Question

Mention a few qualities of Chandragupta Maurya which made him a great ruler.​

Answer 1

Explanation:

I presume you mean ChandraguptaII ,not Chandragupta ( predecessor of Samudragupta). Firstly, Chandragupta Maurya was an empire builder, unsurpassed in the entire history of India. Starting from scratch he not only overthrew the powerful Nandas of Magadha, but also defeated Greek general Seleucus Nikator in the northwest. His vast empire stretched from the Hindu kush in Afghanistan to almost Orissa coast (Asoka later brought it under control).His empire extended till Deccan in the south. Chandra Gupta , on the other hand , inherited an already powerful empire from Samudragupta. Moreover, Vakataka kingdom became part of the Gupta empire only after Chandra's sister assumed control after the death of her husband, the Vakataka king. Chandra defeated western kshatrapas and brought under his rule Gujarat and Malwa. Overall his empire extended from north Pakistan till the Narmada river, nothing in comparison to Mauryan empire. Secondly C. Maurya centralized all authority in his own hands. The army, administration, trade etc. was centrally controlled from Pataliputra. C. Gupta had a decentralization of power. Samanta rajas controlled local affairs, paid tribute to the emperor and mustered troops in times of war. Thirdly, C. Maurya undertook a lot of public work, like constructing irrigation canals, building roads etc. In C. Gupta' s times local authorities and small rajas undertook such activities. Fourthly, C. Maurya managed establishing a sound economy based mainly on trade and land produce. All state officials were paid from the treasury. In C. Gupta's times and thereafter there was a gradual decline of trade and pressure upon land was slowly increasing, effects of which were to be seen later.Officials and dignitaries were paid by means of land grants. Fifth, C. Gupta has a lot of cultural achievements to his credit- the navaratnas adorned his court and enriched every field of knowledge, the Vikram Samvat was presumably named after him, the famous Mehrauli iron pillar of C. Gupta exemplifies the state of ancient Indian metallurgy. However these are debatable topics and historians have different views on them. Moreover, C. Gupta was the first Gupta ruler who introduced silver coins, gold coins were there before. Not much achievements attributed specifically to C. Maurya are known. In general, Mauryan times are known for bell shaped towers with animal sculptures atop ,rock inscriptions and stupas, most of which pertain to Ashoka. Moreover, Mauryans issued punch marked coins, and all state officials and dignitaries were paid with it. Lastly, C. Maurya embraced Jainism while C. Gupta was a Vaishnavite, both were tolerant towards followers of other religions. In spite of these differences, both sustained stability and ensured peace in their respective empires. Both were great emperors history has ever seen.

Answer 2

Chandragupta Maurya (reign: 321–297 BCE) was the founder of the Maurya Empire in ancient India. He was taught and counselled by the philosopher Chanakya, who had great influence in the formation of his empire. Together, Chandragupta and Chanakya built one of the largest empires on the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta's life and accomplishments are described in ancient Greek, Hindu, Buddhist and Jain texts, but they vary significantly. In Ancient Greek and Latin accounts, Chandragupta is referred as Sandrokottos or Androcottus.