Question

What are the causes for the decline of the mauryas in 250 words

Answer 1

The decline of the Maurya Dynasty was rather rapid after the death of Ashoka/Asoka. One obvious reason for it was the succession of weak kings. Another immediate cause was the partition of the Empire into two. Had not the partition taken place, the Greek invasions could have been held back giving a chance to the Mauryas to re-establish some degree of their previous power. Mauryan Empire began to decline after the death of Ashoka in 232 BC. The last king was Brihadratha was assassinated by his general Pushyamitra Shunga who was a Brahmin.

Answer 2

The decline of the Maurya Dynasty was rather rapid after the death of Ashoka/Asoka. One obvious reason for it was the succession of weak kings. Another immediate cause was the partition of the Empire into two. Had not the partition taken place, the Greek invasions could have been held back giving a chance to the Mauryas to re-establish some degree of their previous power. Mauryan Empire began to decline after the death of Ashoka in 232 BC. The last king was Brihadratha was assassinated by his general Pushyamitra Shunga who was a Brahmin.

The factors which led to the decline of Mauryan Empire are as following:

The religious policy of Ashoka

The religious policy of Ashoka antagonized the Brahmins of his empire. Since Ashoka banned animal sacrifice it stopped the income of Brahmins who received gifts in form of various kinds of sacrifices made to them.

Huge Expenditure on army and bureaucracy

During Mauryan age a huge expenditure was done on maintaining army and bureaucracy. Moreover, Ashoka during his reign made large grants to the Buddhist monks which made the royal treasury empty. The Mauryan kings who succeeded Ashoka faced the financial crunch.

Oppressive rule in provinces

The provincial rulers in Magadhan Empire were often corrupt and oppressive. This led to frequent rebellions against the empire. During the reign of Bindusara, the citizens of Taxila complained against the misrule of wicked bureaucrats. Although Bindusara and Ashoka took measures to control the bureaucrats, this failed to check the oppression in provinces.

Neglect of North-West frontier

Ashoka was so busy in carrying our religious activities that he seldom paid attention to north-west frontier of Mauryan Empire. The Greeks took advantage of this and set up a kingdom in north Afghanistan which was known as Bactria. This was followed by a series of foreign invasion which weakened the empire.