Bihar during the Mauryan Period (323 BCE TO 185 BCE)

Maurya Dynasty

It was a dynasty of ancient India that ruled india for 137 years. The credit for its establishment is given to Chandragupta Maurya and his minister Chanakya (Kautilya), who defeated King Ghanananda of the Nanda dynasty. Chandragupta Maurya was born in 345 BCE and ascended the throne of Magadha in 323 BCE. The Maurya Empire began in the Ganga River plains (present-day Bihar and Bengal) in the Magadha state in eastern India, and at the time of its peak expanded almost the entire Indian subcontinent. Its capital was Pataliputra (now located in Patna city, Kumhrar).

• The main historical sources of information about the Maurya dynasty are Kautilya’s (Chanakya’s) Arthashastra, Visakhadatta’s Mudrarakshasa, Megasthenes ‘Indica’, Greek writer Justin’s travelogue and Emperor Ashoka’s pillar/inscription.
• Sitting on the throne of Magadha, Chandragupta laid the foundation of an empire which was spread all over India. In his time, the Maurya Empire extended to Afghanistan and Baluchistan in the northwest.
• According to the Puranas, Chandragupta belonged to the Shudra caste. But some historians also consider him a Kshatriya of Moriya clan.
• According to Ghundiraja, the critic of Mudrarakshasa, Mura, a queen of the Nandas, was probably the mother or grandmother of Chandragupta.
• According to critics of the Buddhist text Mahavamsa, Chandragupta’s father was the chief of Moriya Nagar.

Chandragupta Maurya (323 BCE to 298 BCE)

 After the death of Alexander in 323 BCE, Seleucus became his successor. In order to get the land won by Alexander, in 305 BCE he again invaded India. Chandragupta defeated Seleucus Nicator, the Greek ruler of northwestern India. After this war, both of them made a treaty. According to the treaty, Chandragupta Maurya provided 500 elephants to Seleucus. While Seleucus married his daughter Helena to Chandragupta, as well as gave the provinces named Area (Herat), Arachosia (Kandahar/Kanhar), Jedrosia (Baluchistan- Makran) and Peropemisdai (Kabul) as dowry to Chandragupta Maurya.

• Appianus has described the war between Chandragupta and Seleucus. Seleucus appointed Megasthenes as ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Maurya.
• Chandragupta Maurya is known as the savior in Indian history for being the first to free the North-West Frontier Province from the clutches of the Greeks.
• Megasthenes composed a book named ‘Indica. The description of Indian society and urban structure is found in this book.

• Megasthenes divided Indian society into seven categories (philosophers, farmers, Ahirs, artisans, soldiers, inspectors and councilors).
• Political policies have been highlighted in Kautilya’s Arthashastra.
• Sir William Jones identified Chandragupta Maurya as Sandrocottus.
• Arrian and Plutarch have described Chandragupta Maurya as Androcottus.
• In the time of Chandragupta, Hindukush Mountain was the scientific boundary of India, it is also called Indian Caucasus by Greek writers.
• Chandragupta Maurya’s Guru and Prime Minister Chanakya composed Arthashastra, a book based on polity and administration. It is the oldest available book on Indian Polity so far.
• Chandragupta Maurya conquered the territory up to Saurashtra in western India and included it under direct rule
• According to the Girnar inscription (150 BCE), Pushyagupta Vaishya was the governor of Chandragupta Maurya in this region, who had built the Sudarshan lake.
• In the south, Chandragupta Maurya conquered up to northern Karnataka.
• Information about Chandragupta’s victory over Bengal comes from the Mahasthan inscription.
• The vast empire of Chandragupta Maurya included-Kabul, Herat, Kandahar, Baluchistan, Punjab, the Ganga-Yamuna plain, Bihar, Bengal, Gujarat and the territories of Vindhya and Kashmir.
• Chandragupta Maurya extended his empire from Iran in the north-west to Bengal in the east and from Kashmir in the north to northern Karnataka in the south.
• According to Jain writings, at the end of the reign of Chandragupta Maurya, there was a severe famine of 12 years in Magadha.
• The first inscription giving information about famine is the Sauhgaura inscription. In this record, there is mention of storing food grains for use in times of crisis.
• In the final moments, Chandragupta Maurya went to Shravanabelagola (Karnataka) with the Jain monk Bhadrabahu, where in 298 BCE, he fasted till death, which is called Sanlekhana in Jain texts.

Bindusara (298 BCE to 272 BCE)

• Bindusara was the son and successor of Chandragupta Maurya, who has been called Madrasara in Vayupurana and Singhasena in Jain literature. The Greek writer has called him Amitrechets (Amitraghat).
• According to Jain texts, Bindusara’s mother was Durdhara. According to the Theravada tradition, Bindusara was a follower of the Brahmin religion. While according to Divyavadana he was a follower of the Ajivaka sect.
• According to Athenaeus, Bindusara had requested Antiochus, the ruler of Syria, to send wine, dried figs and a philosopher.
• King Antiochus of Syria had sent an ambassador named Dimechusto the court of Bindusara.
• During the reign of King Ptolemy || of Egypt, an ambassador named Dionysius came to Bindusara’s court.

• Bindusara followed his father in the field of administration. Kumars were appointed as sub-kings in the provinces.
• According to Divyavadana Ashoka was the sub-king of Avanti and in the time of Bindusara there were two rebellions in Takshashila province, for the suppression of which Ashoka was sent for the first time and Susim for the second time.
• Bindusara had a Council of Ministers with 500 members whose head was Khallatak Bindusara ruled for 26 years and finally died in 272 BCE.

Chanakya

• Chanakyais also known as Kautilya and Vishnugupta. He was the political guru and prime minister of Chandragupta Maurya He was a learned politician.
• Chanakya was born in a Brahmin clan named Kuthil of Takshashila and was the chief graduate and teacher of the education center of Takshashila. But most of Chanakya’s life was spent in the political corridors of the Magadha Empire.
• Once, King Nanda of Magadha insulted Chanakya in his sacrificial fire because of his colour due to which in anger he vowed to destroy the Nanda dynasty altogether and did so with the help of Chandragupta Maurya, the staunch adversary of King Nanda.
• When Chandragupta Maurya became the sole emperor of the vast Magadha Empire, Kautilya became its prime minister and chief priest.
• According to Jain texts, after the death of Chandragupta, his son Bindusara sat on the throne, and Kautilya remained the Prime Minister for some time during his reign as well.
• The Arthashastra is a work of the Maurya period, in which the views of Kautilya, the prime minister of Chandragupta Maurya, were originally presented.
• Chanakyahas also been called the Machiavelli of India.
• The Arthashastra composed by Kautilya (Chanakya) is the oldest Wikipedia of the Mauryan dynasty.
• The original text (Arthashastra) can be considered to be the work of 4th century BCE.
• Chanakya’s Arthashastra has 15 tribunals/chaptersand 180 episodes. The number of versesin this book is said to be 4000
• Later on, some parts were added by other authors in the Arthashastra, due to which the nature of the original text was changed.

Kautilya’s Saptanga Theory

Kautilya/Chanakya has described the seven parts of the state in this principle Kautilya has compared all the parts of the state to the parts of the body Kautilya believed that just as the human body has its own importance, all its parts together make the body useful and workable, similarly there are some fundamental parts (principles) of the state which are very important for its operation and protection.

1. King or Swami: Kautilya has considered the king as the centerand integral part of the state, comparing him with the head (overall). He believes that the king should be visionary, self-controlled, noble, healthy and endowed with intellectual qualities. He advises the king to be benevolent and responsible to the public, because according to him the king is bound by duties. According to Kautilya, despite being paramount, the king should not be given autocratic powers.
2. Amatya or Minister: Kautilya has compared both Amatya and the minister to ‘Eyes’ According to him Amatya and Raja are two wheels of the same cart Such person should be chosen as Amatya who can handle his responsibilities and play the role of his ally in the works of the king.
3. Janpad: Kautilya has compared it to ‘feet’. The meaning of Janapada is Janayukt Bhoomi, that is, both population and territory are considered as Janapadas. Kautilya has spoken of appointing a ‘Samgrahana’ in a group of ten villages, a ‘Sarvatrika’ in a group of two hundred villages, a ‘Dronamu’ in a group of four hundred villages and a ‘Sthaniya’ officer in eight hundred villages.
4. Durg: Kautilya compared the fort to arms’. Kautilya has discussed four types of forts:-

• • Audik fort- which has water all around it.
  • Mountain- fort which has rocks around it.
  • Dhanvan- fort around which there is barren land.
  • Forest fort- which has forest and jungle around it.

5. Kosha: Kautilya compared it to ‘mouth’. He considered treasury as the main part of the state because a state grows from treasury only and maintains its army through treasury to remain powerful. According to him, the way to increase the treasury is by taxation, in which the subjects should pay one-sixth of the grain, one-tenth of the trade and one-fiftieth of the profit of livestock to the king as tax.
6. Dand or Sena: Kautilya has compared the army to the ‘brain. Kautilya has given four types of army – elephant army, horse army, chariot army and foot army. According to him, the army should be such that it should be courageous, strong and in which every soldier has patriotism in his heart and whose family should be proud of him after getting martyrdom.
7. Mitra: Kautilya has called Mitra as ‘ear’. According to him, the state needs friends for the progress of the state and for help in times of calamity.

Kautilya’s Mandala Theory

Kautilya has described the mandala theory in the sixth treatise of his book Arthashastra. Kautilya’s Mandal (group of countries) theory shows on a geographical basis how neighboring countries (states) of a state desirous of conquest can be its friends or enemies. According to this theory, there is a king in the center of the circle, who is willing to conquer other states, he is called ‘Vijigishu’.

• Powerful kingdoms: Many small kingdoms existed in India in ancient times. Powerful kings used to expand their empire by war. Many times the states also used to compromise with other states in terms of security. According to Kautilya, the king who expands his empire by war and victory should increase the number of friends in comparison to his enemies, so that the enemies can be controlled.
• Weak states: Weak states should be wary of powerful neighboring states. Together with states of equal status, they should unite or form a ‘circle’ to avoid the expansion policy of powerful states. The first state that comes in the way of ‘Vijigishu’ is ‘Ari’ (enemy) and the state adjacent to the enemy is ‘enemy of the enemy, hence it is a friend of Vijigishu. Kautilya has also described ‘moderate’ and ‘indifferent’ states, which do not participate in strategy despite having potential.
• Kautilya’s 12 divisional principles – Vijigishu, Ari, Mitra, Ari-Mitra, Mitra-Mitra, Ari-Mitra-Mitra, Pashnigrah, Aankrad, Panigrahasar, Akrandasar, Madhyam and Udasin Desh.

Ashoka (272 BCE to 232 BCE)

Chakravarti Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Dynasty ruled ‘Akhand Bharat for about 40 years and his empire stretched from the ranges of Hindukush in the north to Mysore in the south and from Bangladesh in the east to Afghanistan-Iran in the west. Emperor Ashoka’s empire covered most of the territory of present-day India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar. This vast empire has been the largest Indian empire since that time. Chakravarti Emperor Ashoka’s place has always been at the top among all the great and powerful emperors and kings of the world. For the first time in India, Ashoka was called Chakravarti Samrat, which means ‘Emperor of Emperors. Ashoka is better known for his extensive empire as a skilled administrator and propagator of Buddhism. Emperor Ashoka propagated Buddhism in the entire Indian subcontinent and also in many Asian countries. Many stupas and pillar-inscriptions referred to Emperor Ashoka and have become historical sources of ancient India. Ashoka’s ‘Chatursinha Stambh’ (four lion pillar), a wonderful specimen of art and gesture, has become the ‘national symbol’ of India. Ashoka remains exemplary even today in the form of love, tolerance, truth, non-violence and people-friendly nature.

Note: After the death of Bindusara, the struggle for succession started which lasted for about four years (272 BCE to 268 BCE). Ashoka finally became the emperor in 268 ВСЕ.

• Ashoka obtained the help of Radha Gupta, a minister of Bindusara, in order to become the king. However, no independent evidence of this succession struggle has been received.
• According to Jain tradition, Ashoka had taken over the throne against the wishes of Bindusara, while according to Mahabodhivansh and historian Taranath, he had gained the empire by killing his brothers in a succession war for power.
• According to Sinhalese legends, Ashoka got the throne by killing his 99 brothers.
• At the time of his accession to the throne, Ashoka was the governor of Avanti
• In the records, he has been addressed with the titles ‘Devanampiya’and Raja.
• In the inscriptions of Maski and Gurjara he is called Ashoka while in the Puranas he is called Ashoka Vardhana.
• In the Bhabru Inscription, Ashoka has described himself as the emperor of Magadha.
• Ashoka’s mother’s name in Divyavadana is Subhadrangi who was the daughter of a Brahmin of Champa.
• According to Sinhalese legends, Ashoka stopped at Vidisha on his way to Ujjayini, where he married Devi, the daughter of Shresthi, from whom Mahendra and Sanghamitra were born.
• Tishyarakshita is the name of one of his wives in Divyavadan. His inscription (Kaushambi inscription) mentions his only one wife Karuvaki who was the mother of Teevar.
• Ashoka attacked Kalinga in 261 BCE, the 8th year after his coronation.
• According to the thirteenth inscription in the Kalinga war, one lakh 50 thousand people were made prisoners and exiled and one lakh people were killed.
• The Kalinga war (especially seeing the dead bodies of women and children killed in the war) brought about a great change of heart in Ashoka After this, he adopted non-violent Buddhism as his religion and put his administration in the propagation of Buddhism.
• According to the Sinhalese traditions Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa Ashoka was initiated into Buddhism by a monk named Nigrothain the fourteenth year of his reign, after which he became completely Buddhist under the influence of
• According to the Divyavadana the credit for initiating Ashoka to Buddhism goes to a Buddhist monk named
• In the 10th year of his reign, Ashoka first visited Bodh Gaya the place of Buddha’s enlightenment, and established a Buddhist Vajrasana (Buddha’s posture) under the Bodhi tree and built a chaitya (Buddhist temple) where the later Shunga rulers built a Vedika around the Vajrasana Thereafter, Amar Singh, the Navaratna of Chandragupta II, built a huge Buddhist temple
• In the 20th year of his coronation, Ashoka visited Lumbini the birthplace of Buddha, after which he declared Lumbini village free from religious tax and reduced the rate of land revenue from 1/6 to 1/8.
• The definition of Dhamma given by Ashoka is taken from the Maharahulovada Sutta.
• It was during the reign of Ashoka that the third Buddhist Council was organized at Pataliputra which was presided over by Moggaliputtatissa Abhidhammapitaka was composed in this and Buddhist monks were sent to different countries, in which Ashoka’s son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra were sent to Sri Lanka.
• According to Kalhana’s Rajatarangini Ashoka established a city called Srinagar on the banks of the Vitasta river (Jhelum) in Kashmir.
• Ashoka probably got inspiration from the Iranian ruler Darius to convey the message to the subjects through inscriptions.
• During the Maurya period, Kashi, Banga, Pundra, Kalinga and Malwa were famous for cotton cloth.
• In the Mauryan period, Karshapan silver and copper, Suvarna gold, Mashak/Bhashak and Kakani copper coins were prevalent.
• The statue of Yakshini obtained from Didarganj of Pataliputra is an excellent example of Mauryan art.
• Evidence has also been found of Mauryan Rajprasad (Mahal) made of wood from Kumhrar of Patna.

Ashoka’s Means of Propagating Religion

(i) Beginning of religious pilgrimages, (ii) appointment of state officials, (iii) appointment of Dharma Mahamatras, (iv) display of divine forms, (v)arrangement of Dharma Shravan and sermon, (vi) works of folk character, (vii) getting the scriptures engraved, (viii) sending religious preachers to foreign countries.

• Ashoka began the propagation of Buddhism with pilgrimages.
• After the Kalinga war, a ban was imposed on the yatras of Amod-Pramod.
• He got Kanakamuni’s stupa repaired at Nigliva in the Terai of Nepal.
• He appointed high officials of his empire for the promotion of Buddhism. According to column articles three and seven, he ordered officials named Vyushta, Rajjuk, Pradhikashi and Yukta to go and preach religion among the people.
• After the 13th year of consecration, a new class of officials was created for the propagation of Buddhism, which was called Dhammamahamatra Its task was to establish religious unity by eradicating the discrimination between different religious sects.
• In order to make Dhamma popular, Ashoka had banned the killing of animals and birds for the welfare of humans and animals. Arrangements were made for separate hospitals for humans and animals in the state and also in foreign states.
• Ashoka’s work of great virtue and the preaching of attainment of heaven has been given in the Buddhist text Sanyukta Nikaya.
• Ashoka sent messengers and preachers to foreign countries to spread Buddhism far and wide. In his second and 13th inscription, he got the names of the countries written where the messengers were sent.
• The credit for making Buddhism an international religion goes to Emperor Ashoka.
• Buddhism was propagated by Ashoka in many countries of Asia He sent his son Mahendraand daughter Sanghamitra to Sri Lankafor this purpose.

Note: From 12th to 20th century, the number of followers of Buddhism in India decreased significantly. However, in the middle of the 20th century, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, a pioneer of social justice and a leader of Dalits, adopted Buddhism along with his wife in Nagpur on October 14, 1956, on the day of Ashok Vijayadashami (Dhammachakra Pravartan Day). Later, in just two days (15-16 October, 1956), by initiating more than 10 lakh Hindu Dalit supporters to Buddhism, there was a huge increase in the number of followers of Buddhism, which is considered the world’s largest religious conversion. Ambedkar is the second person after Ashoka to expand Buddhism the most.

Inscriptions of Ashoka

• It is clear from the sixth pillar edict of Ashoka that he started getting his edicts engraved after 12 years of his coronation.
• Ashoka’s inscriptions have been found in modern India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. All these inscriptions are strong historical and archaeological evidence of that time.
• Brahmi, Kharosthi, Greek and Aramaic scripts have been used in the inscriptions of Ashoka.

Records of Greek and Aramaic script have been found from Afghanistan, records of Kharosthi script have been found from North West Pakistan and records of Brahmi script have been found from the rest of India.

• Ashoka adopted Prakrit as the national language and Brahmi as the script.
• The study of engraved inscriptions is called
• The Rampurva Edict of Ashoka is located in the West Champaran district of Bihar, while the Prayag Pillar Edictwas first located in Kaushambi which was later placed in the Allahabad Fort by the Mughal Emperor Akbar.
• The pillars on which the royal proclamations (edicts/edicts) of Emperor Ashoka are engraved are called pillar articles. All the inscriptions of Ashoka are engraved in Brahmi script.
• So far 40 inscriptions of Ashoka have been discovered. First of all, in 1837, a scholar named James Prinsep succeeded in deciphering Ashoka’s inscription, while in 1750, Tiefenthaler first discovered the Ashoka pillar in Delhi.
• Ashoka’s inscriptions are divided into three parts-1. Rock Edict 2. Pillar Edict 3. Cave Edict
• The largest or longest edict of Ashoka is believed to be the 13th Edict, which is at Dhauli in Odisha and the smallest is the Rummindei/Lumbini Edict.
• Rummindei inscription gives information about Mauryan tax policy.

Cave and Pillar Edicts of Ashoka

• Ashoka’s inscriptions have been found on the walls of three caves in the Barabar hill located in the Gaya district of South Bihar. The language of all these are Prakrit and the script is The script of only two inscriptions Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra is Kharosthi instead of Brahmi. This script is written from right to left.
• A fragmentary inscription written in Aramaic script from Takshashila and a bilingual inscription in Greek and Aramaic have been found from a place named Sher-e-Kuna near Kandahar.

• Ashoka’s pillar edicts are seven in number which have been found engraved on stone pillars from six different places. Some of these include-

1. Delhi-Topra: This pillar edict was initially found in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. It was brought to Delhi by the medieval Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq. All the seven inscriptions of Ashoka are engraved on it.
2. Delhi-Meerut: This pillar edict was also earlier in Meerut which was later brought to Delhi by Firoz Shah.
3. Lauria Areraj and Lauria Nandangarh: This pillar edict is in Champaran district of Bihar state. There is a figure of a bull on it.

Note: Basaha Minor Rock Edict– This rock edict is located in the Kaimur hill of Bihar in the Chand region (Kaimur district) of Basaha, which is famous among the local people as Mathmuria and Murmuria. It was discovered by the Archaeological Survey of India in 2009. Historians believe that Emperor Ashoka spent the 256th night here during his preaching of Buddhism.

Successors of Ashoka

• After the death of Ashoka, the great Mauryan emperor of the Magadha Empire, his weak successors continued to rule for the next five decades.
• Jain, Buddhist and Brahmin texts give conflicting views about the rule of Ashoka’s successor.
• Puranas mention 1 or 10 rulers after Ashoka, while according to Divyavadana 6 rulers ruled after Ashoka.
• After the death of Ashoka, the Mauryan Empire was divided into western and eastern parts.
• The western part was ruled by Kunala, while the eastern part was ruled by
• By 170 BCE, the Bactrian Greeks enjoyed complete authority over the western part, while the eastern part was ruled by

• The last emperor of the Maurya Empire was Brihadratha. In 185 ВСЕ, Brihadratha was killed by his Brahmin general Pushyamitra Shunga who established the Shunga dynasty.

Barabar and Nagarjuni Caves

Barabar caves

• Emperor Ashoka had cut themonolithic rocks of Nagarjuna hill and Barabar hill and constructed rock-cut caves in both to serve as rain shelter for the monks of Ajivaka sect.
• The Barabar Caves near Gaya in Bihar are the oldest known rock-cut caves. Most of these belong to the Maurya period (323-185 BCE). Ashoka’s edicts can be seen in some of the caves. These caves are located in present-day Jehanabad district, about 24 kilometers (16 mi) from Gaya in Bihar.
• These caves of the Mauryan period are located in the twin hills of Barabar (four caves) and Nagarjuni (three caves) located in Jehanabad district – at a distance of 1.6 km each other.
• These rock-cut chambers date back to the 3rd century BCE, built by Ashoka (272 BCE to 232 BCE) and his grandson Dasaratha. Although he himself was a Buddhist, he allowed different sects to flourish under a policy of religious tolerance.
• These caves were used by the ascetics of the Ajivaka sect. This sect was founded by Makkhali Goshal. Apart from this, many Buddhist and Hindu sculptures made of rocks have also been found at this place.
• The Barabar hill consists of four caves – Karna Chaupar, Lomash Rishi, Sudama and Vishwa Jhopri. Among these, the Sudama and Lomash Rishi caves are the earliest examples of rock-cut cave architecture. These have architectural details built during the Maurya period. Cave architecture a few centuries later is reflected in the form of large Buddhist chaityas found at the Ajanta and Karle caves in Maharashtra.

1. Lomash/Loma Rishi cave: Rishi cave with arch-like shape has been made by cutting and carving monolithic rocks. Two inscriptions are found at the entrance of the cave, in which the Moukhari rulers of the post-Gupta period, Shardulavarman and his son Anantavarman are mentioned. Another Brahmi inscription mentions this place as Gorathgiri.
2. Sudama Cave: This cave was dedicated to Buddhist monks by Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in 261 BCE. It consists of a circular arched hall with a rectangular pavilion.
3. Karna Chaupar Cave: It consists of a single rectangular room with polished surfaces containing inscriptions dating back to 245 BCE. Some historians also consider it to be of Mahabharata period.
4. Vishwa Jhopri Cave: It consists of two rectangular rooms which are made by cutting rocks. Ashoka’s inscriptions are found in this cave dedicated to the Ajivkas. It was built by Emperor Ashoka in the 12th year of his reign.

Nagarjuni Caves

The caves of Nagarjuni hill are smaller and newer than the Barabar caves, these three caves are as follows-

1. Gopika Cave: This is the largest cave among the three important caves of Nagarjuni hill. According to the inscription, it was dedicated by Dasaratha to the followers of the Ajivaka sect in about 232 BCE. The ceiling of this cave is vaulted.
2. Vapiyaka Cave: This was also built by Ashoka’s grandson Dasaratha and dedicated to the followers of Ajivaka sect.
3. Vedathika Cave: It is situated near Vapiyaka cave in the west. It was also dedicated to the followers of the Ajivaka sect.

Mauryan Administration

• The administration of Pataliputra is described in ‘Indica’ by Megasthenes has called Pataliputra ‘Polybrotha’.
• National political unity was established in India for the first time during the Mauryan reign.
• There was a strong centralization of power in the Mauryan administration, but the king was not autocratic.
• During the Mauryan period, the republic relatively declined and the monarchical system was strengthened.

Central Administration

• In the Arthashastra, the top officials have been called Tirtha, their number was 18. In most of the places, he was known as The most important tirthas or mahamatyas were the ministers and priests.

Military system

• The military system was divided into six committees. Each committee had five military experts. There was a system of infantry, horse army, elephant army, chariot army and
• The highest officer of military management was called Antpal, He was also the administrator of the border areas.
• According to Megasthenes, Chandragupta Maurya’s army was equipped with six lakh infantry, fifty thousand cavalry, nine thousand elephants and eight hundred chariots.

 Provincial Administration

• Chandragupta Maurya had divided his empire into four provinces to run the administration smoothly. The provinces were also called chakras.
• The governance of these provinces was conducted by the representatives of the emperor. During the time of Emperor Ashoka, the number of provinces had increased to five. The provinces (Chakras) were administered by officials called Rajvanshiya Kumar.
• There were officers called Mahamatras in each province to assist Kumaramatya. At the top the central division of the empire was further divided into provinces and subjects.
• The village was the smallest unit of administration.
• Diet was under the control of the The administrative officer of the district was the Sthanik.
• Gopa used to manage ten villages. According to Megasthenes, the urban administration of Mauryan rule was divided into six committees.

Urban Administration

• To maintain discipline in the city and to control crimes, there was a system called
• It is known from Greek sources that there were three types of officers in the city administration – Agronomoi (District Magistrate), Antinomoi(City Commissioner) and military officers.

Relationship of Maurya Empire with Buddhism

• The Maurya Empire had an interdependent relationship with Buddhism. After the Kalinga war, influenced by Buddhism following non-violence and peace, Emperor Ashoka included public welfare ideals like ‘Buddham Sharanam Gachhami’, ‘Dhammam Sharanam Gachhami’, ‘Sangham Sharanam Gachhami’ and ‘Live and let live’ in his state religion.
• After adopting Buddhism, Ashoka sent his ‘Dhammamahamatra’ to many countries outside India for the propagation of Buddhist policies and their ideals. He even engaged his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra for its promotion.
• The ‘Sarnath Singh Stambh’ preserved in Sarnath has the figures of four animals related to the life of Lord Buddha – elephant, horse, bull and lion engraved under the Chatur Singh four-headed lion. It was built by Emperor Ashoka to commemorate the historic event of ‘Dhammachakrapravartana’e. the first sermon by Lord Buddha.
• In many Buddhist architectures, apart from major stupas like Sanchi, Bharhut, Sarnath, many Buddhist Viharas were built by the Mauryan kings.
• Several rock-cut caves were also built in the Barabar and Nagarjuni hills as a retreat or resting place (vihara) for Buddhist monks.