The Mauryan Empire
I. Fill in the blanks.
1. Chandragupta Maurya fought with the Greek general Seleucus Nicator in the year 305 BCE.
2. Megasthenes was the ambassador of Seleucus in the court of Chandragupta Maurya.
3. The Kalinga War bought about a change in Ashok.
4. The three main sources that give us information about the Mauryan rule are Indica, Arthashastra and rock edicts of Ashok.
5. Ashok sent his son and daughter to propagate Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
6. Ashok's edicts were primarily written in the Brahmi script.
7. Mauryan art and architecture was influenced by Buddhism.
8. Amatyas and Mahamatyas were the top officials in the Mauryan administration.
9. The third Buddhist council was held at Patliputra.
10. Indica was written by Megasthenes.
11. Kautilya wrote the Arthashastra.
12. Ashok succeeded king Bindusar.
13. The capital of Mauryan Empire during Chandragupta's reign was Patliputra.
II. Answer the following questions.
1. Name the main historical sources for the Mauryan period.
= The main historical sources for the Mauryan period are - Indica by Megasthenes, Arthashastra by Kautilya and the rock edicts by Ashok.
2. Who was the founder of the Mauryan Empire? Who guided him?
= Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Mauryan Empire.
A Brahmin named Kautilya or Chanakya guided him.
3. What was the extent of Chandragupta Maurya's empire?
= Chandragupta Maurya's empire extended from the Hindu Kush in the north-west to Bengal in the east, and from the Himalayas in the north to the Narmada in the south.
4. Name any two important cities of the Mauryan Empire.
= Two important cities of the Mauryan Empire are - Taxila and Ujjain.
5. What were the achievements of Chandragupta Maurya?
= Achievements of Chandragupta Maurya are -
i) Expansion of the empire : Chandragupta expanded his territories and moved gradually towards central India. He captured many important regions.
Chandragupta Maurya's empire extended from the Hindu Kush in the north-west to Bengal in the east, and from the Himalayas in the north to the Narmada in the south.
ii) Battle with Seleucus Nicator : Chandragupta fought a battle with Seleucus Nicator, Alexander's general, in 305 BCE. Seleucus was defeated. Both signed a treaty and entered into a marriage alliance. Seleucus married his daughter to Chandragupta. Chandragupta made a gift of 500 elephants to the Greek general and obtained the territory across the River Indus.
iii) Establishment of important cities : Some important cities as Taxila and Ujjain later became the seats of provincial government. These cities were also important because of their location on trade routes. Taxila was the gateway to the north-west and Central Asia, while Ujjain was located on the trade route that connected North India with South India.
6. Explain how the Kalinga war bought about a change in Ashok's life.
= Ashok conquered Kalinga because of its prime location. It was a powerful kingdom and controlled all the land and sea routes to South India and south-east Asia. Their victory over Kalinga brought greater economic prosperity to Mauryas.
However, the war resulted in great suffering of the people. The horror of the wat pushed Ashok to give up the path of conquest and embrace non-violence. In this phase he was known as Dharma Ashok. Ashok abandoned the policy of territorial conquest in favour of a policy of cultural conquest and never fought any war again.
7. Write a brief note on Ashok's dhamma.
= The word dhamma is the Prakrit form of the Sanskrit word dharma. It has been variously translated as piety, moral life, righteousness, and so on. However, Ashok's dhamma was not a religious faith or practice, but a way of truthful life based on Buddha's teachings. In his dhamma, Ashok attempted a careful synthesis of various norms that were current in his time.
8. What were the codes prescribed by Ashok in his dhamma?
= Ashok prescribes certain codes to be followed as part of dhamma. Some of these are as follows -
i) Obedience to mother, father, elders, teachers and other respectable persons.
ii) Proper treatment of ascetics, relatives, slaves, servants and dependants, the poor and miserable, friends, acquaintances and companions.
iii) Abstinence from killing or cause injury to living beings.
iv) Spending little and accumulating little wealth.
v) Truthfulness, morality and purity of heart.
9. Describe the welfare measures undertaken by Ashok.
= Ashok carried out a number of welfare measures for his subjects -
i) Built rest houses and planted trees to provide shelter to the travellers.
ii) Dug wells and built good roads.
iii) Built health centres for human beings and animals.
iv) Regular tours conducted by officials to ensure the well being of the people.
v) Constructed many viharas where Buddhist monks could live.
10. Describe the administrative structure under the Mauryas.
= After establishing the empire, the Mauryan rulers organised a very elaborate system of administration. Megasthenes and Kautilya have given detailed accounts of the Mauryan administration in their works.
i) King and the council of ministers : The King was the supreme head of the state. He was assisted by a council of ministers or mantriparishad. Every minister looked after a different department such as revenue, security and industry. Some important officials were Amatyas and Mahamatyas (top officials), Adhyakshas (superintendent) and Shrinidhata (treasurer). Besides, the king had an excellent network of spies to keep him well-informed about his officials.
ii) Provincial administration : The empire was divided into five provinces. Village was the smallest unit of administration. The village officials included Gramikas, Grama-bhojakas and Ayuktas. They were assisted by the village elders in carrying out the affairs of the village.
iii) Army : A large empire and availability of vast resources led to the creation of a large standing army. The army included foot soldiers, cavalry, elephants, chariots and a navy.
11. List at least four officials present in the Mauryan administration.
= Four important officials in the Mauryan administration were - Amatyas and Mahamatyas (top officials), Adhyakshas (superintendent) and Shrinidhata (treasurer).
12. Write a brief note on the Mauryan economy.
= The following are the major traits of the Mauryan economy -
i) Taxes : Revenue was collected from farmers. However, other sources of income included production f different articles, royal landholdings, trade in different commodities, exploitation of mineral resources, utilisation of forest wealth, sale of liquor and manufacture of arms.
ii) Agriculture : The Mauryan government also provided irrigation facilities to the peasantry. The Arthashastra refers to water tax, which was regularly collected from the places where the state assisted in providing irrigation facilities. One of Chandragupta's governors, Pushyagupta, was responsible for building a dam at Girnar in western India. its purpose was to ensure water supply for irrigation.
iii) Trade : Both inland and foreign trade were carried out. The Mauryas had trade relations with Greece, Egypt and Sri Lanka.
13. What is the significance of the Sanchi stupa?
= It is located in Madhya Pradesh. The great stupa is a hemispherical brick structure containing the relics of Buddha. It was crowned by a chatra, a parasol-like structure symbolising high rank, intended to shelter the relics. There are gateway surrounding the dome. Each gateway is surmounted by capitals. These capitals have beautiful sculptures depicting scenes from stories related to Buddha's life.
14. Why did the Mauryan Dynasty decline?
= After the death of Ashok in 232 BCE, the Mauryan rulers continued to rule for about another half a century. The disorder that emerged in the administrative machinery after his death is regarded as one of the important factors for the disintegration of the Mauryan Empire.
There were several other reasons for the decline that set in after Ashok's death.
i) Ashok was succeeded by weak and inefficient rulers.
ii) The vastness of the empire made it difficult to control the far-flung territories.
iii) The provincial viceroys took advantage of the absence of a strong central authority.
iv) The enormous expenditure of maintaining a large army drained the treasury.
v) The invasions in the north-west added to the disorder.
15. What steps did Ashok take to propagate his dhamma?
= Ashok propagated his dhamma in various ways -
i) Ashok set an example by following the principles of his dhamma. For example, he gave up hunting.
ii) Ashok engraved his views about dhamma on rock edicts, which were meant to be read by the common people. In doing so, he was trying to establish direct communication with his subjects.
iii) He sent missionaries to Sri Lanka, Syria, Greece and Egypt to spread dhamma.
iv) He appointed special officers called Dhammamahamattas to spread the message of dhamma in his kingdom.
16. Why were Ashok's edicts inscribed in Prakrit?
= Ashok's edicts were inscribed in Prakrit because it was easy language to understand by the common people.
III. State whether true or false.
1. Chandragupta Maurya founded the Nanda Dynasty. [F]
2. One of the reasons for the decline of the Mauryan Empire was the invasion by Seleucus Nicator. [F]
3. Ashok succeeded in conquering Kalinga. [T]
4. Ashok's policy of dhamma was a religious policy forced upon people. [F]
5. Ashok was succeeded by weak rulers which contributed to the decline of the Mauryan Empire. [T]
IV. Match the columns.
=
|
1. Gramikas and Ayuktas |
a. officers responsible for spreading Dhamma. [4] |
|
2. Megasthenes |
b. superintendent. [3] |
|
3. Adhyakshas |
c. treasurer. [5] |
|
4. Dhammamahamattas |
d. village officials. [1] |
|
5. Shrinidhata |
e. Indica. [2] |