Transcript India Empires

Unit 10 India
Ancient Indian Dynasties and Empires
Objectives:
1. Explain how the Mauryan rulers
increased their power.
2. Examine the reasons for the
decline of Gupta rule.
Rise of the Mauryan Empire
• Geography
kept out invaders, but left did not unify
India.
• Chandragup
established this empire that lasted
ta Maurya
about 150 years.
Chandragupta • Raised an army of 600,000
soldiers who were
Maurya
equipped with thousands
of chariots and elephants.
• Army united northern
India
• Established a strict
government to carry out
his commands.
• Chandragupta’s grandson
Asoka
(came to power
around 270 B.C.)
▫ Even greater ruler
• Fought bloody wars to increase
the size of his kingdom.
▫ Became a Buddhist when he was
sick of all the bloodshed
• Spread the faith of Buddhism and
reversed many of the polices of
those before him.
• Enlarged the Empire until it included
all of India except the southern tip of
the subcontinent. (AKA—the first
imperial dynasty to hold nearly all of
India)
Asoka’s Empire
How did he
unite a diverse
empire?
Improved living conditions
 Planted trees
 Wells were dug
 Rest houses along trade
routes
• After his death, the empire
began to split apart due to
quarrelling of his sons.
Gupta Rulers
(300 to 550
A.D.)
• New dynasty emerged
because of the decline of
Buddhism and growth of
Hinduism.
• Chandra Gupta I-founder
• Empire spread due to
conquest
• Empire included all of
northern India
Gupta
Rule
• Indian civilization flourished
• Favored Hinduism but allowed Buddhism;
however Hinduism is the dominant religion
• “Golden Age”early years of Gupta rule
where the Indian civilization flourished
▫ Chandra Gupta II
 Progress made in the arts
• Gupta political system gave much power to
the local rulers.