THE MAURYA AGE

The Maurya Dynasty, Founded by Chandragupta Maurya, born to shudra women in the court of Nanda’s, his empire includes Bihar and parts of Orissa and Bengal and also western and north-western part of India and also Deccan and north eastern India, almost full subcontinents, with the help of his guru, Chanakya, he overthrew Nanda’s dynasty and established Maurya dynasty.

ORGANISATION

Source from Megasthenes (Indika) and Arthashastra of Chanakya, Maurya capital was pataliputra. he was fully autocrat, accounting to indika king was assisted by council.

Empire was divided into provinces, each provinces will be headed by prince or by the person belonging to royal dynasty.

Megasthenes called pataliputra as palibothra. ( in Greek it means city with gates)

As per writer Pliny, Chandra gupta maintained 600000 foot soldiers 9000 Elephants, and also maintained Navy.

To maintain such a huge army, virgin land was opened for cultivation by shudra laborer’s.

Chandragupta Maurya was succeeded by Bindusara, followed by his son Ashoka

Note On Ashoka

The name Ashoka was found in copies of Minor Rock Edict found in three places in Karnataka and In Madhya Pradesh.

His name on other places as been mentioned as devanampiya piyadasi, which was also used by his ancestors.

Edicts are composed in Prakrit, they were written in Brahmi script in part of subcontinent. In norther-western region it was found in Aramaic Language and Kharoshthi script.

first Indian king to speak directly to people.

Ashoka fought only one major war called Kalinga war.

With in the empire Ashoka appointed officers called as rajukas

Ashoka was converted to Buddhism.

Ashoka held the third Buddhist council (sangiti), he also appointed dhammamahamatras to propage dharma.

He didn’t accept ritual’s killing birds and animals, and gay social functions.

Ashoka’s inscriptions are called dhammalipi, which cover not only religion and morality but also embrace social and administrative matters, which was written in prakrit.