Mauryan Conquest of South
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In 303 BCE after defeating the Greeks the Maryan Empire started its expansion Southwards. Till 273 BCE the territories upto Mysore in Karnataka where captured. However their is a dispute between who actually captured them.[1]
| Mauryan Conquest of South | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Wars of Maurya Empire | |||||||||
 Mauryan Empire between 600 and 180 BCE, including possible expansion under Bindusara prior to 273 BCE. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Maurya Empire |
Deccani Kingdoms Chola dynasty Chera dynasty Pandya dynastyMokur Kingdom Koshar Kingdom | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Chandragupta Bindusara Ashoka Chanakya | Unknown | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 600,000 | Unknown | ||||||||
According to some Historians in 273 BCE Chandragupta Maurya captured them while Binduasra did not add anything to the Empire and just put offs some rebellions while some historians believe that Bindusara was the one who carried out the conquest of South with help of Chanakya. Tho a inscription of South mentions Ashoka in conquest of South but it's is not possible as his own Rock inscription mentions his only conquest was the Kalinga War.[1]
Chandragupta's Conquest
changeAfter expanding his empire beyond India, Chandragupta thought about extending his rule further south, beyond the Vindhya Mountains. Plutarch says that he "conquered and controlled all of India with an army of 600,000," but we don’t have many details about this conquest. However, we do have solid evidence from Ashoka’s inscriptions. These inscriptions, found in places like Siddapura, Brahmagiri, and Jatinga-Ramesvara in southern India, show that Ashoka ruled the South. He also names southern kingdoms such as the Cholas, Pandyas, Satyaputras, and Keralaputras as his neighbors in his Rock Edicts, which helps us understand where the southern borders of his empire were.[1]
Ashoka himself explains in his Rock Edict XIII that he only conquered Kalinga and that this war caused him great regret. The violence resulted in 150,000 prisoners, 100,000 deaths, and many more wounded. Ashoka felt so guilty about the suffering caused by this battle that he decided never to pursue such violent conquests again. Instead, he promoted "Dharma-vijaya" or "Moral Conquest," focusing on peace and non-violence (Ahimsa). This shows that it was not Ashoka who conquered the South, nor his father Bindusara, despite what Plutarch suggests about Chandragupta's role.[1]
The Tamil Sangam poems, like those in Akananuru and Purananuru, mention the armies and chariots of the Maurya Empire, and possibly refer to the Nanda dynasty[2] as well. However, these poems, written between the first century BCE and the fifth century CE, do not mention Chandragupta Maurya by name. Some of them might actually be referring to a different Moriya dynasty in the Deccan region during the fifth century CE.[3] Historian Upinder Singh suggests that these poems could be talking about the Mokur and Koshar kingdoms in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, which may have had an alliance with the Maurya Empire at some point.[4]
Binduasra's Conquest
changeTaranatha, a 16th-century Tibetan Buddhist writer, mentions that Chanakya, a key advisor to Bindusara, defeated the rulers of 16 towns and made Bindusara the ruler of land between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Some historians believe this suggests Bindusara conquered the Deccan (southern India), while others think it only means he suppressed uprisings.[5]
Sailendra Nath Sen argues that the Mauryan empire already stretched from the western coast (around Saurashtra) to the eastern coast (near Bengal) during Chandragupta's reign. Additionally, Ashoka's inscriptions found in southern India don’t mention Bindusara’s conquest of the Deccan. Based on this, Sen believes that Bindusara didn’t expand the empire but maintained the territories he inherited from his father, Chandragupta.[6]
K. Krishna Reddy, however, argues that if Bindusara had conquered southern India, Ashoka’s inscriptions would have proudly mentioned it. Reddy suggests that during Bindusara’s rule, the Mauryan empire reached as far south as Mysore, but the southern kingdoms likely remained independent, possibly acknowledging the Mauryas’ authority without direct control.[7]
Alain Daniélou believes Bindusara inherited an empire that already included the Deccan and didn’t add much new territory. Daniélou thinks Bindusara brought the southern kingdoms of the Cheras, Cholas, and Satyaputras under Mauryan influence, but couldn't defeat their armies. His view is based on references in ancient Tamil literature to a "Mauryan conquest" (though the details are unclear). Daniélou concludes that Bindusara’s main accomplishment was organizing and consolidating the empire he inherited from Chandragupta.[8]
Ashoka's Conquest
changeAshoka's influence in the South is confirmed by inscriptions found at locations such as Siddapura, Brahmagiri, Jatinga-Rameshwara Hill in Mysore, as well as the Govimath and Palkigundu inscriptions in Kopbal Taluk, the Maski inscription in the Deccan, and the Gooty inscription in Kurnool. In his Rock Edicts II and XIII, Asoka also mentions neighboring kingdoms like the Cholas, Pandyas, Satyaputras, and Keralaputras, indicating the southern boundaries of his empire.[1]
Ashoka himself states in Rock Edict XIII that his only major conquest was of Kalinga, a victory that caused him great sorrow due to the massive loss of life—150,000 captives, 100,000 killed, and many more dying from wounds. The suffering he caused led him to abandon further military conquests, adopting a policy of Dharmavijaya (Moral Victory) focused on peace, non-violence (Ahimsa), and moral leadership, which means the conquest of the South was not part of his imperial actions.[1]
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 R K Mookerji. Chandragupta Maurya And His Times. pp. 62–64.
- ↑ Zvelebil, Kamil (1973). The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India. BRILL. pp. 53–54. ISBN 978-90-04-03591-1.
- ↑ Mookerji, Radhakumud (1966). Chandragupta Maurya and His Times. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. pp. 41–42. ISBN 978-81-208-0405-0.
- ↑ Singh, Upinder (2008). A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century. Pearson Education India. pp. 330–331. ISBN 978-81-317-1677-9.
- ↑ Singh, Upinder (2008). A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century. Pearson Education India. p. 331. ISBN 978-81-317-1120-0.
- ↑ Sen, Sailendra Nath (1999). Ancient Indian History and Civilization. New Age International. p. 142. ISBN 978-81-224-1198-0.
- ↑ Reddy (2005-11-01). General Studies History 4 Upsc. McGraw-Hill Education (India) Pvt Limited. ISBN 978-0-07-060447-6.
- ↑ Daniélou, Alain (2003). A Brief History of India. p. 109.