<ul><li><span>﻿</span>The last of the Nanda rulers, Dhana Nanda was highly unpopular due to his oppressive tax regime.</li><li>Also, post-Alexander’s invasion of North-Western India, that region faced a lot of unrest from foreign powers.</li><li>Some of these regions came under the rule of the Seleucid Dynasty, founded by Seleucus Nicator I. He was one of the generals of Alexander the Great.</li><li>Chandragupta, with the help of an intelligent and politically astute Brahmin, Kautilya usurped the throne by defeating Dhana Nanda in 321 BC.</li></ul><p><br/></p>

Chandragupt maurya

<p dir="ltr">In Ancient India, many significant empires evolved. One of them was the Mauryan empire. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya, the Mauryan empire was an important dynasty in our history. This article will provide NCERT notes on Mauryan Empire for the <a href="https://byjus.com/ias-exam/" dir="ltr">IAS Exam</a>. These notes will also be useful for other competitive exams like banking PO, SSC, state civil services exams, and so on. This article talks about the rise and growth of the Maurya Empire in ancient India, which is an important topic in the history syllabus of the IAS exam.</p><p>Aspirants should also read other Ancient History articles related to Mauryan Empire linked in the table below:</p><table class="table table-bordered" dir="ltr">
<tbody dir="ltr">
<tr dir="ltr">
<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/ncert-notes-mauryan-administration/" dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">Mauryan Administration</span></a></td>
<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/ncert-notes-emperor-ashoka/" dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">Emperor Ashoka</span></a></td>
<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/ncert-notes-ashokas-edicts/" dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">Ashoka’s Edicts</span></a></td>
</tr>
<tr dir="ltr">
<td dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/ncert-notes-decline-of-mauryan-empire/" dir="ltr">&nbsp;The decline of the Mauryan Empire</a></span></td>
<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/ncert-notes-post-mauryan-india-sunga-dynasty/" dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">Post-Mauryan India – Sunga Dynasty</span></a></td>
<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/ncert-notes-post-mauryan-india-satavahanas/" dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">Post-Mauryan India – The Satavahanas</span></a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table><p dir="ltr"><b dir="ltr">Mauryan Empire (UPSC Notes):-</b><a href="javascript:void(0)" oncontextmenu="return false" dir="ltr"> Download PDF Here</a></p><h2>Mauryan Empire – Rise of the Mauryas</h2><UL><LI>The last of the Nanda rulers, Dhana Nanda was highly unpopular due to his oppressive tax regime.</LI><LI>Also, post-Alexander’s invasion of North-Western India, that region faced a lot of unrest from foreign powers.</LI><LI>Some of these regions came under the rule of the Seleucid Dynasty, founded by Seleucus Nicator I. He was one of the generals of Alexander the Great.</LI><LI>Chandragupta, with the help of an intelligent and politically astute Brahmin, Kautilya usurped the throne by defeating Dhana Nanda in 321 BC.</LI></UL><h3>Important Rulers of Mauryan Empire</h3><p>The Mauryan Empire had rulers who were famous for their reign. The table below gives the list of Mauryan Empire rulers:</p><table class="'table" dir="ltr">
<tbody dir="ltr">
<tr dir="ltr">
<td colspan="2" dir="ltr"><strong dir="ltr">Mauryan Empires – Rulers</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr dir="ltr">
<td dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">Chandragupta Maurya</span></td>
<td dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">(324/321- 297 B.C.)</span></td>
</tr>
<tr dir="ltr">
<td dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">Bindusara&nbsp;</span></td>
<td dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">(297 – 272 B.C.)</span></td>
</tr>
<tr dir="ltr">
<td dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">Asoka</span></td>
<td dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">(268 – 232 B.C.)</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table><h3>Founder of Mauryan Empire – Chandragupta Maurya</h3><img title="cgm" src="https://cdn1.byjus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/free-ias-prep/2017/05/27082009/cgm.png" alt="Mauryan Empire - Chandragupta Maurya's Conquests" width="344" height="290"><UL><LI>Chandragupta’s origins are shrouded in mystery. The Greek sources (which are the oldest) mention him to be of non-warrior lineage. The Hindu sources also say he was a student of Kautilya of humble birth (probably born to a Shudra woman). Most Buddhist sources say he was a Kshatriya.</LI><LI>It is generally accepted that he was an orphaned boy born into a humble family who was trained by Kautilya.</LI><LI>Greek accounts mention him as Sandrokottos.</LI><LI>Alexander had abandoned his India conquest in 324 BC and within a year, Chandragupta had defeated some of the Greek-ruled cities in the north-western part of the country.</LI><LI>Kautilya provided the strategy while Chandragupta executed it. They had raised a mercenary army of their own.</LI><LI>Then, they moved eastward into Magadha.</LI><LI>In a series of battles, he defeated Dhana Nanda and laid the foundations of the Maurya Empire in about 321 BC.</LI><LI>In 305 BC, he entered into a treaty with Seleucus Nicator in which Chandragupta acquired Baluchistan, eastern Afghanistan and the region to the west of Indus. He also married Seleucus Nicator’s daughter. In return, Seleucus Nicator got 500 elephants. Seleucus Nicator avoided a full-scale war with the mighty Chandragupta and in return got war assets that would lead him to victory against his rivals in the Battle of Ipsus, fought in 301 BC</LI><LI>Megasthenes was the Greek ambassador at Chandragupta’s court.</LI><LI>Chandragupta led a policy of expansion and brought under one control almost the whole of present India barring a few places like Kalinga and the extreme South.</LI><LI>His reign lasted from 321 BC to 297 BC.</LI><LI>He abdicated the throne in favour of his son, Bindusara, and went to Karnataka with Jain monk Bhadrabahu. He had embraced Jainism and is said to have starved himself to death according to the Jain tradition at Shravanabelagola.</LI></UL><h3>Second Ruler of the Mauryan Empire – Bindusara</h3><UL><LI>Son of Chandragupta.</LI><LI>He ruled from 297 BC to 273 BC.</LI><LI>Also called Amitraghata (Slayer of foes) or Amitrochates in Greek sources.</LI><LI>Deimachus was a Greek ambassador at his court.</LI><LI>He had appointed his son, Ashoka as the governor of Ujjain.</LI><LI>Bindusara is believed to have extended the Mauryan Empire to Mysore as well.</LI></UL><h3>Chanakya</h3><UL><LI>Teacher of Chandragupta Maurya, who was also his Chief Minister.</LI><LI>&nbsp;He was a teacher and scholar at Taxila. Other names are Vishnugupta and Kautilya.</LI><LI>He was also a minister in the court of Bindusara.</LI><LI>He is credited to be the master strategist behind the usurping of the Nanda throne and the rise of the Mauryan Empire through his student, Chandragupta.</LI><LI>He wrote Arthashastra which is a treatise on statecraft, economics, and military strategy.</LI><LI>Arthashastra was rediscovered by R Shamasastry in 1905 after it had disappeared in the 12<sup dir="ltr">th</sup> century.</LI><LI>The work contains 15 books and 180 chapters. The main theme is divided into:
<OL><LI>King, Council of Ministers and Departments of the Government</LI><LI>Civil and criminal law</LI><LI>Diplomacy of war</LI></OL></LI><LI>It also contains information on trade and markets, a method to screen ministers, spies, duties of a king, ethics, social welfare, agriculture, mining, metallurgy, medicine, forests, etc.</LI><LI>Chanakya is also called ‘Indian Machiavelli”.</LI></UL><img src="https://cdn1.byjus.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Maurayan-Empire-min.jpg" width="344" height="201"><div>6,253</div><p dir="ltr"><b dir="ltr">Mauryan Empire (UPSC Notes):-</b><a href="javascript:void(0)" oncontextmenu="return false" dir="ltr"> Download PDF Here</a></p><p dir="ltr">Aspirants can check <a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/ncert-ancient-history-notes/" dir="ltr">NCERT Ancient History Notes for UPSC</a> page to get other important articles.</p><p>Related Links:</p><table class="table table-bordered" dir="ltr">
<tbody dir="ltr">
<tr dir="ltr">
<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/upsc-notes-pdf/" dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">UPSC Notes</span></a></td>
<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/upsc-exam-online-preparation/ncert-notes/" dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">NCERT Notes</span></a></td>
</tr>
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<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/ias/upsc-syllabus/" dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">UPSC Syllabus</span></a></td>
<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/upsc-2021/" dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">UPSC 2021</span></a></td>
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<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/ias-topper/" dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">IAS Topper</span></a></td>
<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/current-affairs/" dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">Current Affairs</span></a></td>
</tr>
<tr dir="ltr">
<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/ncert-medieval-history-notes-for-upsc-exams/" dir="ltr">NCERT Medieval History Notes</a></td>
<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/modern-history-ncert-notes/" dir="ltr">NCERT Modern History Notes</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table><h2><span>Frequently Asked Questions related to Maurya Dynasty</span></h2><h3 itemprop="name text">Who is the founder of the Maurya dynasty?</h3><div itemprop="text">Chandragupta Maurya is founder of the Mauryan dynasty. In the wake of the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, Chandragupta (or Chandragupta Maurya), conquered the Punjab region from the southeastern edges of Alexander’s former empire.</div><h3 itemprop="name text">Why did the Mauryan dynasty fall?</h3><div itemprop="text">The decline of the Maurya Dynasty was rather rapid after the death of Ashoka/Asoka. One obvious reason for it was the succession of weak kings. Another immediate cause was the partition of the Empire into two. The Mauryan Empire began to decline after the death of Ashoka in 232 BC.</div><h3 itemprop="name text">Is the Gupta dynasty and Mauryan dynasty the same?</h3><div itemprop="text">Maurya Empire was vaster as compared to the Gupta Empire. Mauryan rulers followed a centralized administration structure, whereas Gupta rulers followed a decentralized administrative structure. Mauryan rulers favoured and promoted mainly non-Hindu religions; whereas Gupta rulers followed and promoted Hinduism.</div><h3 itemprop="name text">Who destroyed the Mauryan empire?</h3><div itemprop="text">The Maurya empire was finally destroyed by Pushyamitra Shunga in 185 BC. Although a brahmana, he was a general of the last Maurya ruler called Brihadratha. He is said to have killed Brihadratha in public and forcibly usurped the throne of Pataliputra. The Shungas ruled in Pataliputra and central India.</div><h3 itemprop="name text">Why did the Gupta empire fall?</h3><div itemprop="text">The Huna People, also known as Huns, invaded Gupta territory and caused significant damage to the empire. The Gupta Empire ended in 550 CE, when it disintegrated into regional kingdoms after a series of weak rulers and invasions from the east, west, and north.</div><h3 itemprop="name text">Who ruled during the Golden Age of India?</h3><div itemprop="text">The Gupta Empire, which ruled the Indian subcontinent from 320 to 550 AD, ushered in a golden age of Indian civilization. It will forever be remembered as the period during which literature, science, and the arts flourished in India as never before.</div><p><b>Relevant Links</b></p><table class="table table-bordered" dir="ltr">
<tbody dir="ltr">
<tr dir="ltr">
<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/history-questions-of-upsc-mains-2013-19/" dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">Previous Years History Questions in UPSC Mains General Studies Paper – 1</span></a></td>
<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/ncert-medieval-history-notes-for-upsc-exams/" dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">Medieval History Notes For UPSC (Download Free PDF)</span></a><span dir="ltr">&nbsp;</span></td>
</tr>
<tr dir="ltr">
<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/upsc-mains-gs-paper-1-structure-syllabus/" dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">UPSC Mains General Studies Paper-I Strategy, Syllabus &amp; Structure</span></a></td>
<td dir="ltr"><a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/topic-wise-gs-1-questions-upsc-mains/" dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">Topic-Wise General Studies Paper – 1 Questions for UPSC Mains</span></a></td>
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</tbody>
</table>

Mauryan Empire was founded in 322 BC by Chandragupta Maurya.  Read about the rise of the Mauryan Empire in the article. Get NCERT Ancient Indian History notes for Mauryan Empire for UPSC 2021.

history

History

<p>In Ancient India, many significant empires evolved. One of them was the Mauryan empire. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya, the Mauryan empire was an important dynasty in our history. This article will provide NCERT notes on Mauryan Empire for the <a href="https://byjus.com/ias-exam/">IAS Exam </a>. These notes will also be useful for other competitive exams like banking PO, SSC, state civil services exams, and so on. This article talks about the rise and growth of the Maurya Empire in ancient India, which is an important topic in the history syllabus of the IAS exam. </p>

<p>Aspirants should also read other Ancient History articles related to Mauryan Empire linked in the table below: </p>

<p><b>Mauryan Empire (UPSC Notes):- </b><a>Download PDF Here </a> </p>

<ul><li>The last of the Nanda rulers, Dhana Nanda was highly unpopular due to his oppressive tax regime. </li><li>Also, post-Alexander’s invasion of North-Western India, that region faced a lot of unrest from foreign powers. </li><li>Some of these regions came under the rule of the Seleucid Dynasty, founded by Seleucus Nicator I. He was one of the generals of Alexander the Great. </li><li>Chandragupta, with the help of an intelligent and politically astute Brahmin, Kautilya usurped the throne by defeating Dhana Nanda in 321 BC. </li> </ul>

<p>The Mauryan Empire had rulers who were famous for their reign. The table below gives the list of Mauryan Empire rulers: </p>

Founder of Mauryan Empire – Chandragupta Maurya

<ul><li>Chandragupta’s origins are shrouded in mystery. The Greek sources (which are the oldest) mention him to be of non-warrior lineage. The Hindu sources also say he was a student of Kautilya of humble birth (probably born to a Shudra woman). Most Buddhist sources say he was a Kshatriya. </li><li>It is generally accepted that he was an orphaned boy born into a humble family who was trained by Kautilya. </li><li>Greek accounts mention him as Sandrokottos. </li><li>Alexander had abandoned his India conquest in 324 BC and within a year, Chandragupta had defeated some of the Greek-ruled cities in the north-western part of the country. </li><li>Kautilya provided the strategy while Chandragupta executed it. They had raised a mercenary army of their own. </li><li>Then, they moved eastward into Magadha. </li><li>In a series of battles, he defeated Dhana Nanda and laid the foundations of the Maurya Empire in about 321 BC. </li><li>In 305 BC, he entered into a treaty with Seleucus Nicator in which Chandragupta acquired Baluchistan, eastern Afghanistan and the region to the west of Indus. He also married Seleucus Nicator’s daughter. In return, Seleucus Nicator got 500 elephants. Seleucus Nicator avoided a full-scale war with the mighty Chandragupta and in return got war assets that would lead him to victory against his rivals in the Battle of Ipsus, fought in 301 BC </li><li>Megasthenes was the Greek ambassador at Chandragupta’s court. </li><li>Chandragupta led a policy of expansion and brought under one control almost the whole of present India barring a few places like Kalinga and the extreme South. </li><li>His reign lasted from 321 BC to 297 BC. </li><li>He abdicated the throne in favour of his son, Bindusara, and went to Karnataka with Jain monk Bhadrabahu. He had embraced Jainism and is said to have starved himself to death according to the Jain tradition at Shravanabelagola. </li> </ul>

Second Ruler of the Mauryan Empire – Bindusara

<ul><li>Son of Chandragupta. </li><li>He ruled from 297 BC to 273 BC. </li><li>Also called Amitraghata (Slayer of foes) or Amitrochates in Greek sources. </li><li>Deimachus was a Greek ambassador at his court. </li><li>He had appointed his son, Ashoka as the governor of Ujjain. </li><li>Bindusara is believed to have extended the Mauryan Empire to Mysore as well. </li> </ul>

<ul><li>Teacher of Chandragupta Maurya, who was also his Chief Minister. </li><li> He was a teacher and scholar at Taxila. Other names are Vishnugupta and Kautilya. </li><li>He was also a minister in the court of Bindusara. </li><li>He is credited to be the master strategist behind the usurping of the Nanda throne and the rise of the Mauryan Empire through his student, Chandragupta. </li><li>He wrote Arthashastra which is a treatise on statecraft, economics, and military strategy. </li><li>Arthashastra was rediscovered by R Shamasastry in 1905 after it had disappeared in the 12<sup>th </sup>century. </li><li>The work contains 15 books and 180 chapters. The main theme is divided into: <ol><li>King, Council of Ministers and Departments of the Government </li><li>Civil and criminal law </li><li>Diplomacy of war </li> </ol> </li><li>It also contains information on trade and markets, a method to screen ministers, spies, duties of a king, ethics, social welfare, agriculture, mining, metallurgy, medicine, forests, etc. </li><li>Chanakya is also called ‘Indian Machiavelli”. </li> </ul>

<p>Aspirants can check <a href="https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/ncert-ancient-history-notes/">NCERT Ancient History Notes for UPSC </a>page to get other important articles. </p>

Frequently Asked Questions related to Maurya Dynasty

Who is the founder of the Maurya dynasty?

Is the Gupta dynasty and Mauryan dynasty the same?

Who ruled during the Golden Age of India?

Mauryan Empire (322 BCE -185 BCE) - Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara & Ashoka (UPSC Ancient History NCERT Notes)

Chandragupt maurya

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