Powerful Empires of India

Do Now: 10/23/13 U2D17 Answer the following question on your index card (5 min): If you are a king or queen, is it better to be feared or loved? HW: Read Chapter 4, Section 4; Answer Assessment questions on page 92; Answer only questions 1,2,3,4,5,7

Major Kingdoms of the Ganges River

Chandragupta and Asoka’s Maurya Empire BCE

First great King of India: Chandragupta Maurya Know about him from Megasthenes’ Indica Maintained well- ordered bureaucracy

Chandragupta Maurya First gained power in the Ganges River Valley – Then conquered northern India – Then pushed south into the Deccan Plateau Maintained order through bureaucracy – Royal officials supervised the building of roads Supervised harbors to support trade – Other officials collected taxes Chandragupta’s rule was harsh – A brutal secret police reported dissent – Specially-trained women police guarded his palace

Chandragupta’s Conquests in India

Asoka Most honored Maurya ruler was Asoka, the grandson of Chandragupta Much kinder than his grandfather – Was a warrior until 268 BCE, until the Battle of Kalinga where Asoka saw 100,000 people die – He converted to Buddhism, rejected violence, and sent Buddhist missionaries to Sri Lanka – Had pillars set up across India, announcing laws and promoting righteous government

Battle of Kalinga 261 BCE

Asoka’s Edicts Asoka’s response to the Kalinga War was recorded on the Edicts of Asoka – Pillars that described Asoka’s non-violent response to the war

"Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Priyadarsi, conquered the Kalingas eight years after his coronation. One hundred and fifty thousand were deported, one hundred thousand were killed and many more died (from other causes). After the Kalingas had been conquered, Beloved-of-the-Gods came to feel a strong inclination towards the Dhamma, a love for the Dhamma and for instruction in Dhamma. Now Beloved-of-the-Gods feels deep remorse for having conquered the Kalingas." Rock Edict No.13[7]

Asoka’s Rule Asoka’s rule brought peace and prosperity, and united the diverse people in his empire Asoka built hospitals and Buddhist shrines Asoka’s government built roads and rest houses to aid transportation across the empire

Golden Age of the Guptas 500 years after the Maurya Empire Ruled India from 320 CE-550 CE

Peace and Prosperity Why was the Gupta empire considered a “Golden Age?” Let’s review our primary source from Faxian, a Buddhist monk who wrote about India during the Gupta Empire