Who Built Indias First Empire?
Indias first empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya. He was an Indian prince who
conquered a large area in the Ganges River valley soon after Alexander invaded western
India. Alexanders invasion weakened many of Indias kingdoms. After Alexander left ,
Chandragupta saw the opportunity to conquer and unite almost all of northern India.
He founded the Mauryan dynasty in 321 b.C. To run his empire, Chandragupta set up a
centralized government. Chandragupta had to have a strong army. He also needed a good
spy system to make sure no one was planning to rebel. Communications were also
important, so he set up a postal system.
The Fall of the Mauryan Empire
Asoka died in 232 b.C. Unfortunately, the kings who followed him were not very good
leaders, and the empire grew weak. These kings made bad decisions that turned people
against them. Things were so bad that in 183 b.C., the last Mauryan ruler was killed by one
of his own generals.
Sunga Empire
The Sunga Empire or Shunga Empire was an ancient Indian dynasty from Magadha that
controlled vast areas of the Indian Subcontinent from around 187 to 78 BCE. The dynasty
was established by Pusyamitra Sunga, after the fall of the Maurya Empire. Its capital
was Pataliputra. Sunga ruled for 36 years and was succeeded by his son Agnimitra. There
were ten Sunga rulers. The empire is noted for its numerous wars with both foreign and
indigenous powers. They fought battles with the Kalingas, Satavahanas, the Indo-Greeks,
and possibly the Panchalasand Mathuras. Art, education, philosophy, and other forms of
learning flowered during this period including small terracotta images, larger stone
sculptures, and architectural monuments. The Sunga rulers helped to establish the
tradition of royal sponsorship of learning and art. The Sunga Empire played an imperative
role in patronizing Indian culture at a time when some of the most important developments
in Hindu thought were taking place.
Emperor Asokas Reign
Chandragupta founded the Mauryan dynasty, but many historians think the empires
greatest king was Asoka. He ruled from about 273 b.C. to 232 b.C. Asoka was an unusual
ruler. Like many kings, he was a strong military leader but he came to hate bloodshed.
After one bloody fight, he walked over the battlefield. When he saw ded and wounded, he
was horrified and made a vow.
Asoka was historys first great Buddhist king.
Magadha Empire
Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mah-Janapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The
core of the kingdom was the area of Biharsouth of the Ganges; its first capital
was Rajagriha (modern Rajgir) then Pataliputra (modern Patna). Magadha expanded to
include most of Bihar and Bengal with the conquest of Licchavi and Anga respectively,
followed by much of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Orissa. The ancient kingdom of Magadha is
heavily mentioned in Jain and Buddhist texts. It is also mentioned in
the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas.
The earliest reference to the Magadha people occurs in the Atharva-Veda where they are
found listed along with the Angas, Gandharis, and Mujavats. Magadha played an important
role in the development of Jainism and Buddhism, and two of India's greatest empires; two
of India's greatest empires, the Maurya Empire and Gupta Empire, originated from
Magadha. These empires saw advancements in ancient India's science,
mathematics, astronomy, religion, and philosophy and were considered the Indian "Golden
Age". The Magadha kingdom included republican communities. Villages had their own
assemblies under their local chiefs called Gramakas. Their administrations were divided
into executive, judicial, and military functions.
