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Maurya Empire
c. 322–185 BC· Empire, kingdom or state· Asia
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
The first empire to unite most of the Indian subcontinent, founded by Chandragupta Maurya around 322 BC.
See it on the History map →What happened
Chandragupta seized the Nanda kingdom of Magadha in the Ganges valley, advised, by tradition, by the minister Kautilya (Chanakya). Around 305 BC he faced down Seleucus, one of Alexander's successor generals, gaining lands to the west for 500 war elephants. His capital, Pataliputra (modern Patna), was among the world's largest cities. His grandson Ashoka ruled almost all of South Asia except the far south. The empire fragmented after Ashoka and ended about 185 BC.
Why it matters
It showed India could be run as one state, with roads, tax collectors and spies. Ashoka's lion capital, carved for this empire, is India's national emblem today.
How we know
Ashoka's rock and pillar edicts, fragments of the Greek envoy Megasthenes' account, excavations at Patna, and the Arthashastra, a statecraft manual whose date is debated.
Still debated
How centralized the empire really was, and how much of the Arthashastra describes actual Mauryan practice, is debated.
Inside this (1)
Connections (3)
▸Alexander the Great invaded India just before the rise of the Maurya EmpireWell documented
The connection
Alexander's 326 BC campaign in the Punjab disrupted local kingdoms before his army turned back. Within a few years Chandragupta Maurya filled the vacuum, toppling the Nanda dynasty and taking the northwest. Around 305 BC he fought or bargained with Alexander's former general Seleucus, gaining territory for 500 war elephants and opening diplomatic ties with the Greek world.
When and how
Punjab and the Indus valley, 326–305 BC; Alexander, Chandragupta Maurya and Seleucus I; the Greek envoy Megasthenes later lived at Pataliputra.
How we know
Greek and Roman writers such as Plutarch and Justin; Plutarch says the young Chandragupta even met Alexander. Ashoka's edicts later name Greek kings.
Debates and open questions
Whether the invasion enabled Chandragupta's rise or merely preceded it is debated; early Indian sources never mention Alexander.
▸Ashoka the Great ruled Maurya EmpireWell documented
The connection
Ashoka, Chandragupta's grandson, took the throne around 268 BC after, by legend, a bloody succession fight. He ruled about 36 years, completing the empire's expansion with Kalinga and then governing by dhamma, with special officers to promote morality. After his death the empire weakened; it ended about 185 BC, when a general killed the last Maurya king.
When and how
From the capital Pataliputra (modern Patna), c. 268–232 BC.
How we know
His edicts call him Devanampiya Piyadasi, 'Beloved of the Gods'; an edict found at Maski in 1915 uses the name Ashoka, confirming the identity.
Debates and open questions
How much his non-violent policy weakened the army and hastened the empire's fall is debated.
▸Gupta Empire: India's classical golden age reunited northern India for the first time since Maurya EmpireMostly agreed
The connection
After the Mauryas fell around 185 BC, northern India was divided among regional dynasties and Central Asian invaders such as the Kushans. The Guptas rose in the same Magadha heartland around Pataliputra, and by about 400 controlled most of the north, the largest Indian empire since the Mauryas, though looser in structure.
When and how
Magadha and the Ganges plain, c. AD 320–415; Chandragupta I, Samudragupta and Chandragupta II.
How sure are we?
Samudragupta's victory list is carved on the same Allahabad pillar that bears Ashoka's edicts; coins and inscriptions map Gupta rule.
Debates and open questions
Whether the Guptas consciously modeled themselves on the Mauryas is unclear; the founder's name, Chandragupta, echoes the Maurya founder's.