Transcript Powerful Empires of India

Powerful Empires of India
The Maurya & Gupta Empires
Gupta Empire – 320 – 550 C.E.
Maurya Empire – 321 – 184 B.C.E
What else was happening during this time
period?
-Alexander the Great died in 323 BCE
-The Punic Wars were happening 264-146 BCE
What else was happening during this time
period?
-Constantine made Constantinople capital in 330 CE
-W. Roman Empire fell in 476 CE
The Rise of the Maurya Empire
• Alexander the Great
invaded the Indian subcontinent in 326 BCE and
died 3 years later
• Chandragupta Maurya
created the first Indian
empire in 321 BCE
Chandragupta Maurya
Ruled 322-297 B.C.E.
Government: Chandragupta Maurya
• Chandragupta Maurya used his army of 9,000 elephants and
700,000 soldiers to conquer and unify all of northern India.
• He divided his kingdom into provinces and put officials loyal to him
in charge (bureaucracy).
• These royal officials supervised the building of roads and harbors to
benefit trade. Others collected taxes, managed shipyards and
worked in the royal courts.
• His rule was effective, but harsh, as he had a secret police force spy
on people and report any instances of corruption, crime or dissent.
He even had specially-trained women warriors guard his palace.
Maurya Empire’s Height:
The Reign of Asoka 268-232 B.C.E.
Asoka
Pillar inscribed
with Edicts
Capital - Pataliputra
• Asoka was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya
• At this time, the last independent kingdom in the Deccan region was
Kalinga, which Asoka brought under his control through a bloody
war in 260 B.C.E.
• The war left him questioning the loss of human life and violence. It
inspired him to reject violence, become a vegetarian, and to convert
to Buddhism in 258 B.C.E.
Asoka’s Edicts & Effect of His Rule
• Asoka communicated his
policies throughout his realm
by inscribing edicts (laws) in
natural stone formations and
pillars that he ordered to be
erected.
• The edicts promoted Buddhist
values and expressed his
concern to rule fairly, justly and
humanely.
• He also sent missionaries
across India to spread
Buddhism; thus paving the
way for the spread of
Buddhism into Asia.
Decline of the Maurya Empire
• Under Asoka, the various regions of India
became well-integrated and experienced
economic prosperity under a stable government.
• After his death in 232 B.C.E., Maurya power
declined.
• Administrative costs outweighed revenues
brought into the treasury. Rulers debased the
currency and were unable to hold the empire
together.
• Rival princes battled for power again and by 184
B.C.E., the unity of the empire was shattered.
The Gupta Empire 320-550 C.E.
Golden Age of the Guptas
•Peace & Prosperity
•Mild nature of rule
•Trade & farming flourished
•Conditions contributed to flowering
in arts and learning
Learning
Art & Architecture
Literature
“The people are very well off, without poll tax or official
restrictions. Only those who till the royal lands return a
portion of the profit of the land as a tax…The kings govern
without corporal punishment. Criminals are fined,
according to circumstances, lightly or heavily.”
- Faxian, A Record of Buddhist Kingdoms
Gupta Golden Age - Learning
•
Subjects taught included
mathematics, medicine, physics,
languages and literature.
•
Mathematical advances were
among most important Gupta
achievements: “Arabic”
numerals, concept of zero and
the decimal system were
developed.
•
Medical advances included
using herbs and other remedies
to treat illness as well as setting
bones, simple surgeries and
vaccinations.
Gupta Golden Age
Art & Architecture
• Buddhists built stupas:
large dome-shaped
shrines that housed the
sacred remains of
Buddha or other holy
people.
• Elaborate carvings told
the stories of either
Buddha or Hindu gods.
• Murals reflected scenes
of daily life in Gupta
India.
Gupta Golden Age - Literature
• Fine writers added to
the heritage of Indian
literature.
• They collected and
recorded fables and
folk tales in Sanskrit.
• The greatest Gupta
poet and playwright
was Kalidasa, who
wrote the play,
Shakuntala.
Shakuntala tells the story of a king
who marries the orphan, Shakuntala.
An evil spell is cast on the king and
he forgets his bride. He finally
recovers his memory after many plots
developments and is reunited with
her. At the end, the couple is blessed
by the king’s advisor.
Decline of the Gupta Empire
Fourth Century C.E.
• Weak rulers, civil war and foreign invaders all contributed to the
decline and fall of the Gupta Empire.
• The White Huns, a nomadic people from central Asia, invaded and
overran the weak empire, destroying its cities and trade.
• Not until the establishment of the Mughal dynasty in the 16th century
C.E. did any state rule as much of India as the Maurya and Gupta
empires ruled.
Name: ____________________________
Unit 5: India
Dates
Maurya
Empire
What else is
happening in
the world?
1/17/14
Classical Indian Empires
Achievements
Chandragupta
Asoka
Gupta
Empire
Reasons for Decline
Directions: Answer the following summary questions once you have completed the chart.
1) How did Maurya rulers create a strong central government?
2) What were some of the major achievements of Indian kingdoms?
3) Why is the period of Gupta rule in India considered a golden age?
Vocabulary: (Be sure you know the following terms)
-bureaucracy:
-edicts:
-stupas: