List of Maurya emperors

The Maurya Empire (c. 322–185 BCE) was an ancient Indian empire. The empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE and lasted until 185 BCE. The Mauryan Empire was the first pan-Indian empire. At its height, the empire covered most of the Indian subcontinent.^[1] The Mauryan Emperor was the monarchical head of state and wielded absolute rule over the empire.

Chandragupta's chief minister Kautilya, sometimes called Chanakya, advised Chandragupta Maurya and contributed to the empire's legacy.^[2] Bindusara, Chandragupta's son, assumed the throne around 297 BCE. He kept the empire running smoothly while maintaining its lands.^[3] Bindusara's son, Ashoka,^[4] was the third leader of the Mauryan Empire. Ashoka left his mark on history by erecting large stone pillars inscribed with edicts that he issued. After Ashoka's death, his family continued to reign, but the empire began to break apart. The last of the Mauryas, Brihadratha, was assassinated by his general, Pushyamitra Shunga who went on to found the Shunga Empire in 185 BCE.^[5]

Maurya Empire at its greatest expansion, c. 250 BCE

Family tree

List of emperors

Rulers-

See also

• Magadha
• History of India
• List of largest empires
• List of Gupta emperors
• List of Indian monarchs

References

1. Sastri, Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta (1988). Age of the Nandas and Mauryas. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 208. ISBN 9788120804661.
2. Kistler, John M. (2007). War Elephants. University of Nebraska Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-0803260047. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
3. Vincent Arthur Smith (1920). Asoka, the Buddhist emperor of India. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 18–19. ISBN 9788120613034.
4. Olivelle, Patrick (2024). Ashoka: Portrait of a Philosopher King. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-27490-5.
5. Allchin, F. R.; Erdosy, George (1995). The Archaeology of Early Historic South Asia: The Emergence of Cities and States. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 306.