History

• The Mauryan Empire was reconstructed using the Arthashastra by Kautilya/Chanakya/ Vishnugupta, which was written in Sanskrit and is the most important literary source of the Mauryan period.
• The Arthashastra is a comprehensive manual that deals with politics, principles of administration, and rules of administration.
• The King was the commander in chief of the Mauryan army.
• Chief weapons used by the Mauryans were bows, arrows, shields, and swords.
• The Mauryans had a well laid recruitment policy.
• The whole Mauryan army was under a military commission of 30 members.
• Soldiers in the Mauryan army were paid in cash.
• Indika by Megasthenes, a Greek ambassador at the court of Chandragupta Maurya, contains his impressions of what he heard and saw during his stay in India.
• Fragments of the book still survive in the writings of Strabo, Arrian, and Diodorus.
• The Edicts of Ashoka are the most important source of history during the Mauryan period.
• Ashokan Edicts are inscribed on rocks and pillars throughout the country, including 14 Major Rock Edicts, 7 Pillar Edicts, and a number of Minor Rock Edicts.
• The Edicts are the oldest, best preserved, and precisely dated records of India, providing insight into the life and ideals of Ashoka and history of the Mauryas.
• A Stupa is a semi-spherical solid dome-like structure made of unburnt bricks and stones.
• The Sanchi Stupa is located at Sanchi about 45 kms from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.
• The Sanchi Stupa represents the spiritual body of Buddha and contains his relics such as hair, bones, and teeth.
• A casket containing Buddha's relics is placed at the base of the dome.
• The Sanchi Stupa has four gateways in four directions with carved panels depicting Jataka stories.
• The pillars of the Sanchi Stupa are surmounted by capitals which contain sculptures of lions.
• Chanakya, the son of a Brahmin, was wronged by the Nandas and joined hands with Chandragupta to destroy the Nandas.
• Revenue under Ashoka was used to provide facilities like irrigation roads & hospitals.
• The Provincial Administration under Ashoka consisted of 4 provinces, a head of the province called Kumar or Aryaputra, and Mahamatras or governors.
• Under Ashoka, some changes were made to the civil and military administration.
• Toll tax was imposed on articles for sale under Ashoka.
• Ashoka's Dhamma, or Moral Law, includes respect to elders and love to children, respect for all religions, non-violence, and good deeds.
• The district administration under Ashoka was looked after by Pradešika, Rajuka, and Yukta.
• Taxes on liquor, gambling houses, forest & mines were also imposed under Ashoka.
• The king was the Supreme authority under Ashoka, his throne was hereditary, and he was the Supreme Judge.
• The city administration under Ashoka was headed by the Nagaradhyaksha, with Pataliputra being looked after by 30 members.
• The military administration under Ashoka was headed by Chandragupta, who had a huge army of infantry, cavalry, elephants & chariots.
• The central government under Ashoka consisted of the king as the Supreme authority, a Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister, and a Provincial Administration.
• The revenue administration under Ashoka was based on land as the chief source of administration, with one sixth to one fourth of the produce as tax.
• Two kinds of taxes were imposed under Ashoka: Bali, a religious tribute, and Bhaga, a tax on agricultural produce.
• Ashoka took the titles of Ans Devanampriya and Priyadarshi.
• In the treaty signed after the war, Chandragupta got Herat, Kandahar, Kabul, and Baluchistan.
• The spy system under Ashoka involved a wide network of spies, spies against spies, and more than one agent was asked to collect information.
• Ashoka won the Kalinga War, which led to the death and destruction of people in Kalinga.
• Ashoka declared Buddhism as the state religion and abandoned the policy of conquest by force.
• Seleucus gave his daughter, Helen, in marriage to Chandragupta.
• Pushyagupta was appointed as governor of North Western provinces by Chandragupta.
• Chandragupta's empire extended from Kandahar and Kabul in the North West to Mysore in the South, from Bengal in the East to Saurashtra in the West.