Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Mauryas and Kushans from Class 8 Social_Science. After studying this chapter, you will learn that the first ever empire of India was the Mauryan empire. You will learn about the prominent ruler of the Mauryan dynasty, Ashoka, his achievements, administration, and contribution to art and architecture. You will also learn about the history of the Kushans, their administration, and the contributions of Kanishka. Finally, you will learn how to locate and mark the region of Ashoka’s empire on an India map. Let us begin our journey into ancient Indian history.
The Mauryan empire was the first Indian empire, ruling the kingdom from Magadha. Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara, and Ashoka are the prominent kings of this dynasty. The dynasty was established by Chandragupta Maurya. The Greek ambassador Megasthenes recorded the fame of Chandragupta in a book called Indica, and this work immortalized him. [CHECKPOINT]
Unfortunately, the contents of Indica are not known to us today because this work has been lost. However, certain descriptive excerpts have been found in the works of some Greek writers. Vishnugupta was Chandragupta’s minister. He became widely known as Kautilya and Chanakya. His ideas are described in the work Arthashastra. In 1902, R. Shamasastry, a renowned Sanskrit scholar, found the manuscript of Arthashastra written by Kautilya in the Oriental Library of Mysore. [CHECKPOINT]
The Arthashastra is not merely economics as understood by the western world. It contains topics like principles of administration of a kingdom, the responsibilities of a king and his ministers, foreign policy, and financial management. Stress is laid on the spy network and military system. Even after thousands of years, Kautilya’s Arthashastra has been attracting scholars by its uniqueness. Now let us move on to the reign of Emperor Ashoka. [CHECKPOINT]
Emperor Ashoka is a famous king of this dynasty. Five important city centres can be identified during this period. They were the capital of the Mauryas, Pataliputra, Taxila, Ujjain, Kalinga, and Suvarnagiri. These were major link routes too. Taxila was the gateway to north-west India. Ujjain was the route to trade from north to south. Kalinga was the gateway to the sea through the river Ganges. Suvarnagiri was in the Deccan region, that is, the modern Karnataka. [CHECKPOINT]
To fulfill the learning objective of marking Ashoka’s empire on a map, you should locate Magadha as the central base. Then, mark Pataliputra in the east, Taxila in the far northwest, Ujjain in central India, Kalinga on the eastern coast, and Suvarnagiri in the southern Deccan. All these areas were trade routes and were in contact with one another. Eight years after his coronation, Ashoka conquered Kalinga. About 150000 soldiers were captured in this battle and about 100000 people died during the battle. [CHECKPOINT]
Seeing the death and suffering the battle had caused, Emperor Ashoka was moved. He was saddened by the realisation that innumerable, innocent people who had been in perfect harmony with their fellow human beings and were leading simple, virtuous lives, had either died or been wounded and separated from their loved ones. This was the reason that after conquering Kalinga, Ashoka experienced deep regret and, inspired by Dhamma, advocated peace. [CHECKPOINT]
Ashoka divided his vast empire into different provinces and ruled. His politics and aspirations were expressed through edicts. These edicts have been the first ever inscriptions available to us. Ashoka’s titles like Devanam Priya and Priyadarshi were referred to in his inscriptions. Ashoka was transformed after viewing the huge loss of life during the Kalinga war. Compassion as preached by Buddha influenced Ashoka. He spread the teachings of Buddha throughout the country. He appointed Dharma Mahamatras for this purpose. [CHECKPOINT]
His views on Dharma are expressed in his edicts. These are well-known as Ashoka’s Dharma. Many of the edicts issued by Ashoka are in Prakrit language and in Brahmi script. Ashoka’s rock edicts have been found at Brahmagiri of Chitradurga district in Karnataka. The capital found in the Sarnath pillar of Ashoka has been adopted by the Indian government as the National Emblem. We see extensive growth in trade and agriculture during this time. [CHECKPOINT]
The government had adopted various measures to improve agriculture. Special tax concessions were given towards this end. There were many officials to carry on the administration of the vast empire. A permanent army was also found necessary. To carry out all these activities, taxes were needed. Land tax was the main source of income for the king and various officials served in collecting taxes. Spies kept the king informed. They had established control over trade and commerce by regulating sea and land routes. [CHECKPOINT]
After the Greeks, it has been the Kushans who have influenced Indian history and culture. They gave special impetus to the spread of Buddhism. The Mahayana sect received greater encouragement under their patronage. Gandhara sculpture flourished during their time. An important dynasty after the Mauryas is that of the Kushans. They were basically from a nomadic tribe which had migrated to India from Central Asia. They were the progeny of Yuchi. [CHECKPOINT]
The Sakas and the Parthians were the other foreign communities that had settled in the north-western part of India. The Kushans defeated the Sakas and the Parthians, and settled in the Gandhara region. The founder of this dynasty was Kujalakadphisus. Vimakadphisus and Kanishka are the noteworthy kings of this dynasty. The Yuchis were basically tribals. The Yuchi factions became united under the leadership of Kujalakadphisus. He crossed the Hindu Kush range and settled in Kabul and Kashmir. [CHECKPOINT]
During the time of Vimakadphisus, gold coins were brought out. From then onwards, the Kushans minted mainly gold and copper coins. Kanishka came after Vimakadphisus. During his reign, the Kushan dynasty flourished greatly. He established his rule in 78 C.E. and heralded a new era. This era is called the Saka era. Kanishka’s rule had spread up to Sanchi in the south and Banaras in the east. His kingdom, which included Central Asia too, was a vast empire. Purushapura was his capital. Mathura was another significant town of his time. [CHECKPOINT]
Due to the patronage given by Kanishka, Buddhism could prosper much more than before. We get to see many Buddhist scholars like Nagarjuna, Aswagosha, Vasumitra, Sangaraksha, and others at this time. The fourth Buddhist conference was held at Kashmir under the leadership of Kanishka. Like Ashoka, even Kanishka sent missionaries to Central Asia and China to spread Buddhism. During his reign, art and architecture got encouragement. Let us now examine the details of the Buddhist Conferences and Councils. [CHECKPOINT]
The first Buddhist council was held during the reign of Ajatashatru at Rajgriha, and it was chaired by Mahakasyapa. The second Buddhist council was held during the reign of Kalasoka at Vaishali, and it was chaired by Sabakami. The third Buddhist council was held during the reign of Ashoka at Pataliputra, and it was chaired by Moggaliputta Tissa. The fourth Buddhist council was held during the reign of Kanishka at Kunadalvana, and it was chaired by Vasumitra. Now let us move on to the exercises to reinforce your learning. [CHECKPOINT]
I will read each question and provide the complete answer. First, fill in the blanks with suitable words. Question one: Chanakya came to be known as Kautilya. Question two: The capital of the Mauryas was Pataliputra. Question three: The founder of the Kushan dynasty was Kujalakadphisus. Question four: The new era of Kanishka’s reign is called the Saka era. Next, answer the following questions in brief. Question five: Name the important cities of Ashoka’s period. The important cities were Pataliputra, Taxila, Ujjain, Kalinga, and Suvarnagiri. [CHECKPOINT]
Question six: Describe Ashoka’s administration. Ashoka divided his vast empire into different provinces and ruled. His politics and aspirations were expressed through edicts, which were the first ever inscriptions available to us. He appointed Dharma Mahamatras to spread the teachings of Buddha. The administration relied on many officials to manage the vast empire, a permanent army, and a well-organized tax collection system where land tax was the main source of income. Spies kept the king informed, and the government regulated sea and land routes to control trade and commerce. [CHECKPOINT]
Question seven: Which dynasty did the Kushans belong to? The Kushans belonged to a nomadic tribe that had migrated to India from Central Asia. They were the progeny of the Yuchi tribe. Question eight: What was the extent of Kanishka’s empire? Kanishka’s rule had spread up to Sanchi in the south and Banaras in the east. His kingdom also included Central Asia, making it a vast empire. Finally, let us look at the activities. Activity one asks you to collect more information about Gandhara Sculpture art. Activity two asks you to collect information from your teacher about the Buddhist Conference which took place during Kanishka’s rule. [CHECKPOINT]
We have covered the entire chapter. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]