Indian Empires

Pages 136-139

Lesson 5

Maurya Empire

• 330 BC – India was controlled by Alexander the Great.

• Mauryan Empire developed after Alexander’s death

• Lasted 140 years• Capital: Pataliputra

Chandragupta Maurya

• Local ruler who gained power after Alexander’s death

• Difficult to rule such a large area so built roads using tax money

• Taxes: ¼ of crops, or other payments

• Built the Grand Trunk Road from Taxila to Pataliputra

Asoka

• Grandson of Chandragupta

• Conquered much of southern India

• First cruel & violent, then Buddhist

• Spread Buddhism to neighboring lands.

• Built stupas or shrines to Buddha.

Gupta Empire

• 320AD – 535AD• Northern India, not as

large as Mauryan Empire.

• Golden age of India – Arts, Learning & Culture flourished.

• Peace & prosperity for India

Chandragupta I

• Picked his name to remind people of the Mauryan Empire.

• Founded the Gupta empire in 320AD.

• Northeast India

Samudragupta

• 330-380AD ruled the Gupta Empire

• Expanded the empire

• Conquered lands paid tribute (taxes) to his empire, but the local people stayed in control.

Chandragupta II

• Samudragupta’s son• 380-415AD• Expanded empire• Prosperous with trade• Encouraged learning

and arts

Kalidasa

• Writer, poet and playwright

• Worked for Chandragupta II

• Wrote the famous Indian play “Shakuntala”

Look To this Day

Look to this day:For it is life, the very life of life.In its brief courseLie all the verities and realities of your existence.The bliss of growth,The glory of action,The splendour of achievement Are but experiences of time. For yesterday is but a dreamAnd tomorrow is only a vision;And today well-lived, makesYesterday a dream of happinessAnd every tomorrow a vision of hope.Look well therefore to this day;Such is the salutation to the ever-new dawn!

Ajanta Cave Paintings• Scenes of Indian life

and the life of Buddha.

Ajanta

Architecture

• Designing buildings• Some temple still

survive in India

Mathematics

• Indian mathematicians discovered:– Zero and the number 1 to 9, later adopted by Arabs

and used now in many countries.– Determined the length of the year: 365 days– Earth is round, rotates, and revolves around the sun.

End of the Guptas

• The empire declined after the death pf Chandragupta II, and in 450 AD the Huns invaded and took over the empire.

• In 520 AD, small kingdoms ruled northern India again.