The Mauryan Empire Flashcards
Who found the first empire of India?
The first empire of India, The Mauryan Empire, was found by Chandragupta Maurya.
What was the extent of the empire?
The empire covered large part of India which included Bihar, Odisha, Bengal, Western and North Western India and parts of Deccan.
In whose hands was the power of the empire given?
All the power was given in the hands of the emperor who rules from the capital Pataliputra.
What are the sources of information about the Mauryans.
-The account of Megasthenes, gives us valuable information about the political, economic and social conditions of that time in his book name Indika.
-Arthashastra written by Kautilya or Chanakya tells us about the political, economic and military administration of that time.
-Inscriptions of Ashoka. Through these inscriptions, Ashoka used to communicate with his subjects.
Who is Megasthenes?
Megasthenes was the Greek ambassador of Seleucus Nicator in the court of Chandragupta Maurya.
Who was Chanakya
Kautilya or Chanakya was the chief advisor of Chandragupta Maurya
When did Alexander attack India? Who was ruling India at that time?
Alexander attacked India 326 BC.
At that time, the Nandas were ruling India. Their rule had become unpopular; taking advantage of this, a young youth named Chandragupta Maurya succeeded in overthrowing the Nandas and found the Mauryan dynasty.
Who was the mentor of Chandragupta Maurya?
His guide and mentor was a Brahmana named Kautilya.
According to the Greek sources, how large was the army maintained by the Nandas?
According to the Greek sources, the Nandas maintained two lakh foot soldiers, sixty thousand horses and six thousand war elephants. The Greek forces got scared of such a huge army and refused to fight.
Chandragupta Maurya was succeeded by _________________ who was succeeded by _________________ in 273 BC, was the greatest of Mauryan rulers.
Bindusara, Ashoka
What are capitals?
-The stone pillars of Ashoka were carved out of rock and polished like metal.
-They had beautifully carved animal figures on top called the Capital.
Our National Emblem is the replica of the _____________________________. Its _______________ has become the national emblem of India.
Capital of Sarnath, lion
Ashoka was the first Indian king and perhaps the first king in the world to speak directly to his subjects through _____________
inscriptions
The inscriptions engraved on rocks and pillars were found all over his ______________
vast empire
These inscriptions carry his _________
messages
They were generally placed on _____________ so that people could read them.
highways
In what languages were the inscriptions written in?
They were written in:
-Brahmi
-Kharosthi
-Aramaic
-Greek scripts
What did the inscriptions indicate?
These inscriptions indicated that Ashoka was interested in reaching out to his subjects.
What do the inscriptions tell about?
The inscriptions tell us about the policies of Ashoka.
What are the titles given to Ashoka in his inscriptions?
Ashoka is known by the titles of Devanampriya or Piyadassi in his inscriptions.
How many wars did Ashoka fight in his life?
Ashoka only fought one major war in his war, The Kalinga war.
Why did historians give Ashoka the title-“Ashoka the Great”?
The heavy massacre and bloodshed that occurred during the Kalinga war brought great suffering to the people, which caused much grief and remorse to Ashoka. So he decided to give up war and spread the message of love, peace and brotherhood.’
He is the only king in history who had the moral courage to give up war. It is because of this that historians gave him the title of “Ashoka the great.”
What was Ashoka’s Dhamma?
-After the Kalinga war, Ashoka embraced Buddhism.
-As a follower of Buddhism, he gave up war and adopted the policy of cultural conquest.
-This policy of peace and welfare is known as Dhamma.
-Dhamma is a Prakrit word which means Dharma in Sanskrit.
-Dhamma is not based on any particular religion.
-It is a code of conduct promoting social and moral values.
-Ashoka aimed to instill a spirit of peaceful co-existence.
-Dhamma thought eternal values like respect for elders, compassion towards animals, charity to the poor, ahimsa or non injury to all living beings.
Based on Dhamma, what role did Ashoka adopt to his subjects?
Based on Dhamma, Ashoka adopted the role of a father to his subjects.
