1. Lecture for SS2 Asian Studies, prepared by Martin Benedict Perez, PSHS Main Campus

2. I. Preface: From Harappa to Buddha
II. The First Empires
A. The Maurya: The roots of the Indian state
B. The Kushans: India at the center of the world
III. The Golden Age
A. The Gupta: Golden Age in the North
B. The Cholans: Golden Age in the South
IV. Islam in India
A. The Mughals: The Age of Opulence

3. 321 – 184 BCE 320 - 550
100 - 300
1526 - 1707
871 - 1279
MAURYA KUSHAN GUPTA CHOLAN MUGHAL
500BCE 500
1 1000

4. History played out
differently in the Indo-
Gangetic Plain to the
north and in the Deccan
plateau to the south.
The north was open to
foreign intrusion, and
the south would play a
larger role later on as
maritime trade
intensified.

6. Let Michael Wood
catch us up on what
we’ve touched on
about India so far.

7. The Maurya and the Kushans

8. Around 1500BCE, a
foreign people – the
Aryans – migrated into
the Indus River Valley.
From 1000 to 500BCE,
the Indo-Aryan
populations moved
further eastward into
the rest of the Indo-
Gangetic Plain.

9. According to Vedic
literature, sixteen ‘great
realms’ emerged to
compete for supremacy.
The power of the
Kshatriya increased, and
the rights of the
common man
diminished.
This was the political
situation during the
time of the Buddha.

10. The approximate
extent of the
Magadha state in
the 5th century
BCE.

11. The Nanda
Empire at its
greatest extent
under Dhana
Nanda circa 323
BCE.

12. The Maurya
Empire when it
was first founded
by Chandragupta
Maurya circa 320
BCE, after
conquering the
Nanda Empire
when he was only
about 20 years
old.

13. Chandragupta
extended the
borders of the
Maurya Empire
towards Seleucid
Persia after
defeating Seleucus
circa 305 BCE.

14. Chandragupta
extended the
borders of the
empire southward
into the Deccan
Plateau circa 300
BC.

15. Chanakya, the King Maker.
“The Indian Machiavelli”

16. Chandragupta Maurya was schooled by Chanakya who wrote the
Arthashastra.
“In the happiness of his subjects lies the king's
happiness, in their welfare his welfare. He shall
not consider as good only that which pleases
him but treat as beneficial to him whatever
pleases his subjects.”
Kautilya also favors an autocratic welfare state, and
believes that no kingdom can survive without a good and efficient
economy.

17. The Arthashastra also talks about the Rajarishi as the ideal leader:
1. Has self-control, having conquered the inimical temptations of
the senses;
2. Cultivates the intellect by association with elders;
3. Keeps his eyes open through spies;
4. Is ever active in promoting the security & welfare of the people;
5. Ensures the observance (by the people) of their dharma by
authority & example;
6. Improves his own discipline by (continuing his) learning in all
branches of knowledge; and
7. Endears himself to his people by enriching them & doing good to
them.

18. THE FIRST EMPEROR OF INDIA
1. Established government bureaucracy
2. Controlled economic activity in mines,
forests, pearl fisheries, and salt fields.
3. Operated farms, shipyards, and arsenals.
4. Maintained a formidable military:
600,000 infantry; 30,000 cavalry; 9,000
elephants.
5. Constructed and improved of
infrastructure such as roads and
irrigation.
6. Funded his works through a land tax (1/4
to 1/2 of crops produced).

19. Ashoka is most
popularly known
as the patron of
Buddhism

20. “All people are my
children, and just as I
desire for my children
that they should obtain
welfare and happiness,
both in this world and
the next, so do I desire
the same for all people.”

23. After the death of Ashoka,
the Maurya lost their
territories and north India
dissolved into a number of
smaller states ruled by local
dynasties.
One kingdom in central
South Asia, the Savatahana,
established its own empire
that would last for 400 years.

24. Originating from Chinese
Central Asia, the Kushans (also
Yuezhi), built an empire
supported by the Silk Road.
They had diplomatic ties with
Rome, Persia, and Han China.
Their art was a synthesis of
Buddhist and Hellinistic (Greek)
styles.
The spread of Buddhism also
intensified.

25. Gandharan Art

26. Left: Carving that depicts Kushan robes
Above: Gold coins depicting Kanishka,
the greatest king of the Kushans

27. Silk Routes, over-land and over-sea

28. The Gupta and the Cholans

39. Key Cultural Advancements
1. Indian culture was crystallized. From
architecture to poetry, expressions
were very rich and detailed.
2. Art forms were plentiful: the
Panchatantra, the sanskrit drama,
architecture, sculpture, and so on.
3. The cults of Vishnu and Shiva became
very popular.
4. Buddhists patronized education,
leading the Gupta to become the
center of learning at that time.

41. The Cholan is just one example of
the many states and empires that
occupied South India.
Nonetheless, it is perhaps the most
prominent empire of the Tamil.
There have been mentions of the
Cholans as early as 300BCE in the
works of Asoka.
But it was during the 9th century that
they achieved new heights as an
empire. A tower of the Thanjavur temple
dedicated to Shiva

42. The Meenakshi Temple in
Madurai, the oldest city in
South India.

45. The Cholan, at
its height, was
a cultural
superpower in
Southeast
Asia.

46. Built in the 12th century by King Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat is a fusion of Khmer
architecture and South Indian style. It is dedicated to Vishnu.

47. Built in the 14th century, Pura Bekasih is the most prominent Hindu temple in Bali.
In mostly Muslim Indonesia, Bali is 93% Hindu.

48. The Mughals

50. 711: Earliest Muslim raids; 1210 to 1526: Period of the Delhi sultanate
stopped by Rajputs
1526: Babur established the
Mughal line that would last until
1858.

52. HINDUISM ISLAM
Complete freedom of belief Strictly monotheistic
Brahman is the supreme being There is only one God and
with many manifestations Muhammad is His prophet
Devotion (bhakti) can be personal Worship is congregational
God has no face; no idols or images
Deities are rendered through idols
are allowed
Duties and social status are Society is egalitarian; duties are in
ascribed by caste the five pillars
Brahmin and Kshatriya are
The state is theocratic (ruled by God)
separate

53. Founded by Guru Nanak in the late 15th
century, Sikhism was a synthesis of
Hinduism and Islam.
He preached about --
1. The unity of God
2. The brotherhood of man
3. The rejection of caste
4. The futility of idol worship
Neither Hindu nor Muslim, the Sikhs would
form a powerful resistance against later
abuses of Mughal rule.

64. Highlights of the reign of Akbar
(1556 to 1605)
1. Was extremely tolerant of other religions,
opened government jobs to Hindus of all
castes, and ended the tax on non-Muslims
(jizyah).
2. Instituted the mansabdari system wherein
officials would receive salaries.
3. Formed smart alliances (particularly with
rajputs) and worked hard to be a man of
the people.

65. In 1613, Jahangir granted the British East India
Company a trading post in Surat
Completed in 1648, the Taj Mahal was built by
Shah Jahan for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

66. Aurangzeb’s reign began the decline of
the Mughal.
1. Was fixated on expanding the
empire southwards to the rest of
the subcontinent.
2. Persecuted non-Muslims, destroyed
Hindu temples, reinstated jizyah,
and alienated allies like the Rajputs.
3. His harsh policies led to the rise of
resistance movements such as the
Maratha and the Sikh.

67. Several factors sealed the fate of
the Mughal:
• Rise of the powerful state of
Hyderabad (1724)
• Persian invasion of North India by
Nadir Shah (1739)
• Invasions of Afghan tribal leader,
Ahmad Shah Abdali (1748-1767)
• British victories in the Battle of
Plassey in Bengal (1757), and the
French on the southeastern coast
(1740-1763).
India was left fractured, unready
for what was to come.

68. © Martin Benedict Perez 2011