Que) Through light on the causes of the decline of the Mauryan empire.
Ans) Introduction –
The Maurya Kingdom was a South Asian Iron Age historical empire centred on Magadha, founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE and lasting until 185 BCE. The pMauryan empire used to be a very powerful empire, and under their rule, the Mauryan empire had expanded so much that foreign invaders remained in fear of the Mauryan empir. But After Ashoka’s death in 232 BC, the decline of the Mauryan Empire began. Brihadratha, the final king. One obvious cause for this was tha succession of week kings. Causes for the decline of the Maurya Empire:
1. Weak and ineligible successors –
According to historians, the biggest reason for the decline of the Mauryan Empire was the weak and incompetent successors of Emperor Ashoka. They failed to strengthen their governance system. For this reason, the control of the Maurya rulers from the empire started to end and the Maurya Empire kept on moving towards the downfall.
2. Weak Central Governance –
Due to the incompetence and weakness of the successors of Emperor Ashoka, the central government became weak. These rulers did not have control over their officers. For this reason, he kept losing control of his empire and in such a situation, the opponents got a chance to conspire in the country and destroy the influence of the ruler. After the weakening of the central rule, the Maurya Empire disintegrated.
3. Partition of the Empire –
Due to the weakening of the central authority of the Maurya Empire, many provinces declared their independence. Rebellion started in many provinces. The central government failed to suppress these rebellions. As a result many provinces became independent. In such a situation, the division of the Maurya Empire started.
4. Alien Invasion –
Seeing the Maurya Empire gradually weakening, many foreign powers started attacking the Maurya Empire. The rulers of the Maurya Empire failed to stop these invasions and gradually the doors were opened for many invaders to attack the Maurya Empire. They could not protect the Mauryan Empire from the enemies as a result of which their downfall gradually went on.
5. Nonviolent Policy –
Emperor Ashoka converted to Buddhism after the Kalinga war. Due to the principles of Buddhism being non-violent, Emperor Ashoka adopted a non-violent policy and he stopped paying attention to military power. Due to the lack of need for war, the number of soldiers went on decreasing. Because of this, his army gradually became weak. After this, when the Greek invaders attacked the Maurya Empire, the weakened Maurya army could not face it and failed to protect its empire.
6. Economic reasons –
According to historians, the Maurya Empire had started passing through economic difficulties. According to him, the successors of Emperor Ashoka used to impose new taxes on the public. A feeling of indignation arose in the minds of the people who were burdened by these taxes and they started revolting. His trust in the rulers was completely over.Due to these reasons, the downfall of Maurya Empire started.
7. Brahmin Reaction –
Emperor Ashoka had adopted Buddhism. Along with this, he also neglected the Brahmin religion. As a result, a feeling of dissatisfaction started arising in the Brahmin community. They gradually started opposing the Maurya Empire and the discrimination against their religion. As a result, initiation started taking place among the people here.According to historians, Pushyamitra’s rebellion was the result of Emperor Ashoka’s partiality towards Brahmin religion.
8. Oppressive rulers –
According to some historians, some of the successors of Emperor Ashoka were extremely tyrannical. They used to torture. the public arbitrarily. They wanted to keep the public under their control through their autocratic rule. In such a situation, the public raised the voice of protest.
Conclusion –
The first great Indian empire, which provided a wonderful epoch for the country, has perished forever. The Mauryan Empire began to fall apart after Ashoka’s death in 232 BC. In 185 BC-183 BC, Brihadratha, the last monarch, was assassinated by his Brahmin general Pushyamitra Shunga. The Maurya Dynasty came apart shortly after the death of Ashoka. One obvious factor was the succession of weak rulers. Thus ended the mighty Maurya Empire.