Maharashtra Board Class 11 History Chapter 8 India during Mauryan period PDF Download

India During Mauryan Period

You would like to know: The concept of 'Chakravarti' occurs in the literature on ancient Indian polity. The sovereign ruler whose chariot could roll in all four directions without any obstruction, was known as Chakravarti. It was expected that his rule should be ethical and for the welfare of the State. During his tenure the wheel of 'Ruta' remains intact. His rule is on an extended territory. Chandragupta Maurya was the first Chakravarti Emperor.

In lesson six, we studied the history of the sixteen mahajanapadas that existed in India. Among these mahajanapadas, the power of Magadha became strong during the struggle of the four mahajanapadas namely, Kasi, Kosala, Avanti and Magadha and the empire of Magadha came to a rise.

During this period, the first Indian empire emerged. The kingdom of Magadha acquired the form of an Empire. The administrative system of this empire was well established and its work was carried out through various departments. Several factors are essential for the emergence of an empire. For example, dominance over an expanded region, an administrative system having the revenue gathered in the form of taxes, king is the sovereign ruler of the state and army actively enforces king's authority.

The king's position was strengthened through ritual performances. The power and related rights are concentrated in the hands of the ruling family.

Rise Of Magadha Empire

Magadha was an important kingdom among the mahajanapadas that existed in ancient India. Fertile and rich land, perennial rivers, excellent facilities of navigation, availability of commercial markets etc. were the reasons for the rise of Magadha as empire.

In the 6th century BCE, the Haryanka dynasty ruled over Magadha. The Haryanka dynasty is mentioned in the Mahabharata. Bimbisara was the first well-known king. His father Mahapadma built the fort at Girivraja and established the first capital of Magadha. After ascending the throne, Bimbisara started building the foundation of Magadha Empire. He attacked the neighbouring kingdom of Anga and conquered it. This victory increased the power of Magadha. Bimbisara established matrimonial relations with many royal houses such as Kosala, Lichchhavi, Videh, Madra to support his expansionist policy. At the foot of the fort of Girivraja, he established the new capital of Rajgriha.

After killing Bimbisara, his son Ajatashatru became the king. He adopted the expansionist policy of his father. He expanded the Magadha kingdom up to the foot of Vindhya ranges. Ajatashatru built a small fort on the bank of Ganga at Pataligrama. It became a centre of trade of local commodities. In the later period, Pataligrama came to be known as Pataliputra. It became the capital of the Mauryan Empire.

Later the people deposed Ajatashatru and selected his minister Shishunaga as the king. The Shishunaga dynasty ruled between 430 B.C.E. to 364 B.C.E. and then Mahapadmananda usurped the throne and established the Nanda dynasty.

Teacher's Note

Bimbisara was like a great king who built his kingdom strong. Just like how a principal makes a school strong by having good teachers and good systems, Bimbisara made Magadha strong by winning battles and making good alliances with other kingdoms.

Exam Trick

Remember: Bimbisara attacked ANGA kingdom. Think "BIMBISARA ATTACKED ANGA" - this helps you remember this important fact for the exam.

Points To Remember

Bimbisara was the first well-known king of the Haryanka dynasty.
Ajatashatru expanded Magadha up to the Vindhya ranges.
Pataligrama later became known as Pataliputra.
Pataliputra was the capital of the Mauryan Empire.
The Shishunaga dynasty ruled before the Nandas came to power.

By the way: Pataliputra was an important city in ancient India. The city of Pataliputra was the capital of ruling dynasties like Shishunaga, Nanda, Maurya, Gupta and Pala. 'Patali' is a species of rice grown in this region. Hence, the city might have acquired the name. In his book Indica, Megasthenes has mentioned the city of Pataliputra as Palibothara.

Teacher's Note

Pataliputra was like the Delhi of ancient times. It was the main capital city where many powerful kings ruled from. Today, we call it Patna in Bihar.

Exam Trick

Remember: Pataliputra was the capital city like Delhi is now. Many empires made it their capital - Nanda, Maurya, Gupta. Think "PATALIPUTRA = ANCIENT DELHI".

Points To Remember

Pataliputra was named after the Patali rice plant.
It became the capital of the Mauryan Empire.
Megasthenes called it Palibothara in his book Indica.
Many great dynasties ruled from this city.
It was an important trade center of ancient India.

Nanda And Mauryan Empire

Nanda Dynasty: The Nanda dynasty is mentioned in the Puranas. The Magdhan empire established by Ajatashatru was further expanded by Mahapadma Nanda. According to some scholars, the Nanda rule had spread upto Nanded in the South, whereas some scholars think that it was extended upto Mysore. On this basis it can be said that Mahapadma Nanda was the first great emperor of India. Dhanananda was the last ruler of the Nanda dynasty. During his period, the state treasury was enormously rich. His military was also very huge. It consisted of 2,00,000 infantry, 60,000 cavalry, 6000 elephants and 2000 chariots.

During the period of Nandas, another factor that helped in strengthening the central power was the importance given to enhance the revenue collection. Along with the expansion of the empire came the economic prosperity of the State. The state treasury was always full. The Nandas built canals and made arrangement of irrigation facilities. These facilities led to the development of agriculture and trade. In 321 B.C.E. Chandragupta Maurya attacked Pataliputra and brought an end to the Nanda rule.

Teacher's Note

The Nandas were very rich and powerful. They had a huge army with many soldiers and elephants. But Chandragupta Maurya defeated them. It is like a new company starting and winning against an old company.

Exam Trick

Remember: Nanda = Very rich treasury, huge army. Chandragupta = defeated Nanda in 321 BCE. Think "NANDA WAS RICH BUT LOST TO CHANDRAGUPTA".

Points To Remember

Mahapadma Nanda expanded the empire to the south.
Dhanananda was the last Nanda ruler.
The Nandas had a huge and powerful army.
They built canals for irrigation and agriculture.
Chandragupta Maurya ended the Nanda rule in 321 BCE.

Mauryan Empire: Mauryan Empire was the first well organised and strongly controlled empire in the history of India. Religious texts and other literature, inscriptions, coins, sculptures etc. are the sources that help us to clearly understand the political, social, economic, and religious conditions of this period.

The Mauryan empire had spread on a large region of the Indian sub continent and was controlled by a central power. The Mauryan rule brought about consolidation of the political system.

Chandragupta Maurya defeated the Nandas and established the Mauryan dynasty. In the text of Mahavamsa, Chandragupta is referred as 'the emperor of Jambudvipa i.e. emperor of Bharatvarsh'. The Mauryas created a huge empire by conquering the big and small states in northwest, north and southern regions. The war between Chandragupta and the Greek king Seleucus was very important. As a consequence, the boundaries of Mauryan Empire extended to the Hindukush in the northwest. The Mauryan Empire extended from Hindukush to the Bay of Bengal in the east and Gujarat in the west, as well as Himalayas in the north to the Krishna river in the south.

Political stability as well as other factors were responsible in the strengthening of Magadha as an empire. Magadha had control over all the prominent regions in the Ganga Valley. By conquering the kingdom of Anga, the regions of the east coast came under their control and Magadha succeeded in increasing the trade with the distant regions. Magadha was blessed with natural resources. Its land was fertile, especially for rice cultivation. There was rise in revenue due to the expansion of the kingdom. The abundance of sources for timber, ivory, iron and copper gave a momentum to the local industries. The political ambitions of the rulers, combined with wealth and prospering trade were the reasons for the development of Magadha rule and establishment of a huge empire.

Teacher's Note

Chandragupta Maurya was like a very smart king who built a huge empire. He defeated the Nandas and also the Greek king Seleucus. This shows he was very powerful and clever in making his empire strong.

Exam Trick

Remember: Chandragupta Maurya defeated Seleucus (Greek king). This made the Mauryan Empire reach from Hindukush to Bay of Bengal. Think "CHANDRAGUPTA = HUGE EMPIRE FROM HINDUKUSH TO BAY OF BENGAL".

Points To Remember

Chandragupta Maurya was the first emperor to defeat the Greek king Seleucus.
The Mauryan Empire was the first well-organized empire of India.
The empire extended from Hindukush mountains to the Bay of Bengal.
Good political stability and natural resources helped build the empire.
The empire controlled important trade routes and regions.

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