Empires of India

The Maurya Empire

• This was the first great Indian Empire

• Started by Chandragupta in 321 BC and lasted until 185 BC

• Was an effective ruler, harsh

• Had a secret police and specially trained women warriors guard his palace

Maurya Empire

• Most honored emperor was Asoka. Became emperor in 268 BC

• Converted the empire to Buddhism, rejected violence, and ruled by moral example.

• Set up pillars across India announcing laws and promising a righteous government.

Maurya Empire

• Asoka also brought peace and prosperity.

• After his death in 232 BC, the empire quickly declined.

• After the Mauryas came the Guptas.

Gupta Empire

• Guptas rule was looser than the Mauryas.

• Began to trade with other empires and became very wealthy.

• Invented a system of numbers, came up with a concept of zero, and developed the decimal system

Gupta Empire

• Built Stupas, large dome-shaped shrines that housed the sacred remains of the Buddha or other holy people.

• Painted murals and carved pictures and stories into the walls.

Gupta Empire

• Had many great writers and wrote stories that carried west to Persia, Egypt, and Greece.

• While the Gupta Empire reached its peak, the Roman Empire was declining.

Gupta Empire

• Declined for the same reason as the Roman Empire: weak rulers, civil war, and foreign invaders