Asia in the World Assessment
In the face of powerful forces that tended to keep India fragmented, how did the Mauryan Empire and the Gupta Empire succeed in unifying much of India?
India had faced many hardships in keeping peace within the country. However through all of the hardships there had come ease. This was because of the Mauryan and the Gupta Empires and their successes to keeping India a well – rounded country. These successes were seen through their ministers and leaders; Chandragupta who was leader of the Mauryan Empire along with the minister Kautilya who ruled both the Mauryan and the Gupta Empires. Both empires had many similarities, including their location, their social structure, religion, and governments. The economy, literature and technology are also things they both had in common. These empires made peace in India and allowed the country to inherit peace’s within their land.
Alexander the Great emerged into India in the intention for domination. He soon discovered states both big and small which were being ruled by independent kings and governors. Although he never progressed further than India’s northwest corner, his presence was enough to upset India and make way for the rise of a powerful new Indian dynasty. That dynasty was waiting for the arrival of Chandragupta Maurya, who knew an opportunity when he saw one and reached out to grasp it. Chandragupta was the ruler of the Magadha region in the northeast, but with the help of his political adviser, Kautilya, he walked across India, drove Alexander’s successors out of the region and established his domain in 321 BCE. He was the emperor of nearly five million square miles of land and between fifty and sixty million people. Chandragupta’s son, Bidusara,claimed the throne in 298 BCE and reigned until 272. During this time, he extended the empire even further, taking the lands of central India. Even areas not under his direct control paid him tribute. This was not quite enough for the next emperor, Bindusara’s son, Ashoka, who reigned from 272 to 232 BCE. Ashoka proved to be a brave and harsh military leader focused on his empire south and east, he took no part in caring for those who died or were destroyed in the process. His army marched against the eastern coastal kingdom of Kalinga, which refused to pay him tribute in 261 BCE. By the end of the campaign over 100,000 residents of Kalinga were dead, and another 150,000 were homeless, more died from starvation and disease after the battle. Ashoka then realised that what he had done was not right, later converting to Buddhism and renounced all war, adopting the principles of nonviolence, respect and tolerance.
The Mauryan and Gupta were both located in India. However, the Gupta Empire inherited the Mauryan land which was located in modern-day India. The main difference between these empires is that the Gupta empire covered a majority of the land. The Mauryan land extended from the bottom of the Peninsula, the Gupta land was confined to the top sector. The Mauryan classes were regulated by occupation rather than family and birth. These occupations included, philosophers, farmers, soldiers, herdsmen, craftsmen an magistrates. Women were given a high status and were shown respect, with this woman did not suffer the abuse of slavery. Religion was a major element of the Mauryan empire. The emperor's recognised and allowed multiple religions, including the traditional Hinduism, as well as the new faiths like Buddhism. Chandragupta was a Hindu who converted to Jainism, Bindusara seemed to have maintained to his Hindu roots. Ashoka, was the most religious of the three emperors. He converted to Buddhism after the Kalinga war and promoted his new faith widely, sponsoring the building of temples, schools, universities, and prayer sites, also encouraging his subjects to embrace his new faith. Hinduism was the main religion at this time. Although after the Mauryan leader converted to Buddhism, it became the prominent religion of this area in India. Like the Mauryan religion, the Gupta social classes were determined by profession but they had different names. These classes were broken into the working men, rulers, and Saudras. Unlike the Mauryan, the Gupta men had higher rankings than women and the women were expected to obey their men.
The three emperors Chandragupta, Bindusara and Ashoka — created an efficient central government that allowed their empire to prosper and expand. They gathered a council of advisers and established an administration to handle day-to-day affairs in the great city of Pataliputra. The imperial government centre was located in Pataliputra and the Mauryan believed it was important for a strong central government. The empire was divided into four different provinces for organisational and ruling purposes. The emperors also maintained a massive army. Ancient sources describe the Mauryan military as consisting of thousands if infantry, soldiers, cavalrymen, and even war elephants. The Mauryans knew how to intimidate their foes and their forces were large enough to conquer and hold vast areas of land and millions of people. Councils had quite a lot of authority but the highest ruler was the Emperor. Like the Mauryan government, the Gupta government was centred around Emperors and it was divided into provinces and districts. The government was based on public participation and women were originally allowed to serve at councils. During this time period, there weren’t very many literary achievements. However, those found were of great importance and were written in the Sanskrit or Prakritor Pali languages. Unlike the Mauryan empire, literature was written extensively, especially narratives. Some of the most famous types were fables and tales. Poetry and romantic comedies. Mauryan technology included irrigation for land that didn’t receive enough water as well as machines that ran on water and wind. They were also able to create many new roads and some that connected to the land over swampy areas. Like the Mauryan, the Gupta used irrigation to grow crops. People lived in two story buildings. The top level was for houses and the bottom was for convenient stores. Medical science also flourished during this time period.
Due to a stable, organised government the Mauryan emperors had maintained, the empire benefited from many opportunities for trade and agricultural growth. Their economic is based around trade and some of their main exports were silk, textiles, spices, and exotic foods. Also, the Mauryan empire was in a state of tranquility which made internal trade prosperous. Unlike the Mauryan economy, the Gupta was based around a lot of agriculture. However, their trade and commerce was steadily growing, much like the Mauryan trade. During this time, the textile industry was a huge part of trade and the economy of the Gupta empire.Transportation networks with good roads and waterways, well-maintained rest homes, and the secure protection of the military allowed merchants to move through the empire and beyond,trading their spices,textiles and silks. The emperors also maintained a common currency throughout India, which helped merchants and traders maintain consistent fees and profits. Farmers also had much to b grateful for under the Mauryan rule. The government sponsored projects to help them clear land and build irrigation systems. Farmers also appreciated the central system of taxation, which eliminated multiple taxes and crop sharing with regional rulers and allowed them to keep more of their money and crops for their own use or to sell to others.
In conclusion, both these empires worked hard in order to maintain peace and unity within India. Through their religion, government, etc.