HISTORY Subject : History (For under graduate student) Paper No. : Paper-I History of India Topic No. & Title : Topic-8 Mauryan Empire Lecture No. & Title : Lecture-1 Introducing Mauryan Period FAQs 1. Why is the Mauryan Period considered to be a political landmark in Indian history? The Mauryan Period is considered to be a political landmark in Indian history because of the presence of three charismatic political personalities, namely Chandragupta Maurya, his son Bindusara, and the third and greatest ruler, (son of Bindusara and grandson of Chandragupta Maurya) of this dynasty Ashoka.
2. When did the Mauryan dynasty come into power? The Mauryan rule in the subcontinent began around 325 324 BC with the coronation of the first ruler Chandragupta Maurya. 3. Why is there doubt regarding the existence of Chanakya? A Sanskrit drama named Mudra Rakshasa written by Visakhadatta speaks of Chanakya as the Prime Minister of Chandragupta Maurya. But this text was composed in seventh century AD (about 1100 years after Chandragupta s rule). This makes historians doubt if Vishnugupta was indeed a historic person who acted as the Prime Minister of Chandragupta. 4. Describe the contents of the Arthasastra. The Arhasastra recommends norms for the various aspects of state craft, and the framing of policies of state with a very strong emphasis on political economy, the resource base of the state. It lays emphasis on matters relating to artha, or material
matters, finance and regarding management of the power of the State. This is a prescriptive text. It does not state however that the Mauryan administration was functioning according to the Arthasastra. 5. What is unique about the inscriptions of Asoka? The inscriptions of Ashoka were lithic records that were imperishable and durable, through which Ashoka declared his instructions in the first person. This is also a unique instance of a ruler speaking to his subjects in first person. This style of addressing through the medium of lithic records in first person possibly comes from the Achaemenid tradition. (a Persian empire that stretched from Anatolia to northern India around 550-330 BC). 6. What is the Adhyakshaprachara? Adhyakshaprachara is the section of the Athasasthra which prescribes ideal functions for the heads of different administrative departments.
7. Name the places where archaeological remains of the Mauryan Period have been excavated. A Mauryan palace has been discovered from the excavations at Kumrahar near Patna. There are also other excavated sites at Taxila or Takhshasila and at Bhita. 8. What are the principal sources for understanding the Mauryan period? The principal sources for understanding the Mauryan period are, the account of Megasthenes named Indica, which was quoted or summarized by the three Greek authors, Diodorus, Strabo and Arrian, Kautilya s Arthasastra, inscriptions of Asoka, and references in Buddhist tales and legends. 9. Why do the Puranas speak of dynasties as pseudo-prophesies? The Puranas often speak of dynastic rule in terms of pseudo-prophesies, because they were written much later than the time when different dynasties really ruled. This enabled the Puranas to often speak in a
prophetic manner, on such matters as to how long a particular dynasty would rule. The authors of the Puranas could thus adopt an attitude of being able to predict the rise and fall of particular dynasties, when all they did was to write on earlier dynasties from information they gathered. 10. Why is the Mauryan Period important in Indian history? The importance of the Mauryan rule in Indian history rests not only on its long duration, but for a number of political achievements that the Mauryan period witnessed in a relatively brief span of a hundred and forty years.