Chanakya used to feed the emperor small doses of poison with his food to build his immunity against possible assassination attempts by his enemies. One day, Chandragupta, not knowing about the poison, shared his food with his pregnant wife, who was 7 days away from delivery. The queen collapsed and died within few minutes. Chanakya entered the room at the very moment she collapsed, and, in order to save the child in the womb, he immediately cut open the dead queen 's belly and took the baby out. By that time a drop of poison had already reached the baby and touched its head, due to which the child got a permanent blueish spot ( a `` bindu '' ) on his forehead. Thus, the newborn was named `` Bindusara ''. Bindusara, just 22 years old, inherited a large empire that consisted of what is now, Northern, Central and Eastern parts of India along with parts of Afghanistan and Baluchistan. Bindusara extended this empire to the southern part of India, as far as what is now known as Karnataka. He brought sixteen states under the Mauryan Empire and thus conquered almost all of the Indian peninsula ( he is said to have conquered the ' land between the two seas ' -- the peninsular region between the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea ). Bindusara did n't conquer the friendly Tamil kingdoms of the Cholas, ruled by King Ilamcetcenni, the Pandyas, and Cheras. Apart from these southern states, Kalinga ( modern Odisha ) was the only kingdom in India that did n't form the part of Bindusara 's empire. It was later conquered by his son Ashoka, who served as the viceroy of Ujjaini during his father 's reign. Bindusara 's life has not been documented as well as that of his father Chandragupta or of his son Ashoka. Chanakya continued to serve as prime minister during his reign. According to the medieval Tibetan scholar Taranatha who visited India, Chanakya helped Bindusara `` to destroy the nobles and kings of the sixteen kingdoms and thus to become absolute master of the territory between the eastern and western oceans. '' During his rule, the citizens of Taxila revolted twice. The reason for the first revolt was the maladministration of Susima, his eldest son. The reason for the second revolt is unknown, but Bindusara could not suppress it in his lifetime. It was crushed by Ashoka after Bindusara 's death. Ambassadors from the Seleucid Empire ( such as Deimachus ) and Egypt visited his courts. He maintained good relations with the Hellenic World. Unlike his father Chandragupta ( who at a later stage converted to Jainism ), Bindusara believed in the Ajivika sect. Bindusara 's guru Pingalavatsa ( Janasana ) was a Brahmin of the Ajivika sect. Bindusara 's wife, Queen Subhadrangi ( Queen Aggamahesi ) was a Brahmin also of the Ajivika sect from Champa ( present Bhagalpur district ). Bindusara is credited with giving several grants to Brahmin monasteries ( Brahmana - bhatto ). Bindusara died in 272 BCE ( some records say 268 BCE ) and was succeeded by his son Ashoka. Ashoka Main article : Ashoka Aśoka pillar at Sarnath. ca. 250 BCE. Ashoka pillar at Vaishali. Fragment of the 6th Pillar Edict of Ashoka ( 238 BCE ), in Brahmi, sandstone, British Museum. As a young prince, Ashoka ( r. 272 -- 232 BCE ) was a brilliant commander who crushed revolts in Ujjain and Takshashila. As monarch he was ambitious and aggressive, re-asserting the Empire 's superiority in southern and western India. But it was his conquest of Kalinga ( 262 -- 261 BCE ) which proved to be the pivotal event of his life. Although Ashoka 's army succeeded in overwhelming Kalinga forces of royal soldiers and civilian units, an estimated 100,000 soldiers and civilians were killed in the furious warfare, including over 10,000 of Ashoka 's own men. Hundreds of thousands of people were adversely affected by the destruction and fallout of war. When he personally witnessed the devastation, Ashoka began feeling remorse. Although the annexation of Kalinga was completed, Ashoka embraced the teachings of Buddhism, and renounced war and violence. He sent out missionaries to travel around Asia and spread Buddhism to other countries. Ashoka implemented principles of ahimsa by banning hunting and violent sports activity and ending indentured and forced labor ( many thousands of people in war - ravaged Kalinga had been forced into hard labour and servitude ). While he maintained a large and powerful army, to keep the peace and maintain authority, Ashoka expanded friendly relations with states across Asia and Europe, and he sponsored Buddhist missions. He undertook a massive public works building campaign across the country. Over 40 years of peace, harmony and prosperity made Ashoka one of the most successful and famous monarchs in Indian history. He remains an idealized figure of inspiration in modern India. The Edicts of Ashoka, set in stone, are found throughout the Subcontinent. Ranging from as far west as Afghanistan and as far south as Andhra ( Nellore District ), Ashoka 's edicts state his policies and accomplishments. Although predominantly written in Prakrit, two of them were written in Greek, and one in both Greek and Aramaic. Ashoka 's edicts refer to the Greeks, Kambojas, and Gandharas as peoples forming a frontier region of his empire. They also attest to Ashoka 's having sent envoys to the Greek rulers in the West as far as the Mediterranean. The edicts precisely name each of the rulers of the Hellenic world at the time such as Amtiyoko ( Antiochus ), Tulamaya ( Ptolemy ), Amtikini ( Antigonos ), Maka ( Magas ) and Alikasudaro ( Alexander ) as recipients of Ashoka 's proselytism. The Edicts also accurately locate their territory `` 600 yojanas away '' ( a yojanas being about 7 miles ), corresponding to the distance between the center of India and Greece ( roughly 4,000 miles ). Decline Ashoka was followed for 50 years by a succession of weaker kings. Brihadratha, the last ruler of the Mauryan dynasty, held territories that had shrunk considerably from the time of emperor Ashoka. Brihadratha was assassinated in 185 BCE during a military parade by the Brahmin general Pushyamitra Shunga, commander - in - chief of his guard, who then took over the throne and established the Shunga dynasty. Shunga coup ( 185 BCE ) Buddhist records such as the Ashokavadana write that the assassination of Brihadratha and the rise of the Shunga empire led to a wave of religious persecution for Buddhists, and a resurgence of Hinduism. According to Sir John Marshall, Pushyamitra may have been the main author of the persecutions, although later Shunga kings seem to have been more supportive of Buddhism. Other historians, such as Etienne Lamotte and Romila Thapar, among others, have argued that archaeological evidence in favour of the allegations of persecution of Buddhists are lacking, and that the extent and magnitude of the atrocities have been exaggerated. Establishment of the Indo - Greek kingdom ( 180 BCE ) Main article : Indo - Greek Kingdom The fall of the Mauryas left the Khyber Pass unguarded, and a wave of foreign invasion followed. The Greco - Bactrian king, Demetrius, capitalized on the break - up, and he conquered southern Afghanistan and parts of northwestern India around 180 BCE, forming the Indo - Greek Kingdom. The Indo - Greeks would maintain holdings on the trans - Indus region, and make forays into central India, for about a century. Under them, Buddhism flourished, and one of their kings, Menander, became a famous figure of Buddhism ; he was to establish a new capital of Sagala, the modern city of Sialkot. However, the extent of their domains and the lengths of their rule are subject to much debate. Numismatic evidence indicates that they retained holdings in the subcontinent right up to the birth of Christ. Although the extent of their successes against indigenous powers such as the Shungas, Satavahanas, and Kalingas are unclear, what is clear is that Scythian tribes, renamed Indo - Scythians, brought about the demise of the Indo - Greeks from around 70 BCE and retained lands in the trans - Indus, the region of Mathura, and Gujarat. Administration Statuettes of the Mauryan era The Empire was divided into four provinces, with the imperial capital at Pataliputra. From Ashokan edicts, the names of the four provincial capitals are Tosali ( in the east ), Ujjain ( in the west ), Suvarnagiri ( in the south ), and Taxila ( in the north ). The head of the provincial administration was the Kumara ( royal prince ), who governed the provinces as king 's representative. The kumara was assisted by Mahamatyas and council of ministers. This organizational structure was reflected at the imperial level with the Emperor and his Mantriparishad ( Council of Ministers ). Historians theorise that the organisation of the Empire was in line with the extensive bureaucracy described by Kautilya in the Arthashastra : a sophisticated civil service governed everything from municipal hygiene to international trade. The expansion and defense of the empire was made possible by what appears to have been one of the largest armies in the world during the Iron Age. According to Megasthenes, the empire wielded a military of 600,000 infantry, 30,000 cavalry, 8,000 chariots and 9,000 war elephants besides followers and attendants. A vast espionage system collected intelligence for both internal and external security purposes. Having renounced offensive warfare and expansionism, Ashoka nevertheless continued to maintain this large army, to protect the Empire and instil stability and peace across West and South Asia. Economy See also : Economic history of India and Coinage of India Maurya statuette, 2nd century BCE. For the first time in South Asia, political unity and military security allowed for a common economic system and enhanced trade and commerce, with increased agricultural productivity. The previous situation involving hundreds of kingdoms, many small armies, powerful regional chieftains, and internecine warfare, gave way to a disciplined central authority. Farmers were freed of tax and crop collection burdens from regional kings, paying instead to a nationally administered and strict - but - fair system of taxation as advised by the principles in the Arthashastra. Chandragupta Maurya established a single currency across India, and a network of regional governors and administrators and a civil service provided justice and security for merchants, farmers and traders. The Mauryan army wiped out many gangs of bandits, regional private armies, and powerful chieftains who sought to impose their own supremacy in small areas. Although regimental in revenue collection, Maurya also sponsored many public works and waterways to enhance productivity, while internal trade in India expanded greatly due to new - found political unity and internal peace. Under the Indo - Greek friendship treaty, and during Ashoka 's reign, an international network of trade expanded. The Khyber Pass, on the modern boundary of Pakistan and Afghanistan, became a strategically important port of trade and intercourse with the outside world. Greek states and Hellenic kingdoms in West Asia became important trade partners of India. Trade also extended through the Malay peninsula into Southeast Asia. India 's exports included silk goods and textiles, spices and exotic foods. The external world came across new scientific knowledge and technology with expanding trade with the Mauryan Empire. Ashoka also sponsored the construction of thousands of roads, waterways, canals, hospitals, rest - houses and other public works. The easing of many over-rigorous administrative practices, including those regarding taxation and crop collection, helped increase productivity and economic activity across the Empire. In many ways, the economic situation in the Mauryan Empire is analogous to the Roman Empire of several centuries later. Both had extensive trade connections and both had organizations similar to corporations. While Rome had organizational entities which were largely used for public state - driven projects, Mauryan India had numerous private commercial entities. These existed purely for private commerce and developed before the Mauryan Empire itself. Maurya Empire coinage Hoard of mostly Mauryan coins. Silver punch mark coin of the Maurya empire, with symbols of wheel and elephant. 3rd century BCE. Mauryan coin with arched hill symbol on reverse. Mauryan Empire coin. Circa late 4th - 2nd century BCE. Mauryan Empire, Emperor Salisuka or later. Circa 207 - 194 BCE. Religion Hinduism Hinduism was the major religion at the time of inception of the empire, Hindu priests and ministers such as Chanakya used to be an important part of the emperor 's court. James Hastings writes that they are devotees of Narayana ( Vishnu ), although Shilanka, speaking of the Ekandandins in another connection, identifies them as Shaivas ( devotees of Shiva ). Scholar James Hastings identifies the name `` Mankhaliputta '' or `` Mankhali '' with the bamboo staff. Scholar Jitendra N. Banerjea compares them to the Pasupatas Shaivas. Another scholar, Charpentier, believes that the Ajivikas worshiped Shiva before Makkhali Goshala. As Chanakya wrote in his text Chanakya Niti, `` Humbly bowing down before the almighty Lord Sri Vishnu, the Lord of the three worlds, I recite maxims of the science of political ethics ( niti ) selected from the various satras ( scriptures ) ''. Even after embracing Buddhism, Ashoka retained the membership of Hindu Brahmana priests and ministers in his court. Mauryan society began embracing the philosophy of ahimsa, and given the increased prosperity and improved law enforcement, crime and internal conflicts reduced dramatically. Also greatly discouraged was the caste system and orthodox discrimination, as Mauryans began to absorb the ideals and values of Jain and Buddhist teachings. Buddhism The stupa, which contained the relics of Buddha, at the center of the Sanchi complex was originally built by the Maurya Empire, but the balustrade around it is Sunga, and the decorative gateways are from the later Satavahana period. The Dharmarajika stupa in Taxila, modern Pakistan, is also thought to have been established by Emperor Asoka. Magadha, the centre of the empire, was also the birthplace of Buddhism. Ashoka initially practised Hinduism but later embraced Buddhism ; following the Kalinga War, he renounced expansionism and aggression, and the harsher injunctions of the Arthashastra on the use of force, intensive policing, and ruthless measures for tax collection and against rebels. Ashoka sent a mission led by his son Mahinda and daughter Sanghamitta to Sri Lanka, whose king Tissa was so charmed with Buddhist ideals that he adopted them himself and made Buddhism the state religion. Ashoka sent many Buddhist missions to West Asia, Greece and South East Asia, and commissioned the construction of monasteries and schools, as well as the publication of Buddhist literature across the empire. He is believed to have built as many as 84,000 stupas across India, such as Sanchi and Mahabodhi Temple, and he increased the popularity of Buddhism in Afghanistan, Thailand and North Asia including Siberia. Ashoka helped convene the Third Buddhist Council of India 's and South Asia 's Buddhist orders near his capital, a council that undertook much work of reform and expansion of the Buddhist religion. Indian merchants embraced Buddhism and played a large role in spreading the religion across the Mauryan Empire. Jainism Bhadrabahu Cave, Shravanabelagola where Chandragupta is said to have died Chandragupta Maurya embraced Jainism after retiring, when he renounced his throne and material possessions to join a wandering group of Jain monks. Chandragupta was a disciple of the Jain monk Bhadrabahu. It is said that in his last days, he observed the rigorous but self - purifying Jain ritual of santhara ( fast unto death ), at Shravana Belgola in Karnataka. However, his successor, Bindusara, was a follower of another ascetic movement, Ājīvika, and distanced himself from Jain and Buddhist movements. Samprati, the grandson of Ashoka, also embraced Jainism. Samprati was influenced by the teachings of Jain monks and he is known to have built 125,000 derasars across India. Some of them are still found in the towns of Ahmedabad, Viramgam, Ujjain, and Palitana. It is also said that just like Ashoka, Samprati sent messengers and preachers to Greece, Persia and the Middle East for the spread of Jainism, but, to date, no research has been done in this area. Thus, Jainism became a vital force under the Mauryan Rule. Chandragupta and Samprati are credited for the spread of Jainism in South India. Lakhs of temples and stupas were erected during their reign. However, due to lack of royal patronage, its own strict principles, and the rise of Shankaracharya and Ramanuja, Jainism, once a major religion of southern India, began to decline. Architectural remains Main articles : Edicts of Ashoka, Sanchi Stupa, and Mauryan art Mauryan architecture in the Barabar Caves. Lomas Rishi Cave. 3rd century BCE. The greatest monument of this period, executed in the reign of Chandragupta Maurya, was the old palace at the site of Kumhrar. Excavations at the site of Kumhrar nearby have unearthed the remains of the palace. The palace is thought to have been an aggregate of buildings, the most important of which was an immense pillared hall supported on a high substratum of timbers. The pillars were set in regular rows, thus dividing the hall into a number of smaller square bays. The number of columns is 80, each about 7 meters high. According to the eyewitness account of Megasthenes, the palace was chiefly constructed of timber, and was considered to exceed in splendour and magnificence the palaces of Susa and Ecbatana, its gilded pillars being adorned with golden vines and silver birds. The buildings stood in an extensive park studded with fish ponds and furnished with a great variety of ornamental trees and shrubs. Kauṭilya 's Arthashastra also gives the method of palace construction from this period. Later fragments of stone pillars, including one nearly complete, with their round tapering shafts and smooth polish, indicate that Ashoka was responsible for the construction of the stone columns which replaced the earlier wooden ones. An early stupa, 6 meters in diameter, with fallen umbrella on side. Chakpat, near Chakdara. Probably Maurya, 3rd century BCE. During the Ashokan period, stonework was of a highly diversified order and comprised lofty free - standing pillars, railings of stupas, lion thrones and other colossal figures. The use of stone had reached such great perfection during this time that even small fragments of stone art were given a high lustrous polish resembling fine enamel. This period marked the beginning of the Buddhist school of architecture. Ashoka was responsible for the construction of several stupas, which were large domes and bearing symbols of Buddha. The most important ones are located at Sanchi, Bharhut, Amaravati, Bodhgaya and Nagarjunakonda. The most widespread examples of Mauryan architecture are the Ashoka pillars and carved edicts of Ashoka, often exquisitely decorated, with more than 40 spread throughout the Indian subcontinent. The peacock was a dynastic symbol of Mauryans, as depicted by Ashoka 's pillars at Nandangarh and Sanchi Stupa. Mauryan structures and decorations at Sanchi ( 3rd century BCE ) Approximate reconstitution of the Great Stupa under the Mauryas. Remains of the Ashokan Pillar in polished stone, to the right of the Southern Gateway. Remains of the shaft of the pillar of Ashoka, under a shed near the Southern Gateway. The Sanchi pillar capital of Ashoka as discovered ( left ), and simulation of original appearance ( right ). Flame palmettes and geese adorn the abacus. Natural History The two Yakshas, possibly 3rd century BCE, found in Pataliputra. The protection of animals in India became serious business by the time of the Maurya dynasty ; being the first empire to provide a unified political entity in India, the attitude of the Mauryas towards forests, their denizens, and fauna in general is of interest. The Mauryas firstly looked at forests as resources. For them, the most important forest product was the elephant. Military might in those times depended not only upon horses and men but also battle - elephants ; these played a role in the defeat of Seleucus, one of Alexander 's former generals. The Mauryas sought to preserve supplies of elephants since it was cheaper and took less time to catch, tame and train wild elephants than to raise them. Kautilya 's Arthashastra contains not only maxims on ancient statecraft, but also unambiguously specifies the responsibilities of officials such as the Protector of the Elephant Forests. On the border of the forest, he should establish a forest for elephants guarded by foresters. The Office of the Chief Elephant Forester should with the help of guards protect the elephants in any terrain. The slaying of an elephant is punishable by death. -- Arthashastra The Mauryas also designated separate forests to protect supplies of timber, as well as lions and tigers for skins. Elsewhere the Protector of Animals also worked to eliminate thieves, tigers and other predators to render the woods safe for grazing cattle. The Mauryas valued certain forest tracts in strategic or economic terms and instituted curbs and control measures over them. They regarded all forest tribes with distrust and controlled them with bribery and political subjugation. They employed some of them, the food - gatherers or aranyaca to guard borders and trap animals. The sometimes tense and conflict - ridden relationship nevertheless enabled the Mauryas to guard their vast empire. When Ashoka embraced Buddhism in the latter part of his reign, he brought about significant changes in his style of governance, which included providing protection to fauna, and even relinquished the royal hunt. He was the first ruler in history to advocate conservation measures for wildlife and even had rules inscribed in stone edicts. The edicts proclaim that many followed the king 's example in giving up the slaughter of animals ; one of them proudly states : Our king killed very few animals. -- Edict on Fifth Pillar However, the edicts of Ashoka reflect more the desire of rulers than actual events ; the mention of a 100 ' panas ' ( coins ) fine for poaching deer in royal hunting preserves shows that rule - breakers did exist. The legal restrictions conflicted with the practices freely exercised by the common people in hunting, felling, fishing and setting fires in forests. Contacts with the Hellenistic world Mauryan ringstone, with standing goddess. Northwest Pakistan. 3rd Century BCE Foundation of the Empire Relations with the Hellenistic world may have started from the very beginning of the Maurya Empire. Plutarch reports that Chandragupta Maurya met with Alexander the Great, probably around Taxila in the northwest : `` Sandrocottus, when he was a stripling, saw Alexander himself, and we are told that he often said in later times that Alexander narrowly missed making himself master of the country, since its king was hated and despised on account of his baseness and low birth ''. Plutarch 62 - 4 Reconquest of the northwest ( c. 317 -- 316 BCE ) Chandragupta ultimately occupied Northwestern India, in the territories formerly ruled by the Greeks, where he fought the satraps ( described as `` Prefects '' in Western sources ) left in place after Alexander ( Justin ), among whom may have been Eudemus, ruler in the western Punjab until his departure in 317 BCE or Peithon, son of Agenor, ruler of the Greek colonies along the Indus until his departure for Babylon in 316 BCE. `` India, after the death of Alexander, had assassinated his prefects, as if shaking the burden of servitude. The author of this liberation was Sandracottos, but he had transformed liberation in servitude after victory, since, after taking the throne, he himself oppressed the very people he has liberated from foreign domination '' Justin XV. 4.12 -- 13 `` Later, as he was preparing war against the prefects of Alexander, a huge wild elephant went to him and took him on his back as if tame, and he became a remarkable fighter and war leader. Having thus acquired royal power, Sandracottos possessed India at the time Seleucos was preparing future glory. '' Justin XV. 4.19 Conflict and alliance with Seleucus ( 305 BCE ) Main article : Seleucid -- Mauryan war A map showing the north western border of Maurya Empire, including its various neighboring states. Seleucus I Nicator, the Macedonian satrap of the Asian portion of Alexander 's former empire, conquered and put under his own authority eastern territories as far as Bactria and the Indus ( Appian, History of Rome, The Syrian Wars 55 ), until in 305 BCE he entered into a confrontation with Emperor Chandragupta : `` Always lying in wait for the neighbouring nations, strong in arms and persuasive in council, he ( Seleucus ) acquired Mesopotamia, Armenia, ' Seleucid ' Cappadocia, Persis, Parthia, Bactria, Arabia, Tapouria, Sogdia, Arachosia, Hyrcania, and other adjacent peoples that had been subdued by Alexander, as far as the river Indus, so that the boundaries of his empire were the most extensive in Asia after that of Alexander. The whole region from Phrygia to the Indus was subject to Seleucus ''. Appian, History of Rome, The Syrian Wars 55 Though no accounts of the conflict remain, it is clear that Seleucus fared poorly against the Indian Emperor as he failed to conquer any territory, and in fact was forced to surrender much that was already his. Regardless, Seleucus and Chandragupta ultimately reached a settlement and through a treaty sealed in 305 BCE, Seleucus, according to Strabo, ceded a number of territories to Chandragupta, including large parts of what is now Afghanistan and parts of Balochistan. Marital alliance It is generally thought that Chandragupta married Seleucus 's daughter, or a Greek Macedonian princess, a gift from Seleucus to formalise an alliance. In a return gesture, Chandragupta sent 500 war elephants, a military asset which would play a decisive role at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BCE. In addition to this treaty, Seleucus dispatched an ambassador, Megasthenes, to Chandragupta, and later Deimakos to his son Bindusara, at the Mauryan court at Pataliputra ( modern Patna in Bihar state ). Later, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt and contemporary of Ashoka, is also recorded by Pliny the Elder as having sent an ambassador named Dionysius to the Mauryan court. Mainstream scholarship asserts that Chandragupta received vast territory west of the Indus, including the Hindu Kush, modern - day Afghanistan, and the Balochistan province of Pakistan. Archaeologically, concrete indications of Mauryan rule, such as the inscriptions of the Edicts of Ashoka, are known as far as Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. `` `` He ( Seleucus ) crossed the Indus and waged war with Sandrocottus ( Maurya ), king of the Indians, who dwelt on the banks of that stream, until they came to an understanding with each other and contracted a marriage relationship. '' '' `` `` After having made a treaty with him ( Sandrakotos ) and put in order the Orient situation, Seleucos went to war against Antigonus. '' '' -- Junianus Justinus, Historiarum Philippicarum, libri XLIV, XV. 4.15 The treaty on `` Epigamia '' implies lawful marriage between Greeks and Indians was recognized at the State level, although it is unclear whether it occurred among dynastic rulers or common people, or both.. Exchange of presents Classical sources have also recorded that following their treaty, Chandragupta and Seleucus exchanged presents, such as when Chandragupta sent various aphrodisiacs to Seleucus : `` And Theophrastus says that some contrivances are of wondrous efficacy in such matters ( as to make people more amorous ). And Phylarchus confirms him, by reference to some of the presents which Sandrakottus, the king of the Indians, sent to Seleucus ; which were to act like charms in producing a wonderful degree of affection, while some, on the contrary, were to banish love. '' Athenaeus of Naucratis, `` The deipnosophists '' Book I, chapter 32 His son Bindusara ' Amitraghata ' ( Slayer of Enemies ) also is recorded in Classical sources as having exchanged presents with Antiochus I : `` But dried figs were so very much sought after by all men ( for really, as Aristophanes says, `` There 's really nothing nicer than dried figs '' ), that even Amitrochates, the king of the Indians, wrote to Antiochus, entreating him ( it is Hegesander who tells this story ) to buy and send him some sweet wine, and some dried figs, and a sophist ; and that Antiochus wrote to him in answer, `` The dry figs and the sweet wine we will send you ; but it is not lawful for a sophist to be sold in Greece. '' Athenaeus, `` Deipnosophistae '' XIV. 67 Greek population in India The Greek population apparently remained in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent under Ashoka 's rule. In his Edicts of Ashoka, set in stone, some of them written in Greek, Ashoka relates that the Greek population within his realm was absorbed, integrated, and converted to Buddhism : `` Here in the king 's domain among the Greeks, the Kambojas, the Nabhakas, the Nabhapamkits, the Bhojas, the Pitinikas, the Andhras and the Palidas, everywhere people are following Beloved - of - the - Gods ' instructions in Dharma ''. Rock Edict Nb13 ( S. Dhammika ). The Kandahar Edict of Ashoka, a bilingual edict ( Greek and Aramaic ) by king Ashoka, from Kandahar. Kabul Museum. ( Click image for translation ). Fragments of Edict 13 have been found in Greek, and a full Edict, written in both Greek and Aramaic, has been discovered in Kandahar. It is said to be written in excellent Classical Greek, using sophisticated philosophical terms. In this Edict, Ashoka uses the word Eusebeia ( `` Piety '' ) as the Greek translation for the ubiquitous `` Dharma '' of his other Edicts written in Prakrit : `` Ten years ( of reign ) having been completed, King Piodasses ( Ashoka ) made known ( the doctrine of ) Piety ( εὐσέβεια, Eusebeia ) to men ; and from this moment he has made men more pious, and everything thrives throughout the whole world. And the king abstains from ( killing ) living beings, and other men and those who ( are ) huntsmen and fishermen of the king have desisted from hunting. And if some ( were ) intemperate, they have ceased from their intemperance as was in their power ; and obedient to their father and mother and to the elders, in opposition to the past also in the future, by so acting on every occasion, they will live better and more happily ''. ( Trans. by G.P. Carratelli ( 4 ) ) Buddhist missions to the West ( c. 250 BCE ) The distribution of the Edicts of Ashoka. Buddhist proselytism at the time of king Ashoka ( 260 -- 218 BCE ). Also, in the Edicts of Ashoka, Ashoka mentions the Hellenistic kings of the period as recipients of his Buddhist proselytism, although no Western historical record of this event remains : `` The conquest by Dharma has been won here, on the borders, and even six hundred yojanas ( 5,400 -- 9,600 km ) away, where the Greek king Antiochos rules, beyond there where the four kings named Ptolemy, Antigonos, Magas and Alexander rule, likewise in the south among the Cholas, the Pandyas, and as far as Tamraparni ( Sri Lanka ). '' ( Edicts of Ashoka, 13th Rock Edict, S. Dhammika ). Ashoka also encouraged the development of herbal medicine, for men and animals, in their territories : `` Everywhere within Beloved - of - the - Gods, King Piyadasi 's ( Ashoka 's ) domain, and among the people beyond the borders, the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Satiyaputras, the Keralaputras, as far as Tamraparni and where the Greek king Antiochos rules, and among the kings who are neighbors of Antiochos, everywhere has Beloved - of - the - Gods, King Piyadasi, made provision for two types of medical treatment : medical treatment for humans and medical treatment for animals. Wherever medical herbs suitable for humans or animals are not available, I have had them imported and grown. Wherever medical roots or fruits are not available I have had them imported and grown. Along roads I have had wells dug and trees planted for the benefit of humans and animals ''. 2nd Rock Edict The Greeks in India even seem to have played an active role in the propagation of Buddhism, as some of the emissaries of Ashoka, such as Dharmaraksita, are described in Pali sources as leading Greek ( `` Yona '' ) Buddhist monks, active in Buddhist proselytism ( the Mahavamsa, XII ). Subhagasena and Antiochos III ( 206 BCE ) Sophagasenus was an Indian Mauryan ruler of the 3rd century BCE, described in ancient Greek sources, and named Subhagasena or Subhashasena in Prakrit. His name is mentioned in the list of Mauryan princes, and also in the list of the Yadava dynasty, as a descendant of Pradyumna. He may have been a grandson of Ashoka, or Kunala, the son of Ashoka. He ruled an area south of the Hindu Kush, possibly in Gandhara. Antiochos III, the Seleucid king, after having made peace with Euthydemus in Bactria, went to India in 206 BCE and is said to have renewed his friendship with the Indian king there : `` He ( Antiochus ) crossed the Caucasus and descended into India ; renewed his friendship with Sophagasenus the king of the Indians ; received more elephants, until he had a hundred and fifty altogether ; and having once more provisioned his troops, set out again personally with his army : leaving Androsthenes of Cyzicus the duty of taking home the treasure which this king had agreed to hand over to him ''. Polybius 11.39 Timeline 322 BCE : Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan Empire by overthrowing the Nanda Dynasty. 317 -- 316 BCE : Chandragupta Maurya conquers the Northwest of the Indian subcontinent. 305 -- 303 BCE : Chandragupta Maurya gains territory from the Seleucid Empire. 298 -- 269 BCE : Reign of Bindusara, Chandragupta 's son. He conquers parts of Deccan, southern India. 269 -- 232 BCE : The Mauryan Empire reaches its height under Ashoka, Chandragupta 's grandson. 261 BCE : Ashoka conquers the kingdom of Kalinga. 250 BCE : Ashoka builds Buddhist stupas and erects pillars bearing inscriptions. 184 BCE : The empire collapses when Brihadnatha, the last emperor, is killed by Pushyamitra Shunga, a Mauryan general and the founder of the Shunga Empire. In literature According to Vicarasreni of Merutunga, Mauryans rose to power in 312 BC. See also Pradyota dynasty Gupta Empire History of India List of largest empires that existed in India Notes Jump up ^ Turchin, Peter ; Adams, Jonathan M. ; Hall, Thomas D ( December 2006 ). `` East - West Orientation of Historical Empires ''. Journal of world - systems research. 12 ( 2 ) : 223. ISSN 1076 - 156X. Retrieved 16 September 2016. Jump up ^ Kulke & Rothermund 2004, pp. xii, 448. Jump up ^ Thapar, Romila ( 1990 ). A History of India, Volume 1. Penguin Books. p. 384. ISBN 0 - 14 - 013835 - 8. Jump up ^ Keay, John ( 2000 ). India : A History. Grove Press. p. 82. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8021 - 3797 - 5. Jump up ^ Mookerji 1988, p. 31. Jump up ^ Seleucus I ceded the territories of Arachosia ( modern Kandahar ), Gedrosia ( modern Balochistan ), and Paropamisadae ( or Gandhara ). Aria ( modern Herat ) `` has been wrongly included in the list of ceded satrapies by some scholars (... ) on the basis of wrong assessments of the passage of Strabo (... ) and a statement by Pliny. '' ( Raychaudhuri & Mukherjee 1996, p. 594 ). Seleucus `` must (... ) have held Aria '', and furthermore, his `` son Antiochos was active there fifteen years later. '' ( Grainger 2014, p. 109 ). Jump up ^ The account of Strabo indicates that the western-most territory of the empire extended from the southeastern Hindu Kush, through the region of Kandahar, to coastal Balochistan to the south of that ( Raychaudhuri & Mukherjee 1996, p. 594 ). Jump up ^ Sri Lanka and the southernmost parts of India ( modern Tamil Nadu and Kerala ) remained independent, despite the diplomacy and cultural influence of their larger neighbor to the north ( Schwartzberg 1992, p. 18 ; Kulke & Rothermund 2004, p. 68 ). Jump up ^ The empire was once thought to have directly controlled most of the Indian subcontinent excepting the far south, but its core regions are now thought to have been separated by large tribal regions ( especially in the Deccan peninsula ) that were relatively autonomous. ( Kulke & Rothermund 2004, p. 68 - 71, as well as Stein 1998, p. 74 ). `` The major part of the Deccan was ruled by ( Mauryan administration ). But in the belt of land on either side of the Nerbudda, the Godavari and the upper Mahanadi there were, in all probability, certain areas that were technically outside the limits of the empire proper. Ashoka evidently draws a distinction between the forests and the inhabiting tribes which are in the dominions ( vijita ) and peoples on the border ( anta avijita ) for whose benefit some of the special edicts were issued. Certain vassal tribes are specifically mentioned. '' ( Raychaudhuri & Mukherjee pp. 275 -- 6 ) Jump up ^ Kalinga had been conquered by the preceding Nanda Dynasty but subsequently broke free until it was re-conquered by Ashoka, c. 260 BCE. ( Raychaudhuri & Mukherjee, pp. 204 -- 209, pp. 270 -- 271 ) Jump up ^ Kulke & Rothermund 2004, p. 67. Jump up ^ Boesche, Roger ( 2003 - 03 - 01 ). The First Great Political Realist : Kautilya and His Arthashastra. p. 11. ISBN 9780739106075. Jump up ^ Demeny, Paul George ; McNicoll, Geoffrey ( May 2003 ). Encyclopedia of population. ISBN 9780028656793. Jump up ^ `` It is doubtful if, in its present shape, ( the Arthashastra ) is as old as the time of the first Maurya, '' as it probably contains layers of text ranging from Maurya times till as late as the 2nd century CE. Nonetheless, `` though a comparatively late work, it may be used (... ) to confirm and supplement the information gleaned from earlier sources. '' ( Raychaudhuri & Mukherjee 1996, pp. 246 -- 7 ) Jump up ^ Sugandhi, Namita Sanjay ( 2008 ). Between the Patterns of History : Rethinking Mauryan Imperial Interaction in the Southern Deccan. pp. 88 -- 89. ISBN 9780549744412. Jump up ^ Kosmin 2014, p. 31. Jump up ^ Rajadhyaksha, Abhijit ( 2009 - 08 - 02 ). `` The Mauryas : Chandragupta ''. Historyfiles.co.uk. Retrieved 2012 - 03 - 01. Jump up ^ : `` Androcottus, when he was a stripling, saw Alexander himself, and we are told that he often said in later times that Alexander narrowly missed making himself master of the country, since its king was hated and despised on account of his baseness and low birth. '' Plutarch 62 - 3 Plutarch 62 - 3 Jump up ^ : `` He was of humble Indian to a change of rule. '' Justin XV. 4.15 `` Fuit hic humili quidem genere natus, sed ad regni potestatem maiestate numinis inpulsus. Quippe cum procacitate sua Nandrum regem offendisset, interfici a rege iussus salutem pedum ceieritate quaesierat. ( Ex qua fatigatione cum somno captus iaceret, leo ingentis formae ad dormientem accessit sudoremque profluentem lingua ei detersit expergefactumque blande reliquit. Hoc prodigio primum ad spem regni inpulsus ) contractis latronibus Indos ad nouitatem regni sollicitauit. '' Justin XV. 4.15 Jump up ^ Sir John Marshall, `` Taxila '', p. 18 et passim Jump up ^ `` asti tava Shaka - Yavana - Kirata - Kamboja - Parasika - Bahlika parbhutibhih Chankyamatipragrahittaishcha Chandergupta Parvateshvara balairudidhibhiriva parchalitsalilaih samantaad uprudham Kusumpurama '' ( Sanskrit original, Mudrarakshasa 2 ). Jump up ^ The Hunas mentioned in Mudrarakshasa play ( II ) of Vishakhadatta are same people as the Harahunas of the Mahabharata ( II. 32.12 ). They were located in Herat / Aria according to Dr Moti Chandra and were an earlier branch of the Hunas ( See : Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahābhārata : Upāyana Parva, 1945, p 66, Dr Moti Chandra ; Also : Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India, 1971, p 33, Dr D.C. Sircar. ) Jump up ^ For Harahunas being a group of the Hunas, see also : Early History of Iranians and Atharvaveda, Persica - 9, 1980, p 118, Dr Michael Witzel, Harvard University. Jump up ^ Chandragupta Maurya and His Times, Radhakumud Mookerji, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1966, p. 26 - 27 ( 1 ) ^ Jump up to : Chandragupta Maurya and His Times, Radhakumud Mookerji, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1966, p. 27 ( 2 ) Jump up ^ History Of The Chamar Dynasty, Raj Kumar, Gyan Publishing House, 2008, p. 51 ( 3 ) Jump up ^ Sanskrit original : `` asti tava Shaka - Yavana - Kirata - Kamboja - Parasika - Bahlika parbhutibhih Chankyamatipragrahittaishcha Chandergupta Parvateshvara balairudidhibhiriva parchalitsalilaih samantaad uprudham Kusumpurama ''. From the French translation, in `` Le Ministre et la marque de l'anneau '', ISBN 2 - 7475 - 5135 - 0 ^ Jump up to : Majumdar 2003, p. 105. Jump up ^ Mookerji 1988, p. 39. Jump up ^ Kulke & Rothermund 2004, p. 69 - 70. Jump up ^ `` In the royal residences in India where the greatest of the kings of that country live, there are so many objects for admiration that neither Memnon 's city of Susa with all its extravagance, nor the magnificence of Ectabana is to be compared with them. (... ) In the parks, tame peacocks and pheasants are kept. '' Aelian, `` Characteristics of animals '' Aelian, Characteristics of animals, book XIII, Chapter 18, also quoted in The Cambridge History of India, Volume 1, p411 Jump up ^ `` The architectural closeness of certain buildings in Achaemenid Iran and Mauryan India have raised much comment. The royal palace at Pataliputra is the most striking example and has been compared with the palaces at Susa, Ecbatana, and Persepolis '' Aśoka and the decline of the Mauryas, Volume 5, p. 129, Romila Thapar, Oxford University Press, 1961 Jump up ^ A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India : From the Stone Age to the 12th century by Upinder Singh p. 331 Jump up ^ Kosmin 2014, p. 32. Jump up ^ `` Megasthenes lived with Sibyrtius, satrap of Arachosia, and often speaks of his visiting Sandracottus, the king of the Indians. '' Arrian, Anabasis Alexandri Arrian. `` Book 5 ''. Anabasis. Jump up ^ Wilhelm Geiger ( 1908 ). The Dīpavaṃsa and Mahāvaṃsa and their historical development in Ceylon. Ethel M. Coomaraswamy. H.C. Cottle, Government Printer, Ceylon. p. 40. OCLC 559688590. Jump up ^ M. Srinivasachariar ( 1989 ). History of classical Sanskrit literature ( 3 ed. ). Motilal Banarsidass. p. 550. ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 0284 - 1. Jump up ^ P. 109 A brief history of India by Alain Daniélou, Kenneth Hurry Jump up ^ P. 138 and P. 146 History and doctrines of the Ājīvikas : a vanished Indian religion by Arthur Llewellyn Basham Jump up ^ P. 24 Buddhism in comparative light by Anukul Chandra Banerjee Jump up ^ P. 171 Ashoka and his inscriptions, Volume 1 by Beni Madhab Barua, Ishwar Nath Topa Jump up ^ Edicts of Ashoka, 13th Rock Edict, translation S. Dhammika. Jump up ^ Army and Power in the Ancient World by Angelos Chaniotis / Pierre Ducrey ( Eds. ), Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart, P35 Jump up ^ According to the Ashokavadana Jump up ^ Sir John Marshall, `` A Guide to Sanchi '', Eastern Book House, 1990, ISBN 81 - 85204 - 32 - 2, pg. 38 Jump up ^ E. Lamotte : History of Indian Buddhism, Institut Orientaliste, Louvain - la - Neuve 1988 ( 1958 ) Jump up ^ Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas by Romila Thapar, Oxford University Press, 1960 P200 Jump up ^ Gabriel A, Richard ( 30 November 2006 ), The Ancient World : Volume 1 of Soldiers ' lives through history, Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 28 Jump up ^ Majumdar 2003, p. 107. Jump up ^ The Economic History of the Corporate Form in Ancient India. University of Michigan. Jump up ^ CNG Coins Jump up ^ `` Archived copy '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 19 March 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2016... ^ Jump up to : P. 266 Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics Part 1 By James Hastings Jump up ^ P. 92 Paurānic and Tāntric Religion : Early Phase By Jitendra Nath Banerjea Jump up ^ P. 212 Age of the Nandas and Mauryas By K.A. Nilakanta Sastri Jump up ^ Chanakya at Hinduism.co.za Archived 16 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Jerry Bentley, Old World Encounters : Cross-Cultural Contacts in Pre-Modern Times ( New York : Oxford University Press ), 46 Jump up ^ Mookerji 1988, pp. 39 - 41. Jump up ^ Thapar 2004, p. 178. Jump up ^ Kulke & Rothermund 2004, pp. 64 - 65. Jump up ^ Samuel 2010, pp. 60. Jump up ^ Basham 1951, p. 138, 146. Jump up ^ Cort 2010, p. 199. Jump up ^ Tukol, T.K., Jainism in South India Jump up ^ `` L'age d'or de l'Inde Classique '', p23 Jump up ^ `` L'age d'or de l'Inde Classique '', p22 Jump up ^ Mookerji 1988, p. 15. Jump up ^ Drawing reconstruction by F.C. Maisey for reference Jump up ^ Rangarajan, M. ( 2001 ) India 's Wildlife History, pp 7. ^ Jump up to : Rangarajan, M. ( 2001 ) India 's Wildlife History, pp 8. Jump up ^ `` Plutarch, Alexander, chapter 1, section 1 ''. Jump up ^ `` ( Transitum deinde in Indiam fecit ), quae post mortem Alexandri, ueluti ceruicibus iugo seruitutis excusso, praefectos eius occiderat. Auctor libertatis Sandrocottus fuerat, sed titulum libertatis post uictoriam in seruitutem uerterat ; 14 siquidem occupato regno populum quem ab externa dominatione uindicauerat ipse seruitio premebat. '' Justin XV. 4.12 -- 13 Jump up ^ `` Molienti deinde bellum aduersus praefectos Alexandri elephantus ferus infinitae magnitudinis ultro se obtulit et ueluti domita mansuetudine eum tergo excepit duxque belli et proeliator insignis fuit. Sic adquisito regno Sandrocottus ea tempestate, qua Seleucus futurae magnitudinis fundamenta iaciebat, Indiam possidebat. '' Justin XV. 4.19 Jump up ^ `` Appian, The Syrian Wars 11 ''. Jump up ^ Ancient India, ( Kachroo, p. 196 ) Jump up ^ The Imperial Gazetteer of India, ( Hunter, p. 167 ) Jump up ^ The evolution of man and society, ( Darlington, p. 223 ) Jump up ^ W.W. Tarn ( 1940 ). `` Two Notes on Seleucid History : 1. Seleucus ' 500 Elephants, 2. Tarmita '', The Journal of Hellenic Studies 60, p. 84 - 94. Jump up ^ Kosmin 2014, p. 37. Jump up ^ `` Pliny the Elder, The Natural History ( eds. John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S., H.T. Riley, Esq., B.A. ) ''. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Jump up ^ Vincent A. Smith ( 1998 ). Ashoka. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 81 - 206 - 1303 - 1. Jump up ^ Walter Eugene Clark ( 1919 ). `` The Importance of Hellenism from the Point of View of Indic - Philology '', Classical Philology 14 ( 4 ), p. 297 - 313. ^ Jump up to : Kosmin 2014, p. 35. Jump up ^ `` Problem while searching in The Literature Collection ''. Jump up ^ `` The Literature Collection : The deipnosophists, or, Banquet of the learned of Athenæus ( volume III ) : Book XIV ''. Jump up ^ Reference : `` India : The Ancient Past '' p. 113, Burjor Avari, Routledge, ISBN 0 - 415 - 35615 - 6 Jump up ^ Full text of the Mahavamsa Click chapter XII Jump up ^ Kailash Chand Jain 1991, p. 85. Sources Jain, Kailash Chand ( 1991 ), Lord Mahāvīra and His Times, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978 - 81 - 208 - 0805 - 8 Samuel, Geoffrey ( 2010 ), The Origins of Yoga and Tantra. Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century, Cambridge University Press Kosmin, Paul J. ( 2014 ), The Land of the Elephant Kings : Space, Territory, and Ideology in Seleucid Empire, Harvard University Press, ISBN 978 - 0 - 674 - 72882 - 0 Kulke, Hermann ; Rothermund, Dietmar ( 2004 ), A History of India ( 4th ed. ), London : Routledge, ISBN 0 - 415 - 15481 - 2 Thapar, Romila ( 2004 ) ( first published by Penguin in 2002 ), Early India : From the Origins to A.D. 1300, University of California Press, ISBN 978 - 0 - 520 - 24225 - 8 Keay, John ( 2000 ). India, a History. New York : Harper Collins Publishers. Stein, Burton ( 1998 ). A History of India ( 1st ed. ), Oxford : Wiley - Blackwell. Raychaudhuri, H.C. ; Mukherjee, B.N. ( 1996 ), Political History of Ancient India : From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty, Oxford University Press Schwartzberg, J.E. ( 1992 ). A Historical Atlas of South Asia. University of Oxford Press. Grainger, John D. ( 1990, 2014 ). Seleukos Nikator : Constructing a Hellenistic Kingdom. Routledge. Mookerji, Radha Kumud ( 1988 ) ( first published in 1966 ), Chandragupta Maurya and his times ( 4th ed. ), Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 81 - 208 - 0433 - 3 Cort, John ( 2010 ) ( 1953 ), Framing the Jina : Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978 - 0 - 19 - 538502 - 1 Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra ( 2003 ) ( 1952 ), Ancient India, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 81 - 208 - 0436 - 8 Arthur Llewellyn Basham ( 1951 ), History and doctrines of the Ājīvikas : a vanished Indian religion, foreword by L.D. Barnett ( 1 ed. ), London : Luzac Chanakya, Arthashastra, ISBN 0 - 14 - 044603 - 6 J.F.C. Fuller, The Generalship of Alexander the Great, ISBN 0 - 306 - 81330 - 0 Robert Morkot, The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece, ISBN 0 - 14 - 051335 - 3 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mauryan Empire. Livius.org : Maurya dynasty Extent of the Empire Ashoka 's Edicts Preceded by Nanda dynasty Magadha dynasties Maurya Empire Succeeded by Shunga dynasty Middle kingdoms of India Timeline and cultural period Northwestern India ( Punjab - Sapta Sindhu ) Indo - Gangetic Plain Central India Southern India Western Gangetic Plain ( Kuru - Panchala ) Northern India ( Central Gangetic Plain ) Northeastern India ( Northeast India ) IRON AGE Culture Late Vedic Period Late Vedic Period ( Brahmin ideology ) Painted Grey Ware culture Late Vedic Period ( Kshatriya / Shramanic culture ) Northern Black Polished Ware Pre-history 6th century BC Gandhara Kuru - Panchala Magadha Adivasi ( tribes ) Culture Persian - Greek influences `` Second Urbanisation '' Rise of Shramana movements Jainism - Buddhism - Ājīvika - Yoga Pre-history 5th century BC ( Persian rule ) Shishunaga dynasty Adivasi ( tribes ) 4th century BC ( Greek conquests ) Nanda empire Kalinga HISTORICAL AGE Culture Spread of Buddhism Pre-history Sangam period ( 300 BC -- 200 AD ) 3rd century BC Maurya Empire Early Cholas Early Pandyan Kingdom Satavahana dynasty Cheras 46 other small kingdoms in Ancient Thamizhagam Culture Preclassical Hinduism - `` Hindu Synthesis '' ( ca. 200 BC - 300 AD ) Epics - Puranas - Ramayana - Mahabharata - Bhagavad Gita - Brahma Sutras - Smarta Tradition Mahayana Buddhism Sangam period ( continued ) ( 300 BC -- 200 AD ) 2nd century BC Indo - Greek Kingdom Shunga Empire Maha - Meghavahana Dynasty Early Cholas Early Pandyan Kingdom Satavahana dynasty Cheras 46 other small kingdoms in Ancient Thamizhagam 1st century BC 1st century AD Indo - Scythians Indo - Parthians Kuninda Kingdom 2nd century Kushan Empire 3rd century Kushano - Sasanian Kingdom Kushan Empire Western Satraps Kamarupa kingdom Kalabhra dynasty Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Kalabhras ) Culture `` Golden Age of Hinduism '' ( ca. AD 320 - 650 ) Puranas Co-existence of Hinduism and Buddhism 4th century Kidarites Gupta Empire Varman dynasty Kalabhra dynasty Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Kalabhras ) Kadamba Dynasty Western Ganga Dynasty 5th century Hephthalite Empire Alchon Huns Kalabhra dynasty Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Kalabhras ) Vishnukundina 6th century Nezak Huns Kabul Shahi Maitraka Adivasi ( tribes ) Badami Chalukyas Kalabhra dynasty Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Kalabhras ) Culture Late - Classical Hinduism ( ca. AD 650 - 1100 ) Advaita Vedanta - Tantra Decline of Buddhism in India 7th century Indo - Sassanids Vakataka dynasty Empire of Harsha Mlechchha dynasty Adivasi ( tribes ) Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Kalabhras ) Pandyan Kingdom ( Revival ) Pallava 8th century Kabul Shahi Pala Empire Pandyan Kingdom Kalachuri 9th century Gurjara - Pratihara Rashtrakuta dynasty Pandyan Kingdom Medieval Cholas Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Cholas ) Chera Perumals of Makkotai 10th century Ghaznavids Pala dynasty Kamboja - Pala dynasty Kalyani Chalukyas Medieval Cholas Pandyan Kingdom ( Under Cholas ) Chera Perumals of Makkotai Rashtrakuta References and sources for table References Jump up ^ Samuel Jump up ^ Samuel Jump up ^ Michaels ( 2004 ) p. 39 Jump up ^ Hiltebeitel ( 2002 ) Jump up ^ Michaels ( 2004 ) p. 39 Jump up ^ Hiltebeitel ( 2002 ) Jump up ^ Micheals ( 2004 ) p. 40 Jump up ^ Michaels ( 2004 ) p. 41 Sources Flood, Gavin D. ( 1996 ), An Introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge University Press Hiltebeitel, Alf ( 2002 ), Hinduism. In : Joseph Kitagawa, `` The Religious Traditions of Asia : Religion, History, and Culture '', Routledge Michaels, Axel ( 2004 ), Hinduism. Past and present, Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press Samuel, Geoffrey ( 2010 ), The Origins of Yoga and Tantra. Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century, Cambridge University Press Empires Ancient Akkadian Egyptian Assyrian Babylonian Carthaginian Chinese Qin Han Jin Northern Wei Hellenistic Macedonian Seleucid Hittite Indian Nanda Maurya Satavahana Shunga Gupta Harsha Iranian Median Achaemenid Parthian Sasanian Kushan Mongol Xianbei Xiongnu Roman Western Eastern Teotihuacan Post-classical Arab Rashidun Umayyad Abbasid Fatimid Córdoba Aragonese Angevin Aztec Benin Bornu Bruneian Bulgarian First Second Byzantine Nicaea Trebizond Carolingian Chinese Sui Tang Song Yuan Ethiopian Zagwe Solomonic Georgian Hunnic Inca Indian Chola Gurjara - Pratihara Pala Eastern Ganga dynasty Delhi Vijayanagara Iranian Tahirid Samanid Buyid Sallarid Ziyarid Kanem Khmer Latin Majapahit Malaccan Mali Mongol Yuan Golden Horde Chagatai Khanate Ilkhanate Moroccan Idrisid Almoravid Almohad Marinid North Sea Oyo Roman Serbian Somali Ajuran Ifatite Adalite Mogadishan Warsangali Songhai Srivijaya Tibetan Turko - Persian Ghaznavid Great Seljuk Khwarezmian Timurid Vietnamese Ly Tran Le Wagadou Modern Ashanti Austrian Austro - Hungarian Brazilian Central African Chinese Ming Qing China Manchukuo Ethiopian French First Second German First / Old Reich Second Reich Third Reich Haitian First Second Indian Maratha Sikh Mughal British Raj Iranian Safavid Afsharid Zand Qajar Pahlavi Japanese Johor Korean Mexican First Second Moroccan Saadi Alaouite Russian USSR Somali Gobroon Majeerteen Hobyo Dervish Swedish Tongan Turkish Ottoman Karaman Ramazan Vietnamese Tay Son Nguyen Vietnam Colonial American Belgian British English Danish Dutch French German Italian Japanese Norwegian Portuguese Spanish Swedish Lists Empires largest ancient great powers medieval great powers modern great powers Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maurya_Empire&oldid=810271686 '' Categories : Former countries in Asia Maurya Empire Ancient empires and kingdoms of India Ancient Hindu kingdoms Iron Age countries in Asia Iron Age cultures of South Asia Dynasties of Bengal History of Bengal History of West Bengal History of Bangladesh History of Kolkata Former empires Ancient history of Pakistan Ancient history of Afghanistan Jain empires and kingdoms Magadha Ruling Buddhist clans 4th century BC in India 3rd century BC in India 2nd century BC in India 320s BC establishments States and territories established in the 4th century BC States and territories disestablished in the 2nd century BC 4th - century BC establishments in India 2nd - century BC disestablishments Former monarchies of South Asia Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2017 Webarchive template wayback links Use dmy dates from December 2015 Use Indian English from December 2015 All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English Articles lacking reliable references from August 2016 All articles lacking reliable references Articles lacking in - text citations from August 2015 All articles lacking in - text citations Former country articles requiring maintenance Articles with unsourced statements from August 2016 All pages needing factual verification Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from August 2016 Articles with unsourced statements from July 2016 Articles with unsourced statements from April 2016 All articles with failed verification Articles with failed verification from September 2017 Articles with attributed pull quotes Articles with unsourced statements from July 2009 Articles with unsourced statements from June 2007 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Alemannisch অসমীয়া Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه বাংলা Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская भोजपुरी Català Čeština Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français ગુજરાતી 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ಕನ್ನಡ ქართული कॉशुर / کٲشُر Кыргызча Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar മലയാളം मराठी მარგალური مازِرونی Bahasa Melayu Nederlands नेपाली नेपाल भाषा 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی Polski Português Română Русский संस्कृतम् Scots සිංහල Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் Татарча / tatarça తెలుగు ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt Winaray 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 14 November 2017, at 07 : 42. 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Question: where was the mauryan empire located on a map
Answer: Iran