(Online Course) History for IAS Mains: Mauryan Empire - Determine the extent of the Mauryan Empire

Mauryan Empire

Answer: In the history of India the Mauryan Dynasty is the first historical dynasty, about which some definite historical material is available. Chandragupta Maurya founded this dynasty with the help of his minister Chanakya or Kautilya. It is said that while Chandragupta was still in the Punjab he met Alexander at Taxila and induced him to invade Magadha. But the boldness of his speech offended Alexander and he had to run for safety. It was during this exile that Chandragupta was joined by Chanakya. After the return and death of Alexander there was a general revolt against the Greek rule. In the words of Justine, "India, after Alexander's death, as if the yoke  servitude had been shaken off its neck, had put his prefects to death. Sandrocottus was the leader who achieved its freedom." Thus Chandragupta made the best use of this opportunity and occupied the province of Punjab and Sindh in about 322 B.C.

According to Buddhist and Jaina sources, Chandragupta made an alliance with Parvataka, a powerful ruler of the Himalayan region and attacked Magadha. Both Dhana Nanda, the last Nanda ruler and King Parvataka were slain in this war. This success made the Maurya ruler an undisputed master of Northern India. After the death of Alexander there ensued a struggle for supremacy among his generals and ultimately Seleukus came out successful and began to be called Seleukus Nector. He became the master of a vast territory extending from Asia Minor to Indus and included Babylonia, Bacteria and Afghanistan in it. From the accounts of Greek writers like Justine, Curtious and Plutarch we come to know that when Seleukus invaded India  in 305 B.C. he had to face defeat and to agree to the terms dictated by Chandragupta Maurya. Seleukus had to surrender the four provinces of Herat, Kandhar, Kabul and Baluchistan to the Mauryan ruler. Thus the limits of the Mauryan Empire were extended up to the Hindukush, "the scientific frontier of India". As regards other conquests of Chandragupta Maurya no definite details are, however available. From the Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman we come to know that Chandragupta had ruled that State and appointed a Governor there. Girnar Rock Inscription records that his Governor Pushyagupta got built a lake for promoting agricultural facilities in that region. This shows that Gujarat and Western India was included in the Mauryan Empire.

We can determine the southern extension of the Mauryan Empire on the basis of various sources like Tamil literature and Ashokan edicts. Some Tamil writers "Mamulanar and Paranar" would suggest the invasion of Far South by the same ruler. From Sidhapur, Brahmagiri, Jating -Rameshwar, Maski and other places Ashokan edicts were recovered. The XIII Rock Edict records that Ashoka won the Kingdom of Kalinga only. In this way, the credit of extending Mauryan Empire in South India goes to his grandfather, Chandragupta. In the later days of his life, according to tradition, he abdicated his throne, became a Jain ascetic and fasted unto death in a true Jain fashion at Sravana Belgola in Mysore. The Greek writers, Justin and Plutarch also refer him as the master of the whole of India. Thus Chandragupta's empire was a very vast one. It extended from Bengal in the east to the Hindukush in the west and from the Himalayas in the north to certain areas even south of the Vindhyas. It included the modern territories of Kabul, Herat, Kandhar, Baluchistan, Punjab, U.P, Bihar, Bengal, Gujarat, Kathiawar and many other areas beyond the Vindhya ranges. Chandragupta was succeeded by his son, Bindusara, very little is known about his reign. He adopted the title of "Amitraghata" or "Slayer of Foes", which shows that he must have been a great warrior like his father. Some historians also hold that it was Bindusara who conquered some Southern regions.

But such a view has not been corroborated from any historical source and so must of the historians give the credit of conquering the southern territories to Chandragupta Maurya. Anyhow it is quite certain that he controlled well the empire of his father and safeguarded it. He, like his father, maintained friendly relations with the Greeks especially with Antiochos, the successor of Seleucus. Once he is said to have requested Antiochos to send him some figs, wine and a Greek philosopher. He also had good relations with Syria and Egypt. During his reign the governor of Taxila revolted but he was soon suppressed by his son Ashoka. After a reign of about 25 years Binusara breathed his last in about 273 B.C. The extent of the Mauryan Empire under Ashoka can be determined on the basis of the inscriptions. In the Northwest inscriptions have been recovered from Shahbajgadhi in Peshawar district and Mansehra in Hazara district. Besides, Ashokan edicts in Aramnaich script were found at Laghman on the Northern bank of the Kabul River near Jalalabad and Shar-e-Kuna near Kandhar. These edicts show that the empire of Ashoka included the provinces of Kabul, Herat and Kandhar. This is also proved by the accounts of Chinese traveller Heiun-Tsang who saw Ashokan stupa at Kapisha. Thus a major portion of Afghanistan was included in his empire. Towards north direction, we have pillar edicts of Ashoka at Kalsi in Dehradun. Rummindev and Niglwa in Nepal. These remains are sufficient to prove that his empire was extended over a large portion of the Himalayan region in which the terai area of Nepal was included. Kalhan in his Rajatarangini clearly explains that Kashmir was included in Mauryan Empire under Ashoka.

Moreover, Buddhist records mention that his daughter and son-in-law propagated Buddhism in Nepal. His inscription at Brahmagiri, Maski, Siddhapur and other places of South India are evidences of his influence in those places. In his second Rock Edict Ashoka says that Cholas, Pandyas, Satiyaputra and Keralaputra were his Southern neighbours. His inscriptions found at Sopara near Mumbai and Junagad show his suzerainty over the western part of India.

Ashoka had inherited a vast empire from his grandfather and father but Kalinga. the modern province of Orissa and Ganjam district, was not still in his empire. Ashoka who believed in the traditional policy of conquests and aggression could not tolerate the existence of an independent state on the borders of his empire. Thus Ashoka invaded this territory in 261 B.C.  His Rock-Edicts were found at Dhauli and Jaugadh in Orissa. Hieun-Tsang saw Ashokan stupas at Samapa, Pundravardhan, Karna-Suvarna and other places. Thus, the empire of Ashoka extended from the Brahmaputra in the east to the Hindukush in the northwest and the Arabian Sea in the west and from the Himalayas in the north to river Pennar in the south. Some portions of Nepal and Kashmir also formed a part of Ashoka's empire. Outside India it included the provinces of Kabul, Herat and Kandhar.

Ashoka was probably succeeded by his grandsons. There was the partition of the Mauryan Empire, Dasratha getting the eastern part with his capital at Patliputra and Samprati getting the western part with his capital at Ujjain. The successors of Dasratha and Samprati were mere names and during their reign the Mauryan Empire steadily fell and at last Brihadratha, the last ruler of the Mauryan line, was killed in about 185 B.C. at the foundation of his own Commander- in chief Pusyamitra.