Mod 8: Decline and Legacy of the Mauryas — Later Mauryas, Pushyamitra’s Coup and the Debate on Causes
Concept
9.15 The later Mauryas
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
From Ashoka to Brihadratha
After Ashoka’s death (c. 232 BCE) the empire lasted only about 50 years. The Puranas list about nine or ten kings in all and give the dynasty 137 years. The empire also split: Kashmir under Jalauka (Rajatarangini) and Gandhara under Virasena (Taranatha).
| King | Known for |
|---|---|
| Kunala | Ashoka’s son; blinded according to legend (Ashokavadana) |
| Dasharatha | Grandson; gave the Nagarjuni caves to the Ajivikas; used the title Devanampiya |
| Samprati | Grandson; great Jain patron in Jain tradition, ruled from Ujjayini |
| Shalishuka, Devavarman, Shatadhanvan | Short, weak reigns |
| Brihadratha | Last Maurya; killed by his general Pushyamitra Shunga during an army review (Harshacharita), c. 185 BCE |
Indo-Greek (Bactrian) kings such as Demetrius crossed the Hindu Kush in the early 2nd century BCE. The Yuga Purana (in the Gargi Samhita) remembers Yavanas reaching Saketa, Panchala, Mathura and even Pataliputra (Kusumadhvaja).
- After Ashoka (d. c. 232 BCE): Kunala, Dasharatha, Samprati … Brihadratha; total 137 years.
- Pushyamitra killed Brihadratha c. 185 BCE (Harshacharita); split: Jalauka (Kashmir), Virasena (Gandhara).
- Question: Who killed the last Maurya? Answer: Pushyamitra Shunga.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
Question 3: Who assassinated the last Mauryan Emperor Brihadratha in 185 BCE to establish the Shunga Dynasty?
[School] The last Mauryan king was:
[BPSC level] The text that describes Pushyamitra killing Brihadratha during an army parade is:
[BPSC level] The Puranas give the Maurya dynasty a total rule of about:
[UPSC level] According to the Rajatarangini, the Mauryan prince who ruled Kashmir independently was:
[BSSC pattern] The later Maurya known as a great patron of Jainism was:
[UPSC level] The Yuga Purana is a source for:
[BPSC level] Ashoka’s grandson who used the title Devanampiya and gifted caves was:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Who killed the last Maurya?
Pushyamitra Shunga.Concept
9.16 Why did the empire fall?
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Causes and legacy
| View | Argument | Criticism |
|---|---|---|
| Brahmanical reaction (H. P. Shastri) | Ban on sacrifices and the dhamma-mahamattas angered Brahmanas; a Brahmana general (Pushyamitra) struck | Ashoka honoured Brahmanas too (RE XII); Raychaudhuri rejected it |
| Pacifism (H. C. Raychaudhuri) | Dhamma-vijaya weakened the army | Ashoka kept his army and the death penalty |
| Financial crisis (D. D. Kosambi) | Huge army and bureaucracy; debased later punch-marked coins; new taxes | Debasement evidence is limited |
| Over-centralisation (Romila Thapar) | Everything depended on the king; loyalty to the person, not the state; weak successors | Widely accepted as part of the answer |
| Spread of material culture (R. S. Sharma) | Iron tools and know-how spread to the provinces, creating new rival states (Kalinga, Satavahanas) | A long-term rather than immediate cause |
- First empire to unite most of the subcontinent, ruled from Pataliputra in Bihar.
- A model of administration (Arthashastra) used by later states.
- The spread of Brahmi writing and Prakrit across India.
- Buddhism carried to Sri Lanka and South-East Asia.
- Stone art: polished pillars, rock-cut caves — and India’s State Emblem and the chakra on the flag.
- Causes: Shastri (Brahmanical reaction), Raychaudhuri (pacifism), Kosambi (finance), Thapar (centralisation), Sharma (material culture).
- Question: Name one Mauryan legacy in modern India. Answer: The State Emblem (Sarnath Lion Capital).
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[UPSC level] The “Brahmanical reaction” theory of Mauryan decline was put forward by:
[UPSC level] D. D. Kosambi explained the Mauryan decline mainly through:
[BPSC level] The historian who stressed over-centralisation and personal loyalty to the king as causes of decline is:
[UPSC level] H. C. Raychaudhuri blamed the decline partly on:
[UPSC level] R. S. Sharma linked the decline to:
[BPSC level] Which argument weakens the theory that Ashoka was anti-Brahmana?
[School] Which of these is a Mauryan legacy seen in modern India?
[BSSC pattern] The Indo-Greek king who crossed the Hindu Kush early in the 2nd century BCE was:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Name one Mauryan legacy in modern India.
The State Emblem (Sarnath Lion Capital).Concept
🎯 UPSC · BPSC · BSSC · State PSC level: PYQs, traps and mains
| Exam | What it asks from this module |
|---|---|
| UPSC | Causes debate; Mauryan legacy (mains) |
| BPSC | Last Maurya; Pushyamitra; 185 BCE |
| BSSC / SSC | Founder of the Shunga dynasty |
Who was the last ruler of the Maurya dynasty? (a) Dasharatha (b) Samprati (c) Brihadratha (d) Kunala
- Brihadratha was killed by his commander Pushyamitra Shunga c. 185 BCE; Bana’s Harshacharita describes the deed.
- Brihadratha is also the name of the early Magadha dynasty founder (Jarasandha’s father) — do not confuse.
- Samprati = Jain patron; Dasharatha = Ajivika caves.
Model question: “The decline of the Mauryas cannot be explained by a single cause.” Discuss. Points: weak successors and division; over-centralisation; financial strain; external invasions; regional states; critique of the Brahmanical-reaction and pacifism theories.
- No single cause — combine internal and external factors.
- Question: Which theory did Raychaudhuri reject? Answer: Shastri’s Brahmanical-reaction theory.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] Who founded the Shunga dynasty after killing the last Maurya?
[UPSC level] Which pair of a later Maurya and the source naming him is correct?
[BSSC pattern] The Mauryan empire ended in about:
[UPSC level] Romila Thapar’s classic book on the subject is titled:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Which theory did Raychaudhuri reject?
Shastri’s Brahmanical-reaction theory.