Maurya Empire

Maurya Empire
322 BCE – 185 BCE
Territories controlled by Maurya Empire at its Maximum extent
Status	Empire
Capital	Pataliputra (present-day Patna)
Common languages	Sanskrit (literary and academic), Magadhi Prakrit (vernacular)
Religion	Hinduism Brahmanism Buddhism Jainism
Demonym(s)	Indian
Government	Absolute monarchy[1]
Emperor
• 322–298 BCE	Chandragupta
• 298–272 BCE	Binduasra
• 268–232 BCE	Ashoka
• 232–224 BCE	Dasharatha
• 224–215 BCE	Sampriti
• 215–202 BCE	Shalishuka
• 202–186 BCE	Devavarman
• 195–185 BCE	Shatadhavan
• 187–185 BCE	Brihadratha (Last)
Historical era	Iron Age
• Established	322 BCE
• Disestablished	185 BCE
Area
5,000,000[2] km2 (1,900,000 sq mi)
Currency	Pana
Preceded by Succeeded by Nanda Empire Arachosia Parada kingdom Andhras Kalinga Shunga Empire Indo-Greek Kingdom Samatata Satavahana Dynasty Mahameghavahana dynasty

The Mauryan Empire was a empire in South Asia, founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE and lasting until 185 BCE. It was centralized through the conquest of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, with its capital in Pataliputra (modern Patna). The empire covered regions that are now part of Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.^[3]

Chandragupta Maurya, assisted by Chanakya, overthrew the Nanda empire around 322 BCE. Expanding westward, he conquered territories left by Alexander the Great in modern-day Pakistan. By 317 BCE, the empire fully occupied the northwestern subcontinent. The Mauryan Empire also defeated Seleucus I, acquiring land west of the Indus River (modern-day Pakistan), during the Seleucid–Mauryan war.^[4][5]

1. ↑ Avari 2007, p. 188-189. sfn error: no target: CITEREFAvari2007 (help)
2. ↑ Turchin, Peter; Adams, Jonathan M.; Hall, Thomas D (December 2006). "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires". Journal of World-Systems Research. 12 (2): 223. ISSN 1076-156X. Archived from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
3. ↑ Dyson, Tim (2018). A Population History of India: From the First Modern People to the Present Day. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-882905-8.
4. ↑ Mookerji, Radhakumud (1966). Chandragupta Maurya and His Times. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978-81-208-0405-0.
5. ↑ Kosmin, Paul J. (2014-06-23). The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in the Seleucid Empire. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-72882-0.