C.E and 313 B.C.E, Chandragupta seized the weakened state of Magadha from Nanda. Chandragupta's conquests included reconquering the parts of northwest India that Alexander had claimed, using the formidable army remaining from Magadha to drive the Macedonian control into Afghanistan. By conquering these territories, Chandragupta was able to establish himself as the sole ruler of Northern India, allowing him to found the Mauryan dynasty. To assist in the ruling of an empire, Chandragupta adopted the Persian concept of dividing extensive claimed lands into provinces, with an appointed head attributed to each one. Members of Chandragupta's family, establishing a bureaucracy tasked with operating the state through taxation, often ruled these provinces. For the first time in Indian history a single ruler maintained most of the subcontinent, control exercised through delegated power. There to assist him with designing his bureaucratic system was Chandragupta's trusted adviser and minister, Kautilya. Kautilya urged the king to further his political power and increase allies who shared mutual enemies. This adviser assisted Chandragupta throughout the duration of his reign, and assisted not only in establishing the bureaucracy, but also in preserving documentation utilized today that provides information pertaining to the Mauryan name. Chandragupta, with the assistance of Kautilya, ruled until his abdication in favor of his son in 301 B.C.E. It is rumored that following his abdication, Chandragupta retired to a Jain monastery where he fasted to death. .
Following the reign of Chandragupta was that of his son, Bindasura. Under the rule of Bindasura, the Mauryan empire was extended and consolidated. The administrative system of government was maintained under Bindasura, but little knowledge remains as to the technicalities of his reign. He is best known for his campaign in the Deccan, better known as the southern peninsula of India.
The Life and Teachings of Siddhartha Gautama The region that lay among the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains in the farthest northern regions of India in Nepal is where the life of "the Buddha", Siddhartha Gautama begins. There are thousands of legends and stories that are not certain to b...
The middle of the twentieth century was the era of V. Gordon Childe and his application of the "stair-step" model of human history. Childe believed that the history followed a pattern of progress. Each step up marked a new revolution, and the plateau in the step mirrored a plateau in human progress....
For example, as stated in the textbook Invitation to World Religions, Ashoka, emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty's views are depicted: "The many edicts he (Ashoka) ordered disseminated throughout his empire, often carved on rock pillars, proclaimed his desire to promote moral purification and self-awareness, to end unnecessary violence done to animals, and to honor and respect all religious viewpoints" (Brodd 190). ...
In many countries, such as India and Greece, the environment plays a major role in making a living. And in turn, production greatly influences the formation of cultures that can be very similar and different. The development of intensive crop agriculture, the development of cities and city states,...
Patronage in Early Medieval Rajasthan: the making and maintaining of the Dilwara Temples, Mt. Abu, Rajasthan. We visit a temple to either offer our prayers to the deity or admire the overall art and architecture of it. Admiring the aspects of art and architecture would generally include the form and...
Globalization1 Globalization is the process through which the world is being made into one place with systemic properties. This process is both historically variable and multidimensional. It involves interconnections across some boundaries and the dissolving of other boundaries. It also precipit...
In human nature there seems to be some innate requirement to create particular groups of people and to erect barriers that distinguish, encompass and protect these groups from others. Over time people have looked to a huge variety of features by which these collectives may be defined, groups have been and are classified along religious, economic, social and cultural lines to name but a few. There are a multitude of stimuli for the formation of these different distinguishing features, but once the features have been recognized and the group has been formed, the individual will cling to this gro...
The world is a place where thousands of people live and interact with each other every day. Without a doubt, every person is an individual, with different feelings and beliefs over situations that they come across. Everyday in our life we are able to talk and relate with different people, we certain...