What are the achievements of the Mauryan dynasty?

Answer 1

The Mauryan Empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 326 B.C.E in northern India. Chandragupta, his son Bindusara, and his grandson Ashoka, unified the entire subcontinent of India-the sole exception is the southern tip-and, in doing so, established the first great Indian empire.

Chandragupta established his capital at Pataliputra after he defeated the previous rulers of India, the Magadha. He later defeated Alexander the great's successor, Seleucus Nicator, in 305 B.C.E. Chandragupta's minister, Kautilya, wrote the Arthasastra , a pioneering text in the field of economics. Pataliputra was a great city that, according to the Greek historian Megasthenes, had,"570 towers- (and) rivaled the splendors of contemporaneous Persian sites such as Susa and Ecbatana."

Chandragupta ruled for 25 years. Then he abdicated in 301 B.C.E and became a Jain monk, fasting to death around 298 B.C.E. His son, Bindusara, took over in 301 B.C.E. and expanded the southern part of the empire. Known as the "Slayer of Foes", Bindursara had open relations with the Seleucid Empire, and even sent an ambassador there.

Ashoka, one of India's greatest rulers, succeeded in 268 or 269 B.C.E and expanded the Mauryan Empire to its greatest extent. Many of Ashoka's pronouncements were carved into stone pillars using the Brahmi script, the oldest post-Indus writing we have record of. Ashoka famously converted to Buddhism, and dedicated the rest of his life to spread the word of the Buddha. (He tolerated all religions.) He compiled Buddhist canon, and denounced immoral behavior. He encouraged people to go on pilgrimages instead of going hunting. Two of his children even became missionaries.

During the Mauryan Empire culture flourished. Cities grew as commerce boomed. (The Mauryan Empire traded with Rome and China.) Unfortunately, after Ashoka's death in about 232 B.C.E., The Mauryan Empire crumbled. A battle for succession ensured, with no clear winner, and in 183 B.C.E. the last Mauryan ruler was defeated; However, the legacy of the Mauryan Empire lives on in the Indian people today.