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Maurya Empire
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sources for the written records of the Mauryan times are partial records of the lost history of Megasthenes in Roman texts of several centuries later; the Edicts of Ashoka, which were first read in the modern era by James Prinsep after he had deciphered the Brahmi script, Brahmi and Kharoshthi script, Kharoshthi scripts in 1838; and the ''Arthashastra'', a work first discovered in the early 20th century,: "... another source that enjoyed high standing as a description of the early Mauryan state was the Arthashastra, a treatise on power discovered in the early twentieth century." and previously attributed to Chanakya, but now thought to be composed by multiple authors in the first centuries of the common era. Archaeologically, the period of Maury ...
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Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya (Sanskrit: [Help:IPA/Sanskrit, t̪͡ɕɐn̪d̪ɾɐgupt̪ɐ mɐʊɾjɐ]) (reigned 320 BCE – c. 298 BCE) was the founder and the first emperor of the Maurya Empire, based in Magadha (present-day Bihar) in the Indian subcontinent. His rise to power began in the period of unrest and local warfare that arose after Alexander the Great's Indian campaign of Alexander the Great, Indian campaign and early death in 323 BCE, although the exact chronology and sequence of events remains subject to debate among historians. He started a war against the unpopular Nanda dynasty in Magadha on the Ganges, Ganges Valley, defeated them and established his own dynasty. In addition, he raised an army to resist the Greeks, defeated them, and took control of the eastern Indus Valley. His conquest of Magadha is generally dated to ca. 322–319 BCE, and his expansion to Punjab subsequently at ca. 317–312 BCE, but some scholars have speculated that he might have initially con ...
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Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progressing to protohistory (before written history). In this usage, it is preceded by the Stone Age (subdivided into the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic) and Bronze Age. These concepts originated for describing Iron Age Europe and the ancient Near East. In the archaeology of the Americas, a five-period system is conventionally used instead; indigenous cultures there did not develop an iron economy in the pre-Columbian era, though some did work copper and bronze. Indigenous metalworking arrived in Australia with European contact. Although meteoric iron has been used for millennia in many regions, the beginning of the Iron Age is defined locally around the world by archaeological convention when the production of Smelting, smelted iron (espe ...
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Ājīvika
''Ajivika'' (, IAST: ) is one of the Āstika and nāstika, ''nāstika'' or "heterodox" schools of Indian philosophy.Natalia Isaeva (1993), Shankara and Indian Philosophy, State University of New York Press, , pages 20-23James Lochtefeld, "Ajivika", ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism'', Vol. 1: A–M, Rosen Publishing. , page 22 Believed to have been founded in the 5th century BCE by Makkhali Gosala, Makkhali Gosāla, it was a ''Śramaṇa'' movement and a major rival of Historical Vedic religion, Vedic religion, Pre-sectarian Buddhism, early Buddhism, and Jainism. Ājīvikas were organized renunciates who formed discrete communities. The precise identity of the Ājīvikas is not well known, and it is even unclear if they were a divergent sect of the Buddhists or the Jains. Original scriptures of the Ājīvika school of philosophy may once have existed, but these are currently unavailable and probably lost. Their theories are extracted from mentions of Ājīvikas in the ...
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Brihadratha Maurya
Brihadratha was the 9th and last Emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty. He ruled from 187 to 185 BCE, when he was overthrown and assassinated by his General, Pushyamitra Shunga, who went on to establish the Shunga Empire. The Mauryan territories, centred on the capital of Pataliputra, had shrunk considerably from the time of Ashoka to when Brihadratha came to the throne. Reign According to the Puranas, Brihadratha succeeded his father Shatadhanvan to the throne and ruled for three years. Overthrow by Pushyamitra Shunga Brihadratha Maurya the last Mauryan Emperor was killed in 185 BCE and power usurped by his general, Pushyamitra Shunga who then took over the throne and established the Shunga Empire. Bāṇabhaṭṭa's ''Harshacharita'' says that Pushyamitra, while parading the entire Mauryan Army before Brihadratha on the pretext of showing him the strength of the army, crushed his master. Pushyamitra killed the former emperor in front of his military and established him ...
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Shatadhanvan
Shatadhanvan () or Shatadhanus was the 8th Emperor of the Maurya dynasty. He ruled from 195–187 BCE. According to the Puranas, he was the successor of Devavarman Maurya and reigned for eight years. He was succeeded by his son Brihadratha Maurya Brihadratha was the 9th and last Emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty. He ruled from 187 to 185 BCE, when he was overthrown and assassinated by his General, Pushyamitra Shunga, who went on to establish the Shunga Empire. The Mauryan territories .... Notes Emperors of Magadha Mauryan dynasty 2nd-century BC Indian monarchs 2nd-century BC births 180s BC deaths {{India-royal-stub ...
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Devavarman (Maurya)
Devavarman (or Devadharman) was the 7th Emperor of the Maurya Empire. He ruled in the period 202–195 BCE. According to the Puranas, he was the successor of Shalishuka Maurya and reigned for a short period of seven years. He was not righteous, just, powerful and kind like his predecessor, Shalishuka. He was succeeded by Shatadhanvan Shatadhanvan () or Shatadhanus was the 8th Emperor of the Maurya dynasty. He ruled from 195–187 BCE. According to the Puranas, he was the successor of Devavarman Maurya and reigned for eight years. He was succeeded by his son Brihadratha Mau .... Notes Emperors of Magadha Mauryan dynasty 3rd-century BC Indian monarchs 2nd-century BC Indian monarchs {{India-royal-stub ...
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Shalishuka
Shalishuka () Maurya was the 6th Emperor of the Indian Maurya dynasty. He ruled from 215–202 BCE. He was the successor and son of Samprati Maurya. While the Yuga Purana section of the Gargi Samhita mentions him as a quarrelsome, unrighteous ruler, he is also noted as being of "righteous words" Succession According to the Puranas he was succeeded by Devavarman.Thapar, Romila (2001). '' and the Decline of the Mauryas'', New Delhi: Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ..., , p.183 Notes Emperors of Magadha Mauryan dynasty 3rd-century BC Indian monarchs 3rd-century BC births 210s BC deaths {{India-royal-stub ...
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Samprati
Samprati () was the fifth emperor of the Maurya Empire. He was the grandson of the third Mauryan emperor, Ashoka, and the son of Kunala. He succeeded his cousin, Dasharatha Maurya. According to Jain tradition, he built 1,50,000 Jain derasars and made 1,50,00,000 Jain idols. He is also believed to have taken an oath to dig the foundation of a new Jinalaya every day, and would not take his ''navakrashi'' (breakfast) until it was completed. Claim to throne Samprati was the grandson of Ashoka. Kunala was the son of one of Ashoka's third queen, Padmavati (who was Jain), but was blinded in a conspiracy to remove his claim to the throne. Thus, Kunala was replaced by Dasharatha as the heir to the throne. Kunala lived in Ujjain with his "Dhai Maa" (wet nurse). Samprati was raised there. Years after being denied the throne, Kunala and Samprati approached Ashoka's court in an attempt to claim the throne. Ashoka could not deliver the throne to his blind son but promised Samprati w ...
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Dasharatha Maurya
Dasharatha Maurya () was the 4th Mauryan emperor from 232 to 224 BCE. He was a grandson of Ashoka the Great and is commonly held to have succeeded him as the Emperor of Magadha. Dasharatha presided over a declining imperium and several territories of the empire broke away from central rule during his reign. He had continued the religious and social policies of Ashoka. Dasharatha was the last Mauryan emperor to have issued imperial inscriptions—thus the last Mauryan emperor to be known from epigraphical sources. Dasharatha died in 224 BCE and was succeeded by his cousin Samprati. Background Dasharatha was a grandson of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka.Asha Vishnu; ''Material Life of Northern India: Based on an Archaeological Study, 3rd Century B.C. to 1st Century B.C. Mittal Publications''. 1993. . pg 3. He is commonly held to have succeeded his grandfather as Emperor of Magadha although some sources including the Vayu Purana have given different names and numbers of Maurya Empe ...
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Ashoka
Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was List of Mauryan emperors, Emperor of Magadha from until #Death, his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynasty. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, stretching from present-day Afghanistan in the west to present-day Bangladesh in the east, with its capital at Pataliputra. A patron of Buddhism, he is credited with playing an important role in the spread of Buddhism across ancient Asia. The Edicts of Ashoka state that during his eighth regnal year (), he conquered Kalinga (historical region), Kalinga after a brutal war. Ashoka subsequently devoted himself to the propagation of "Ashoka's policy of Dhamma, dhamma" or righteous conduct, the major theme of the edicts. Ashoka's edicts suggest that a few years after the Kalinga War, he was gradually drawn towards Buddhism. The Buddhist legends credit Ashoka with establishing a larg ...
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Bindusara
Bindusara (320 BCE – 273 BCE) () was the second Mauryan emperor of Magadha in Ancient India. The ancient Greco-Roman writers called him Amitrochates, a name likely derived from his Sanskrit title ''Amitraghāta'' ("slayer of enemies"). Bindusara was the son of the dynasty's founder Chandragupta and the father of its most famous ruler Ashoka. His life is not documented as well as the lives of these two emperors. Much of the information about him comes from legendary accounts written several hundred years after his death. Bindusara consolidated the empire created by his father. The 16th century Tibetan Buddhist author Taranatha credits his administration with extensive territorial conquests in southern India, but some historians doubt the historical authenticity of this claim. Background Ancient and medieval sources have not documented Bindusara's life in detail. Much of the information about him comes from Jain legends focused on Chandragupta and the Buddhist lege ...
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List Of Maurya Emperors
The Maurya Empire (c. 322–185 BCE) was an ancient Indian empire. The empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE and lasted until 185 BCE. The Mauryan Empire was the first pan-Indian empire. At its height, the empire covered most of the Indian subcontinent. The Mauryan Emperor was the monarchical head of state and wielded absolute rule over the empire. Chandragupta's chief minister Chanakya, sometimes called Kautilya, advised Chandragupta Maurya and contributed to the empire's legacy. Bindusara, Chandragupta's son, assumed the throne around 297 BCE. He kept the empire running smoothly while maintaining its lands. Bindusara's son, Ashoka, was the third leader of the Mauryan Empire. Ashoka left his mark on history by erecting large stone pillars inscribed with edicts that he issued. After Ashoka's death, his family continued to reign, but the empire began to break apart. The last of the Mauryas, Brihadratha, was assassinated by his Senapati, Pushyamitra Shunga who ...
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