History Fd

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INTRODUCTION:-

The imperial history of India begins with the rise to power of ChandraguptaMaurya. He founded the first imperial dynasty of India soon afterAlexander’s invasion. It was the direct outcome of a foreign invasion whicharoused the national consciousness of the Indians and gave birth to a strongnational movement. Chandragupta Maurya spearheads this movement andwithin three year’s of Alexander’s return from India liberated north!westernIndia and the "un#ab from the yo$e of foreign rule. Thereafter he too$ possession of Magadha after overthrowing the %anda dynasty and

transformed the Mauryan &mpire into a strong national monarchy.Chandragupta Maurya was the first national ruler of India who successfullyundertoo$ the process of political unification of the country and introduced auniform system of government and administration throughout his empire.

The Mauryan &mpire lasted more than a century. Chandragupta Maurya rulefrom '((!()* +.C. and his son and successor named +indusara occupiedthe throne of Magadha for another twenty five years from ()*!(,' +.C.Asho$a the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya was by far the greatest ruleof his dynasty who embraced +uddhism and made it the state religion- heruled from (,' to ('( +.C. The Mauryan &mpire rapidly disintegrated underthe wea$ successors of Asho$a but they continued to rule over Magadha till

*/ +.C. The last incumbent of the Mauryan dynasty named +rihaddrathawas assassinated by his commander!in!chief "ushyamitra who laid thefoundation of the 0unga dynasty at Magadha.

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on contemporary social life is notable" Certain

unbelie%able information pro%i e by him has to be

treate with caution"

• 5ther 6iterature:-Apart from these three important

works, the Puranas an the 7u hist literature such as

8atakas pro%i e information on the !auryas" The

Ceylonese Chronicles 9ipa%amsa an !aha%amsa throw

light on the role Asoka in sprea ing 7u hism in Sri

6anka .

A'C2A 5650$CA6 S5;'C S:-

• icts of Asoka:- The inscriptions of Asoka were &rsteciphere by 8ames Princep in ( <=" They are written

in Pali language an in some places Prakrit was use "

The 7rahmi script was employe for writing" $n the

northwestern $n ia Asokan inscriptions were foun in

Karoshti script" There are fourteen !a>or 'ock icts"

The two Kalinga icts are foun in the newly con?uereterritory" The ma>or pillar icts were erecte in

important cities" There are minor 'ock icts an minor

pillar icts" These icts of Asoka eal with Asoka’s

9hamma an also instructions gi%en to his o@cials" The

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$$$ 'ock ict gi%es etails about his war with Kalinga"

The Pillar ict /$$ gi%es a summary of his eBorts to

promote the 9hamma within his king om" Thus the

Asokan inscriptions remain %aluable sources for thestu y of Asoka an the !auryan mpire"

EARLY HISTORY:-

The Mauryan &mpire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya with the help ohis guru Chana$ya or 1autilya a +rahmin teacher at Ta$shashila. Accordingto several legends Chana$ya traveled to Magadha a $ingdom that was largand militarily powerful and feared by its neighbors but was insulted by its$ing 2hana %anda of the %anda 2ynasty. Chana$ya swore revenge andvowed to destroy the %anda &mpire.

The 3ree$ generals &udemus and "eithon ruled until around ' 4 +C&when Chandragupta Maurya 5with the help of Chana$ya who was now hisadvisor6 utterly defeated the Macedonians and consolidated the region underthe control of his new seat of power in Magadha.

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Chandragupta Maurya7s rise to power is shrouded in mystery andcontroversy. 8n the one hand a number of ancient Indian accounts such asthe drama Mudrarakshasa 5 Poem of Rakshasa 9 Rakshasa was the prime

minister of Magadha6 by :isa$hadatta describe his royal ancestry and evenlin$ him with the %anda family. A $shatriya tribe $nown as the Maurya’s arereferred to in the earliest +uddhist texts Mahaparinibbana 0utta. Howeverany conclusions are hard to ma$e without further historical evidence.Chandragupta first emerges in 3ree$ accounts as ;0andro$ottos;. As a youngman he is said to have met Alexander. He is also said to have met the %anda$ing angered him and made a narrow escape. Chana$ya7s original intentio

were to train a guerilla army under Chandragupta7s command. TheMudrara$shasa of :isa$hadutta as well as the <aina wor$ "arisishtaparvantal$ of Chandragupta7s alliance with the Himalayan $ing "arvat$a sometimidentified with "orus.

LIST OF MAURYAN RULERS:-

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CHANDRAGUPTA MAURYA (322-298 B.C.):- He was the founderof the Maurya &mpire by defeating 2hanananda the then $ing of the %anda 2ynasty. He succeeded in con=uering almost the entire Indiansubcontinent and is considered the first unifier of India as well as itsfirst genuine emperor. After Chandragupta7s con=uests the Maurya

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%AM& >&I3%0TA>T 5+.C.6

>&I3%&%2 5+.C.6

Chandragupta Maurya '(( ()*

+indusara ()) (,?

Asho$a (,' ('(

2asaratha ('( ((?

0amprati ((? ( /

0alisu$a ( / (@(

2evavarman (@( )/

0atadhanvan )/ *,

+rihadratha *, */



&mpire extended from +engal and Assam in the eastto Afghanistan and +alochistan some part of the eastern and south!east Iran the west to 1ashmir and %epal in the north and to

the 2eccan "lateau in the south. Tradition holds that Chandraguptaabdicated his throne to become a 2igambara <ain mon$ and led suchan ascetic life that he starved himself to death. He was succeeded by his son in ()) +C.

Chandragupta7s achievements which ranged from con=ueringMacedonian satrapies in the northwest and con=uering the %anda&mpire by the time he was only about (@ years old to achieving analliance with 0eleucus I %icator and establishing centrali ed rulethroughout the Indian 0ubcontinent remain some of the mostcelebrated in the history of India.

BINDUSARA (299-274 B.C.):- Chandragupta Maurya was succeeded

by his son +indusara. He has been given the tittle of BAmitraghat’ orB0layer of enemies’ by the 3ree$ writers. However we have no idea othe enemies of +indusara and the way he defeated them. All that we$now about him is that the people of Taxila revolted twice during thereign of +indusara. 8n the first occasion the revolt was on account ofthe bad administration of the province by "rince 0usima. The revoltwas put down by the Asho$a. The second revolt could not be

suppressed on account of the death of +indusara. The author of theArya!Man#usri!Mul$alpa states that Chana$ya survived his master andcontinued to wor$ as the Minister of +indusara. The 3ree$ writers tellus that +indusara too$ delight in pleasure. He even re=uestedAntiochos I 0oter $ing of 0yria to send him some pigs and raisin

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wine. 2uring the reign of +indusara 2eimachos succeededMegasthenes as ambassador to the court of +indusara. +indusara had alarge number of sons. "rince 0usima was the eldest son and he was

appointed as a :iceroy of Taxila. His second son was Aso$a who was put incharge of ##ain. It is stated that there was fratricidal war amongthe children of +indusara and a large number of persons were $illed.According to the "uranas +indusara ruled for (/ years. However the+uddhist tradition is that +indusara ruled for (, or (* years.

ASHO A (272- 232 B.C.):- Asho$a also $nown as 2evanampiya

"iyadasi 5beloved of the 3ods6 was one of the most distinguishedemperors of the Mauryan dynasty and is remembered as one of thegreatest emperors of India. %ot only was he well $nown for his ablerule but also for wor$ he did in spreading +uddhist ideas and teachingsthroughout the country. 0uch was his greatness that elements of histime still exist for instance the official emblem of the >epublic of

India is the four lion capital which used to adorn the famous Asho$ pillars which were used by Asho$a to spread his ideas to the foucorners of his $ingdom. Asho$a ruled for almost three decades and hisrule is a fairly well documented period in Indian history. He left us avariety of sources of information especially the inscriptions on roc$and pillars. Asho$a was one of the sons of the earlier Mauryan $ing+indusara. &arly in his political career he was given the importantviceroyalties of Taxila and ##ain. Dhen his father died he arrived athe capital "atiliputra and after a power struggle between his brothershe emerged as the next ruler of the Mauryan empire. 2uring the earlyyears of his rule he was involved in the policy of expansion and

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increased the si e of the Mauryan empire. After the con=uest of1alinga Asho$a was a different person. He was then a believer of

2harma 5Morality and "iety6. He no longer ordered military conquests

to take over kingdoms and instead advocated a system known

as dharma-vijaya (conquest by piety). Ashoka soon developed an

interest in the teaching of Buddhism, but initially did not express much

enthusiasm for joining the faith. This finally did happen, when he

visited Bodh Gaya (the place where Buddha reached enlightenment)

and interacted with the monks over there. The experience finally made

up his mind and Ashoka took up the religion with tremendous zeal. He

soon began the process of travelling across the country spreading the

ideas of Dharma and asking people to live their life with strong moral

values. Ashoka also sent missionaries abroad so that even people of

foreign lands would have the opportunity to learn about these ideas.

Ashoka is also credited with constructing one of the first Buddhist

structures in the country, the Sanchi Stupa.

Ashoka was one of the most outstanding personalities in the history of

India. A person who had great organizational skills and truly excelled

in whatever he did, be it the expansion and governance of his empire or

his incredible work in spreading Buddhist teachings. During the early

part of his rule he organized the finest military conquests, defeating his

most powerful enemies and later he spent a fantastic amount of energy

propagating his new ideas and beliefs throughout the empire. As a

person, as a ruler and as a preacher Ashoka has had few equals in

Indian history. He is said to have died sometime around 233 BC.

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DASARATHA (232-224 B.C.):- He was Mauryan &mperor from ('(to ((? +C&. He was a grandson of Asho$a and had succeeded hisgrandfather as the imperial ruler of India. 2asaratha presided over adeclining imperium and several territories of the empire bro$e awayfrom central rule during his reign. He had continued the religious andsocial policies of his celebrated grandfather Asho$a. 2asaratha was thelast ruler of the Mauryan dynasty to have issued imperial inscriptions Ethus the last Mauryan &mperor to be $nown from epigraphicalsources. 2asaratha died in ((? +C& and was succeeded by his brother 0amprati.

SAMPRATI (224-2!" B.C.):- 0amrat 0amprati was an emperorof Maurya dynasty who reigned from c.((?9( / +C. He was the sonof Asho$a7s blind son 1unala. He succeeded his cousin 2asharatha asemperor of the Maurya &mpire and ruled almost the entire present!day Indian subcontinent. He was the follower of <ainism.

SALISU A (2!"- 2#2 B.C.):- 0alisu$a Maurya was a ruler of theIndian Maurya dynasty. He ruled from ( /!(@( +C. He was thesuccessor of0amprati Maurya. Dhile Fuga "urana section of the 3argi0amhita mentions him as =uarrelsome unrighteous ruler he is alsocalled as being of 7>ighteous words7 but 7unrighteous conduct7 due tohis patronage of <ainism.G According to the "uranas he was succeeded by 2evavarman. He followed +uddhism.

DE$A$ARMAN (2#2- !9" B.C.):- 2evavarma Maurya was a $ing ofthe Maurya empire. He ruled from (@( ! )/ +C. According tothe "uranas he was the successor of0alisu$a Maurya and reigned for

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salisuka#cite_note-0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salisuka#cite_note-0



seven years. He was succeeded by 0atadhanvan Maurya. He was alsothe follower of +uddhism.

SATADHAN$AN (!9" -!87 B.C.):- 0atadhanva Maurya was a $ing of the Maurya dynasty. He ruled from )/! *, +C&. According tothe"uranas he was the successor of2evavarman Maurya and reignedfor eight years. 2uring his time the empire lost some of its territories because of invasions. He was succeeded by +rihadratha Maurya.

BRIHADRATHA (!87- !8# B.C.):- +rihadratha Maurya was the lastruler of the Mauryan dynasty. He ruled from c. *,9 *@ +C&. He was$illed by his senapati 5commander!in!chief6 "usyamitra 0unga.According to the "uranas +rihadratha succeeded atadhanvan and heruled for seven years. Mauryan territories centered around the capitalof "ataliputra had shrun$ considerably from the time of the great&mperor Asho$a when +rihadratha came to the throne. He was thefollower of +uddhism.

GO$ERNMENT:-

The Mauryas have the uni=ue distinction of creating India7s first empire anempire they administered with remar$able organi ation and efficiency. Thecenter of power in the Mauryan system was the $ing. The priest was alsosteadily increasing in political power and essentially became a chief ministewith his religious duties remaining in the bac$ground. There were also acouncil of ministers and the $ing was expected to consult them before ta$indecisions. However the importance they had in decision ma$ing varied from

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$ing to $ing. The basic principles of Mauryan administration remained thesame till the wea$er Mauryas lost their hold over the administration.Jollowing are the principles of Mauryan administrationK

• C%&' * G+,% & %&'K! The ascendancy of the Mauryas had resulted

in the triumph of monarchy in India. 8ther systems li$e republics andoligarchies that were prevalent in the pre!Mauryan India had collapsed.Although 1autilya the foremost political theorist of ancient Indiasupported the monarchial form of government he did not stand forroyal absolutism. He advocated that the $ing should ta$e the advice ofhis ministry in running the administration. Therefore a council ofministers called Mantriparishad assisted the $ing in administrativematters. It consisted of "urohita Mahamantri 0enapati and Fuvara#a.There were civil servants called Amatyas to loo$ after the day!to!dayadministration. These officers were similar to the IA0 officers ofindependent India. The method of selection of Amatyas was

elaborately given by 1autilya. Aso$a appointed 2hamma Mahamatrasto supervise the spread of 2hamma. Thus the Mauryan state had a wellorgani ed civil service.

• R%,%& % D%/ ' %&'K! 0amharta the chief of the >evenue

2epartment was in charge of the collection of all revenues of theempire. The revenues came from land irrigation customs shop taxferry tax forests mines and pastures license fee from craftsmen anfines collected in the law courts. The land revenue was normally fixedas one sixth of the produce. The main items of expenditure of the state

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related to $ing and his household army government servants publicwor$s poor relief religion etc.

• A 0 K! The Mauryan army was well organi ed and it was under the

control of 0enapati. The salaries were paid in cash. 1autilya refers tothe salaries of different ran$s of military officers. According to 3ree$author "liny the Mauryan army consisted of six la$h infantry thirtythousand cavalry nine thousand elephants and eight thousand chariotsIn addition to these four wings there were the %avy and Transport and0upply wings. &ach wing was under the control of Adya$shas or0uperintendents. Megasthenes mentions six boards of five memberseach to control the six wings of the military.

• D%/ ' %&' +1 C+ % % & I& ' 0K! This department had

controlled the retail and wholesale prices of goods and tried to ensuretheir steady supply through its officers called Adya$shas. It also

controlled weights and measures levied custom duties and regulatedforeign trade.

• 5 6 6 * & P+*6 % D%/ ' %&'K! 1autilya mentions the existence

of both civil and criminal courts. The chief #ustice of the 0upremeCourt at the capital was called 2harmathi$arin. There were alsosubordinate courts at the provincial capitals and districts under

Amatyas. 2ifferent $inds of punishment such as fines imprisonmentmutilation and death were given to the offenders. Torture wasemployed to extract truth. "olice stations were found in all principalcentres. +oth 1autilya and Aso$an &dicts mention about #ails and #ailofficials. The 2hamma Mahamatras were as$ed by Aso$a to ta$e steps

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against un#ust imprisonment. >emission of sentences is also mentionedin Aso$a’s inscriptions

• .C%& K! The ta$ing of Census was regular during the Mauryan

period. The village officials were to number the people along withother details li$e their caste and occupation. They were also to countthe animals in each house. The census in the towns was ta$en bymunicipal officials to trac$ the movement of population both foreignand indigenous. The data collected were cross chec$ed by the spies.The Census appears to be a permanent institution in the Mauryanadministration.

• P +,6& 6 * & L+ * A 6&6 ' '6+&K! The Mauryan &mpire was

divided into four provinces with their capitals at Taxila ##ain0uvarnagiri and 1alinga. The provincial governors were mostlyappointed from the members of royal family. They were responsible

the maintenance of law and order and collection of taxes for theempire. The district administration was under the charge of >a#u$aswhose position and functions are similar to modern collectors. He wasassisted by Fu$tas or subordinate officials. :illage administration wasin the hands of 3ramani and his official superior was called 3opa whowas in charge of ten or fifteen villages. +oth 1autilya andMegasthanes provided the system of Municipal administration.Arthasastra contains a full chapter on the role of %agari$a or citysuperintendent. His chief duty was to maintain law and order.Megasthenes refers to the six committees of five members each to loo$after the administration of "ataliputra. These committees loo$ed afterK

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. Industries (. Joreigners '.>egistration of birth and deaths ?. Trade/. Manufacture and sale of goods 4. Collection of sales tax.

ECONOMY:-

&conomy of Mauryan &mpire witnessed a well organi ed tax systemdevised by 1autilya. Land revenue was going to be a ma#or source of incomefrom the government. Land was sub#ected to regular assessments and an

appropriate level of tax was levied. Industries and enterprises were alsotaxed. The government also introduced the concept of state owned farms. The$ing owned the land and his sub#ects were employed for its cultivation. Cropwere used to sustain the population that wor$ed on it and the surplus wasta$en by the government. This policy of the government eased the problem ooverpopulation.

A stable centrali ed government and the unity of the sub!continent resulted inthe rapid development of industry. Trade received a ma#or boost as didvarious craft guilds. Able administration ensured that trade became easierand the guilds soon developed into small scale industries. The development

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of guilds was an important step. 3uilds were large organi ations whichemployed labour for a particular commodity. Artisans #oined the guilds as it provided steady employment and was easier. The government also found the

guilds convenient as they also made the process of tax collection andadministration easier.

All manufactured goods came stamped with a date which would then beused by consumers to determine the age of the product. The sale ofmerchandise was regulated. "rices were monitored to ensure that a merchantwas not ma$ing too much profit. A trade superintendent carefully evaluated

the product the price and the demand and supply situation. He would fix avalue for the commodity.

8ne fifth of this value would be charged a toll and a further one fifth tax wascharged on the toll. There was no ban$ing system but the concept of lendingmoney did exist and the rate of interest is estimated to have been about / per year. Jor loans in sectors li$e sea travel the rates were much

higher.&xtensive trade relations were developed. Trade too$ place withseveral countries li$e 0yria and &gypt in addition to several others in theDest. There were many foreign traders who too$ up residence in Mauryancities. 0everal goods were exported and imported. The Mauryan $ingsimported wines figs clothes and beautiful vessels made out of silver. TheMauryan exports were items of luxury li$e fine muslin cloth. The Mauryanssoon built ships and hired them out for trade to merchants.

The Indian economy was a settled agrarian economy by this time. Animalrearing was also an important occupation.

RELIGION:-

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>eligion during Mauryan dynasty witnessed the tremendous rise in faithsapart from Hinduism li$e <ainism and +uddhism with men li$e emperorAsho$a being in line. This flourishing in religion of the Mauryas can also

blindly be credited to Chandragupta Maurya who had been decisive enoughto ma$e his sub#ects tow the line of faith and worship. &mperorChandragupta Maurya became the foremost significant Indian sovereign to$ic$ off a religious renovation at the highest level when he had thoroughlyespoused <ainism. 2uring that sensitive time period the orthodox. Hindu priests attending to the royal court exceedingly ob#ected to such a religioustransformation. 2uring his much matured age Chandragupta had abdicatedhis throne and materialistic possessions to adhere himself with a nomadicgroup of <ain mon$s. Chandragupta had turned a disciple of Acharya+hadrabahu. It is also supposed that in his last days he had observed therigid but self cleansing <ain ritual of santhara i.e. fast unto death at 0hravan+elagola in 1arnata$a. >eligion during Mauryan dynasty it can be evidentlywitnessed always too$ a centre position irrespective of age time place astatus. However Chandragupta MauryaNs successor emperor +indusarastrictly upheld Hindu traditions and remained cold and impassive towards<ain and +uddhist movements. 0amprati grandson of Asho$a even also hadespoused <ainism. 0amrat 0amprati was profoundly charmed by the teachingof <ain mon$ Arya 0uhasti 0uri. He is believed to have erected (/ @@@ temples traversing India. 0ome of them can still be witnessed in towns of

Ahmedabad :iramgam ##ain and "alitana. nheeding of what peoplemight thin$ or state religion was one aspect during Mauryan dynasty thathad overshadowed even perhaps their reign and rules itself. It is also allegedthat #ust li$e Asho$a 0amprati despatched messengers and preachers to3reece "ersia and middle!east for the circulation and acceptance of <ainism

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Hence <ainism had become a crucial force under the Mauryan &mpire.Chandragupta and 0amprati have also been ac$nowledged for spreading<ainism in 0outh India. An astounding number of <ain temples and <ain

stupas were sculpted during their reign. +ut due to dearth of royal benefaction and its strict principles coupled with the ascension of0han$aracharya and >amanu#acharya <ainism once the principal religion south India declined miserably. The picture in this Indian context was soonsub#ect to change- religion during Mauryan dynasty was once more preparedto ta$e a gigantic leap. Dhen Asho$a embraced +uddhism following thedestiny!defying 1alinga Dar he absolutely did away with expansionism andaggression. The harsher in#unctions of Arthashastra pertaining to the use offorce demanding policing and pitiless measures for tax collection and againrebels were also completely abdicated. Asho$a despatched a deputation led by his son and daughter to 0ri Lan$a where $ing Tissa was so carried awaywith +uddhist ethics that he espoused them himself and declared +uddhismthe state religion. Asho$a following this enthusiastic reply sent many+uddhist deputations to Dest Asia 3reece and 0outh &ast Asia. The emperoralso had accredited the building of monasteries schools and publication of+uddhist literature across his empire. The Mauryan emperor is conceived tohave built as many as *? @@@ stupas spanning India and he was incidentalincreasing the wide acceptance of +uddhism in Afghanistan. Asho$a helpedin convening the Third +uddhist Council of India and 0outh AsiaNs +uddhist

orders near his capital. The Third Council had successfully underta$enincredible wor$ of reform and expansion of the +uddhist religion.A curious factor about emperor Asho$a is that while himself being a+uddhist he had wholly $ept bac$ the membership of Hindu priests andministers in his court. He had been capable enough to sustain religious

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freedom and permissiveness in spite of +uddhist faith rising in popularityunder his patronage. >eligious ealousness religious dependency was onecoinage that had never been trac$ed towards a negative angle in Mauryan

times. >eligion during Mauryan dynasty was an overspreading andspontaneous overflowing of veneration that had touched the simplest ofsociety. Indian society gradually began sweeping up the philosophy ofahimsa. And given the amplified prosperity and improved law enforcementcrime and internal differences decreased drastically.

Mauryan empire also encouraged social sovereignty which began boomingin an era of peace and prosperity.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE:-

The monuments before the period of Aso$a were mostly made of wood andtherefore perished. The use of stone started from the time of Aso$a.

&ven of the numerous monuments of Aso$a only a few have !remained. His palace and monasteries and most of his stupas havedisappeared. The only remaining stupa is at 0anchi. The artisticremains of the Mauryan period can be seen in the following headsK

Pillars

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The pillars erected by Aso$a furnish the finest specimen of the Mauryan artAso$an pillars with inscriptions were found in places li$e 2elhi Allahabad>ummindai 0anchi and 0aranath. Their tops were crowned with figures o

animals li$e lion elephant and bull. The 0aranath pillar with four lionstanding bac$ to bac$ is the most magnificent. The Indian government

adopted this capital with some modifications as its state emblem.

Stupas

Aso$a built a number of stupas throughout his empire but ma#ority of themwere destroyed during foreign invasions. 8nly a few have survived. The bestexample is the famous 0anchi stupa with massive dimensions. It was

originally built with bric$s but later enlarged after the time of Aso$a.

Ca%es

The caves presented to the A#ivi$as by Aso$a and his son 2asaratha remainimportant heritage of the Mauryas. Their interior walls are polished li$emirror. These were meant to be residences of mon$s. The caves at +arabar

hills near +odh 3aya are wonderful pieces of Mauryan architecture.

NATURAL HISTORY IN THE TIMES OF MAURYA:-

The protection of animals in India became serious business by the time of theMaurya dynasty- being the first empire to provide a unified political entity in

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India the attitude of the Mauryas towards forests its deni ens and fauna ingeneral is of interest.

The Mauryas firstly loo$ed at forests as a resource. Jor them the mostimportant forest product was the elephant. Military might in those timesdepended not only upon horses and men but also battle!elephants- these played a role in the defeat of 0eleucus one of Alexander’s former generals.The Mauryas sought to preserve supplies of elephants since it was cheaperand too$ less time to catch tame and train wild elephants than to raisethem. 1autilya7s Arthashastra contains not only maxims on ancient statecraft but also unambiguously specifies the responsibilities of officials such asthe Protector of the Elephant Forests .

8n the border of the forest he should establish a forest for elephants guarded by foresters. The 8ffice of the Chief &lephant Jorrester should with the helpof guards protect the elephants in any terrain. The slaying of an elephant is punishable by death..EArthashastra

The Mauryas also designated separate forests to protect supplies of timber awell as lions and tigers for s$ins. &lsewhere the Protector of Animals alsowor$ed to eliminate thieves tigers and other predators to render the woodssafe for gra ing cattle.

The Mauryas valued certain forest tracts in strategic or economic terms andinstituted curbs and control measures over them. They regarded all foresttribes with distrust and controlled them with bribery and political

sub#ugation. They employed some of them the food!gatherers oraranyaca toguard borders and trap animals. The sometimes tense and conflict!riddenrelationship nevertheless enabled the Mauryas to guard their vast empire.

Dhen Asho$a embraced +uddhism in the latter part of his reign he broughtabout significant changes in his style of governance which included

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providing protection to fauna and even relin=uished the royal hunt. He wasthe first ruler in history to advocate conservation measures for wildlife andeven had rules inscribed in stone edicts. The edicts proclaim that many

followed the $ing7s example in giving up the slaughter of animals- one ofthem proudly statesK 8ur $ing $illed very few animals. E&dict on Jifth "illar

However the edicts of Asho$a reflect more the desire of rulers than actualevents- the mention of a @@ 7panas7 5coins6 fine for poaching deer in royhunting preserves shows that rule!brea$ers did exist. The legal restrictionsconflicted with the practices freely exercised by the common people inhunting felling fishing and setting fires in forests.

DECLINE:-

Aso$a’s death in ('( +.C. was followed by the division of the Mauryan&mpire into two parts 9 western and eastern. The western part was ruled by

1unala son of Aso$a and the eastern part by 2asaratha one of the grand

sons of Aso$a.

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2ue to the +actrian invasions the western part of the empire collapsed. The

eastern part was intact under 0amprati successor of 2asaratha. The last

Mauryan $ing was +rihatratha who was assassinated by "ushyamitra 0unga.

After the death of Aso$a his successors were not able to $eep the vas

Mauryan &mpire intact. The provinces started declaring their independence

The northwest India slipped out of the control of the Mauryas and a series o

foreign invasions affected this region. 1alinga declared its independence and

in the further south the 0atavahanas established their independent rule. As a

result the Mauryan rule was confined to the 3angetic valley and it was soonreplaced by the 0unga dynasty.

Causes for the 9ecline of the !auryas:

The causes for the decline of the Mauryan empire have been widely debated

by scholars. The traditional approach attributes the decline to Aso$a’s policies and his wea$ successors. Another approach holds the inade=uate

political and economic institutions to sustain such a vast empire.

It was said that Aso$a’s pro!+uddhist policies antagoni ed the +rahmins who

brought about a revolution led by "ushyamitra 0unga. +ut Aso$a was never

acted against +rahmins. That Aso$a’s policy of non!violence reduced the

fighting spirit of his army was another charge against him. +ut Aso$a had

never slac$ened his control over his empire despite following a pacifist

policy. Therefore solely blaming Aso$a for the decline of the Mauryan

27 | P a g e



empire may not be correct because Aso$a was more a pragmatist than an

idealist.

There are multiple causes for the decline of the Mauryan empire such aswea$ successors partition of empire and administrative abuses after Aso$a

reign. The combination of these factors speeded up the brea$up of the

Mauryan empire and facilitated "ushyamitra 0unga to drive away the

Mauryan power and establish the 0unga dynasty.

CHRONOLOGY:-

324 B.C. ! Chandragupta drives the Macedonian garrisons from "un#ab and

0ind.

3#" B.C. ! 0eleu$os %icator invades Chandragupta gains ' provinces and the

&mpire is secured.

3#! B.C. !+indusara becomes &mperor

2 9 B.C. ! Asho$a becomes &mperor

232 B.C. ! Asho$a dies decline begins

!84 B.C. ! The &mpire collapses

28 | P a g e



BIBILIOGRAPHY:-

BOO S

. M% ' 5.L. M% ' S 6' K History of ANCIENT INDIA (. M & $.D. K Ancient India'. C ; <+ '0 A. B6 = * S. . K History of Ancient India! M R.C. R 0 6 H.C. D '' *6&; K An

Ad"anced History of India

>EBSOURCES

. www.allempires.com(. library.thin$=uest.org'. edu.holisticthought.com?. Di$ipedia.com

Documents

History Fd