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Mauryas to Guptas – UPSC GS1

This module of the GS Paper 1: History, Culture, Geography & Society course covers mauryan empire and ashoka, post-mauryan kingdoms, sangam age and the gupta period. It has 5 study lessons and a 41-question practice quiz. Free lessons can be read in full; premium lessons show a preview.

Lessons in this module

1. The Mauryan Empire: Chandragupta, Administration and Economy

Free 7 min

The Mauryan period (c. 321–185 BCE) is the first in Indian history for which we have a rich variety of sources: Arthashastra of Kautilya (Chanakya/Vishnugupta) – a treatise on statecraft, economy, law and espionage. It…

2. Ashoka: Kalinga War, Dhamma, Edicts and Mauryan Art

Premium 7 min

Ashoka (c. 268–232 BCE) was a son of Bindusara. Before becoming king he served as viceroy at Taxila and Ujjain. Buddhist texts say he fought his brothers for the throne, and there was a gap…

3. Post-Mauryan India: Shungas, Satavahanas, Indo-Greeks, Shakas and Kushanas

Premium 7 min

After the Mauryas, India had no single empire for about five centuries. It was once called a "dark age", but historians now see it as one of the most creative periods: trade with Rome and…

4. The Sangam Age: Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas and Tamil Literature

Premium 7 min

The Sangam Age (roughly 3rd century BCE – 3rd century CE) is the early historical period of the far south – present-day Tamil Nadu, Kerala and parts of Karnataka and Andhra – known as Tamilakam.…

5. The Gupta Age and Harsha: Polity, Society, Science and Culture

Premium 7 min

The Gupta empire (c. 320–550 CE) rose in the middle Ganga plains (eastern UP and Bihar), where the Kushanas had weakened. Its rulers were probably of vaishya origin, but they strengthened their position by marriage…

 Module quiz: Mauryas to Guptas (41 questions)

Maps & infographics in this module

Map of the Mauryan Empire around 260 BCE
Map of the Mauryan Empire around 260 BCE. Credit: Wikimedia Commons · CC0.
Map of the Indian subcontinent shading the approximate Mauryan empire from Afghanistan to Bengal and Karnataka, with Pataliputra and provincial capitals Taxila, Ujjain, Tosali and Suvarnagiri
The empire covered almost the whole subcontinent except the far south. Shading by modern state is only a rough guide.
Organogram of Mauryan administration from the king to central officials, provinces, districts, villages and the city committees
A layered bureaucracy backed by spies and a standing army.
Seven cards listing Kautilya's seven elements of the state: king, ministers, territory, fort, treasury, army and allies
Kautilya's saptanga theory is one of the earliest systematic theories of the state.
An Ashokan pillar with a lion capital at Vaishali (Kolhua), Bihar
An Ashokan pillar with a lion capital at Vaishali (Kolhua), Bihar. Credit: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain.
Map marking Ashokan inscription sites: major rock edicts at Girnar, Kalsi, Shahbazgarhi, Dhauli, Jaugada, Sopara and Erragudi; minor edicts at Maski, Rupnath and Bairat; pillars at Sarnath, Lumbini and Topra; and the Kandahar bilingual edict
Edicts were placed on trade routes, near towns and at border areas so that people could hear them read out.

Frequently asked questions

Lessons: The Mauryan Empire: Chandragupta, Administration and Economy; Ashoka: Kalinga War, Dhamma, Edicts and Mauryan Art; Post-Mauryan India: Shungas, Satavahanas, Indo-Greeks, Shakas and Kushanas; The Sangam Age: Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas and Tamil Literature; The Gupta Age and Harsha: Polity, Society, Science and Culture.

Answer: R. Shamasastry. In 1905.

Answer: Six committees of five. Six committees, five members each.

Answer: Arachosia, Gedrosia and Paropamisadae. In return for 500 elephants.

Answer: Pushyagupta. Recorded in Rudradaman's Junagadh inscription.

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