Hi Everyone!! This article will share The Rise and the Decline of the Mauryan Empire Questions & Answers.
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The Rise and the Decline of the Mauryan Empire Questions & Answers
Question 1: Why was Ashoka also called ‘Chandaashoka’?
Answer: Ashoka was also called ‘Chandaashoka’ which means ‘Ashoka, the Fierce’ as he was a very short tempered person.
Question 2: Elaborate the various measures taken by Ashoka for the spread of his dhamma.
Answer: Ashoka adopted several measures to spread his dhamma:
- He sent his messengers to other countries to spread his dhamma.
- He appointed special officers known as dhammamahamatras, to teach the policies of dhamma to the people.
- He held the Third Buddhist Council or sangiti and missionaries. They were sent to South India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and other countries for preaching Buddhism.
- He prohibited killing birds and animals, banned butchering of animals in his palace kitchen. Thus, he stressed on having kindness towards animals.
Question 3: State the military conquests of Chandragupta Maurya.
Answer: Chandragupta Maurya conquered the whole of Northern India up to the river Indus. He defeated Seleucus, the general of Alexander and gained control over parts of present day Afghanistan.
Question 4: In which language were the rock and pillar edicts written and why?
Answer: The rock and pillar edicts were written in Prakrit which was easily understood by the people so as to establish direct communication with them.
Question 5: Write a short note on the sources of income during the Mauryan period.
Answer: The various sources of income during the Mauryan period were:
- Land revenue was the main source of income.
- The farmer paid one-sixth of the total produce to the state.
- Chanakya mentions several types of taxes collected from the peasants, artisans and traders. Tax was also collected from mines, forests, and customs at the frontiers, tolls, ferry duties and fines.
- The official in charge for finances and revenue collection was known as Samaharta.
- The amount collected from the tax was spent on maintenance of the king, his ministers, army, salaries of other officials, religious purposes and on infrastructure.
The Rise and the Decline of the Mauryan Empire Questions & Answers
Question 6: Describe the Kalinga War.
Answer: Kalinga was one such territory which Bindusara too was not able to conquer. In the 12th year of his reign, Ashoka sent a letter to Kalingraj, the ruler of Kalinga, asking its submission. However, Kalingraj refused to submit. As a result, Ashoka led a huge army to Kalinga.The entire Kalinga was turned into a battle arena. About 1, 00,000 Kalingans lost their lives and 1, 50,000 were wounded. An equal number of Mauryan soldiers were also killed. The Kalinga battleground turned blood red after the war. Ashoka was so moved by the outcome of the war that he became a follower of Buddhism and made Buddhism his state religion.
Question 7: Elaborate the various measures taken by Ashoka for the welfare of people.
Answer:
- Ashoka set very high principles for himself with regard to kingship.
- He considered his subjects as his children.
- He appointed rajukas for delivering justice in the empire.
- He planted trees, dug wells, constructed canals, built rest houses on highways and built hospitals for humans as well as animals.
- He carved rock and pillar edicts to establish direct communication with the people. These inscriptions were written in Prakrit which was easily understood by the people.
Question 8: Discuss about the extent of Bindusara’s empire.
Answer: Bindusara extended the Mauryan Empire in peninsular India as far as Mysore, except Kalinga, on the east coast. He is said to have conquered ‘the land between the two seas’, presumably the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
Question 9: Describe the condition before the establishment of the Mauryan Dynasty.
Answer: The condition of India before the establishment of the Mauryan Dynasty was:
- Magadha was the most powerful kingdom.
- Several smaller kingdoms were incorporated into the territory of Magadha.
- In 326, Alexander turned his attention towards India. He was assisted by Ambhi, the Prince of Taxila, and he infiltrated further east into India. He crossed the Chenab and Ravi rivers and advanced upto Beas.
The Rise and the Decline of the Mauryan Empire Questions & Answers
Question 10: Discuss the importance of the king in the Mauryan empire.
Answer:
- The King was the supreme and the final authority in all the matters of the empire.
- He led in the war, with consultation from his Senapati or Commander-in-Chief.
- He made important appointments, looked into the state funds, met diplomats and collected secret information from spies.
- He also issued sasanas or royal edicts for the management of the people.
- He was helped in his work by Mantri-parishads or council of ministers.
Question 11: State the achievements of Qin Shihuangdi.
Answer: Qin Shihuangdi introduced a strict dictatorial government to rule the huge area. The writing systems as well as the measurements of length and weight were standardized. All feudal privileges were eliminated.
Question 12: Give reasons:
(a) The Mauryan Empire began to disintegrate after the exit of Ashoka.
Answer: The Mauryan Empire began to disintegrate after the death of Ashoka in 232 BCE. Various factors contributed to the decline and fall of the Mauryan Empire.
- The promotion of Buddhism had adversely affected the Brahmans. Hence, the empire received a strong protest from the Brahmanical society.
- The Mauryans used large amount of money on the maintenance of army.
- This made a dent in the Mauryan treasury.
- The successors of Ashoka were not capable enough to look after a huge empire. These were followed by a series of foreign invasions.
- Bactrians were the first one to invade India in 206 BCE.
- The Mauryan Empire was finally destroyed by PushyamitraShunga in 185 BCE. He was the General of last Mauryan ruler, Brihadratha.
(b) Kalinga war was a turning point in the life of Ashoka.
Answer: After the war, Kalinga battleground turned blood red. Ashoka was so moved by the outcome of the war that he became a follower of Buddhism and made Buddhism his state religion. Hence, Kalinga war was a turning point in the life of Ashoka.
So, these were The Rise and the Decline of the Mauryan Empire Questions & Answers.