How far ashoka was responsible for downfall of mauryan empire?
Answers
The Successors of Ashoka failed to maintain the integrity of the Empire which they inherited from Ashoka. The partition of the Empire after Ashoka and quick succession of rulers no doubt weakend the basis of the Empire. But more important is the fact that the inherent contradictions in the modern Imperial set up accentuated the crisis. The highly centralised Bureaucracy with its loyalty to the king and not to the state made the administration completely individual based. And the change of king meant the change of officials and this had a very adverse effect on administration after Ashoka.
Many scholars have views that hold Ashoka and his policies responsible for the decline of the mauryas are not acceptable in the light of the contemporary evidence. The attempt by some Scholars to explain the disintegration of the mauryan Empire in terms of economic problems has also been taken into consideration. Finally, we have also highlighted the growth of local politics both in the North and South which accelerated the process of disintegration of the mauryan Empire.
Answer:
Ashoka renounced wars and adopted the policy of non- violence. As a result, the soldiers lacked proper training and were unable to suppress revolts. This weakened the Mauryan Empire and ultimately led to its decline.