GA Notes: THE MAURYAN EMPIRE

October 26, 2018 Share Like Labels: ssc

Dear Students,

General Awareness is an important section that can help you grab the maximum marks in a competitive exam in the minimum time. You need not perform complex calculation to settle for the correct option so, it's the best to be prepared with the facts and figures in advance so as to score to the maximum in this section. For Railway Group-D Exam 2018, important awards, current affairs, history, geography, general science, economy and Static GK is occupying the major part. To let you have an information about all important sections of GA, this post is to provide you with one of the important topic related to ancient Indian history on The Mauryan Empire. Grab the below given important points related to this particular topic and score well in the examination.

THE MAURYAN EMPIRE

Sources:

Kautilya’s Arthasastra
Visakadatta’s Mudrarakshasa
Megasthenes’ Indica
Edicts of Asoka
Apart from these the Puranas and the Buddhist literature such as Jatakas provide information on the Mauryas.

Emperors

Chandragupta Maurya (322 – 298 B.C.):

Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Mauryan Empire.
He captured Pataliputra from the last ruler of the Nanda dynasty, Dhanananda, in assistance of Kautilya, who was also known as Chanakya or Vishnugupta.
In 305 B.C., he marched against Selukas Niketar, who was Alexander’s General controlling the northwestern India.
Megasthenes was a Greek ambassador in the Chandragupta Maurya's court.
Chandragupta embraced Jainism towards the end of his life and stepped down from the throne in favour of his son Bindusara.

Bindusara (298 – 273 B.C.):

Bindusara was called by the Greeks as “Amitragatha” meaning slayer of enemies.
Taranatha, the Tibetan monk states that Bindusara conquered 16 states comprising ‘the land between the two seas’.
The Sangam Tamil literature confirms the Mauryan invasion of the far south.
Bindusara received Deimachus as ambassador from the Syrian king Antiochus I.
Bindusara appointed his son Asoka as the governor of Ujjain.

Asoka the Great (273 – 232 B.C.):

Ashoka acted as Governor of Ujjain and also suppressed a revolt in Taxila during his father Bindusara’s reign.
The most important event of Asoka’s reign was his victorious war with Kalinga in 261 B.C.
Asoka embraced Buddhism under the influence of Buddhist monk, Upagupta.
He sent a mission to Sri Lanka under his son Mahendra and daughter Sangamitra.
Asoka convened the Third Buddhist Council at Pataliputra in 240 B.C. in order to strengthen the Sangha. It was presided over by Moggaliputta Tissa.