The mauryan empire was divided into 4 provinces with its capital at patiliputra. The rudradaman and junagarh inscriptions tell that the empire of chandragupta maurya was extended in the south also. Kautalyas arthashastra, ashokas inscriptions, and megastheneses accounts collectively are the important sources of the information on various aspects of administration, economy, society, and religion of the people. Megasthenes also gives some information in his book indika. The mauryan empire was the first major empire in the history of india, ruled by mauryan dynasty from 321bc. The chief source of information regarding administration under the mauryan empire is chanakyas work, arthashastra. May 29, 2016 the mauryan imperial polity held sway over nearly three quarters of indias landmass for a period little less than two centuries. There is evidence from the reports of megathenes, a greek ambassador, and from the arthasastra, of relatively centralized administration in. A study of the arthasastra in conjunction with the edicts provides information. Indus valley civilization early vadic civilization later vadic civilization buddhism jainism early pandyas rise of magadha persiangreek invasions mauryan empire satavahanas cholas guptas kushanskanishka harsha vardhana pallavas badami chalukyas indian culture abroad rajputs muslim invasions delhi sultans kakatiyas vijayanagara empire later. The mauryan era witnessed very few literary contributions. Cities were centers for administration, manufacturing, and commerce. The mauryan imperial polity held sway over nearly three quarters of indias landmass for a period little less than two centuries. Ashoka and the mauryan empire the mauryan dynasty was founded by chandragupta maurya in 320 bc after defeating the incumbent nanda dynasty.
The census appears to be a permanent institution in the mauryan administration. Chandragupta maurya was the founder of the maurya empire. Achaemenid emperor established a province on the banks of the indus in the. Centralized administration of mauryan empire syskool. The mauryan empire was a pan indian empire founded by chandragupta maurya. Officials called pradeshikas or sthanikas were in charge of districts. It was ruled by the mauryan dynasty and was one of the was the largest and most powerful political and military empires of ancient india. Pdf king ashoka and the mauryan empire ashish kumar. The establishment of the mauryan empire in contrast to the earlier smaller kingdoms ushered in a new form of government, that of a. Centralization in the maurya empire world civilization. An overview mauryan art encompasses the arts produced during the period of the mauryan empire 4th to 2nd century bce represented an important transition in indian art from use of wood to stone 2 the lion capital of ashoka from sarnath that is now the national emblem of india mauryan. Magadha and some adjacent mahajanapadas were under direct administration. The maurya emperors continued to expand until they ruled almost the entire indian subcontinent by 272 b.
It lasted from about 321 to 185 bce and was the first empire to encompass most of the indian subcontinent. The mauryan empire was divided into four provinces, with the imperial capital at pataliputra, near the ganges river in the modern state of bihar in india. The first imperial art presentation by group 8 1 2. Administration and social life during the vijayanagara empire. From ashokan edicts, the name of the four provincial capitals were. Ashoka is considered the most significant ruler of the empire. The council of ministers municipal administration 1. The two hundred years of gupta rule may be said to mark the climax of hindu imperial tradition. Mauryan india had an extensive trade with the mediterranean world. Learn more about the mauryan empire in this article. As the empire was so large, different parts were ruled differently.
He was assisted by his political adviser, kautalya, who also set out the rules for the. The mauryan empire 322 bce 185 bce supplanted the earlier magadha kingdom to assume power over large tracts of eastern and northern india. During the rule of ashoka the mauryan empire was organized formally into five parts. In gupta empire, the king was directed in his administration by a community and group consisting of a chief minister and a senapati. This destabilized the political scenario among the aryan states in the region, allowing the first great conqueror in indian history.
Some important facts for your examination have been summarized here. Since then, the mauryas, dated between 317 and 186 bc, 1 have. Questions regarding the administration regime followed in the mauryan empire, have been asked in various descriptive exams like ias mains exam, state psc exams, etc. The mauryan empire was divided into four provinces with the imperial capital at pataliputra. Somewhat before the time of the mauryan empire, about 2400 years ago, began to built this wall. Mauryan empire chakravarti major reference works wiley. One theory was that imperial state administration had diffused from western asia. Mauryan empire in india history study materials exams.
A master course administration during the maurya empire. The mauryan empire indicates the triumph of monarchy as a political system over tribal republics. The mauryan empire under chandragupta maurya spread its boundaries into central asia and persia. May 28, 2012 chandragupta maurya was the founder of the maurya empire. This article talks about the rise and growth of the maurya empire in ancient india, which is an important topic in the history syllabus of the ias exam. The gupta empire was founded by chandragupta i in a. The edicts of ashoka, a collection of inscriptions made during ashokas reign from 268232 bce, give the names of the maurya empire s four provincial capitals. The king of the mauryan government was the head of the mauryan empire administration. People in different parts of the empire spoke different languages.
Both kautilya and megasthanes provided the system of municipal administration. Read this article to learn about the history of mauryan empire in india. It was governed by a centralized form of government. From the point of view of literature, religion, art, architecture, commerce and colonial development, this period is undoubtedly the most important in indian history. Mauryan empire, in ancient india, a state centred at pataliputra later patna near the junction of the son and ganges ganga rivers. British archaeologist and historian james prinsep decoded these edicts. Chandragupta established a strong centralised state with an administration at pataliputra, which. This culminated into the establishment of the mauryan empire in about 325 bc. The mauryan empire was the first major empire in the history of india and existed from around 324 bc to 185 bc.
He established the first territorial empire in ancient india, covering most of the indian subcontinent. In 322 bc, chandragupta maurya, the ruler of magadha, began to assert its authority over the neighbouring kingdoms. Mauryan empire, in ancient india, a state centered at pataliputra later patna near the junction of the son and ganges rivers. The mauryan empire had many major administrative units like the centre and the.
Class 11 th arts the mauryan period administration, religious policy, education system and character of ashoka. According to several legends, chanakya travelled to magadha, a kingdom that was large and militarily powerful and feared by its neighbours, but was insulted by its king dhana nanda, of the nanda dynasty. The empire was divided into provinces, districts and villages. A prince or any other member of the royal family looked after the provinces.
The mauryan empire had the privileged of having successful administrators such as chandragupta maurya, bindusara maurya and ashoka the great. The imperial capital of the mauryan empire was at pataliputra and the empire was categorized into four territories. In 1837, james prinsep deciphered the asokan edicts and in 1901, vincent smith published one of the earliest histories on the subject titled, asoka. Chandragupta maurya was the founder of this dynasty. Many questions regarding the names of officers of the maurya empire are asked in competitive exams. Chandragupta maurya ncert videos history lectures according to books. In this lesson, well explore these structures and see how they reflected other changes that the mauryan. The establishment of the mauryan empire in contrast to the earlier smaller kingdoms ushered in a new form of government, that of a centralized empire. Nov 03, 2018 the empire was divided into provinces, districts and villages. Ramachandra dikshitar first edition 1932 reprinted by motilal banarsidass publications 1993 for a reconstruction of the political history of asoka and his deceasors attempted by the author in this book the main sources of information are the kautilya arthasastra, the inscriptions of asoka and the fragments of megasthenes.
During the rule of ashoka, the mauryan empire was organized formally into five parts. Mauryan empire pdf download for ssc,upsc,nda,cds,bpsc,uppsc to download this file click on the download button given below. The last of the nanda rulers, dhana nanda was highly unpopular due to his oppressive tax regime. Essay on the rise and fall of the mauryan empire 785 words.
Chandragupta maurya the mauryan empire history chanakya. Indian history entered a new era with the beginning of the mauryan empire in around 321 b. Additions to the wall were made over a period of 2000 years because the frontiers of the empire kept shifting. Law and justice provincial administration local administration municipal administration judicial administration. Mauryan empire pdf download for ssc,upsc,nda,cds,bpsc,uppsc. The mauryan period of ancient indian history was initially started by the victory of northwest india by alexander the great, in 326 bc.
The mauryan empire thus collapsed in fewer than fifty years after the death of asoka. Chandragupta 320300 bc was the builder of the first indian imperial power, the mauryan empire. May 29, 2016 apart from defining the boundaries of maurya empire, the inscriptions of ashoka provide many details about contemporary life, administration and religion. According to tthe ashokan edicts, the four provincial capitals were taxila, ujjain, tosali and suvarnagiri. At its height, the empire stretched over parts of modern iran and almost the entire indian subcontinent, barring only the southern peninsular tip. The mauryan administration system the mauryan administration system was efficient and monarchical. Chandragupta maurya founded the mauryan empire by overthrowing the nanda dynasty. Context of the arthashastra since this research work deals with the mauryan empire from a political perspective, a brief discussion regarding the sources, chronology, nature of state, statecraft and administrative institutions and procedures of the mauryan period will help us to understand the topic properly. The details about the administration under mauryas are required to answer the mcq type question about history. Mauryan empire was the largest empire in the whole of the ancient world. The mauryan empire as founded by chandragupta stretched from the bay of bengal in the east to. The indica of megasthenes, on the other hand, gives vivid description of the mauryan society. Thus mauryan empire was the first large, powerful, centralized state in india. The king, as the supreme and sovereign authority of the mauryan empire, had the supreme executive, legislative and judicial powers and functions in the.
Chandragupta 320300 bc, was the builder of the first indian imperial power, the mauryan empire. Originating from the kingdom of magadha in the indogangetic plainmodern bihar, easter. Ashoka 268232 bc most important ruler in ancient india brutal military commander who extended the empire throughout s. It was succeeded by the shunga dynasty, which ruled in central india for approximately a century. Jul 10, 2018 it can be appropriately claimed that the mauryan administration system, though monarchical, was sufficient because it had the privilege of possessing successful administrators such as chandragupta maurya, bindusara maurya and ashoka. The mauryan administration took care of sustaining the kings authority and maintaining order and a wide range of activities relating to justice, army, revenue, espionage and promotion of handicrafts to better the live hood of the people. The maurya empire was founded by chandragupta maurya, with help from chanakya, at taxila, a noted center of learning.
Introduction to the mauryan empire the maurya empire, also known as the mauryan empire, was a geographically extensive iron age historical power in ancient india, ruled by the maurya dynasty from 322185 bce. As with any other great empire, the genesis of maurya empire was in the economic and military strength of its heartland and the ability of its leaders to asset their military power beyond their frontiers. There is evidence from the reports of megathenes, a greek ambassador, and from the arthasastra, of relatively centralized administration in the center part. Chandragupta maurya was succeeded by his son bindusara in 298 bc who expanded the kingdom over most of presentday india, except kalinga. Particularly in view of the fact that it was found shortly after alexanders victorious campaigns in northwest india during 327 b. Recent historiography questions the traditional view of the mauryan empire as a unitary state, but presents a more nuanced view of the complexities of state and imperial formations in which the. The mauryan state had a wellorganized civil service. It was meant to protect the northern frontier of the empire from pastoral people.
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