Dasharatha Maurya () was the 4th

Mauryan 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 sourc ...

emperor from 232 to 224 BCE. He was a grandson of

Ashoka the Great 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 dynast ...

and is commonly held to have succeeded him as the Emperor of

Magadha Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period. The region was ruled by several dynasties, which overshadowed, conquered, and ...

. 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 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 derasa ...

Background

Dasharatha was a grandson of the Mauryan emperor

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 dynast ...

.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

although some sources including the

Vayu Purana The ''Vayu Purana'' (, ) is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism. ''Vayu Purana'' is mentioned in the manuscripts of the Mahabharata and other Hindu texts, which has led scholars to propose that the text is among the ...

have given different names and numbers of Maurya Emperors after Ashoka. Of the grandsons of Ashoka, the two most frequently mentioned are

and Dasharatha.Sailendra Nath Sen; ''Ancient Indian History And Civilization''. New Age International. 1999. . pg 152-154. The latter is described in the

Vishnu Purana The Vishnu Purana () is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus. The manuscripts of ''Vishnu Purana'' have survived into ...

as the son and imperial successor of Suyashas (a son of Ashoka). It has been suggested that Suyash was an alternative name of Ashoka's son and presumptive heir

Kunala Kunala (IAST: ) (263 BC – ?) was the Crown Prince and second son of 3rd Mauryan Emperor Ashoka and Queen Padmavati and the presumptive heir to Ashoka, thus the heir to the Mauryan Empire which once ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinen ...

Administration

Historians Vincent Smith and

Romila Thapar Romila Thapar (born 30 November 1931) is an Indian historian. Her principal area of study is ancient India, a field in which she is pre-eminent. Quotr: "The pre-eminent interpreter of ancient Indian history today. ... " Thapar is a Professor ...

advanced the popular theory of a division of the Mauryan Empire amongst Kunala and Dasharatha after the death of Ashoka.Buddha Prakash; ''Studies in Indian history and civilization''. Shiva Lal Agarwala. 1962. pg 148-154. In some of the sources the division is recorded as having been between Samprati and Dasharatha, the latter holding the eastern parts with the capital at

Pataliputra Pataliputra (IAST: ), adjacent to modern-day Patna, Bihar, was a city in ancient India, originally built by Magadha ruler Ajatashatru in 490 BCE, as a small fort () near the Ganges river.. Udayin laid the foundation of the city of Pataliput ...

and the former the western imperium with the capital at

Ujjain Ujjain (, , old name Avantika, ) or Ujjayinī is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative as well as religious centre of Ujjain ...

.Rama Shankar Tripathi; ''History Of Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers''. 1942. pg 179. However, Smith also wrote that "there is no clear evidence to support hehypothesis."Vincent A. Smith; ''The Early History of India''. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. 1999. . pg 193-207. The Vayu and

Brahmanda The ''Brahmanda Purana'' () is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas, a genre of Hindu texts. It is listed as the eighteenth Maha-Purana in almost all the anthologies. The text is also referred in medieval Indian literature as th ...

Puranas mention three Mauryan rulers—Bandhupalita, Indrapalita and Dasona—whose identification is rather difficult. It has been suggested that they may have been members of a branch line of the Maurya dynasty whom Dasharatha had appointed as

viceroys A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

for the convenience of administration. The political unity of the Mauryan Empire did not long survive Ashoka's death. One of Dasharatha's uncles,

Jalauka Jalauka (also known as Jaluka) was, according to the 12th century Kashmiri chronicle, the Rajatarangini, a King of Kashmir, who cleared the valley of oppressing Mleccha. Jaluka was reputed to have been an active and vigorous king of Kashmir, who ...

, set up an independent kingdom in

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

. According to

Taranatha Tāranātha (1575–1634) was a Lama of the Jonang school of Tibetan Buddhism. He is widely considered its most remarkable scholar and exponent. Taranatha was born in Tibet, supposedly on the birthday of Padmasambhava. His original name was Ku ...

, another Mauryan prince, Virasena declared himself king in

Gandhara Gandhara () was an ancient Indo-Aryan people, Indo-Aryan civilization in present-day northwest Pakistan and northeast Afghanistan. The core of the region of Gandhara was the Peshawar valley, Peshawar (Pushkalawati) and Swat valleys extending ...

Vidarbha Vidarbha (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the west Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Forming the eastern part of the state, it comprises Amravati Division, Amrav ...

also seceded. Evidence from

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

sources confirm the loss of the north-western provinces which was then ruled by the Mauryan ruler

Sophagasenus Sophagasenos, also spelt Sophagasenus or Sophagasenas (Sanskrit: Subhagasena), was a local Indian king ruling in Kabul and Kapisa valley ( Paropamisadae of the classical writings) during the last decades of 3rd century BCE. Sophagasenus finds re ...

(Subhagasena, probably a successor of Virasena). There is also much modern speculation about a possible east–west division of the empire involving Dasharatha and another Mauryan ruler. Epigraphic evidence indicates that Dasharatha retained imperial power in

.Kenneth Pletcher; ''The History of India''. The Rosen Publishing Group. 2010. . pg 70. Various dynasties of the

south South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

including the

Satavahana The Satavahanas (; ''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras (also ''Andhra-bhṛtyas'' or ''Andhra-jatiyas'') in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavaha ...

had been vassals of the Mauryan Empire. These kingdoms are mentioned in Ashoka's edicts (256 BCE) and were considered part of the outer circle of the imperium—subject to the rule of the Mauryan Emperor, although doubtless enjoying a considerable degree of autonomy under their local rulers. The death of Ashoka began the decline of imperial power in the south. Dasharatha was able to maintain some command of the home provinces, but the distant governments, including areas in the south, broke away from imperial rule and reasserted their independence. The

Mahameghavahana dynasty The Mahameghavahana dynasty ( (Brahmi:𑀫𑀳𑀫𑁂𑀖𑀯𑀸𑀳𑀦) 2nd or 1st century BC to early 4th century CE) was an ancient ruling dynasty of Kalinga after the decline of the Maurya Empire.For a map of their territory see: In t ...

of Kalinga in central-eastern India also broke away from imperial rule after the death of Ashoka. According to a Jain text, the provinces of

Saurashtra Saurashtra, Sourashtra, or variants may refer to: ** Kathiawar, also called Saurashtra Peninsula, a peninsula in western India ** Saurashtra (state), alias United State of Kathiawar, a former Indian state, merged into Bombay State and since its d ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

Andhra Andhra Pradesh (ISO: , , AP) is a state on the east coast of southern India. It is the seventh-largest state and the tenth-most populous in the country. Telugu is the most widely spoken language in the state, as well as its official lang ...

and

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

broke away from the empire shortly after Ashoka's death, but were reconquered by Dasharatha's successor,

(who supposedly deployed soldiers disguised as Jain monks).

Religion

Ashoka had displayed divine support in his inscriptions; although a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

ruler, he was called

Devanampriya Devanampriya (Devanagari: देवानंप्रिय or देवानम्प्रिय), also called Devanampiya ( Brahmi script: 𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀸𑀦𑀁𑀧𑀺𑀬, ''Devānaṃpiya''), was a Pali Pāli (, IAST: pā ...

, which means "Beloved of the Gods" in

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

.Ram Sharan Sharma; ''Perspectives in social and economic history of early India''. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. 1995. . pg 107. The title of Devanampiya and religious adherence of the Mauryan ruler to Buddhism was continued by Dasharatha.Lal Mani Joshi; ''Studies in the Buddhistic Culture of India During the 7th and 8th Centuries A.D.'' Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. 1977. . pg 362. Dasharatha is known to have dedicated three caves in the Nagarjuni Hills to the Ajivikas. Three inscriptions at the caves refer to him as "''Devanampiya''" and state that the caves were dedicated by him shortly after his accession.Romila Thapar; '' and the Decline of the Maurya''. Oxford University Press. 2001. . pg 186.

Nagarjuni caves inscriptions by Dasaratha Maurya

Dasaratha Maurya, Ashoka's grandson and regnal successor, wrote dedicatory inscriptions in the three forming the Nagarjuni group (Gopika, Vadathi and Vapiya caves) of the

Barabar Caves The Barabar Hill Caves are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India, dating from the Maurya Empire (322–185 BCE), some with Ashokan inscriptions, located in the Makhdumpur region of Jehanabad district, Bihar, India, north of Gaya. The ...

.Buddhist Architecture par Huu Phuoc L
p.102
/ref> It is generally considered that their construction dates from his reign. The three caves were offered to the Ajivikas upon the accession to the throne of Dasaratha, confirming that these were still active around 230 BCE, and that

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

was not the exclusive religion of the Mauryas at that time. The three caves are also characterized by an extremely advanced finish of the granite walls inside, which again confirms that the technique of "Mauryan polish" did not die out with the reign of Ashoka.

Succession

Samprati, who succeeded Dasharatha, was according to the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Puranas Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

, the latter's son and according to the Buddhist and Jain sources, Kunala's son (making him possibly a brother of Dasharatha). The familial relationship between the two is thus not clear although evidently they were closely related members of the imperial family.

Notes