Mauryan and Gupta Empires

The Mauryan Empire (c. 321–185 BCE)

• Founded by Chandragupta Maurya with the help of Kautilya (Chanakya), author of the Arthashastra; capital Pataliputra.
• Megasthenes, ambassador of Seleucus Nicator, wrote Indica.
• Ashoka: after the Kalinga War (c. 261 BCE) adopted the policy of Dhamma; spread Buddhism; his edicts are mostly in Prakrit in the Brahmi script (Kharosthi in the north-west, Greek and Aramaic in Afghanistan).
• Third Buddhist Council at Pataliputra under Ashoka.

The Gupta Empire (c. 320–550 CE)

• Chandragupta I began the Gupta era (320 CE).
• Samudragupta: conquests recorded in the Allahabad (Prayag) Pillar inscription composed by Harisena; called the "Napoleon of India" by V. A. Smith.
• Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya): Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hien visited; Kalidasa adorned his court.
• Science: Aryabhata (Aryabhatiya), Varahamihira. Nalanda university founded under Kumaragupta I.

Prelims pointers

1. Mauryan administration was highly centralised; Gupta administration was more decentralised with land grants.
2. The Gupta period is often called the "Classical Age" for art, literature and science.

Analogy

The Mauryas ran India like a single head office with branch managers reporting daily; the Guptas ran it like a franchise. Ashoka's head office sent the same edicts everywhere, while the Guptas let local chiefs and land-grant holders manage much of their own affairs as long as they accepted the emperor.