Major Dynasties (Maurya to Chola)

Paper Prelims

1. Pushyamitra Shunga founded the Shunga dynasty in 185 BCE after killing the last Mauryan ruler Brihadratha during a military review.
2. Gautamiputra Shatakarni restored Satavahana prestige by defeating the Western Kshatrapa Nahapana and overstriking his silver coins.
3. Kanishka I is linked with the beginning of the Shaka era in 78 CE and the Kushan high phase across northwest India and Central Asia.
4. Samudragupta's Prayag Prashasti presents him as conqueror, donor and cultured monarch through Aryavarta, southern and frontier campaigns.
5. Harshavardhana's southern advance was checked by Pulakeshin II at the Narmada, confirming the Deccan limit of his power.
6. The tripartite struggle centred on Kannauj and involved the Gurjara-Pratiharas, Palas and Rashtrakutas from the late eighth century.
7. The Uttiramerur inscriptions of 919 and 921 CE describe Chola local governance through Sabha, Kudavolai and Variyam committees.
8. The Second Battle of Tarain in 1192 broke Chauhan supremacy and opened the path to Turkish rule at Delhi.

Key facts

Pushyamitra Shunga founded the Shunga dynasty in 185 BCE after killing the last Mauryan ruler Brihadratha during a military review.
Kanishka I is linked with the beginning of the Shaka era in 78 CE and the Kushan high phase across northwest India and Central Asia.
The Uttiramerur inscriptions of 919 and 921 CE describe Chola local governance through Sabha, Kudavolai and Variyam committees.
The Second Battle of Tarain in 1192 broke Chauhan supremacy and opened the path to Turkish rule at Delhi.

Key Points at a Glance

1
Pushyamitra Shunga founded the Shunga dynasty in 185 BCE after killing the last Mauryan ruler Brihadratha during a military review.
2
Gautamiputra Shatakarni restored Satavahana prestige by defeating the Western Kshatrapa Nahapana and overstriking his silver coins.
3
Kanishka I is linked with the beginning of the Shaka era in 78 CE and the Kushan high phase across northwest India and Central Asia.
4
Samudragupta's Prayag Prashasti presents him as conqueror, donor and cultured monarch through Aryavarta, southern and frontier campaigns.
5
Harshavardhana's southern advance was checked by Pulakeshin II at the Narmada, confirming the Deccan limit of his power.
6
The tripartite struggle centred on Kannauj and involved the Gurjara-Pratiharas, Palas and Rashtrakutas from the late eighth century.
7
The Uttiramerur inscriptions of 919 and 921 CE describe Chola local governance through Sabha, Kudavolai and Variyam committees.
8
The Second Battle of Tarain in 1192 broke Chauhan supremacy and opened the path to Turkish rule at Delhi.

Why are the Ashokan Edicts central to understanding the Mauryan Empire?

The Ashokan Edicts are central to understanding the Mauryan Empire because they turn Ashoka's dhamma, administration and public communication into the earliest large imperial inscriptional record available to historians.

According to NCERT, the Mauryan Empire had five major political centres: Pataliputra, Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali and Suvarnagiri.

Ashokan Edicts

Ashokan Edicts were deciphered by James Prinsep, 1838.

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PREDICTED Predicted RAS Questions

Based on PYQ trends and 2026 syllabus analysis

1 MCQ Arrange the following Mauryan-period events in chronological order: I. Treaty between Chandragupta Maurya and Seleucus Nikator; II. Coronation of Ashoka; III. Kalinga War; IV. James Prinsep's decipherment of Brahmi.

A I-II-III-IV Correct answer
B II-I-III-IV
C I-III-II-IV
D II-III-I-IV

Explanation

The treaty with Seleucus Nikator belongs to about 305 BCE and therefore comes first in the sequence. Ashoka's coronation is placed at 268 BCE, while the Kalinga War occurred later in 261 BCE in his 8th regnal year, so II must come before III. James Prinsep's decipherment of Brahmi belongs to 1837, many centuries later, making IV the last event. Option B is tempting because students often remember Ashoka before Chandragupta and reverse the earlier Mauryan chronology.