The Mauryan Empire

The Arthashastra by Kautilya and the Indica by the Greek envoy, Megasthenes, are two books that provide information about the Mauryan period.

After Chandragupta defeated Seleucus I Nicator in a battle, Seleucus I had to give Chandragupta the areas west of the Indus, including Baluchistan and some parts of Afghanistan. He also gave his daughter in marriage to Chandragupta.

The Kalinga War deeply affected Ashoka. Moved by the suffering, death and destruction caused by the war, he gave up violence and adopted Buddhism. Inspired by Buddha’s teachings, he followed the policy of dhamma and worked for peace and the well-being of his people.

The system of Mauran administration was based on these guidelines:

1. The king was all powerful.
2. A council of ministers, called the mantriparishad, advised him.
3. There were different departments, such as the treasury, security, revenue, industry, and so on.
4. Officials were appointed by the king to look after each department. Mahamatas looked after various aspects of administration.
5. The empire was divided into four provinces, with the capital at Pataliputra.
6. The expansion and defence of the empire was made possible by the largest standing army of its time.
7. A vast espionage (spy) system worked for both internal and external security. The spy system also kept the king informed about the conduct of the officials.

Some examples of the Mauryan architecture are the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath, the Stupa at Sanchi and Ashokan edicts.

Chanakya.

diplomatic.

Kalinga

Brahmi

Brihadratha

Chandragupta : Maurya : : Pushyamitra : Sunga

(a) Emperor Ashoka ordered the inscription to be engraved.

(b) These inscriptions are called Ashokan edicts. From these inscriptions, we obtain important information like:

1. Ashoka's Dhamma (moral code) and how he wanted his people to live.
2. His policies of governance, such as kindness to animals, tolerance of all religions, and non-violence.
3. His efforts to spread Buddhism and maintain peace and welfare across his empire.
4. These inscriptions are crucial sources for understanding Mauryan administration, philosophy, and society.

(a) The assumption is that Emperor Ashoka wanted everyone in his empire to convert to Buddhism because he was inspired by the Buddha’s teachings.

(b) This assumption is incorrect because Emperor Ashoka did not force his subjects to convert to Buddhism. Instead, through his edicts, he promoted the idea of Dhamma, which included values like non-violence, compassion, tolerance, and respect for all religions. He encouraged moral behavior, not religious conversion.