The Maurya Empire: Map & History
The first pan-Indian empire, uniting nearly the entire subcontinent from modern Afghanistan to southern Karnataka under Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka the Great.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sources for the written records of the Mauryan times are partial records of the lost history of Megasthenes in Roman texts of several centuries later; and the Edicts of Ashoka. Archaeologically, the period of Mauryan rule in South Asia falls into the era of Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW).
Modern Countries Once Part of The Maurya Empire
At its mapped extent, The Maurya Empire covered territory in 6 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Nepal318–171 BCE · nearly all
- Bangladesh318–171 BCE · nearly all
- Pakistan315–226 BCE · nearly all
- India318–171 BCE · most
- Bhutan318–226 BCE · a large part
- Afghanistan301–226 BCE · a small part
States and Provinces
- Uttar Pradesh, India
- Andhra Pradesh, India
- Maharashtra, India
- Punjab, Pakistan
- Karnataka, India
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli, India
- Rajasthan, India
- Haryana, India
- West Bengal, India
- Madhya Pradesh, India
- N.W.F.P., Pakistan
- Tamil Nadu, India
- Bihar, India
- Orissa, India
- Punjab, India
- Sind, Pakistan
- Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Rajshahi, Bangladesh
- Baluchistan, Pakistan
- Jammu and Kashmir, India
- Assam, India
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside The Maurya Empire's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
The Maurya Empire in Depth
History
The primary sources for the written records of the Mauryan times are partial records of the lost history of Megasthenes in Roman texts of several centuries later; and the Edicts of Ashoka, which were first read in the modern era by James Prinsep after he had deciphered the Brahmi and Kharoshthi scripts in 1838. The Arthashastra, a work first discovered in the early 20th century, and previously attributed to a Kautilya, who was mistakenly identified with Chanakya, is now thought to be composed by multiple authors in the first centuries of the common era, has lost its value as a source for Mauryan times, as it describes post-Mauryan customs.
The origins of the Maurya Empire are shrouded in legend.
Military
The expansion and defence of the empire was made possible by what appears to have been one of the largest armies in the world during the Iron Age.
According to Megasthenes, the empire wielded a military of 600,000 infantry, 30,000 cavalry, 8,000 chariots and 9,000 war elephants besides followers and attendants.
Megasthenes mentions military command consisting of six boards of five members each, (i) Navy (ii) Military transport (iii) Infantry (iv) Cavalry and Catapults (v) Chariot divisions and (vi) Elephants.
Economy
In many ways, the economic situation in the Mauryan Empire is analogous to the Roman Empire of several centuries later. Both had extensive trade connections and both had organisations similar to corporations. While Rome had organisational entities which were largely used for public state-driven projects, Mauryan India had numerous private commercial entities. These existed purely for private commerce and developed before the Mauryan Empire itself.
Natural history
The protection of animals in India was advocated by the time of the Maurya dynasty; being the first empire to provide a unified political entity in India, the attitude of the Mauryas towards forests, their denizens, and fauna in general is of interest.
The Mauryas firstly looked at forests as resources. For them, the most important forest product was the elephant. Military might in those times depended not only upon horses and men but also battle-elephants; these may played a role in the defeat of Seleucus, one of Alexander the Great's former generals. The Mauryas sought to preserve supplies of elephants since it was cheaper and took less time to catch, tame and train wild elephants than to raise them.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Maurya Empire (CC BY-SA 4.0).
The Maurya Empire: Key Facts
| Capitals | Pataliputra, Patna |
|---|---|
| Official language | Prakrit |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Form of government | absolute monarchy |
| Founded | 322 BCE |
| Dissolved | 185 BCE |
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Facts from Wikidata Q62943 (CC0).
Maurya Empire Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which The Maurya Empire appears, with the other states of the time.
Imperial History & Territorial Expansion
Founded by Chandragupta Maurya with the guidance of master strategist Chanakya (Kautilya), the Maurya Empire overthrew the Nanda dynasty and defeated Alexander’s successor Seleucus I Nicator. At its peak under Emperor Ashoka, the empire governed over 5 million square kilometers and 50 million people. Following the bloody Kalinga War, Ashoka embraced Buddhism and carved moral edicts on monumental stone pillars across the subcontinent, pioneering state welfare, religious harmony, and diplomatic peace missions to Greece, Egypt, and Sri Lanka.
Maurya Empire Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Chandragupta and Chanakya overthrow the Nanda Dynasty in Magadha.
Mauryan sovereignty recognized over Arachosia, Gedrosia, and the Hindu Kush.
Ashoka takes the throne, presiding over immense economic and urban growth.
Horrified by wartime devastation, Ashoka adopts Buddhism and proclaims Ahimsa (non-violence).
Moral edicts engraved on rock pillars across 5.0 million km² of South Asia.
Key Monarchs, Architects & Strategists
Enduring Planetary Legacy
- ✓The Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath, adopted as the national emblem of modern India
- ✓The Arthashastra, one of world history’s earliest comprehensive treatises on statecraft and economic intelligence
- ✓Spread of Theravada Buddhism across Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and the Greco-Bactrian realms
- ✓Construction of the Grand Trunk Road (Uttarapatha) connecting Bengal to the Khyber Pass
Maurya Empire: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Maurya Empire exist?
The Maurya Empire is dated to 324 BCE – 187 BCE (Peak: 250 BCE), in the Classical Antiquity era.
What was the capital of the Maurya Empire?
The capital of the Maurya Empire was Pataliputra (Modern Patna).
How large was the Maurya Empire at its peak?
At its peak in 250 BC the Maurya Empire covered about 5,000,000 km².