The Maurya Empire

If you want to learn about the most important source of inspiration and symbolism to modern-day India, then keep reading...

The Maurya Empire, which existed more than 2,000 years ago, was the mightiest civilization that India has ever known. It was more than one and a half times the size of modern-day India in geographical extent. The Maurya Empire was established just after the death of Alexander the Great. Fear had prevented his troops from marching farther to invade the subcontinent, which became the fuel for India to reinvent itself as an indomitable mega-culture.

During the reign of nine emperors and over 140 years, the Maurya Empire dominated the region. While it was a monarchy, the rulers ensured the empire's longevity and widespread loyalty by putting their subjects first. In a stroke of genius not seen before in the ancient world of conquering and bloodshed, the Mauryan emperors built infrastructure and roads not just for trade but also for the health and well-being of the people and animals.

The Maurya period was a time of abundance and prosperity, particularly during the reign of the first three emperors: Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara, and Ashoka the Great, whose collective rules lasted half a century. Almost lost beneath the sands of time, the truth of Maurya and of its most famous ruler, Ashoka, have gradually been uncovered, but there is so much more to be unearthed from this golden age in Indian history. Ashoka came to power a few hundred years after the death of the illustrious Buddha, and after a revolutionary change of heart, he began instituting the peaceful concept of dhamma (dharma) and respect for all life, leading the way to the global spread of Buddhism along with a divinely altruistic attitude for his nation that has not been repeated to this day!

In essence, the Maurya Empire was supremely advanced for its day and age.

In this book, you will discover:

• Why the rise of the Maurya Empire was beneficially linked to the fall of Alexander the Great and his dominions.
• How Maurya achieved peace through canny negotiations, a highly organized and pervasive government, and absolute religious tolerance rather than bloody domination.
• Remnants of the Buddhist-loving Ashoka the Great. Elaborate, polished pillars; careful edicts of his dhamma rulership; abundant Buddhist stupas and viharas; and the remains of monasteries.
• The modern-day regalia and symbology of India. The lion, the dhamma wheel, and the peacock.
• The remnants of a gigantic northern highway for local and international trade, which was the precursor to the ubiquitous Asian trade routes that came later.
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