Demolition of Somnath temple.

 

TheAurangzebAtrocities VII
About the time the general order for destruction of Hindu temples was issued (9th April 1669), the highly venerated temple of Somanath built on the sea-shore in Kathaiwad was also destroyed. The famous temple was dedicated to Lord Shiva. In the 11th century, the temple was looted and destroyed by Mahmud Ghaznavi. It was rebuilt by King Bhim Deva Solanki of Gujarat and again renovated by Kumarapal in 1143-44 A.D. The temple was again destroyed by Alauddin Khalji’s troops in 1299. In a rare description of the scene of a temple destruction, like of which continued to occur time and again during the long and disastrous rule of the Musalman rulers in India, we have the following account. “The Mlechchha (asura) stone breakers”, writes Padmanabha in his classic work “climbed up the shikhar of the temple and began to rain blows on the stone idols on all three sides by their hammers, the stone pieces falling all around. They loosened every joint of the temple building, and then began to break the different layers (thara) and the sculptured elephants and horses carved on them by incessant blows of their hammers. Then, amidst loud and vulgar clamour, they began to apply force from both the sides to uproot the massive idol by means of wooden beams and iron crowbars” (Kaanhadade Prabandha, Canto I, vss. 94-96).

After the destruction of Somnath temple during Alauddin’s time, it was rebuilt again. When Aurangzeb gave orders for its destruction, the scene must have been little different from the one described by Padmanabha. The artist in his painting has tried to recreate the scene.

Source: Aurangzeb.info exhibits

Hanuman Foot Trail at Thailand....

Thaithereeya Upanishad

 

Thaithereeya Upanishad explaining the Energy & Structure of the Mind . Brilliant model to understand self .

It says, the individual is represented in terms of five different sheaths or levels that enclose the individual's self. These levels, shown in an ascending order, are:

The physical body (annamaya kosha)

Energy sheath (pranamaya kosha)

Mental sheath (manomaya kosha)

Intellect sheath (vijnanamaya kosha)

Emotion sheath (anandamaya kosha )

 

Emotion sheath, is the self. It is significant that emotion is placed higher than the intellect.This is a recognition of the fact that eventually meaning is communicated by associationsstate of equilibrium and balance is termed sattva. which are influenced by the emotional state.The key notion is that each higher level represents characteristics that are emergentThese sheaths are defined at increasingly finer levels. At the highest level, above the The energy that underlies physical and mental processes is called prana. One may lookat an individual in three different levels. At the lowest level is the physical body, at the nexthigher level is the energy systems at work, and at the next higher level are the thoughts.Since the three levels are interrelated, the energy situation may be changed by inputs eitherat the physical level or at the mental level. When the energy state is agitated and restless,it is characterized by rajas; when it is dull and lethargic, it is characterized by tamas; the on the ground of the previous level. In this theory mind is an emergent entity, but this emergence requires the presence of the self.

The Structure of the Mind

The Sankhya system takes the mind as consisting of five components: manas, ahankara, chitta, buddhi, and atman Manas is the lower mind which collects sense impressions. Its perceptions shift from moment to moment. This sensory-motor mind obtains its inputs from the senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell. Each of these senses may be taken to be governed by a separate agent.

Ahankara is the sense of I-ness that associates some perceptions to a subjective and personal experience. Once sensory impressions have been related to I-ness by ahankara, their  valuation and resulting decisions are arrived at by buddhi, the intellect. Manas, ahankara, and buddhi are collectively called the internal instruments of the mind. Next we come to chitta, which is the memory bank of the mind. These memories con-stitute the foundation on which the rest of the mind operates. But chitta is not merely a passive instrument. The organization of the new impressions throws up instinctual or primitive urges which creates different emotional states.

This mental complex surrounds the innermost aspect of consciousness which is called atman, the self, brahman, or jiva. Atman is considered to be beyond a finite enumeration of categories. All this amounts to a brilliant analysis of the individual. The traditions of yoga and tantra have been based on such analysis. No wonder, this model has continued to inspire people around the world to this day. Great salute to this nation… proud to be born in India

COTTON REVOLUTIONARY

COTTON  REVOLUTIONARY CONTRIBUTION OF INDIA TO TEXTILE INDUSTRY WORLD
 

In 1492 when Christopher Columbus found cotton being cultivated in the Bahamas, it was declared to have ‘discovered’. Cotton is estimated to be about 7,000 years old .It is the most widely used natural fiber cloth in clothing today. It has its origin in ancient India.
 

According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, Cotton has been spun, woven, and dyed since prehistoric times in ancient India and cotton textiles were woven in India with matchless skill, and their use spread to the Mediterranean countries.
 

Cotton was used in the Old World at least 7,000 years ago (5th millennium BC) in Mehrgarh, of present pakistan, where early cotton threads have been preserved in copper beads. Cotton cultivation became more widespread during the Indus Valley Civilization, which covered parts of modern eastern Pakistan and northwestern India. The Indus cotton industry was well developed and some methods used in cotton spinning and fabrication continued to be used until the industrialization of India. Between 2000 and 1000 BC cotton became widespread across much of India. For example, it has been found at the site of Hallus in Karnataka dating from around 1000 BC.
 

The Greeks and the Arabs were not familiar with cotton until the Wars of Alexander the Great, as his contemporary Megasthenes told Seleucus I Nicator of "there being trees on which wool grows" in "Indica". This might actually be a reference to the 'tree cotton', Gossypium arboreum, which is a native of the Indian subcontinent. SO THAT IS HOW IT REACHED GREECE..
 

A dark period in the history of Indian cotton industry was when English people chopped off hands of Indian weavers from Bengal to destroy the Indian weaving industry and promote textiles imported from Britain.
 

British government discouraged the production of cotton cloth in India; rather, the raw fibre was sent to England for processing. Mahatma Gandhi described the process:
 

1. English people buy Indian cotton in the field, picked by Indian labor at seven cents a day, through an optional monopoly.
 

2. This cotton is shipped on British ships, a three-week journey across the Indian Ocean, down the Red Sea, across the Mediterranean, through Gibraltar, across the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic Ocean to London. One hundred per cent profit on this freight is regarded as small.
 

3. The cotton is turned into cloth in Lancashire. You pay shilling wages instead of Indian pennies to your workers. The English worker not only has the advantage of better wages, but the steel companies of England get the profit of building the factories and machines. Wages; profits; all these are spent in England.
 

4. The finished product is sent back to India at European shipping rates, once again on British ships. The captains, officers, sailors of these ships, whose wages must be paid, are English. The only Indians who profit are a few lascars who do the dirty work on the boats for a few cents a day.
 

5. The cloth is finally sold back to the kings and landlords of India who got the money to buy this expensive cloth out of the poor peasants of India who worked at seven cents a day. (Fisher 1932 pp 154–156)
 

NO WONDER THE SPINNING WHEEL LATER BECAME THE ICON OF INDIAN FREEDOM STRUGGLE… BOSS! INDIA IS DIFFERENT…HERE IT IS NOT THE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST; IT IS SURVIVAL OF THE NOBLEST.

PROUD TO BE BORN IN INDIA

DHRUV STAMBH

 

The pillar of Delhi, erected by Chandragupta II Vikramaditya (375-413), made up of 98% wrought iron of pure quality is a testament to the high level of skill achieved by ancient Indian iron smiths in the extraction and processing of iron. It has attracted the attention of archaeologists and metallurgists as it has withstood corrosion for the last 1600 years, despite harsh weather.

Metallurgists at IIT Kanpur have claimed that a thin layer of "misawite", a compound (amorphous phase d-FeOOH) of iron, oxygen, and hydrogen, has protected the wrought iron pillar from rust. PROUD TO BE BORN IN INDIA..

DHRUV STAMBH NOT QUTUB MINAR :

 HOW ALREADY MADE BUILDINGS GETS CAPTURED AND NAMED AFTER MIGHTY KINGS HERE

Qutub Minar in Delhi is actually Dhruv Sthambh with arabic scripts and motifs reto-installed by Qutb-ud-din Aibak between 1191 – 1210 AD, followed by his successors Iltutmish, Alauddin etc till 1315 AD. The Qutb Complex was originally a site with 27 Hindu and Jain Temples. These temples were destroyed by the foreign invaders. These temples existed much before Ghori was even born.

By demolishing the majestic temples, they served another very important purpose. To ensure stronghold, it was important that the backbone of religion prevailing in conquered land is crushed. Destroying temples meant that the new Invaders had no respect for the religion being practiced by locals. They were in such hurry of completing the job, that they were not able to deface the statues properly. Even today, the remains of temples can be seen within the Qutub Complex. The remaining 26 temples surrounding the Qutubminar/Dhruv Sthambh were destroyed almost completely.

WHAT HISTORICAL WRITTEN LITERATURE SAYS?

Following are the other prominent travel historians of related period
• Ibn Asir (with his work Kamil-ut-Tawarikh aka Tarikh-i-Kamil)
• Ata Malik Juwaini aka Alau-ud-din Juwaini (with his work Tarikh-i- Jahan-Kusha)
• Maulana Nuruddin Muhammed ‘Ufi, who lived in Delhi during Altamash’s period (with his work Jami-ul-Hikayat wa Liwami-ul-Riwayat)
• Minhaj-i-Siraj (with his work Tabkat-i-Nasiri)

The above authors make no mention of Minar, logical reason could be either the minar construction was never done at that time OR the Minar would have been already there which looks common to the people like many other existing structure. If it was one of the biggest construction of era, these people, who were living in Delhi and writing particularly on Qutb-ud-Din Aibak must have mentioned about it.

STRUCTURAL SIGNIFICANCE TO TRACE WHO MIGHT HAVE MADE IT?
 

<<Proof 1>> If we look at Qutub Minar from top angle, it shows a lotus of 24 petals.Lotus is definitely not a foreign invaders symbol, but it is ancient vedic symbol which people in India use frequently in temples and performing prayers.
 

<<Proof 2>> There is a township adjoining the Kutub Minar is known as Mehrauli. That is a Sanskrit word Mihira-awali. It signifies the town- ship where the well known astronomer Varaha-Mihira of Vikramaditya’s court lived along with his helpers, mathematicians and technicians. They used the so-called Qutub tower as an observation post for astronomical study. Around the tower were pavilions dedicated to the 27 constellations of the Vedic Astrology (see 2nd pic).
 

<<Proof 3>> Even the dome of this tower from inside view has a multiple lotuses embeded within each other (similar to Sri Yantra, see 3rd pic).
 

<<Proof 4>> Qutubuddin has left us an inscription that he destroyed these pavilions. But he has not said that he raised any tower. Indian archaeologists have recorded wrong history without studying the destroyed and defaced Indian gods statues and motifs in and around this tower  

<<Proof 5>> Stones dislodged from the so-called Qutub Minar have Hindu images on one side with Arabic lettering on the other. Those stones have now been moved to the Museum. They clearly show that invaders used to remove the stone- dressing of Hindu buildings, turn the stones inside out to hide the image facial and inscribe Arabic lettering on the new frontage.
 

<<Proof 6>> Bits of Sanskrit inscriptions can still be deciphered in the premises on numerous pillars and walls. Numerous images still adorn the cornices though disfigured.

Foreign Invaders never use flower symbols on their constructions, but this tower has multiple lotus symbols in stone !!

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED, HOW INDIAN ARCHEOLOGIST MADE SUCH BLUNDERS WITH MANY MORE HUNDREDSOF MONUMENTS??
The Indian history and historical archeology suffered the biggest trauma when India, after independence, accepted the historical surveys and conclusions of an Anglo historian named Cunningham as true and perfect history even after the arguments of many historians that the historical reports of Cunningham were full of flaws because of his foreign origin and lack of broad cultural experience. The Qutub complex also suffered from the same mistake.

WHAT HISTORIANS SAYS?
The famous late historian P.N Oak says in his work that the Qutubminar along with the destroyed 27 temples was also an Indian observatory existed centuries before Qutubddin Aibak. Many other historians have also approved the minaret as an observatory site earlier known as Vishnu Stambh alias Dhruv Stambh in ancient India, the name Vishnudhwaja is also engraved on iron pillar situated in the premises. The writing in Bramhi script on iron pillar talks about glorious Hindu King Chandragupt admitted as Chandragupt Vikramaditya who erected the pillar. P.N Oak says that both Iron pillar and Qutubminar were made by Chandragupt Vikramadity and are contemporary or even existed before there rule.The current Mehrauli, area where the Qutub minar is situated, basically derived from the Sanskrit word Mihiraavali’ literally means the hill of/for Mihir. Mihir alias Varah Mihir was the famous mathematician and scientist in Vikramaditya’s court who wrote the famous book ‘Vrihatsamhitayam’. Thus the Qutubminar/Dhruv Sthambh complex was an observatory and qutubminar/Dhruv Sthambh was its part which initially had seven stories representing the seven days of the week or seven main planets, two upper stories were dismantled by Firozshah Tuglaq and ruins were later used to try to erect a similar minaret which stands nearby.

Professor M.S Bhatnagar of Ghaziabad hired a helicopter in 1964 and inspected the Qutubminar/Dhruv Sthambh from just top and found that side erections of the minaret basically form a 24 leaves lotus shape, a well-known spiritual and architectural sign repeatedly referred in Hindu karmkaand, yoga and architect. These 24 leaves are basically 24 horas or hours of a day. It’s noteworthy that the word hour is a product of the word hora which was adopted in Greek from Sanskrit as same. Twelve complete dials of the structure on the ground refers to twelve zodiacs of the astrological science. The 27 temples were actually sites for 27 Nakshatra or constellations. Many scholars assume these temples as Jain temples because of the Jain statues found there but in fact these were the centers of astronomical research instead worshiping sites because the architect had both Hindu and Jain statues in Vedic style. Jain Aagams have also been famous for a lot of knowledge. About 1960, a great black Vishnu statue was recovered from the Qutubminar/Dhruv Sthambh which currently under custody of ASI, the whole information was kept secret.

Dr. Abdul Kalam's Letter to Every Indian

                                                                                                                      Dated - 12/03/2014
Why is the media here so negative?

Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements?

We are such a Great NATION.

We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?

We are the first in milk production.

We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.

We are the second largest producer of wheat.

We are the second largest producer of rice.

Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit..

There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.

I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.
In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime.
Why are we so NEGATIVE?

Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things?

We want foreign T.Vs,
We want foreign shirts.
We want foreign technology. Why this obsession with everything imported.

Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance?

I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is..
She replied: I want to live in a developed India.

For her, you and I will have to build this developed India.

You must proclaim.
India is not an under-developed nation;
it is a highly developed nation...

YOU say that our government is inefficient.

YOU say that our laws are too old.

YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.

YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke. The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.

YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.

YOU say, say and say..

What do YOU do about it?

Take a person on his way to Singapore.
Give him a name - 'YOURS'. Give him a face - 'YOURS'. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best.

In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores.

YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are.. You pay $5 (approx. Rs.. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM.

YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity…
In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU?

YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai ..

YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.

YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs..650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.

YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, 'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.'

YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand ..

Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo?

Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston ???
We are still talking of the same YOU.

YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own.

YOU who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground.

If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country,
Why cannot you be the same here in India ?

In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan ..

Will the Indian citizen do that here?

We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.

We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative.

We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin.

We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.

We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.

When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others what do we do?
We make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home.
OUR EXCUSE?
'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.'

So who's going to change the system?
What does a system consist of?
Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government.
But definitely not ME & YOU.

When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr.CLEAN to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government.
Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country.

Nobody thinks of feeding the system.

Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too…..

I am echoing J. F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians…..'
ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'

Lets do what India needs from us.
Forward this letter to each Indian for a change instead of sending JUST JOKES.

Thank you …
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Queen's Stepwell

Rani-ki-Vav, or "Queen's Stepwell" is perhaps the queen of all stepwells in India
-UNESCO World Heritage

Chandragupta Maurya

1. 322 BC : Chandragupta Maurya founds the Mauryan Empire by overthrowing the Nanda Dynasty.
2. 317–316 BC : Chandragupta Maurya conquers the Northwest of the Indian subcontinent.
3. 305–303 BC : Chandragupta Maurya gains territory from the Seleucid Empire.
4. 298–269 BC : Reign of Bindusara, Chandragupta's son. He conquers parts of Deccan, southern India.
5. 269–232 BC : The Mauryan Empire reaches its height under Ashoka, Chandragupta's grandson.
6. 261 BC : Ashoka conquers the kingdom of Kalinga.
7. 250 BC : Ashoka builds Buddhist stupas and erects pillars bearing inscriptions.
8. 184 BC : The empire collapses when Brihadnatha, the last emperor, is killed by Pushyamitra Shunga, a Mauryan general and the founder of the Shunga Empire.

The Maurya Empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya, with help from Chanakya, a Brahmin teacher at Takshashila. According to several legends, Chanakya traveled to Magadha, a kingdom that was large and militarily powerful and feared by its neighbors, but was insulted by its king Dhana Nanda, of the Nanda Dynasty. Chanakya swore revenge and vowed to destroy the Nanda Empire.^[14] Meanwhile, the conquering armies of Alexander the Great refused to cross the Beas River and advance further eastward, deterred by the prospect of battling Magadha. Alexander returned to Babylon and re-deployed most of his troops west of the Indus river. Soon after Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BCE, his empire fragmented, and local kings declared their independence, leaving several smaller disunited satraps.

The Greek generals Eudemus, and Peithon, ruled until around 317 BCE, when Chandragupta Maurya (with the help of Chanakya, who was now his advisor) utterly defeated the Macedonians and consolidated the region under the control of his new seat of power in Magadha.

Chandragupta Maurya's rise to power is shrouded in mystery and controversy. On one hand, a number of ancient Indian accounts, such as the drama Mudrarakshasa (Poem of Rakshasa – Rakshasa was the prime minister of Magadha) by Visakhadatta, describe his royal ancestry and even link him with the Nanda family. A kshatriya clan  known as the Maurya's are referred to in the earliest Buddhist texts, Mahaparinibbana Sutta. However, any conclusions are hard to make without further historical evidence. Chandragupta first emerges in Greek accounts as "Sandrokottos". As a young man he is said to have met Alexander. He is also said to have met the Nanda king, angered him, and made a narrow escape. Chanakya's original intentions were to train a guerilla army under Chandragupta's command. The Mudrarakshasa of Visakhadutta as well as the Jaina work Parisishtaparvan talk of Chandragupta's alliance with the Himalayan king Parvatka, sometimes identified with Porus (Sir John Marshall "Taxila", p18, and al.)

Chanakya encouraged Chandragupta Maurya and his army to take over the throne of Magadha. Using his intelligence network, Chandragupta gathered many young men from across Magadha and other provinces, men upset over the corrupt and oppressive rule of king Dhana, plus the resources necessary for his army to fight a long series of battles. These men included the former general of Taxila, accomplished students of Chanakya, the representative of King Porus of Kakayee, his son Malayketu, and the rulers of small states.

Preparing to invade Pataliputra, Maurya came up with a strategy. A battle was announced and the Magadhan army was drawn from the city to a distant battlefield to engage Maurya's forces. Maurya's general and spies meanwhile bribed the corrupt general of Nanda. He also managed to create an atmosphere of civil war in the kingdom, which culminated in the death of the heir to the throne. Chanakya managed to win over popular sentiment. Ultimately Nanda resigned, handing power to Chandragupta, and went into exile and was never heard of again. Chanakya contacted the prime minister, Rakshasas, and made him understand that his loyalty was to Magadha, not to the Nanda dynasty, insisting that he continue in office. Chanakya also reiterated that choosing to resist would start a war that would severely affect Magadha and destroy the city. Rakshasa accepted Chanakya's reasoning, and Chandragupta Maurya was legitimately installed as the new King of Magadha. Rakshasa became Chandragupta's chief advisor, and Chanakya assumed the position of an elder statesman.

• 

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

  The Nanda Empire at its greatest extent under Dhana Nanda c. 323 BCE.
  
• 

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

  Chandragupta extended the borders of the Maurya Empire towards Seleucid Persia after defeating Seleucus c. 305 BCE.^[20]
  
• 

  Chandragupta Maurya later extended the borders of the empire southward into the Deccan Plateau c. 300 BCE.^[21]
  
• 

  Ashoka the Great extended into Kalinga during the Kalinga War c. 265 BCE, and established superiority over the southern kingdoms.
  

Chandragupta Maurya

Main article: Chandragupta Maurya

Chandragupta campaigned against the Macedonians when Seleucus I Nicator, in the process of creating the Seleucid Empire out of the eastern conquests of Alexander the Great, tried to reconquer the northwestern parts of India in 305 BCE. Seleucus failed (Seleucid–Mauryan war), the two rulers finally concluded a peace treaty: a marital treaty (Epigamia) was concluded, in which the Greeks offered their Princess for alliance and help from him. Chandragupta snatched the satrapies of Paropamisade (Kamboja and Gandhara), Arachosia (Kandhahar) and Gedrosia (Balochistan), and Seleucus I received 500 war elephants that were to have a decisive role in his victory against western Hellenistic kings at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BCE. Diplomatic relations were established and several Greeks, such as the historian Megasthenes, Deimakos and Dionysius resided at the Mauryan court.

Chandragupta established a strong centralized state with an administration at Pataliputra, which, according to Megasthenes, was "surrounded by a wooden wall pierced by 64 gates and 570 towers— (and) rivaled the splendors of contemporaneous Persian sites such as Susa and Ecbatana." Chandragupta's son Bindusara extended the rule of the Mauryan empire towards southern India. The famous Tamil poet Mamulanar of the Sangam literature described how the Deccan Plateau was invaded by the Maurya army. He also had a Greek ambassador at his court, named Deimachus Strabo.

Megasthenes describes a disciplined multitude under Chandragupta, who live simply, honestly, and do not know writing:

"The Indians all live frugally, especially when in camp. They dislike a great undisciplined multitude, and consequently they observe good order. Theft is of very rare occurrence. Megasthenes says that those who were in the camp of Sandrakottos, wherein lay 400,000 men, found that the thefts reported on any one day did not exceed the value of two hundred drachmae, and this among a people who have no written laws, but are ignorant of writing, and must therefore in all the business of life trust to memory. They live, nevertheless, happily enough, being simple in their manners and frugal. They never drink wine except at sacrifices. Their beverage is a liquor composed from rice instead of barley,

Bindusara was the son of the first Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya and his queen Durdhara. During his reign, the empire expanded southwards. According to the Rajavalikatha a Jain work, the original name of this emperor was Simhasena. According to a legend mentioned in the Jain texts, Chandragupta's Guru and advisor Chanakya used to feed the emperor with small doses of poison to build his immunity against possible poisoning attempts by the enemies.^[23] One day, Chandragupta not knowing about poison, shared his food with his pregnant wife queen Durdhara who was 7 days away from delivery. The queen not immune to the poison collapsed and died within few minutes. Chanakya entered the room the very time she collapsed, and in order to save the child in the womb, he immediately cut open the dead queen's belly and took the baby out, by that time a drop of poison had already reached the baby and touched its head due to which child got a permanent blueish spot (a "bindu") on his forehead. Thus, the newborn was named "Bindusara".

Bindusara, just 22 year-old, inherited a large empire that consisted of what is now, Northern, Central and Eastern parts of India along with parts of Afghanistan and Baluchistan. Bindusara extended this empire to the southern part of India, as far as what is now known as Karnataka. He brought sixteen states under the Mauryan Empire and thus conquered almost all of the Indian peninsula (he is said to have conquered the 'land between the two seas' – the peninsular region between the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea). Bindusara didn't conquer the friendly Dravidian kingdoms of the Cholas, ruled by King Ilamcetcenni, the Pandyas, and Cheras. Apart from these southern states, Kalinga (modern Odisha) was the only kingdom in India that didn't form the part of Bindusara's empire. It was later conquered by his son Ashoka, who served as the viceroy of Ujjaini during his father's reign.

Bindusara's life has not been documented as well as that of his father Chandragupta or of his son Ashoka. Chanakya continued to serve as prime minister during his reign. According to the medieval Tibetan scholar Taranatha who visited India, Chanakya helped Bindusara "to destroy the nobles and kings of the sixteen kingdoms and thus to become absolute master of the territory between the eastern and western oceans." During his rule, the citizens of Taxila revolted twice. The reason for the first revolt was the maladministration of Suseema, his eldest son. The reason for the second revolt is unknown, but Bindusara could not suppress it in his lifetime. It was crushed by Ashoka after Bindusara's death.

Ambassadors from the Seleucid Empire (such as Deimachus) and Egypt visited his courts. He maintained good relations with the Hellenic World.

Unlike his father Chandragupta (who at a later stage converted to Jainism), Bindusara believed in the Ajivika sect. Bindusara's guru Pingalavatsa (alias Janasana) was a Brahmin of the Ajivika sect. Bindusara's wife, Queen Subhadrangi (alias Queen Aggamahesi) was a Brahmin also of the Ajivika sect from Champa (present Bhagalpur district). Bindusara is accredited with giving several grants to Brahmin monasteries (Brahmana-bhatto).

Bindusara died in 272 BCE (some records say 268 BCE) and was succeeded by his son Ashoka the Great.

Ashoka the Great

Aśoka pillar at Sarnath
ca.250 BCE.

Chandragupta's grandson Ashoka Vardhana Maurya, son of Bindusara, was also known as Asoka, Ashoka or Ashoka The Great. (reign 272- 232 BCE)

As a young prince, Ashoka was a brilliant commander who crushed revolts in Ujjain and Taxila. As monarch he was ambitious and aggressive, re-asserting the Empire's superiority in southern and western India. But it was his conquest of Kalinga (262–261 BCE) which proved to be the pivotal event of his life. Although Ashoka's army succeeded in overwhelming Kalinga forces of royal soldiers and civilian units, an estimated 100,000 soldiers and civilians were killed in the furious warfare, including over 10,000 of Ashoka's own men. Hundreds of thousands of people were adversely affected by the destruction and fallout of war. When he personally witnessed the devastation, Ashoka began feeling remorse. Although the annexation of Kalinga was completed, Ashoka embraced the teachings of Buddhism, and renounced war and violence. He sent out missionaries to travel around Asia and spread Buddhism to other countries.

Ashoka implemented principles of ahimsa by banning hunting and violent sports activity and ending indentured and forced labor (many thousands of people in war-ravaged Kalinga had been forced into hard labor and servitude). While he maintained a large and powerful army, to keep the peace and maintain authority, Ashoka expanded friendly relations with states across Asia and Europe, and he sponsored Buddhist missions. He undertook a massive public works building campaign across the country. Over 40 years of peace, harmony and prosperity made Ashoka one of the most successful and famous monarchs in Indian history. He remains an idealized figure of inspiration in modern India.

Ashoka pillar at Vaishali

The Edicts of Ashoka, set in stone, are found throughout the Subcontinent. Ranging from as far west as Afghanistan and as far south as Andhra (Nellore District), Ashoka's edicts state his policies and accomplishments. Although predominantly written in Prakrit, two of them were written in Greek, and one in both Greek and Aramaic. Ashoka's edicts refer to the Greeks, Kambojas, and Gandharas as peoples forming a frontier region of his empire. They also attest to Ashoka's having sent envoys to the Greek rulers in the West as far as the Mediterranean. The edicts precisely name each of the rulers of the Hellenic world at the time such as Amtiyoko (Antiochus), Tulamaya (Ptolemy), Amtikini (Antigonos), Maka (Magas) and Alikasudaro (Alexander) as recipients of Ashoka's proselytism. The Edicts also accurately locate their territory "600 yojanas away" (a yojanas being about 7 miles), corresponding to the distance between the center of India and Greece (roughly 4,000 miles).