IIndia’s ndia’s FFirstirstEEmpires mpires

CHAPTER 6 Early India 209

Dates

Capital City

Government

Mauryan Empire

What’s the Connection?In the last section, you learned

about Hinduism and Buddhism. Bothreligions developed when India was aland of small kingdoms. These rivalkingdoms would be forced to unite,however, when foreigners invaded.

Focusing on the • The Mauryan dynasty built India’s

first great empire. (page 210)

• The Gupta empire reunited much ofnorthern India and became wealthythrough trade. (page 213)

• The Mauryan and Gupta empires madeimportant contributions in literature,mathematics, and science. (page 214)

Locating PlacesPataliputra

(PAH • tuh • lih • POO • truh)

Meeting PeopleChandragupta Maurya (CHUHN•

druh•GUP•tuh MAH•oor•yuh)Asoka (uh•SOH•kuh) Kalidasa (KAH• lih•DAH•suh)

Building Your Vocabularydynasty (DY• nuh•stee)stupa (STOO• puh)pilgrim (PIHL•gruhm)

Reading StrategyCategorizing Information Completea chart like the one below, identifyingthe important dates, capital city, andgovernment of the Mauryan empire.

321 B.C.Chandragupta Maurya founds Mauryan dynasty

232 B.C.Mauryan ruler Asoka dies

A.D. 320Gupta empire begins

Pataliputra

350 B.C. A.D. 1 A.D. 350350 B.C. A.D. 1 A.D. 350

Dates

Capital City

Government

Mauryan Empire

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The Mauryan DynastyThe Mauryan dynasty built India’s first

great empire.

Reading Focus Do you think political leaders should

promote religion? How might religion help a king hold

his country together? Read to learn why one Indian

emperor decided to support Buddhism.

India’s princes fought over their smallkingdoms for centuries. Then two big inva-sions taught the Indians a lesson. First, thePersians invaded the Indus Valley in the

500s B.C. and made it part of the greatPersian Empire. Then, as you have alreadyread, Alexander the Great invaded India in327 B.C.

Although Alexander’s troops conquerednorthern India, he did not stay long. His sol-diers were homesick and tired and threat-ened to rebel unless he turned back. Theinvasion did have one important effect, how-ever. It led to the first great Indian empire.

Who Built India’s First Empire? India’sfirst empire was founded by Chandragupta

Maurya (CHUHN • druh • GUP • tuhMAH • oor • yuh). Chandraguptawas an Indian prince who con-quered a large area in theGanges River valley soon afterAlexander invaded westernIndia. Alexander’s invasionweakened many of India’skingdoms. After Alexander left,Chandragupta seized theopportunity to conquer andunite almost all of northernIndia.

He founded the Mauryandynasty in 321 B.C. A dynasty(DY • nuh • stee) is a series ofrulers from the same family. Torun his empire, Chandraguptaset up a centralized govern-ment. In a centralized govern-ment, rulers run everythingfrom a capital city. To controleverything from his capital,Pataliputra (PAH • tuh • lih • POO •truh), Chandragupta had tohave a strong army. He alsoneeded a good spy system tomake sure no one was plan-ning to rebel. Communicationswere also important, so he setup a postal system.

210 CHAPTER 6 Early India

70°E

90°E30°N

10°N

INDIANOCEAN

Bayof

Bengal

ArabianSea

Indus

River

Gan

gesRiver

TopraMirath Nigliva

Rummindi

Lalita Patan(Kathmandu)

PataliputraPrayaga

Sanchi

300 km0Azimuthal Equidistant projection

300 mi.0

N

S

W E

Mauryan Empire c. 250 c. 250 B..C..

Pillar inscribed withBuddhist teachingsHeight of Mauryanempire under Asoka

KEY

The Mauryan dynasty built the first great Indian empire.1. Where was the Mauryan capital

of Pataliputra located?2. What part of India did the

Mauryans not conquer?

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CHAPTER 6 Early India 211

This stupa from central India is one of the best-preservedshrines from the 200s B.C. What other type of structuredid Indians create to honor the Buddha?

The Buddha

Emperor Asoka’s Reign Chandraguptafounded the Mauryan dynasty, but manyhistorians think the empire’s greatest kingwas Asoka (uh • SOH • kuh). Asoka ruledfrom about 273 B.C. to 232 B.C.

Asoka was an unusual ruler. Like manykings, he was a strong military leader, buthe came to hate bloodshed. After onebloody fight, he walked over the battlefield.When he saw the dead and wounded, hewas horrified and made a vow. He woulddedicate his life to peace and follow theteachings of the Buddha.

Asoka was history’s first greatBuddhist king. He built hospitals for peo-ple and for animals, too. He built newroads so it was easier to trade and putshelters and shade trees along the roadswhere travelers could rest.

Asoka sent many Buddhist teachersthroughout India and the rest of Asia. Theycarried the religion to new believers. In India,laborers carved the Buddha’s teachings onstone pillars for people to read. Asoka also

had laborers build thousands of stupas (STOO • puhs). Stupas are Buddhist shrinesthat have the shape of a dome or mound.

Although he was a Buddhist, Asokaallowed his Hindu subjects to practice theirreligion. His tolerance was unusual for thetime.

With a good road system and a strongruler, the empire prospered. India becamethe center of a huge trade network thatstretched to the Mediterranean Sea.

The Fall of the Mauryan Empire Asokadied in 232 B.C. Unfortunately, the kingswho followed him were not very good lead-ers, and the empire grew weak.

These kings made bad decisions thatturned the people against them. They forcedmerchants to pay heavy taxes and seizedpeasants’ crops for themselves. Things wereso bad that in 183 B.C., the last Mauryan rulerwas killed by one of his own generals.

Summarize Why wasAsoka an important ruler?

(l)Robert Harding Picture Library, (r)Hugh Sitton/Getty Images

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EMPEROR ASOKAReigned c. 273–232 B.C.

Emperor Asoka vowed to relieve suffering wherever he

found it. He discovered that Buddhism reflected his new

beliefs, so he became a Buddhist.

Emperor Asoka had a strong, energetic personality. He

began preaching the Buddhist ideas that people should

be honest, truthful, and nonviolent. He preached that

people should live with compassion toward all

humans and animals. Asoka taught by example and

tried to live his life with “little sin and many good

deeds.” He ordered his government officials to

adopt those virtues for their own lives. He also

ordered his officials to keep him informed of the

needs of the people in his empire.

Emperor Asoka regularly visited people in the

rural areas of his kingdom and found practical

ways to improve

their lives. He

founded hospitals

and supplied

medicine. He ordered

wells to be dug and

trees to be planted along

the roads.

Asoka

Carving from top of pillar

created under Asoka

Asoka combined religion and government. Do

you think that the two should be combined or

kept separate? Explain, providing examples to

support your answer.

(l)Ancient Art & Architecture Collection, (r)Hulton Archive/Getty Images News Services

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CHAPTER 6 Early India 213

The Gupta EmpireThe Gupta empire reunited much of

northern India and became wealthy through trade.

Reading Focus What types of products does the

United States trade with other countries? Read to learn

how the Gupta empire built its wealth on trade.

For 500 years, India had no strong ruler.Once again, small kingdoms fought withone another and made life miserable fortheir subjects. Then, in A.D. 320, one princein the Ganges River valley grew morepowerful than the others. Like an earlierruler, his name was Chandragupta. ThisChandragupta chose to rule from the oldcapital of the Mauryan empire—Pataliputra.

Chandragupta founded the Gupta dy-nasty. When he died, his son, Samudragupta,took over the throne and expanded theGupta empire in northern India. Soon, thenew kingdom dominated almost all of north-ern India. The Guptas ruled for about 200years. Gupta rulers had one advantage overthe earlier Mauryan kings. The empire wassmaller and that made it easier to manage.

The Gupta empire grew wealthy fromtrade. Salt, cloth, and iron were commongoods traded in India. Indian merchants alsotraded with China and with kingdoms insoutheast Asia and the Mediterranean. TheGupta rulers controlled much of the tradeand became very wealthy. They owned silverand gold mines and large estates.

Trade created jobs for people in India andmade many people and cities prosperous.Cities grew up along the trade routes, andmany people traveled. Some people, calledpilgrims (PIHL •gruhms), often used the traderoutes to travel to a religious shrine or site.Just as cities today make money fromtourism, Indian cities that were famous fortheir temples became wealthy from visitingpilgrims.

Asoka had converted to Buddhism, butthe Guptas were Hindus like many of theirsubjects. They made Hinduism the officialreligion and gave money to support Hinduscholars and Hindu shrines. The shrines theybuilt to Hindu gods and goddesses inspiredHindus. They often had brightly paintedsculptures of images from the Upanishadsand other sacred writings.

During the Gupta empire, art and sciencealso began to develop. Earlier, you learnedthat Greece had a golden age of art and learn-ing. India also had a golden age of art andlearning during the Gupta empire.

Explain How did the Guptaempire become wealthy?

500 km0Azimuthal Equidistant projection

500 mi.0

N

S

W E

INDIANOCEAN

Bayof

BengalArabian

Sea

Indu

s R.G

anges R.

HIN

DUKUSH H

IM

AL A Y A

G u p t a E m p i r e

I N D I A

70°E 90°E

30°N

10°N

Gupta Empire c.c. A..D. 600

The Guptas controlled much of northernIndia.1. What river valleys were found within the

borders of the Gupta empire?2. How does the area of the Gupta empire

compare to that of the Mauryan empire as shown on the map on page 210?

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Indian Literature and Science The Mauryan and Gupta empires made

important contributions in literature, mathematics,and science.

Reading Focus What do you think modern movies,

books, and television reveal about our values? As you

read, try to see if Indian poetry tells a story about val-

ues during the Gupta period.

Artists, builders, scientists, and writersproduced many works while the Mauryanand Gupta kings ruled.

India’s Most Famous Poems The Vedas ofIndia are ancient hymns and prayers for reli-gious ceremonies. No one is certain how oldthey are because for a long time they wereonly recited, not written down. Once Aryanpeople came to India and developedSanskrit, then the Vedas could be recorded.

Later, other kinds of literature were alsowritten down. Two epics are very famous inIndia, and Indians today still love to readthem. The first is the Mahabharata (muh • HAH •BAH • ruh • tuh), and the second is theRamayana (rah•mah•YAH•nah). Both of theselong poems tell about brave warriors andtheir heroic deeds.

The Mahabharata is the longest poem inany written language—about 88,000 verses.Historians think several different authorswrote it and that it was written down around100 B.C. It describes a great war for control ofan Indian kingdom about 1,000 years earlier.

The best-known section is the BhagavadGita (BAH • guh • VAHD GEE • tuh), or “Song ofthe Lord.” It is very important in Hindu writ-ings. In it, the god Krishna preaches a sermonbefore a battle. He tells his listeners hownoble it is to do one’s duty even when it isdifficult and painful.

214 CHAPTER 6 Early India

The Bhagavad GitaIn the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna prepares to go into battle. He asks the god Krishnaquestions about war and death. The following passage is part of Krishna’s answer.“Thou grievest where no grief should be! . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

All, that doth live, lives always! . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The soul that with a strong and constant calm

Takes sorrow and takes joy indifferently,

Lives in the life undying!—Bhagavadgita, Sir Edwin Arnold, trans.

What does Krishna believe about life afterdeath?

Painting titled Krishna and Maidens

The British Library, London/Bridgeman Art Library

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The Ramayana is another long poem. Itwas written at about the same time as theMahabharata. It tells of the great king Ramaand his queen Sita (SEE • tuh). Rama’s ene-mies have him banished from the king-dom. He is forced to live as a hermit in theforest. Later, he fights and defeats thedemon Ravana, who had kidnapped Sita.As in many Indian epics, they live happilyever after.

Like the Mahabharata, the Ramayanacontains many religious and moral les-sons. Rama is the perfect hero, king,and son. Sita is the perfect, faithfulwife. However, people enjoyed theepics for other reasons as well. Likeadventure movies of today, thesepoems told thrilling stories about greatheroes.

Other writings from ancient Indiahave also survived. These are quitedifferent from the Mahabharata andRamayana. One of India’s best-knownauthors was Kalidasa (KAH • lih • DAH • suh).He lived during the Gupta dynasty.Kalidasa wrote plays, poems, love stories,and comedies. His poem The CloudMessenger is one of the most popularSanskrit poems. It is a love story that alsocontains beautiful descriptions of themountains, forests, and rivers of northernIndia. A completely different work is thePanchantantra. It is similar to Aesop’sfables. In these tales, talking animal char-acters present lessons about life. MostIndian literature stresses the importance ofdharma. Each person, regardless of socialstatus, must do his or her duty.

Indian Math and Science Indian mathe-maticians, especially in the Gupta period,made important contributions. Aryabhata(AHR•yuh•BUHT•uh) was the leading mathe-matician of the Gupta empire. He was

one of the first scientists known to haveused algebra. Indian mathematiciansdeveloped the idea of zero and a symbol to represent it. They also explained theconcept of infinity—something without an end.

Gupta mathematicians created the sym-bols for the numbers 1 to 9 that we usetoday. These number symbols, or numerals,were adopted by Arab traders in the A.D. 700s. European traders borrowed themfrom the Arabs. Use of these numbers

CHAPTER 6 Early India 215

The Invention of Zero c. A.D. 500

Early humansunderstood the idea of nothing, but theydid not have a symbolto represent that idea.During the Guptadynasty, Indianmathematiciansinvented the symbol“0” and connected itwith the idea ofnothing. The Indians’invention of zero hada great impact on the

study of mathematics and science—thenand now.Without the concept of zero,modern technology, such as computers,would not be possible.

The middle dotis the firstsymbol for zero.

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Visit msworldhistory.com forHomework Helper.

Homework Helper

216 CHAPTER 6 Early India

Reading SummaryReview the • The Mauryan empire, under lead-

ers such as Chandragupta Mauryaand Asoka, united most of Indiafor over a hundred years.

• The Gupta dynasty reunitednorthern India and grew wealthyfrom trade.

• During the Mauryan and Guptaempires, the arts and sciencesflourished in India. Several greatworks of literature, including theMahabharata and the Ramayana,came from this period.

Homework Helper Need help with the material in this section? Visit jat.glencoe.com

1. Describe trade during theGupta empire.

2. What is the message of theBhagavad Gita?

Critical Thinking3. Organizing Information

Draw a diagram to show thecontributions of Indian mathe-maticians during the Mauryanand Gupta empires.

4. Analyze How were Asoka’sBuddhist beliefs reflected in hisaccomplishments as king?

5. Expository Writing Which ofthe Indian emperors describedin this section do you thinkwas the greatest ruler? Write ashort essay explaining yourchoice.

6. Math Link Why would thedevelopment of a number sys-tem be important in a civiliza-tion that depended on trade?

7. VocabularyExplain how you could usecontext to determine themeaning of the word prospered in this sentence.

“With a good road system and a strong ruler, the empireprospered.”

What Did You Learn?

Contributions

spread through Europe in the A.D. 1200s,replacing Roman numerals. Today, thissystem of number symbols is known as the Hindu-Arabic numerical system.

Early Indians also invented mathemati-cal algorithms. An algorithm (AHL •gohr • ih •thuhm) is a series of steps that solve a prob-lem. If you follow the steps, you get theright answer. Computer programmerstoday often use algorithms to tell comput-ers what to do.

Ancient Indians made important con-tributions in other scientific fields, espe-cially astronomy. They followed andmapped movements of planets and stars.They understood that the Earth was roundand revolved around the sun. They alsoseem to have understood gravity.

Indians developed ideas about whatthe universe was made of. As early as

the 500s B.C., Indian thinkers believed thatthe universe was made up of many verytiny particles. They came up with ideas of atoms before the Greeks in theWest did.

In the field of medicine, Gupta doctorswere advanced for their time. They couldset broken bones and perform operations.They also invented many medical tools.

An Indian doctor named Shushruta(shoosh • ROO • tah) carried out an earlyform of plastic surgery. He worked torestore damaged noses. Indian doctorsused herbs in treating illnesses.They alsobelieved it was important to remove thecauses of a disease and not just cure thedisease itself.

Summarize In whatbranches of science did ancient Indians makeadvances?

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