Indian history notes # 8

Source: 6th NCERT History Chapter 8

Mauryas:

• The Mauryans were a dynasty with three important rulers - Chandragupta Maurya, his son Bindusara, and Bindusara son Ashoka.
• Chandragupta Maurya was supported by a wise man named Kautilya or Chanakya.
• Chanakya mentioned his ideas in a book called Arthashastra.
• Megasthenes was an ambassador who was sent to the court of chandragupta by the Greek ruler of west Asia named Seleucus Nicator.
• Pataliputra, Taxila and Ujjain were the main cities in the mauryan Empire.
• Pataliputra wa the capital city of Mauryan Empire.
• Taxila was a gateway to the North west.
• Ujjain lay on the route from north to south India,
• Royal Princes were sent to the provinces as Governor.

Ashoka:

• The most famous ruler of Mauryan dynasty was Ashoka.
• Ashoka fought kalinga war to conquer Kalinga.
• He is the only king in the history of the world who gave up conquest after winning.
• He decided to observe Dhamma.
• He appointed officials, Known as the Dhamma Mahamatta who went from place to place teaching people about dhamma.
• He also spread other messengers to spread ideas about dhamma to other lands, such as Syria, Egypt, Greece and SriLanka.
• Most of Ashoka's inscriptions were in prakrit and were written in the Brahmi script.