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Empires of India

Empires of India. Early Empires. By 512 BC, The Persians had pushed their empire east to the Indus River Valley The Aryans still contolled the majority of northeast India, but it was split into many states The strongest of these states was Magadha. Persian Empire (500 BC).

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Empires of India

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  1. Empires of India

  2. Early Empires • By 512 BC, The Persians had pushed their empire east to the Indus River Valley • The Aryans still contolled the majority of northeast India, but it was split into many states • The strongest of these states was Magadha

  3. Persian Empire (500 BC)

  4. The Magadha State • The Magadha state allied itself with many surrounding states to fend off Persian expansion • Magadha would eventually push its mini-empire into the Ganges region • The Magadha state would not last, declining in power by 334 BC

  5. The Maurya Dynasty • With the Magadha state in decline, Chandragupta Maurya seized power from the last ruler of Magadha • Chandragupta would expand the remnants of Magadha to the Bay of Bengal and the Hindu Kush Mountains • The Maurya Empire was the largest yet seen in India Chandragupta Maurya

  6. The Maurya Dynasty • Chandragupta established his court at Pataliputra, on the Ganges River • Fearful to leave the palace at Pataliputra, Chandragupta and his successors split the empire into many provinces, each to be overseen by local governors • The governers would regulate tax collection, justice, transportation, and defence in their respective province

  7. Asoka • Asoka was the best known Mauryan emperor, ruling from 269 to 232 BC • Under his rule, the empire would reach its greatest size • During the conquest of Southern India, a massacre of more than 100,000 people occured • Feeling great remorse for the deaths, Asoka renounced violence and converted to Buddhism

  8. Asoka • As a Buddhist, Asoka began preaching the virtues of good work, nonviolence, and religious tolerance • Stoopahs were built for monks throughout the empire and roads repaired, so that pilgramages could be made to religious shrines • Asoka spread Buddhism to Southeast Asia and modern day Sri Lanka by dispatching missionaries throughout the region

  9. A Stoopah in the Mauryan Capital of Pataliputra

  10. The Age of Invasions • After Asoka’s death, civil war erupted in the Mauryan Empire • Many groups pushed into the former Mauryan Empire from the north, but most were assimilated into Indian culture • The Bactrian Greeks and the Kushans were the only invaders to influence Indian culture and society

  11. The Bactrian Greeks • Composed of descendants of Alexander the Great’s invading army, the Bactrian Greeks pushed deep into the former Mauryan Empire • Their leader, King Demetrius, encouraged a blending of eastern and western cultures • The Bactrians brought Greek influence into sculpture, medicine, astronomy, astrology, and currency in India Bactrian Currency Blended Greek and Indian Influences

  12. The Kushans • The Bactrians were eventually assimilated into Indian culture, but another group soon took their place • The Kushans first conquered northern India before moving north to modern day Pakistan • The Kushans ruled India for 200 years, encouraging art, medical studies, and construction

  13. Kanishka • Kanishka led the Kushans during their conquest of India and Pakistan • Like Asoka, Kanishka converted to Buddhism, employing 500 monks to regulate Buddhist teachings in his empire • Kanishka’s monks’ meetings resulted in the creation of Mahayana Buddhism • His opening of trade to China led to the expansion of Mahayana Buddhism into East Asia

  14. The Gupta Empire • While the Western Roman Empire was collapsing in Europe, India experienced a golden age of peace and prosperity under the Gupta Empire • Between 320 and 535 AD, the Gupta Empire would reunite the warring factions in Central India, south of the former Kushan Empire

  15. The Gupta Empire • The founder of the Gupta Empire, Chandra Gupta I, promoted the study of arts and sciences, and brought about a period of peace where violent crime was extremely rare • The Gupta Empire maintained its Buddhist influences, but the Buddhist religion in India became assimilated into Hinduism during empire’s reign • The empire soon became weak with the Hun invasion of Central Asia, and India was driven into a thousand years of rule by small, independent kingdoms

  16. The Tamils • While the empires of India rose and fell in the North, the South of India could never be conquered • The Tamils, the rulers in the south maintained their distinct culture, absorbing the diverse traditions of Hinduism • The Tamils maintained a strong trade relationship with the Roman Empire before its downfall • After its collapse, the Tamils began trading heavily with China Modern Day Tamiland

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