Skip to content
Civil Services Notes Civil Services Notes Civil Services Notes

Disintegration of the Mauryan Empire

Disintegration of the Mauryan Empire

Section titled “Disintegration of the Mauryan Empire”

2020-04-27 11:51:00

  • Later rulers were Kunala, Dasharatha, Samprati, Salishuka, Devavarman, Satadhanvan and Brihadratha.

Reasons for Disintegration

Section titled “Reasons for Disintegration”

  1. Disorder emerged in adm due to frequent successions of Kings and whether to follow the Dhamma of Ashoka or dispense it with

  2. Dhammamahamattas had grown powerful and were interfering politically in the administration

  3. Kings that succeeded him were not strong enough to carry with the administration established as overwhelmingly new officials came in leading to a fragmentation of the central authority. This view was put forward by Dr R.K. Mookherjee.

    • Romila Thapar has also supported this theory. Division of empire b/w Kunal and Dasrath contributed to the downfall

  4. Frequent uprisings, ==collapse of the complex system== of spies, military inactivity are some of the reasons for decline.

  5. V. A. Smith and Har Prasad Shastri say that usurpation by Pushyamitra was a ==strong Brahmanical reaction to the rise of Buddhism and Ashoka’s policies.==

    • They suggest that Dhammamahamattas were opressing the Brhamanas and destroying their prestige.
    • If this was the case why did the reaction occur immediately after Ashoka,
    • Ashokan’s inscription say to respect all religions.

  6. Dr H.C. Raychaudhary saya that ==Ashoka’s pacifist policies== made the military and himself weak.

    • Ashoka’s policies on non-violence was not absolute.
    • He did not completely abandon death penalties,
    • killings of animals did not stop completely
    • it only reduced considerably.
    • If he was such a pacifist why did he not restore Kalinga to its ruler but instead annexed it.

  7. Economic problems faced by Ashoka has been emphasized by DD Kosambi.

    • He says that taxation was excessive and later phase punch marked coins have shown debasement
    • Suggested that ==states monopoly on iron and other mines were compromised due to intervention by local chiefs== and due to the increase in expanding agrarian economy.
    • Excessive deforestation would have caused more draughts, famines and natural disaster further draining the state treasury in repair and rehabilitation works

    Romila Thapar has pointed that debasement of coins does not suggest crisis it could have been done by merchants following the polititcal crisis that developed leading to hording of coins.

  8. Growth of Local Polities

    • Frequent changing of kings meant that the ==loyalty of the local chiefs also changed== with it.
    • These chiefs were appointed from among the locals to govern them
    • were very powerful often ruling concurrently with the later Mauryas.

References : Mauryan Empire -> Romila Thapar ![[Mauryan Empire- History of Early India By Thapar.pdf]]

More

*Image unavailable in web version: SOGDIANA Kucha Kashgar pactra ‘k e Taxilä G’ KUSHAN= ÄRACHOS/AÄ EMPIRE -u(1Kt-3td c.CE) Ma hura GEDROSI NGA EMPIRE wurfaii CHINA Iißutra ATR PS • ---V Barygazå KALINGA Bandhärao. pule. Pra IS t Is TAVAHAN A aravati PAN AN CHOLAS KING 0M KINCDOjU

PYQs

Section titled “PYQs”
  1. Do you think that the economic factors were alone responsible for the disintegration of the Mauryan Empire? [1982, 20m]
  1. Examine the administrative system of the Mauryas and discuss briefly the causes of disintegration of the Mauryan Empire. [1984, 60m]