Transcript Ancient India Rulers

Ancient History 10
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Recurring floods
Foreign Invaders
Changes in climate
Geological changes at the mouth of the Indus
River
Population Growth
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In 326 BCE, the Greek leader Alexander the Great
invaded India
The Indians used 200 war elephants and in a fierce
battle, 12,000 Greeks were killed.
Alexander won a great victory in Northern India, which
extended his empire to the Indus River.
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3 years later he died and most of his men left India
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The significance of his conquest was:
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Earliest contacts between Greek & Indian cultures
Influenced Buddhist painting and sculpture
Showed Indian leaders the need for unity
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The 1st dynasty of Indian Emperors
Chandragupta Maurya (323 BCE)
- Indian noble who unified Northern India and
won fame as a soldier
- Made the capital Pataliputra
- Government was a monarchy
- Known as the 1st Indian emperor to rule India
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Asoka (273 BCE)
- Grandson of Chandragupta
- His kingdom united almost all of the Indian
subcontinent
- He was 1st known as a conqueror, but when he saw
100s of 1000s people killed or wounded during one his
conquests he converted to Buddhism and turned to
peace.
- He had the teaching of Buddha written on stone
columns to help guide his people
- He sent missionaries to other countries to teach them
about Buddhism
- He ended India’s harsh system of punishment and
religious sacrifice of animals.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GHe9m
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Andhra Empire, was a royal Indian dynasty based
from Dharanikota and Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh.
The territory of the empire covered much of India from
230 BCE onward.
The Satavahanas are credited for establishing peace in
the country, resisting the onslaught of foreigners after
the decline of Mauryan Empire.
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They are known for their patronage of
Buddhism which resulted in Buddhist
monuments from Ellora.
First Indian state to issue coins struck with
their rulers embossed.
In there decline the empire was split up into
small city states.
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(193 BC – after 170 BCE) was the third and
greatest emperor.
During the reign of Khārabēḷa, the Chedi
dynasty of Kaḷinga ascended to eminence and
restored the lost power and glory of Kaḷinga,
which had been subdued since the devastating
war with Ashoka.
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the Kaḷinga state had a formidable maritime
reach with trade routes linking it to (Sri Lanka),
Burma Siam (Thailand), Vietnam, (Cambodia),
Borneo, Bali, Samudra
Although religiously tolerant, Khārabēḷa
patronised Jainism.
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Maurya, ancient Indian dynasty (c.325–c.183 B.C.)
Asoka, Indian emperor (c.273–c.232 B.C.) of the
Maurya dynasty
Harsha, Indian emperor (606–47)
Prithvi Raj, ruler of the Chauan dynasty of N. India (d.
1192)
Mughal, Muslim empire in India (1526–1857)
Babur, founder of the Mughal empire of India (1494–
1530)
Humayun, second Mughal emperor of India (1530–56)
Sher Khan, Afghan ruler in N. India (1540–45)
Akbar, Mughal emperor of India (1556–1605)
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1st to 3rd CE
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Kushans were a dynasty that united the tribes of central Asia
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Greatest king was Kanishka, who adopted Buddhism as a state
religion.
They introduced Divine Kingship, where the ruler is both the political
and spiritual head of state
They controlled trade from the North and western coast of India and to
Rome & the Mediterranean
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Kings were wealthy and powerful and introduced gold coins to India.
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Trade along the Silk Road to China was very important to the Kushans
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The Guptas is a dynasty that led India’s Golden Age
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Started by Chandra Gupta (320 CE)
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Hinduism gradually absorbed Buddhism
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Science, Mathematics & Astronomy flourished
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It was a creative time for art, architecture, painting,
sculpture, poetry, drama and fables
The Gupta Empire fell because of the invasion
of Huns from Central Asia
Some descendants of the Huns became
wealthy warrior-princes. They became a
close-knit warrior class called rajputs
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Great ruler of the Golden Age
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People lived in harmony
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Criminals were not tortured
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Land tax was no more than 1/6th of the owner’s
produce
Constructed educational institutions, highways, built
hospitals and supported religious institutions
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Accepted different religions
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Arranged for debates and performance of plays
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Spent 1/4th of his state income on charity