What was the Maurya Empire?
The Maurya Empire (c. 322–185 BCE) was the first empire to unify most of the Indian subcontinent, founded by Chandragupta Maurya and reaching its moral peak under his grandson Ashoka. It established centralized governance, a professional army, and — under Ashoka — became renowned for promoting Buddhist principles of nonviolence and ethical rule.
The Maurya Empire was ancient India's first great empire and one of the largest political entities in the ancient world. Founded around 322 BCE by Chandragupta Maurya — who may have been inspired by encountering Alexander the Great's forces in northwestern India — the empire eventually encompassed nearly all of the Indian subcontinent, from Afghanistan in the northwest to Bengal in the east and the Deccan plateau in the south.
Chandragupta built his empire through a combination of military conquest and shrewd statecraft. His chief minister, Kautilya (or Chanakya), authored the Arthashastra, a treatise on governance and political strategy that is sometimes compared to Machiavelli's The Prince. The Mauryan state was remarkably centralized and bureaucratic, with an extensive spy network, a professional standing army that may have numbered 600,000, and a detailed system of taxation that funded an elaborate administrative apparatus.
The empire's most famous ruler was Ashoka (r. c. 268–232 BCE), Chandragupta's grandson. After a devastating conquest of the Kalinga region that reportedly killed 100,000 people, Ashoka experienced a profound moral transformation. He embraced Buddhist principles and renounced aggressive warfare, promoting dhamma — ethical conduct, nonviolence, and religious tolerance — through edicts carved on rocks and pillars across his realm.
The Maurya Empire declined after Ashoka's death, eventually falling around 185 BCE. But its legacy was profound: it demonstrated that the Indian subcontinent could be governed as a political unit, and Ashoka's example of moral leadership continues to inspire. The lion capital from one of Ashoka's pillars serves as the national emblem of modern India.