Maurya & Gupta: The Indian Empires
Ancient India consists of two major imperial dynasties; the Maurya and Gupta. However in the year 1000 BCE, before the dynasties arise, a large nomadic group called the Aryans come from central Asia to the Indus and Ganges river valley. With them they bring many ideas that are found in Indian culture, religion, social structure, way of life, and values. By 700 BCE India is merely a collection of janapadas, political groupings or states. These territories are lead by family lineage groups who ruled as either republics, or monarchies. Soon they begin to expand their land, becoming larger states, known as maha-janapadas, with capitals and administrations. Between 500 and 400 BCE sixteen major maha-janapadas can be seen in northern India. From these maha-janapadas emerge the first imperial dynasty, the Maurya empire. The empire originates in Magadha, one of the sixteen maha-janapadas. The ruler of Magadha, Chandragupta Maurya, uses his army to take control of the janapadas in northwest India in 321 BCE. This is the start of India’s first empire.
The Maurya Empire (and its Achievements):
Chandragupta Maurya ruled the empire from 321 BCE to 297 BCE. His son, Bindusara, then takes over the imperial rule from 297 BCE to 272 BCE. Bindusara expands the empire his father creates, however his son, Asoka, reaches the greatest extent of the Mauryas. The empire expands from the Hindu Kush mountains in northwestern India to the Bay of Bengal in the east. To rule this vast empire, the Mauryas use a central government, in the imperial capital of Pataliputra, with an administration of bureaucrats, a powerful army, and a system of spies as eyes for the emperor throughout the empire. During the time the Maurya empire is ruled by Chandragupta and Bindusara, Indian life is solely based on Hinduism. The religion has a huge influence in the social hierarchy of the people, the ideas for ruling, and peoples’ values. Asoka, Bindusara’s son, continues the way of ruling influenced by the religion at the beginning of his reign. He expands the empire to cover almost all of south asia. However, in 260 BCE, Asoka becomes tired of the militaristic government used by his father and grandfather. He converts to Buddhism, a religion that preaches nonviolence. He begins to instill Buddhist practices and policies on the Indian people which impacts the life and thought in the empire. Asoka begins to encourage a universal buddhist faith by sending missionaries throughout India. He does, however, continue rule through bureaucracy. Rock and pillar edicts are put in conquered territories to make Asoka’s imperial rule clear. Asoka expands the roads and irrigation system in India and develops the stepwell. India is linked to the Silk Road trade route, so the Indo-Greek coin
s from Persia can also be found Maurya. India has a season of heavy rain, called the monsoon, that starts in June and end in
September every year. The region constantly floods during this season, making this a bad time visit. However these floods are the reason for the invention of the stepwell. These are magnificent wells that store the large quantities of water during the monsoon. The spectacular stepwells are definitely something you want to see during your visit in India. When Asoka dies in 232 BCE, there is no good leader so the empire begins to decline, the territories begin to split into separate states, and the Maurya Dynasty reaches its end.
A stepwall in India used to hold monsoon water
The Gupta Empire (and its Achievements):
In 320 C.E., this new dynasty begins to appear in India. The founder comes from a dynasty that has no fame, therefore, to show his desired authority, he names himself after Chandragupta Maurya. In 320 C.E., he becomes Chandra Gupta I and rules the Gupta empire until 330 C.E. To gain power for the empire, Gupta arranged treaty and tributary arrangements with neighboring states in India. However what is most impressive is that the Gupta empire becomes a golden age for learning in India. Hindu beliefs and philosophy returns during the Gupta dynasty. Religious authority from Hinduism returns to the society and begins to regain dominant power. Terra cotta plaques are made to decorate the outsides of of religious temples built during Gupta rule. The rock and pillar edicts from Asoka are kept, but records of Gupta battles are inscribed into them. Developments in science and mathematics occur, including the invention of zero as a placeholder in math equations and the number pi. The Guptans develop Hindi numerals, a smallpox vaccinations, and the first types of plastic surgery. A grammarian named Panini fixes the Sanskrit grammar, which leads to the use of Sanskrit in writing law codes, such as the Laws of Manu, of the Gupta empire. However, this advanced empire comes to an end at around 500 CE when the Xiongnu, a branch of the nomadic Huns invade the Gupta Empire and overthrowing their rule.
Religions in India:
Throughout India the there are two major religions; Hinduism and Buddhism. Buddhism comes from beliefs and philosophy in Hinduism.
Hinduism:
This religion emerges during the time the Aryans invade India. Hinduism outlines the the belief in Brahman, the ultimate end that a person achieves when their atman, or soul, reaches moksha. Hindus believe that your atman is reincarnated if
you do not live you life according to Hinduism. Each new life is a chance to achieve moksha where your atman becomes one with Brahman and avoid samsara, or reincarnation. To live your life to the fullest of Hinduism, one must fulfill the duties and responsibilities assignment. This obligation is called your dharma and this is where the Hindu caste system in India comes from. The caste systems is the social hierarchy of India that breaks the society into four major categories. The first and highest caste are the Brahmin. These people are the religious priest and leader of Hinduism. Below the Brahmin are the Kshatriya. Government officials, political leaders, the royal family, and military make up this cast. Although the royal family and government rule India, in the teachings of Hinduism, Brahmin are above them in religious authority. Next are the Vaisyas. These people are the farm owners, merchants, and craftspeople of the society. And the final major caste are the Sudras. Sudras are the people who are servants, laborers, and worker in the farms and businesses owned by Vaisyas. However, there is a sort of unofficial caste in Hinduism. They are called Dalits, or untouchables, who do the work that no one else wants to do. Dalits work in cleaning the trash, sewage, butchering, A visualization of the castes and other work that is considered unclean and dirty. The caste system in India is very secure, meaning once you were born into a caste you would forever be a part of it. To achieve moksha, a person has to fulfill the dharma of their caste. If not, they are reincarnated into another life when th
ey die. However dharma isn’t just for the duties in a caste. As a Hindu, you must also practice the religion, partake in rituals such as meditation, and pray to the gods. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion that contains over 330 million deities, or gods, such as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. However, one is not expected to pray to all 330 million deities. Each individual usually has a personal deity to worship. To summarize, Hinduism contains three paths of salvation that lead to the release from samsara and achieving moksha. The first being the path of action which is the focus on fulfilling your dharma. Second is the path of knowledge. This path focused on a person’s faith and practice in religion. And finally, the path of devotion where one performs acts to their personal deity. This religion has the most influence on the people of India, as it determines how one should live.
~Sacred Texts of Hinduism: the Vedas
A statue representing the goddess Shiva
Buddhism:
The second major religion in India is Buddhism. This religion comes from Hindu beliefs and is mainly seen during the reign of Asoka, the buddhist emperor of the Maurya dynasty. Buddhism is founded by a Hindu man named Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha founds this religions when he begins a mission to find the antidote to the pain and suffering of the world. He gave up all materialistic things and wandered as a Hindu ascetic for six years. When he began to near starvation, Siddhartha sat under a tree at Bodh Gaya and meditated to keep from giving into the temptations of the world. On the 49th day of his Meditation, he reached enlightenment and found the antidote to pain and suffering, becoming the Buddha. He began to teach people this antidote that could be achieved by disciplining the mind. Buddha taught that, through right living, one can be released from the cycle of rebirth that brought mortality and pain. This release from reincarnation is called nirvana, which is very similar to moksha in Hinduism. A lot of Buddha’s teachings are consistent with Hindu concepts. However, Buddha completely denied the Hindu caste system and the existence of a god, let alone 330 million gods. These differences cause many Indians to reject his teachings. Buddhism is summarized in the Four Noble Truths. These truths are, 1) to live is to suffer, 2) suffering is caused by our self-centered desires, 3) the solution, or antidote, is to eliminate desires, thus achieving nirvana, and 4) the way to nirvana is through the “Eightfold Path”. This path is to help remove the desire of the world and achieve nirvana. The eight paths are 1) Right View, 2) Right Intentions, 3) Right Speech, 4) Right Action, 5) Right Livelihood, 6) Right Effort, 7) Right Concentration, and 8) Right Mindfulness. These are tools used to live the way of the Buddha. A Buddhist’s actions and thoughts revolve around these eight paths.
The "Eightfold Path"
Life in India:
Although the caste, social class, of a person is determined by Hinduism in India, social issues like discrimination between genders can be seen. Women in India are thought of very lowly. They are expected to have the permission of a male in
the family in order to do anything independently. Women are also excluded from education and religious participation. There is actually a law, in the Laws of Manu, that says, “If a women should happen to merely overhear recitations of the Vedic mantras by chance, hot molten glass should be poured into their ears”. This punishment is completely irrational, but, if you are a woman, it is highly recommended that you avoid Hindu temples and places of worship just in case you are to hear religious mantras.What is most peculiar in this society is that girls are given up for marriage at the age they reach womanhood, meaning as young as in their pre-teen ages. At one point, the average age for marriage for a girl in India becomes 8. The Laws of Manu even state that women are like sudras, the lowest of the four cast, and they embody untruth, sin, and darkness. Women are seen as a sort of walking evil in Indian society, so they must be guarded and controlled by the men. There are three stages in the life Artwork that shows how women served men of a woman. The first stage is girlhood. This is when a girl learns the domestic skills and manners expected in the Indian society. After girlhood, a girl reach womanhood and the householder phase. It is at this time that a girl is married and begins a family of her own. She is expected to have children, preferably boys, take care of the home, and serve her husband. The final stage of a woman’s life is widowhood. Women reach this stage when their husband passes away. In Hindu tradition, when one passes away, their body is burned. In some extreme circumstance the wife would commit sati, the action of going with, by throwing themselves into the fire in which their dead husband is being burned. Women were expected to be respectful and obedient to males which is why they may decide to do sati. Although this extreme disrespect to women is very unusual to someone who does not live in India, this is the social norm for the people there.
Places to Visit in India:
Stepwells made to hold water from monsoons can be found all over India and are very beautiful things to seen
Rock and pillar edicts constructed during the rule of Asoka that are placed in each state in India
When Should You Visit?
The Best of Times:
Anytime between 322 and 231 BCE is a good time to visit India. This is when the Maurya Dynasty is ruling India. Many of India’s architectural achievements happen in the reign of the Maurya. India has a good stable government during this time, which will make your visit easier.
The Worst of Times:
Asoka, the last major emperor of the Maurya Dynasty, dies in 232 BCE, leaving the empire with no good leader to rule. This causes the empire to fall and India splits into separate states, so this is a time recommended to avoid in India.