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The Rise and Fall of the Mauryan Empire

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The Mauryan Empire was the first major empire in the history of India and existed from around 324 BC to 185 BC. It was ruled by the Mauryan dynasty and was one of the was the largest and most powerful political and military empires of ancient India. Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan Empire by overthrowing the Nanda dynasty. In some ways Chandragupta rise to power was inspired by Alexander the Great. As a young man, he had seen the Macedonian army and believed that anything a European could do an Indian could do better, he decided to raise and train an army in a similar fashion. With this army, Chandragupta conquered the Nanda throne and took over the Nanda Dynasty. He continued to expand his power across central and western …show more content…

One of his most important conquests was the kingdom of Kalinga, who by its borders had kept the Mauryan Empire from accessing much of the Ganges river. This was enough of a reason to initiate an invasion. Ashoka led his military to eventual victory, but in the process witnessed first hand the massacre of hundreds of thousands by his orders as king. Feeling remorse from the sight of the large-scale carnage moved Ashoka

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