Magadha Empire | Course for UPPSC Preparation - UPPSC (UP) PDF Download

Magadha Empire:

• Magadha, situated in Southern Bihar, was an ancient Indian kingdom and one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas in ancient India.
• It played a crucial role in the development of Jainism and Buddhism, giving rise to two of India's significant empires, the Maurya Empire and the Gupta Empire.
• Bimbisara founded the Magadha Empire, which also conquered Kaushal and Avanti.
• After Bimbisara's death, Ajatshatru ascended to the throne, ruling over Bihar and half of Uttar Pradesh.
• Successive rulers of the Magadha Empire included the Haryank, Shishunaga, and Nanda dynasties, with Mahapadmananda being the most powerful.
• In 323 BC, Chandragupta Maurya became the emperor, marking the beginning of the Maurya Period.

Maurya Period:

• Chandragupta Maurya established the Maurya dynasty in 322 BC, overthrowing Dhananand with the assistance of Kautilya.
• The Mauryan Empire expanded its territory from Iran-Saurashtra in the west to Bengal in the east, the Himalayas in the north, and Karnataka in the south.
• Chandragupta defeated Seleucus Nicator in 305 BC, establishing the Hindu Kush as the boundary between their states.
• Megasthenes was sent to Chandragupta Maurya's court by Seleucus Nicator.
• Bindusar, Chandragupta's son, succeeded him and patronized the Ajivikas.
• Ashoka the Great, Chandragupta's grandson, ruled most of the Indian subcontinent from 268 to 232 BC and initially followed the Brahmana religion before converting to Buddhism.
• According to Buddhist tradition, Ashoka claimed the throne after killing 99 brothers, sparing only the youngest, Tissa.
• Ashoka's inscriptions, including those in Topa and Meerut, were relocated to Delhi by Firoz Shah Tuglaq, and the Kaushambi inscription was established in the Fort of Prayag by Mughal emperor Akbar.
• Ashoka created the state emblem of four lions in Sarnath, and the Lion Pillar of Ashoka became India's national emblem.
• Sculptures and inscriptions from the Ashoka period were constructed with Chunar sandstone, and Ashoka built the Dharmarajika Stupa in Sarnath.

List of Ashoka's Pillars and Major Rock Edicts in Uttar Pradesh:

• Meerut - Inscription
• Sarnath near Varanasi - Pillar Inscription, Schism Edict
• Allahabad (originally located at Kaushambi) - Pillar Edicts I-VI, Queen’s Edict, Schism Edict (probably moved to Allahabad by Jahangir)
• Kalsi near Chakrata Dehradun (now in Uttarakhand) - Major Rock Edicts
• Kaushambi - Minor Rock Edicts
• Ahraura near Mirzapur - Minor Rock Edicts
• Sankisa - Elephant Capital only
• Topra (Khijrabad-Saharanpur) - Inscription