Maurya Empire
The Maurya Empire (322–180 BCE) was the first empire to cover most of South Asia, including the present-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya (reign: 321–297 BCE) after he overthrew the Nanda Dynasty and defeated the surviving forces of Alexander the Great. It would be expanded further under his son Bindusara (reign: 297–273 BCE) and grandson Ashoka (reign: 268–232 BCE).
UnderstandAshoka was said to have been deeply remorseful after personally witnessing the destruction and cost in human lives resulting from his conquest of Kalinga, which is the present-day Odisha and parts of Andhra Pradesh.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Maurya Empire" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Deztar, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons