Page 58 - SST Class 06

by Ashoka. It declined for about 50 years after other sources suggest he successfully campaigned
Ashoka’s rule ended and it dissolved in 185 BCE in the Deccan and ended his quest near present-
with the foundation of the Shunga Dynasty in day Karnataka, presumably because of the
Magadha. camaraderie shared by the Mauryas with the
Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas ruling the extreme
DO YOU KNOW?
southern territories. He was also successful in
An empire is much larger in size to a kingdom. It has a suppressing uprisings of people in Takshashila
large number of people engaged in various activities. and those of the northern mountain kingdoms
It also requires greater resources to govern it. Its against his government by commissioning his
glory lies in its great contribution in different spheres
able son Ashoka in such pursuit.
such as art, architecture, literature, etc.
Ashoka (272 BCE)
Bindusara (297 BCE) Ashoka was the third

Bindusara was the second Mauryan emperor of ruler of the illustrious
India who ruled from c. 297 to c. 273 BCE. He Maurya dynasty and
was the son of Chandragupta Maurya, the was one of the most
founder of the Mauryan dynasty who was guided powerful kings of the
by the famous Indian teacher, economist and Indian subcontinent
philosopher Chanakya, regarded as pioneer of in ancient times. His
political science and economics in India, in reign between 273
establishing the Maurya Empire. Chanakya also BC and 232 BC was
remained the chief advisor of Bindusara. one of the most
Bindusara was the father of the great Indian prosperous periods in
emperor, Ashoka, who reigned over nearly the the history of India.
entire Indian subcontinent from c. 268 to 232 Ashoka’s empire Ashoka
BCE, expanding the empire that had present-day consisted most of India, South Asia and beyond,
Bangladesh in the east and Afghanistan in the stretching from present day Afghanistan and
west. According to some sources, Bindusara was parts of Persia in the west to Bengal and Assam
an able monarch who was successful in consoli- in the east and Mysore in the south. Buddhist
dating the empire established by his father, while literature document Ashoka as a cruel and

ruthless monarch who underwent a change of
heart after experiencing a particularly gruesome
war, the Battle of Kalinga. After the war, he
embraced Buddhism and dedicated his life
towards dissemination of the tenets of the reli-
gion. He became a benevolent king, driving his
administration to make a just and bountiful
environment for his subjects. Owing to his
benevolent nature as a ruler, he was given the
title ‘Devanampriya Priyadarshi’. Ashoka and his
glorious rule is associated with one of the most
prosperous time in the history of India and as a

Bindusara tribute to his non-partisan philosophies, the
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