Mauryan Empire - 2 | KPSC KAS Preparation: All subjects - KPSC KAS (Karnataka) PDF Download

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Mauryan Empire 
Chandragupta Maurya 
Chandragupta established the Mauryan Empire and became its first emperor in 321 BCE. He 
formed a strong army and expanded his kingdom by conquering neighboring states. 
Chandragupta Maurya established a rule based on the Saptanga concept. Pataliputra was the 
capital of the Maurya dynasty.  
He formed a strong army and expanded his kingdom by conquering neighboring states. He 
collected various taxes for meeting the administrative expenses. He made alliance with many 
foreign countries. The most important among them was his alliance with the Greek. 
Bindusara 
Chandragupta Maurya was succeeded by Bindusara in 297 BCE. His sons were appointed as 
viceroys of the different provinces of the empire. Bindusara ruled for 25 years, and he must have 
died in 272 BCE. Ashoka son of Bindusara had been the viceroy of Taxila and he succeeded 
Bindusara. 
Ashoka (268 BC to 232 BC) 
Ashoka became the ruler of the Maurya Empire after 
Bindusara in 268 BC. His empire covered the entire 
Indian subcontinent except for parts of present day 
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. The defining event 
of Ashoka’s rule was his campaign against Kalinga 
(present-day Odisha) in 260 BC – Kalinga War. Ashoka 
fought a war to conquer Kalinga. However, he was so 
horrified when he saw the violence and bloodshed 
that he decided not to fight any more wars. 
He is the only king in the history of the world who gave 
up conquest after winning a war. Ashoka was inspired 
by Buddhism to proclaim Dhamma. He considered the relation between the king and his people 
similar to the relation between father and children.  He lessened the punishments and urged for 
a simple living. 
  
ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL
 
   
 
MAURYAN EMPIRE
 
 
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Mauryan Empire 
Chandragupta Maurya 
Chandragupta established the Mauryan Empire and became its first emperor in 321 BCE. He 
formed a strong army and expanded his kingdom by conquering neighboring states. 
Chandragupta Maurya established a rule based on the Saptanga concept. Pataliputra was the 
capital of the Maurya dynasty.  
He formed a strong army and expanded his kingdom by conquering neighboring states. He 
collected various taxes for meeting the administrative expenses. He made alliance with many 
foreign countries. The most important among them was his alliance with the Greek. 
Bindusara 
Chandragupta Maurya was succeeded by Bindusara in 297 BCE. His sons were appointed as 
viceroys of the different provinces of the empire. Bindusara ruled for 25 years, and he must have 
died in 272 BCE. Ashoka son of Bindusara had been the viceroy of Taxila and he succeeded 
Bindusara. 
Ashoka (268 BC to 232 BC) 
Ashoka became the ruler of the Maurya Empire after 
Bindusara in 268 BC. His empire covered the entire 
Indian subcontinent except for parts of present day 
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. The defining event 
of Ashoka’s rule was his campaign against Kalinga 
(present-day Odisha) in 260 BC – Kalinga War. Ashoka 
fought a war to conquer Kalinga. However, he was so 
horrified when he saw the violence and bloodshed 
that he decided not to fight any more wars. 
He is the only king in the history of the world who gave 
up conquest after winning a war. Ashoka was inspired 
by Buddhism to proclaim Dhamma. He considered the relation between the king and his people 
similar to the relation between father and children.  He lessened the punishments and urged for 
a simple living. 
  
ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL
 
   
 
MAURYAN EMPIRE
 
 
 
   
 
There were a number of problems that troubled him. 
? People in the empire followed different religions, and this sometimes led to conflict 
? Animals were sacrificed.  
? Slaves (dasa) and servants were ill treated.  
? Besides, there were quarrels in families and amongst neighbors. 
 Ashoka felt it was his duty to solve these problems. So, he appointed officials who went from 
place to place teaching people about dhamma. Ashoka got his messages inscribed on rocks and 
pillars. Ashoka also sent messengers to spread ideas about dhamma to other lands, such as Syria, 
Egypt, Greece and Sri Lanka. 
In order to propagate and make people aware of his ideas and rules, Ashoka erected edicts in 
various parts of the country and made inscriptions on rocks. Most of the edicts of Ashoka were 
written in Brahmi script. 
Mauryan Pillars 
The court art of Ashoka is best seen in the white – grey sandstone pillar erected by him all over 
his empire either to mark a sacred site associated with Buddha’s life or to commemorate a great 
event. On many of these pillars ar inscribed the famous edicts of Ashoka propagating the Buddha) 
or the imperial sermons of Ashoka to his people. 
Rising to an average height of about 40 feet, the pillars in their most developed state, are tall, 
tapering monoliths with sculptured capitals. 
 
Saranath Lion Capital 
The Mauryan pillar capital found at Sarnath popularly called Lion Capital. Related with historical 
event of the first sermon or the Dhamma chakra pravartana by Buddha at Sarnath.  The capital 
was built by Ashoka. The capital without the crowning wheel and the lotus base has been adopted 
as the National Emblem of Independent India. 
Page 3


 
   
 
  
Mauryan Empire 
Chandragupta Maurya 
Chandragupta established the Mauryan Empire and became its first emperor in 321 BCE. He 
formed a strong army and expanded his kingdom by conquering neighboring states. 
Chandragupta Maurya established a rule based on the Saptanga concept. Pataliputra was the 
capital of the Maurya dynasty.  
He formed a strong army and expanded his kingdom by conquering neighboring states. He 
collected various taxes for meeting the administrative expenses. He made alliance with many 
foreign countries. The most important among them was his alliance with the Greek. 
Bindusara 
Chandragupta Maurya was succeeded by Bindusara in 297 BCE. His sons were appointed as 
viceroys of the different provinces of the empire. Bindusara ruled for 25 years, and he must have 
died in 272 BCE. Ashoka son of Bindusara had been the viceroy of Taxila and he succeeded 
Bindusara. 
Ashoka (268 BC to 232 BC) 
Ashoka became the ruler of the Maurya Empire after 
Bindusara in 268 BC. His empire covered the entire 
Indian subcontinent except for parts of present day 
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. The defining event 
of Ashoka’s rule was his campaign against Kalinga 
(present-day Odisha) in 260 BC – Kalinga War. Ashoka 
fought a war to conquer Kalinga. However, he was so 
horrified when he saw the violence and bloodshed 
that he decided not to fight any more wars. 
He is the only king in the history of the world who gave 
up conquest after winning a war. Ashoka was inspired 
by Buddhism to proclaim Dhamma. He considered the relation between the king and his people 
similar to the relation between father and children.  He lessened the punishments and urged for 
a simple living. 
  
ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL
 
   
 
MAURYAN EMPIRE
 
 
 
   
 
There were a number of problems that troubled him. 
? People in the empire followed different religions, and this sometimes led to conflict 
? Animals were sacrificed.  
? Slaves (dasa) and servants were ill treated.  
? Besides, there were quarrels in families and amongst neighbors. 
 Ashoka felt it was his duty to solve these problems. So, he appointed officials who went from 
place to place teaching people about dhamma. Ashoka got his messages inscribed on rocks and 
pillars. Ashoka also sent messengers to spread ideas about dhamma to other lands, such as Syria, 
Egypt, Greece and Sri Lanka. 
In order to propagate and make people aware of his ideas and rules, Ashoka erected edicts in 
various parts of the country and made inscriptions on rocks. Most of the edicts of Ashoka were 
written in Brahmi script. 
Mauryan Pillars 
The court art of Ashoka is best seen in the white – grey sandstone pillar erected by him all over 
his empire either to mark a sacred site associated with Buddha’s life or to commemorate a great 
event. On many of these pillars ar inscribed the famous edicts of Ashoka propagating the Buddha) 
or the imperial sermons of Ashoka to his people. 
Rising to an average height of about 40 feet, the pillars in their most developed state, are tall, 
tapering monoliths with sculptured capitals. 
 
Saranath Lion Capital 
The Mauryan pillar capital found at Sarnath popularly called Lion Capital. Related with historical 
event of the first sermon or the Dhamma chakra pravartana by Buddha at Sarnath.  The capital 
was built by Ashoka. The capital without the crowning wheel and the lotus base has been adopted 
as the National Emblem of Independent India. 
 
   
 
The abacus has the depiction of a chakra (wheel) having 
twenty four spokes in all four directions. Animals a bull, a 
horse, an elephant and a lion between every chakra is finely 
carved. The motif of the chakra becomes significant as a 
representation of Dhammachkra in the entire Buddhist art. 
 
 
 
 
 
Buddhist Stupas 
Asoka distributed portions of the Buddha’s relics to every important town and ordered the 
construction of stupas over them. Stupas became the objects of worship. 
The core of the stupa was made up of unburnt brick and the outer face of burnt brick, covered 
with thick layer of plaster. The stupa was crowned by an umbrella of wooden fence enclosing 
path for pradaskshina (circumambulatory path). One of the best examples of the structure of a 
stupa in the third century BCE is at Bairat in Rajasthan. It is a very grand stupa having a circular 
mound with a circumambulatory path. The great stupa at Sanchi was built with bricks during the 
time of Ashoka and later it was covered with stone and many new additions were made.