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The Mauryan empire
The Mauryan empire for UPSC Prelims and Mains, taught in 3 parts. Each part has tables, exam traps, a recap and practice questions.
Quick recap: Quick recap: The Mauryan empire on one page
Parts of this chapter
Sources and the founding of the empire
The sources for the Mauryan age (the Arthashastra, Megasthenes' Indica, the Mudrarakshasa, Buddhist and Jain texts, the Puranas, inscriptions and archaeology); the origins of the Mauryas; Chandragupta and Kautilya overthrow the Nandas; the treaty with Seleucus; the reach west and south and the Jain tradition of Shravanabelagola; Pataliputra; and the reign of Bindusara.Ashoka: the Kalinga war, dhamma and the edicts
Ashoka's rise and titles; the Kalinga war, Major Rock Edict XIII and the Separate Kalinga Edicts; his turn to Buddhism, the Bhabru and schism edicts, the third council and the missions; Lumbini, Nigali Sagar and the Barabar caves; what his dhamma taught and how officials, tours and welfare works spread it; the kinds and sites of the inscriptions, their languages and scripts; and the neighbours and Greek kings they name.Administration, economy, society and decline
How the Mauryas governed: the saptanga state, the council, superintendents, the samaharta and sannidhata, spies and the two kinds of courts; provinces under princes and the officers of districts and villages; Megasthenes' six boards; land, taxes, crafts, guilds, coins and trade routes; the seven classes of Megasthenes; the later Mauryas, Pushyamitra Shunga and the explanations of the decline; and the Mauryan legacy in the State Emblem and the national flag.Study this in the Upscore app to keep notes, save it for revision, track your practice scores and follow a plan to the exam date. It's free.
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