CHANDRAGUPTA MAURYA AND HIS EXTRAORDINARY EMPIRE
-Prachurya Ghosh
Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan Dynasty by overthrowing the erstwhile ruling house of Magadha, namely the Nanda Dynasty. The Nanda king, Dhanananda was possibly the ruler of Palibothra or Pataliputra when Alexander fought against Puru (Porus) on the banks of the river Jhelum in the Punjab. Alexander’s retum from India probably took place about 327BC, therefore likely that the end of the Nanda rule and the foundation of the Mauryan Dynasty can be placed in 325BC as stated by Ranabir Chakravarti Though some scholars such as Upinder Singh, Irfan Habib, Vivekananda Jha, R.C.Majumdar and R.S. Sharma mentions date around 321-324 BC. D.N Jha states that he was only 25years he ascended the throne Herman Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund states that at any rate Chandragupta seems to have usurped the throne of Magadha I’m 320BC. They also mention that though much is not known about the antecedents of Chandragupta but he began his military career by fighting against the outposts which Alexander had left along the river Indus and finally overthrew the Nandas as mentioned earlier
ORIGIN OF CHANDRAGUPTA MAURYA
R.S.Sharma states according to Brahmanical Tradition, Chandragupta was bom to Mura, a sudra woman in the court of the Nandas and testified with Romila Thapar Romila Thapar mentions that Nanda has been described as Shudras in the Puranas Ranabir Chakravarti states that the Mudrarakshasa describes him as a scion of the Nanda house, his mother being slave woman and as son of Mura, he became known as Maurya. The caste status of Maurya vary from text to text. Thus the Buddhist texts speaks of the Kshatriya Moriya clan associated with the shakyas as opined by Romila Thapar this view has been shared by other scholars such as R.S. Sharma, Upinder Singh. Ranabir Chakravarti where they mentions Maurya as the clan of the little Republic of Pipphaliwan in he region of Gorakhpur near the Nepalese Terai. In all likelihood, Chandragupta was member of the clan P.N.Chopra states that the Pali sources associate the Mauryas with the Nobel tribe of Shakyas to which the Buddha belongs. The Mahavamsa describes Chandragupta as being born of Maurya who were Kshatriyas. The Divyavadana describe Chandragupta’s son Bindusara and also his grandson Ashoka as a Kshatriya according to the addition Chandragupta was born of a family who react peacock the true fact of the Chandragupta’s lineage as gathered by the Greeks are recorded by them. Justin states that “he was born in humble life.”
Romila Thapar opines that the young Maurya and his supporters were inferior in armed strength to the Nanda, and it was here that strategy came in useful. The acquisition of the throne of Magadha was according to some accounts, the first step Only Justin refers lightly to the political ambition of Chandragupta Maurya to conquer north-west India From Alexander’s successor as stated by Irfan Habib and Vivekananda Jha , Romila Thapar opines that other stories suggests that Chandragupta Maurya began by harassing the outlying areas of the Nanda Kingdom gradually moving towards the centre, this expansion was based on strategy (Tempting people against King).
Once Ganges plain was under his control, Chandragupta moved to the north-west to exploit the power vacuum created by Alexander’s departure These areas fell to him rapidly, until he reached the Indus Here he paused as the Greek Selucus Nikator-the successor to Alexander-had fortified hold on the area. Chandragupta moved to the Central India for a włule and back in the north-west, involved in a campaign against Selucus, in which Chandragupta seems to have been successful judging by the terms of the Treaty of 303BC as stated by Romila Thapar and are testified with R.S. Sharma,
TERRITORIES UNDER HIS REIGN
Romila Thapar opines, some Seleucid Territories that today would cover eastern Afghanistan, Baluchistan and Makran were ceded to the Maurya Irfan Habib and Vivekananda Jha states, however, there is no historical reference to any battle which may have become occurred between Selucus and Chandragupta But the treaty made the possession of there territories of Hindukush and Kabul region, Kandahar and Baluchistan are justified with the finding of Ashokan Aramaic Inscriptions at Kandahar In retum for these territorial concession, Selucus obtained 500 elephants, there was also an epigamica marriage agreement as stated by D.D.Kosambi, Irfan Habib and Vivekananda Jha and verified with Romila Thapar and R.S.Sharma .
Justin, the Greek writer says that Chandragupta overran the whole of India with an army of 6,00,000. This may or may not be true, but Chandragupta liberated northwest India From the threshold of Selucus ie. it shifted from Persian-Hellenistic to Mauryan control as stated by RC Majumdar, RS Sharma and Romila Thapar. Herman Kulke states Pataliputra must have been the largest city of the ancient World which implies his power .
R.S.Sharma states that Chandragupta thus built up a vast empire which included not only Bihar and substantial parts of Orissa and Bengal but also western and northwest India and the Deccan Aside from Kerala. Tamil Nadu and parts of north-eastern India, the Maurya ruled over virtually the entire subcontinent. In the north-west, they held sway over certain area that did not even form part of British Empire. The Mauryas also conquered the Republics or Sanghas which Kautilya considered obstacles to the growth of the Empire.Thus according to Prakash Chandra, under Chandragupta Maurya, the whole of Northern India was united. He even mentions that Trade flourished Agriculture was regulated, weights and measures were standardized. Money first came into use Taxation, Sanitation and famine relief became the concerns of the State. “Herman Kulke have rightly states that the frontier of the Mauryan Empire was thus more or less the same as that of the Mughal Empire at the height of its power 2,000 years later. Chandragupta Maurya was evidently an autocrat who concentrated all power in his hands. The Empire was divided into number of provinces and each of these was placed under a prince who was a sicon of the royal dynasty the provinces where divided into still smaller units and arrangements were made for both rural and urban administration excavation shows that a large number of town relate to Maurya times Kausambi, Pataliputra Ujjain and Taxila were the most important cities Megasthenes states that a new model cities existed in India but he considered purchase to be the most important he calls it Paloibothra This Greek term means a City with Gates. According to him was bounded by a deep ditch and a wooden wall crown with 570 tower and had 64 Gates at opined by Upinder Singh and Ranbir Chakraborti
Irfan Habib and Vivekananda Jha mentions one of the most important conquest among all are Gujarat and Malwa, this was justified by Junagarh Rock Inscription of Rudraman. Saurashtra stating that the Sudarshana lake was created by the Vaishya Pushyagupta Govemor on the behalf of the Mauryan King Chandragupta Maurya. Even the Gimar inscription of Ashoka testified and the position of Gujarat by any power based on Magadha would naturally imply the previous application of Avanti and Malwa.
Ranbir Chakraborti opines according to The Puranas, the Maurya Rule lasted for 137 years if it is granted that the Maurya role could not have gone beyond the maximum duration of 14 years then by 85 BC Memorial political presence in India became a thing of the past so what is known as a modern period or Mauryan age in Indian history fan from the late 4th century to the first quarter of the second century BC.
CHANDRAGUPTA’S DEATH
Scholars are of unanimous that whatever uncertainty surrounded some other conquest that is he might have made specially in the Deccan. Chandragupta’s success in bringing the whole of North India and much of Afghanistan under his control represented outstanding military achievement in his part However, not much is known to us about the Chandragupta the Man. Strabo refers to him as a king who was maintained good order and the rare to Justin than the Gupta was equally opposite in his role he usually kept women slaves as Gods and except military expedition there were few events which he use to present physically According to Jain legends Chandragupta was second by a 12 years long famine but Megasthenes does not mention any such a mind during his time as stated by AL Basham, Romila Thapar and Ranabir Chakravarti .He gave up his kingslip during this time and travelled Southward as Jain ascetic and ultimately committed suicide in a prescribed place in Karnataka. He was by his son Bindusara ..
