The Mauryan Dynasty
In 321 BC the Mauryan dynasty began in the Ganges civilization. An Aryan king conquered most of India and ruled over a great empire. In 268 BC his grandson, Asoka, became king. By this time all India was in the Mauryan empire except the south and Kalinga on the east coast.
Asoka (268-231 BC)
Asoka was one of the greatest kings of all time. He was born a Hindu. Asoka defeated the kalingans in a terrible war. 100 000 men were killed and 150 000 became prisoners. Many hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes. Asoka was vwry sad when he saw all this suffering. He decided to rule his empire with peace and kindness and not by war and cruelty. Asoka became a Buddhist.
Asoka helps the people
Asoka ordered roads to be made all over his empire, and trees to be planted to give shade for travelers. Shelters were built and wells dug for them. Monks grew herbs to make medicines and took care of the poor and the old people. Asoka’s men dug many canals to water the fields. His craftsmen painted pictures and made statues. It was a time of great peace and happiness. Asoka sent monks to other parts of India and South-east Asia to teach people about Budda. He wanted to spread Buddhism to other countries.
The struggle between Buddhism and Hinduism
After Asoka died in 231 BC the Mauryan Kings were very week. The last king was murdered in 184 BC and the dynasty ended. Much of India went back to the Hindu religion. The new kings killed many Buddhist monks. This helped the Hindu priests in their struggle against Buddhism. However, Buddhism was still very strong outside India. The map above shows you where Buddhism became important in Asia. At one time most of the people in the lands coloured grey on the map above were Buddist. Today Buddhism is very strong in the areas coloured purple.
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