Social Science [3 Mark Questions]

The means adopted by Ashoka to spread the message of Dhamma were:

1. He appointed officers known as dharam-mahamatras to spread and explain the message of Dhamma.
2. He wrote his message on rocks and pillars which were erected in different parts of the empire.

They were written in Prakrit, the language of the people.

There were a number of problems that troubled that troubled Ashoka. People in the empire followed different religions and this sometimes led to conflict. Animals were sacrificed. Slaves and servants were ill-treated. There were quarrels in the family and among the neighbours.
He felt it was his duty to solve these problems.

The occupations followed by the people were:

1. Farming.
2. Pastoral farming.
3. Food gathering in the forest.
4. Masonry.
5. Carpentery.
6. Stone cutting and craftsmanship.

Ashoka was the most famous Mauryan ruler. He was the first ruler who tried to take his message to the people through inscriptions. Most of his inscriptions were in Prakrit and were written in Brahmi script.

The most famous war fought by Ashoka was the War of Kalinga. The blood and violence compelled him to abandon the fights on a large scale. The War of Kalinga diverted him to the teachings of Buddha. He is the only king in the history who gave up conquest after winning the war.

1. Megasthenes gives seven divisions in society. The division was based on the different occupations of the people.
2. Varna system is mentioned in the Ashokan edicts. However, it was not very rigid.
3. Social inequalities did exist. Women were employed as the king’s bodyguards and even as spies.

The principles of Dhamma were:

1. People should live in peace and harmony.
2. Respect and tolerance to all irrespective of caste, creed and religion.
3. Shunning violence and war.
4. Stopping animal sacrifice and non-vegetarianism.

1. The most famous Mauryan ruler was Ashoka.
2. Ashoka was the first ruler who tried to teach his message to the people through inscriptions.
3. The most of Ashoka’s inscriptions were written in Prakrit.

1. Pataliputra (the capital town),
2. Taxila, and
3. Ujjain.

1. Pataliputra, the capital town of the Mauryan empire. It was main centre of all political activities and administration.
2. Taxila (nowadays in modem Pakistan) was a gateway to the northwest, including Central Asia.
3. Ujjain lay on the route from north (India) to south India. Merchants, officials and crafts persons probably lived in all the above mentioned three cities.

1. (Modern) Afghanistan.
2. (Modern) Pakistan.
3. India.
4. Sri Lanka.
5. Syria.
6. Egypt.
7. Greece

1. Chandragupta.
2. Bindusara, and
3. Ashoka.

Chandragupta Maurya founded the first most powerful Indian empire. He strengthened his army and captured areas of Punjab, Gujarat and South India. He expanded his boundary from Afghanistan in the west to Assam in the East and from Kashmir in the North to Karnataka in the South. Chandragupta crossed Indus in 305 BC and defeated Seleucus, the Greek ruler. Seleucus was forced to sign a peace treaty and give his daughter in marriage to Chandragupta.

The Mauryas tried to control roads and rivers. These were important for transport w and to collect whatever resources were available as tax and tribute. For example, the Arthashastra (the famous literary work of Kautilaya or Chanakya) tells us that the north¬west was important for blankets and south India for its gold and precious stones.

According to the account of Megasthenes, the emperor appeared in public with grand royal processions. He was carried in a golden palanquin. Elephants guarding were decorated with gold and silver. The king was surrounded by armed women, as he was afraid someone might kill him. He never slept in the same bedroom for two nights. He had special servants who would taste his food before the king ate it.

According to Megasthenes, Pataliputra was a beautiful city surrounded by a huge wall. It had 570 towers and 64 gates. The houses had two or three storeys and were made of wood and mud brick. The palace of the king was made of wood with stone carvings. It was surrounded with gardens and enclosures for keeping birds.

At the apex of the whole administration was the emperor who was the fountain-head of all authority. His powers were limited. He was the law giver, the supreme judge, the commander of the army and the chief executive. He was trained to fulfil these responsibilities. With the expansion of the Mauryan Empire, the functions and powers of the king further increased.

The Mauryans built many stupas, viharas and pillars.

1. Stupa: A stupa is a domed structure of bricks and stones. One such famous stupa is at Sanchi, near Bhopal built by Ashoka. There are beautiful carved gateways on four sides.
2. Viharas: Viharas are monasteries of the Buddhist monks. The earliest were rock-cut caves, made during the Mauryan times. The best known are at Barabar hills. They are carved out of granite hills, the walls of which still shine like mirror.
3. Pillars: The pillars were normally a single stone, weighing about 50 tons and more than 30 feet tall. It had to be chiselled, shaped and polished. The capital of the column was crowned with the figures of bulls and lions. One of the famous pillars with its four lion figure is located at the Sarnath Museum. This Ashokan capital is India’s National Emblem.

The Kalinga war was the turning point of Ashoka's life. The war was devastating and Kalinga was destroyed completely. Ashoka himself was horrified when he witnessed the bloodshed. More than one lakh people were killed. After realizing the consequences of war, Ashoka gave up warfare and his policy of conquest. He embraced Buddhism and swore he would rule and conquer by dhamma, the prakrit word for dharma.

The king appointed some men of high character and great wisdom as his ministers whom he consulted before deciding any policy. The ministers were of two ranks the Mantris and the Amatyas. The mantris were senior ministers who were his chief advisors and also helped him in the conduct of administration. Amatyas were executive officers working under the mantris carrying out the work of different departments.

Ashoka's dhamma was not related to the worship of any god or performance of sacrifice. He considered that it was his responsibility, just like a father has towards his children, to instruct the people of the empire so as to reduce conflicts among them. He was inspired by the teachings of the Buddha.

After the death of Ashoka in 232 BC, the central control from Pataliputra became weak, as they had neither the acumen nor the leadership skills of their predecessors. Such a vast empire, therefore became difficult to be managed, as the network of roads was damaged by floods. The state became financially weak, as the administration failed to collect revenues. Provinces started disintegrating and in 185 BC, the Mauryan Empire declined.

Ashoka embraced Buddhism after the Kalinga war. This war was the turning point of his life. The war was devastating and Kalinga was destroyed completely. Ashoka himself was horrified when he witnessed the bloodshed. More than one lakh people were killed. After realizing the consequences of war, Ashoka gave up warfare and his policy of conquest. Hem braced Buddhism and swore he would rule and conquer by dharma.

Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Mauryan empire. He defeated Dhananda the last Nanda ruler. His court was adorned by wise men like Kautilya and ambassadors like Megasthenes. Many of Chanakya's ideas were written down in a book called theArthashastra. Megasthenes was sent to the court of Chandragupta by the Greek ruler of West Asia named Seleucus Nicator. He has given a lot of information regarding the King and the capital city of Pataliputra.

The Mauryan empire was one of the largest empires to rule the Indian subcontinent. In the Mauryan empire, there were several cities such as the capital Pataliputra, Taxila and Ujjain. Taxila was a gateway to the northwest, including Central Asia, while Ujjain lay on the route from north to south India. Merchants, officials and crafts persons probably lived in these cities.

Since Ashoka became a devout Buddhist, he began to spread the teachings of Buddha by issuing edicts. These edicts were engraved on the rocks or pillars in Brahmi and Prakrit language so that even common people could read them. As Ashoka wanted the message to reach all his subjects, he used the language which they could understand. Ashoka believed in high ideals, which could lead his people to be good and virtuous beings.

Administration was decentralized. Provinces had governors and only the area in the immediate proximity of the capital was under the direct supervision of the emperor. Spies too were deployed to monitor the functioning of officials.

Ashoka fought a war to conquer Kalinga. It was his last war. He decided to give up fighting wars after the victory over Kalinga, because he was horrified by the violence and bloodshed in that. He is the only king in the history of the world who gave up conquest after winning a war.

Tributes were gifts that were given to the rulers by people with free will, taxes on the other hand were levied by the state administration and had to be paid. The taxes were the main source of revenue for the state.