Mauryan Empire (320 - 184 BCE)

In the 320s BCE a military leader named Chandragupta Maurya seized control of the entire northern part of India. The Maurya family were the first leaders to unify India. This was a major accomplishment because India was so huge and diverse. Chandragupta Maurya saw that the other kingdoms were weak and spent their time fighting among each other, so he used his great army of 600,000 soldiers, 9,000 war elephants, and thousands of chariots to conquer and unite these kingdoms. His rule was harsh and he kept this empire strong by using force whenever necessary. Toward the end of his rule, Chandragupta Maurya became a Jainist monk and gave up the throne to live as an ascetic. Chandragupta’s grandson Asoka became the king around 270 BCE.

During the early part of his rule, Asoka expanded the empire further through a series of wars. He

eventually gave up warfare and dedicated his life to improving the lives of his people. After Asoka’s death, the Mauryan Empire began to decline as his sons fought for power and eventually, India divided into small kingdoms once again. Mauryan Empire: Achievements

The Mauryan period was one of the few times in Indian history when the population experienced a long period of peace Times of peace encourage prosperity and this was true especially under the rule of Asoka, the strongest of all the kings in the Mauryan Empire.

After converting to Buddhism, Asoka swore to never launch any more wars of conquest, even though he still kept a large army to maintain the borders of his large kingdom. Instead of using force to rule like his grandfather before him, Asoka concentrated his time and resources on improving the lives of his people. He had wells dug and roads built throughout the empire and along these roads workers planted shade trees and built rest houses for weary travelers. Trade routes were expanded and secured under the organization of the government. Medical care was also provided for the people and for animals.

Asoka wanted his people to follow the Buddhist path and he encouraged the spread of Buddhism

in India and the rest of Asia. He built Buddhist temple and schools throughout the country and even sent Buddhist missionaries to other kingdoms of Asia.

Mauryan Empire: Religion

Asoka became disgusted with warfare and decided reject violence and embrace Buddhism. He supported the Buddhist values of love, peace, and nonviolence and as a result, he gave up all wars of conquest. After Asoka converted to Buddhism in the 200s BCE, he worked to spread Buddhism throughout his kingdom. He wanted his people to follow the Buddhist path so he urged them to be kind, respectful, and behave in the right ways.

Asoka built Buddhist temples called stupas all over the kingdom. A stupas had domed roofs and were built to house sacred items from the life of the Buddha. Many of them were covered with detailed carvings. He also built huge columns carved with Buddhist teachings all over India. Buddhism became one of Asia’s main religions largely through his efforts. Gupta Empire: Religion

The Gupta rulers were Hindu, so Hinduism became India’s major religion. The Gupta kings built many Hindu temples, some of which became models for later Indian architecture. These temples had complex designs such as huge towers and the walls of the temples were covered with carvings of the god worshipped inside. Gupta rulers were accepting of other religions as well. Buddhist temples of the Gupta period are also impressive. Some Buddhists carved entire temples out of mountainsides and filled the caves with beautiful wall paintings and sculptures.

The Guptas also promoted a revival of Hindu writings and worship practices. For example, the two sacred texts are the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The Mahabharata tells of the struggle between families for control of a kingdom and the Ramayana tells about a prince named Rama who was actually the reincarnation of the god Vishnu. In the story, Vishnu became a human in order to rid the world of demons. Although the the events in these stories are fictional, they are considered sacred texts because of the many passages about Hindu beliefs that are included. The stories are retold even to this day because Indians look towards the characters in these epics as a model for how they should behave.

Gupta Empire (320 - 550 CE)

India remained divided into many small kingdoms for 500 years after the fall of the Mauryan until the Gupta family took control around 320 CE. The empire began under Chandragupta I, who united the kingdoms by conquering them through war and forming alliances by arranging marriages with the sons and daughters of other rulers. The Gupta Empire had a strong central government that allowed their family to stay in power for over 200 years.

Indian civilization flourished under the Gupta rulers. These rulers were Hindu, so Hinduism became India’s major religion. The Gupta kings believed the social order of Hindu caste system would strengthen their rule They also thought it would keep the empire stable. As a result, the Guptas considered the caste system an important part of Indian society. Gupta Empire: Achievements

The Guptas were a line of kings who ruled much of India from 320 CE to 550 CE. Many historians have called this period a golden age in India because it was a time of great prosperity and achievement.

This period was a time of great learning and many colleges and universities were built by the government. Scholars made advances in math, science, and medicine and were among the most advanced professionals of their day. Indians were the first people to create the zero and in fact, the very numbers we use today are called Hindu-Arabic numerals because they were created by Indian scholars and brought to Europe by Arabs. Ancient Indians were also skilled doctors, who wrote down their knowledge about making medicine from plants in textbooks. Their doctors could perform surgeries to repair broken bones and remove infected body parts! They also knew how to protect people against diseases by practicing inoculation, which is like a vaccination. Indian scholars were interested in astronomy as well, and astronomers knew of seven of the nine planets in our solar system and that they revolved around our sun. The ancient Indians were also pioneers of metallurgy, or the science of working with metals. They learned how to mix two or more metals together and so were able to make high quality tools and and weapons.

In addition to math and sciences, Indians of the Gupta period created great works of art which included brightly colored paintings and sculptures created from stone, wood, bronze, and clay. Deities and scenes from epic stories were often the subject of these paintings and sculptures, which were crafted with an amazing attention to beauty and detail.

Comparing Indian Empires: Maurya and Gupta Use the table below to compare the Maurya and Gupta empires. Read each section and take note of the important dates, people, and accomplishments in the passage. You do not need to write in complete sentences.

Maurya Gupta

Empire

Achievements

Religion

Answer the following questions after you have completed the chart. Restate the question and use complete sentences.

1. Elaborate. Why do you think many people consider Asoka the greatest of all Mauryan rulers?

2. Elaborate. Why do you think the Gupta Empire was considered a golden age?

3. Compare and Contrast. How were the rulers of the Mauryan and Gupta alike, and how were they different? Use at least two examples.