What is characterized by the Mauryev era India is usually told in the course of school history. However, this does not mean that every modern student remembers such a rather important stage in the development of Indian civilization. At the same time, the peculiarities of ancient Indian statehood, the organization of the Mauryev empire is a rather interesting topic, and it is unreasonable to ignore it.
Milestones
The Mauryev Empire existed on the territory of ancient India. This system dates back to 317 BC, and the reign ended in 180, also before our era. The main city of the empire in Mauryev in ancient India was the Pataliputra. This ancient settlement exists today, however, under a different name - our contemporaries know it as Patna.
The Mauryev Empire is a rather important period in the development of India, and it is significant not only for this country. It is known from history that the attention of Alexander the Great was riveted on this empire during the feud with Nanda, in which Chandragupta took an active part. In Greek history, this figure is recorded under the name Sandrakot. According to the chronicles, he tried to resort to the help of Alexander the Great in order to break the conflict in his favor. True, the Greeks did not come to the rescue, and Nandra was taken by him independently.
Chandragupta: write a do-it-yourself story
When Chandragupta won his most important victory over Nandra, he decided to create his own power. The Mauryev Empire is a stage in the historical development of part of the territory of modern India, which is characterized by the rule of Chandragupta. Under his control, the power constantly collaborated with both the Greco-Bactrian state and the Seleucids.
The highest development of the Mauryev empire is characteristic of the period when Emperor Ashoka was in power. On his initiative, the majority of the population converted to Buddhism. In the same period, the empire was able to subjugate rather large territories. However, half a century after the death of this prominent statesman, the Mauryev Empire fell. This happened as a result of the Shung conspiracy, which provoked a change in the ruling dynasty.
Historical background
The Mauryev empire is described above briefly, but history holds much more information about how the foundations that led to Chandragupt’s power were laid, and about what happened during the existence of the empire he created. According to historians, the Indus Valley was formerly under the control of the Harappan civilization, but its strength was depleted by the second millennium BC (around the middle of this period). It was then that the Aryans partially decided to move to the eastern lands and settled in India. Modern history calls this nation the Indo-Aryans. Some settled near rivers, others went even longer. The tribes led a nomadic life, raised livestock, therefore they were constantly in search of new, rich pastures.
Good pastures were often the subject of controversy among the tribes, and war in the language of the local population was equated with the desire to get cows. Incidentally, in the local language of the chief man of the tribe was called the "protector of cows." The Indo-Aryans eventually settled and took up cattle breeding, agriculture, subjugating to themselves those who had lived in these areas before. It was then that Indians appeared as a mixed people. By the beginning of the first millennium BC, in the territory of ancient India, people learned how to make iron, they completely mastered the Ganges.
The future is in unity
As in any other country, formerly divided into many tribes, in ancient India came the period of rule of those who wanted to unite the lands into one huge power. This task was very difficult: the territories were large, the jungle was insurmountable, and the population was large. Nevertheless, over time, the Mauryev empire was still created, capturing both the lands near the Ganges and the Indus Valley. The area began to be ruled by the lords of one dynasty.
Where power is, there is wealth
In the school course, they necessarily tell why the Mauryev state is called the empire. This is due to the rather complex system of society and power, characteristic of that period of development of ancient India. In the years 273-232, before the advent of our era, this power was experiencing its highest period. As the thinkers from Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece agreed, at that moment only in the troops there were 600,000 foot, 30,000 horse, and 9,000 elephants in the Mauryev’s troops. The authorities surrounded the capital of their country with a great wall - its length exceeded three dozen kilometers.
At its peak, the Mauryev Empire was ruled by King Ashoka. As a young man, he fought endlessly, but then communed in the wisdom of the Buddha, which became a moment of awareness of cruelty - the time has come for repentance. Ashoka created the unique social system of the Mauryev empire, because it was during his reign that a variety of institutions were built for the benefit of the masses - hospitals, hotels. Ashoka attended to the construction of high-quality roads, took up the protection of the animal, plant world. In addition, the emperor made efforts to spread Buddhist territories to his territories.
Step forward - step back
It is known that the political system of the Mauryev empire was based on the idea of ​​one-man rule, while at the same time, Ashoka used the services of assistants and advisers. The most influential was the parishad, which included representatives of the most notable families of the empire. If we draw analogies with modern countries, then the parishad can be compared with parliament.
Despite the fact that Ashoka listened to the opinions of representatives of the most distinguished families of his country, while at the same time making every effort to develop society in such a way that both rich and poor benefited, the empire headed by him did not last long. Ashoka died, and soon the power ceased to exist.
Short but significant
As modern historians agree, despite the short existence, the Mauryev empire was very important for Indian history. For a short period of time, it united rather impressive territories under sole authority, which led to the active development and improvement of agriculture. At that time, on the lands of ancient India, culture was experiencing a powerful flourishing, the foundation was laid for further development.
The echoes of the period of the Maurya Empire are also important for the modern world. It was during that period and on those lands that the numbers that modern people use were invented. Indeed, these days it is customary to call the numbers Arabic, but in fact they were invented in India and only from there they went to the Arab countries. In addition, during the empire, the Mauryev invented chess, and modern people, playing them, place an army similar to the ancient Indian: the same horses, elephants and foot soldiers, which existed in reality during the period of civilization.
Chandragupta: a name inscribed in history forever
The first and most important merit of this ancient Indian king is his ability to withstand the forces of Alexander Mikensky during the uprising. And to this day in India, almost everyone knows who Chandragupta was - his name is inscribed in local traditions, ballads and stories. For example, a word of mouth tells the story that Chandragupta was not of noble birth and created everything with his own hands. Only his outstanding abilities allowed the sudras belonging to Varna to achieve what he did.
Young Chandragupta was in the service of Magadhi Dhana, but was forced to flee when he dared to contradict his master. In Punjab, Chandragupta met Alexander the Great, with whom he was, as can be seen from a number of historical sources, in dialogue, despite the fact that he took an active part in the expulsion of the Macedonians from the territory of ancient India. At present, it is not clear exactly whether the conflict with the king of Nanda was at a time when the Macedonian garrisons were in India, or happened shortly afterwards, but it is known for certain that Chandragupta won a great victory, laying the foundation of a state that changed the course of Indian history.
Maurya: power and strength
Chandragupta created a new ruling dynasty, subjugating the lands that Nanda had previously owned. Of all the ancient Indian possessions, it was Maurya who possessed the greatest strength, they were developed, cultured, and advanced ahead of their time. From historical sources you can find out that Chandragupta, creating a new dynasty, resorted to the help of Kautilla, whom in the future the new ruler granted the post of chief adviser. Together, they were able to create a literally new world, the hallmark of which was the strong power of the supreme ruler.
Chandragupta, as historians have suggested, controlled the whole of North India, although accurate information about the geographical boundaries of his possessions has not been preserved to this day. It is known for certain that already in power, Chandragupta again clashed with the armies of the Greeks and Macedonians: in 305 BC, Seleucus the First attempted to repeat the conquests of Alexander the Great, but failed. In India, he was met by a strong army under the control of one ruler, capable of repelling any enemy. This forced the stranger to come to a peace agreement in favor of the Indians, and Chandragupta gained control over the areas where Afghanistan and Balochistan are located today. Chandragupta was married to his daughter Seleucus, for which he gave him five hundred elephants.
Father and son: Bindusar in power
When the first ruler of the empire, Mauryev passed away, his son named Bindusar replaced him. Presumably, this happened in 298 BC. There is no exact information about the period of the reign of this statesman. Historians suggest that Bindusar was able to preserve everything that he inherited, and even increased the territory in the south.
Binduusar, as is known from legends, was known among contemporaries under the name of Amitraghat, that is, the “exterminator of enemies”. It is believed that this shows his active military activity. The son of Bindusar was Ashoka - the very most famous ruler of the empire, Mauryev, who brought his country to prosperity. Under his father, he was governor in the northwest, after which he was given the western part of the empire, and over time, Ashoka gained power over all the territories of the Mauryev.
Dust and ashes
Ashok's legacy was a huge empire, which the new ruler expanded further in the very first years in power: in the south, Kalinga managed to conquer (today this area is called Orissa). According to legends, 150,000 people were brought from there, another 100,000 were killed, and it was impossible to count the dead for various reasons. The memoirs of Ashok himself, documented in inscriptions made during his reign, have survived to this day. After the victory in Kaling, in fact, Ashoka ruled over all of India - the exception was only the far south.
Despite the progressive approach of the new king, who eventually adopted Buddhism, his heirs could not appreciate the charm of development in peace and tranquility. As a result of the conspiracy, the power of the dynasty was overthrown, and huge territories again began to be ruled by small families that were at enmity with each other. From then to this day, memories of the period of Ashoka's rule are one of the brightest pages in the history of India.