India during the Maurya Period

 India during the Maurya Period

The Maurya period is an important epoch in Indian history . During the Maurya period , an empire under one sovereign was established in India for the first time . This gave rise to a stable administration .

After Alexander's death , the Greek officers declared the territories under their control to be independent States . A struggle for power ensued between them . In the Indian territories under Greek rule , there were rebellions against the Greeks . Chandragupta Maurya brought together the Indian kings in these regions and went to war against the Greeks . He defeated the Greeks and established peace in the north western part of India .

Chandragupta Maurya : 

Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Maurya empire . He brought to an end the oppressive rule of the Magadha king Dhanananda and established his own rule in Magadha . His rule extended up to Avanti in Madhya Pradesh and Saurashtra in the west. 

His capital was " Pataliputra ' or Patna of the present Bihar . When Seleucus Nicator , the Greek king of Babylon , invaded India , Chandragupta defeated him and annexed the regions of Kabul , Herat and Kandahar to the Maurya empire . Seleucus Nicator had sent his ambassador Megasthenes to Chandragupta's court . Megasthenes has written an account of contemporary India .

Towards the end of his life , Chandragupta renounced the throne . It is believed that he embraced the Jain religion . He the last days of his life at Shravan - belagola near Mysore , and died at that place . After his death , his son Bindusara became the king of Magadha . Bindusara was succeeded by his son Ashoka around 273 BC .

Emperor Ashoka : 

Ashoka was the Governor of the regions of Takshashila and Ujjayani . He crushed the revoltat Takshashila . From his inscriptions , it appears that he bore the title ' Devanam Priya , Priyadarshi Raja ' . Ashoka's empire extended over a vast territory that stretched up to the Bay of Bengal in the east , Nellore in the south , the Arabian Sea in the west , the river Kabul in the north - west and Nepal in the north .

The Kalinga war : 

Ashoka launched a campaign against Kalinga with a view to extending his empire . He won the war , but he was so moved by the terrible bloodshed that he decided never to launch any wars .

Emperor Ashoka was convinced that love is greater than war . To spread his teachings among the common people , Ashoka Ashoka erected pillar - edicts and stone inscriptions throughout his kingdom . Helaid stress on good conduct and respect towards one's elders . He also stressed the need to follow the principles of truth , non - violence , mercy , and kindness towards animals .

Ashoka's Pillar - Lauria Nandangarh

Spread of religion : 

Ashoka convened a grand religious council at Pataliputra to deliberate upon the tenets of Buddhism . A scheme was drawn up at this council for the spread of Buddhism . Accordingly , Ashoka sent a number of Buddhist monks to other countries outside India . He sent his own son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra to Sri Lanka to preach Buddhism . Emperor Ashoka respected all religions .

Public welfare activities : 

Emperor Ashoka did many things for the happiness and welfare of his subjects . He started hospitals to provide free medicines and medical treatment to people as well as animals . He also started the cultivation of useful medicinal plants . He built roads and dharma - shalas for the convenience of travellers . He had trees planted on both sides of the roads . He had sheds erected to provide drinking water to travellers . He also had many wells dug .

Administration during the Maurya period : 

The main functions of the king were to protect his people and to dispense justice .

The empire was divided into six divisions for the convenience of administration . The council which advised the king in matters of administration was known as the council of ministers or mantri - parishad . Officers were appointed to run the administration . The officer at the district level was known as Rajjuk , the one at the taluka level was Gop and the head of a village was Gramani . There was an efficient intelligence service to assist the mantri - parishad and the officers .

Life of the people during the Maurya period : 

During the Maurya period , life of the people depended on agriculture and was influenced by it . But other occupations also prospered . Production of glazed pottery was done on a large scale . Ship - building was also a large - scale industry . There were guilds of traders as also of people engaged in various occupations . These guilds were called shrenis . 

Several functions and festivals were celebrated for entertainment . There were dance and music concerts and wrestling competitions . Board games were popular . People played chess , too. 

Art and literature : 

Architecture and sculpture had advanced greatly in this period . During the reign of Emperor Ashoka , sculpture developed further . He erected many pillars , stupas and viharas . The dharma - chakra on the Sarnath pillar that he erected finds a place of honour on the Indian national flag today. 

During the Maurya period , along with Sanskrit , Prakrit languages like Pali and Ardhamagadhi were used by the people . Panini's * Ashtaddhyayi and Chanakya's ' Arthashastra are two of the renowned works of this time . It was during this period that the Buddhist work " Tipitaka ' ( Tripitaka ) was completed . Tipitaka includes compositions women of Bauddha Sanghas . These compositions together are known as ' Therigatha ' . of The " Jatak Katha ' based on the life of Gautama Buddha were written during this period .

Lion capital - Sarnath

The Maurya Emperors were great patrons of Indian arts . New avenues opened in the field of Indian art and culture during their regimes .