Rise of Religions and Emergence of
the State
Buddhism and Jainism
The sixth
century BC was a time of social and intellectual
ferment in India. It was then that Mahavira
founded the Jain religion, and Gautam Buddha
attained enlightenment. The two great religions,
Jainism and Buddhism, preached non-violence to
all living creatures, tolerance and
self-discipline, values that have become the
cornerstones of the Indian ethos. The teachings
of these faiths won immediate popular acceptance
owing to their simplicity and practicality; the
sermons of both were preached in commonly spoken
languages. Later, Buddhist monks were to spread
their religion south to Sri Lanka and north-east
to China, Japan, Korea and the whole of
South-east Asia, where it is practised till
today.
Rise of the State
With land becoming property and the society
being divided on the basis of occupations and
castes, conflicts and disorders were bound to
arise. Organised power to resolve these issues
therefore emerged, gradually leading to formation
of full-fledged state systems, including vast
empires.
The Mauryan Empire
By the end of the third century BC, most of
North India was knit together in the first great
Indian empire by Chandragupta Maurya. His son
Bindusara extended the Mauryan empire over
virtually the entire subcontinent, giving rise to
an imperial vision that was to dominate
successive centuries of political aspirations.
The greatest Mauryan emperor was Ashoka the Great
(286-231 BC) whose successful campaigns
culminated in the annexation of Kalinga (modern
Orissa). Overcome by the horrors of war, he was
probably the first victorious ruler to renounce
war on the battlefield. Ashoka converted to
Buddhism, but did not impose his faith on his
subjects. Instead, he tried to convert them
through edicts inscribed on rock in the local
dialects, using the earliest known post-Harappan
script known as Brahmi.
The Mauryan economy was essentially agrarian.
The State owned huge farms and these were
cultivated by slaves and farm labourers. Taxes
collected on land, trade and manufacture of
handicrafts were the other major sources of
income during this era.
In 327 BC, Alexander of Macedonia crossed into
northwest India. He conquered a large part of the
Indian territory before his generals, tired of
war, forced him to return home. Alexander left
behind Greek governors to rule over Indian
territories won by him. But with time, these
regions were lost out to Indian states through
conflict and slow absorption. However, the
contact between the two cultures left a more
lasting impact on Indian art. Sculptures of the
region bear a marked Greek influence.
Following Ashoka's death in 232 BC, the
Mauryan empire started disintegrating. This was
an open invitation to invaders from Central Asia
to seek their fortunes in India. This period saw
the rise of several smaller kingdoms which did
not last very long.
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