The Mauryan Dynasty ruling from 322 B.C. to 185 B.C., was geographically far-reaching, potent and a political military empire in ancient India. Building up from the kingdom of Magadha in the Indo-Gangetic plains present day Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bengal) in the eastern side of the Indian subcontinent, the empire had its capital city in Pataliputra (present day Patna, in Bihar). Mauryan dynasty was established in 322 BCE by Chandragupta Maurya, who had overridden the Nanda Empire and speedily magnified his power westwards, spanning central and western India. Chandragupta, the founder king of the Mauryan Dynasty appeared on the political scenario with the solemn aim to make an alliance with the Macedonian power in order to overthrow the Nandas from the northern part of India. This mission was achieved by taking solid advantage of the disturbances of local powers following the withdrawal westward by Alexander the Great`s Greek and Persian forces. By 320 BCE the empire had fully overwhelmed North-western India, defeating and conquering the satraps left by Alexander. Chandragupta Maurya represents the quintessence of the Mauryan kings, who materialised the very idea of political unification of India. With the ubiquitous Chanakya always by Chandragupta`s side, background and history of Mauryan dynasty is one unusual chapter, absolute stuff for legends.

At its greatest extent, the Mauryan Empire extended to the north alongside the natural boundaries of the Himalayas and to the east, unfolding into what is present day Assam. To the west, it reached beyond modern Pakistan, appending Baluchistan and much of what is now Afghanistan, encompassing the modern Herat and Kandahar provinces. Mauryan dynasty was amplified into India`s central and southern realms by the emperors Chandragupta and Bindusara, but it debarred a small portion of uncharted tribal and forested regions near Kalinga. The Mauryan Empire was perhaps the largest empire ever to dominate the Indian subcontinent. Administration of Mauryan dynasty emoted a stupendous instance, in which the top order established solemn groundwork for their descendants. Although, its downfall began fifty years after Ashoka`s rule came to a close and was dissolved in 185 BCE, with the foundation of the Sunga Dynasty in Magadha.

Under Chandragupta Maurya, the Mauryan dynasty had appropriated the trans-Indus region, which previously had served under Macedonian rule. Chandragupta then crushed the invasion led by Seleucus I, a Greek general from Alexander`s army. Under Chandragupta and his successors, both internal and external trade and agriculture as well as economic activities, flourished and expanded across India. The entire courtesy can be bestowed upon Chadragupta, who had formulated a single and efficient system of finance, administration and security. After the Kalinga War, the empire experienced half a century of prosperity and safety under Ashoka. India became an affluent and stable empire of great economic and military prowess, whose political authority and trade spread across Western and Central Asia and Europe. Mauryan India also relished an era of social concord, religious metamorphosis and expansion of science and of knowledge. Chandragupta Maurya`s espousing of Jainism increased social and religious restitution and regeneration across his society, while Ashoka`s espousing of Buddhism was the groundwork of the prevailing of social and political peace and non-violence throughout India. Ashoka patronised the spreading of Buddhist ideals in Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, West Asia and Mediterranean Europe. Religion during Mauryan dynasty was never extremely stringent and severe in its attempt, with freedom and liberty entirely vested on the subjects` shoulders.

Chandragupta`s minister Chanakya (also legendary as Kautilya) penned the Arthashastra, one of the greatest treatises on economics, politics, foreign affairs, administration, military arts, war and religion ever created in the East. Archaeologically, the period of Mauryan dynasty in South Asia falls into the era of Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW). The Arthashastra and the Edicts of Ashoka are principal references of written records of the Mauryan times. Mauryan Empire is considered one of the most substantial periods in Indian history. The Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath, presently serves as the emblem of Independent India.

During the Mauryan dynastic period, apart from trade and commerce, agricultural productivity also was accentuated to massive extent. As is recorded from the historical accounts of the contemporary era, the Mauryans were benevolent kings and during their epoch farmers were liberated of tax and crop collection burdens from regional kings. The fair system of taxation as advised by the principles of Arthashastra led the Mauryans to earn total respect from the subjects. Chandragupta Maurya had established a single currency across India and eliminated the gangs of pedlars, regional private armies and the powerful chieftains who tried to impose their own domination in the small areas. Mauryan dynasty also had patronised internal trade within India, which boomed profoundly due to political unity and internal reign of peace. Under the Indo-Greek political treaty, during Ashoka`s reign, international trade network attained a thriving prosperity.

However, architectural heritage of the Mauryan dynasty were not momentous enough and did not attain prosperity to the extent trade and commerce had flourished. The architectural idiom of the Mauryas is the hypostyle kind of building, which has been excavated in the Kumrahar region of Patna. As historians have opined, Mauryan architecture is the replica of the Persian Achaemenid architecture. Since Buddhism and Jainism prospered during the Mauryan period, contemporary architecture had an aura of these religious sects. Apart from these, most widespread example of the Mauryan architecture is the rock edicts of Ashoka, traversing almost all the country.

The magnificence and prosperity which the Mauryan Empire had earned during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara and Ashoka, was destined to weaken during the later Mauryas. After the death of Ashoka, an impenetrable darkness shrouded the history of Mauryan Empire. Te Mauryan kingdom was disintegrated disastrously after the death of Ashoka and the later Mauryas were not effective enough to re-integrate the whole empire. Perhaps this is the sole cause behind the downfall of the Empire. The successors of Ashoka were more concerned to preach Buddhism and Jainism, rather than in the successful maintenance of the Empire. Hence after Ashoka, Mauryan dynasty lost its former glory, but continued reigning for 50 years after Ashoka`s death. After the death of Demetrius in c.170, his sons continued to conflict within the Mauryan empire. Then finally the Greek army captured Patna under King Menander, uniting the Indo-Greek realm. The last Maurya King Brahadratha was killed by the chief of the Shunga coup, Pushyamitra Shunga, who instituted the Shunga dynasty in 185 B.C.