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<!-- factbase:86e2bb -->
# Maurya Empire
# Maurya Empire
## Overview
The Maurya Empire (~322–185 BCE) was the first empire to unify most of the Indian subcontinent, founded by Chandragupta Maurya and reaching its greatest extent under Ashoka. @t[322 BCE..185 BCE]
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- Religion: Initially Vedic/Hindu, Buddhism promoted under Ashoka
## Notable Rulers
- Chandragupta Maurya (~322–298 BCE): Founded the empire, defeated Seleucid forces @t[322 BCE..298 BCE] [^1]
- Chandragupta Maurya (~322–298 BCE): Founded the empire; defeated Seleucus I Nicator in the Seleucid–Mauryan War (305–303 BCE) @t[305 BCE..303 BCE], gaining Arachosia, Gedrosia, and Paropamisadae in exchange for 500 war elephants @t[322 BCE..298 BCE] [^1]
- Bindusara (~298–272 BCE): Expanded southward @t[298 BCE..272 BCE]
- Ashoka (~268–232 BCE): Converted to Buddhism after the Kalinga War, erected edicts promoting dharma @t[268 BCE..232 BCE] [^2]
- Ashoka (~268–232 BCE): Fought the Kalinga War (~261 BCE) @t[~261 BCE], converted to Buddhism in its aftermath, and erected 33 edicts on pillars, boulders, and cave walls promoting dharma and non-violence @t[268 BCE..232 BCE] [^2]
## Achievements
- Unified most of the Indian subcontinent for the first time
- Ashoka's edicts: Earliest deciphered Indian inscriptions, promoting non-violence and tolerance
- *Arthashastra* attributed to Chanakya: Treatise on statecraft and economics
- Extensive road network and trade connections
- Ashoka's edicts: 33 inscriptions on pillars, boulders, and cave walls — the earliest deciphered Indian inscriptions, promoting non-violence and tolerance [^2]
- *Arthashastra* attributed to Chanakya (also known as Kautilya or Vishnugupta): comprehensive treatise on statecraft, economics, and military strategy [^3]
- Extensive road network and trade connections linking the subcontinent
## Administration
- Highly centralized bureaucracy with provincial governors (*kumara*) and an extensive spy network maintaining central control
- Megasthenes, Greek ambassador to Chandragupta's court (~302 BCE), described the empire's administration and society in *Indica* (survives in fragments quoted by Strabo and Arrian) [^4]
- Standardized weights, measures, and coinage facilitated trade across the subcontinent
## Decline
Declined after Ashoka's death due to weak successors and regional fragmentation. Last Maurya ruler overthrown by Pushyamitra Shunga ~185 BCE. @t[~185 BCE]
@@ -30,11 +33,11 @@ Declined after Ashoka's death due to weak successors and regional fragmentation.
---
[^1]: Thapar, R. *Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas* (Oxford, 1961)
[^2]: Olivelle, P. *Ashoka: Portrait of a Philosopher King* (2023)
[^3]: Olivelle, P. (trans.) *King, Governance, and Law in Ancient India: Kautilya's Arthashastra* (Oxford University Press, 2013)
[^4]: McCrindle, J.W. *Ancient India as Described by Megasthenes and Arrian* (Trübner & Co., 1877)
---
## Review Queue
<!-- factbase:review -->
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Region: Indian subcontinent, from Afghanistan to Bengal" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Thapar (1961) [^1]; Olivelle (2023) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Period: ~322–185 BCE" - when was this true?