WB solution - The Rise and decline of the Mauryan dynasty

Date: __________________ 8. The Rise and Decline of the Mauryan Empire 1. Choose the appropriate option.(R/U) a) Who were the rulers of Magadha at the time of Alexander’s invasion? i)Nandas ii)Mauryas iii)Shishunagas| iv) Haryankas b)Who amongst the following personalities was known as Chanakya? i)Dhana Nanda ii)Kautilya iii)Ashoka iv) Seleucus c) Which of the following Mauryan ruler attacked Kalinga? i)ChandraGupta II ii) Bindusara iii) Ashoka iv) ChandraGuptaMaurya d) Who is the author of the book Indika? i)Megasthenes ii)Alexander iii)Seleucus iv)Ashoka 2. Match the columns.U/AP Column A Column B 1. Seleucus a. made Buddhism state religion 2. Bindusara b. ended the Mauryan rule 3. Ashoka c. the general of Alexander 4. PushyamitraShunga d. also known as Amitrochates Column A Column B 1. Seleucus c. general of Alexander 2. Bindusara d. also known as Amitrochates 3. Ashoka a. war of Kalinga 4. PushyamitraShunga b. made Buddhism state religion. 3.State whether the following statement is true or false. Correct the false statement and rewrite. N/U/AP The king led wars, only after consulting the Senapati or commander in chief. True. Chandragupta Maurya was succeeded by Ashoka.False Chandragupta Maurya was succeeded by Bindusara. The official in charge for finances and collection of taxes was known asSamaharta. True d)Ashoka held the first Buddhist Council or sangiti.False Ashoka held the third Buddhist Council or sangiti. 4. Answer the following questionsin one sentence R/U What was the duty of therajukas? The duty of the rajukas was to administer justice. Why did Chandragupta Maurya abandon his throne? Chandragupta Maurya embraced Jainism and abandoned his throne in favour of his son, Bindusara. Why are Ashoka’s inscription considered an important source of history? His career, his domestic and foreign policies, as well as the extent of his empire. Tax was an important source of revenue. Justify the statement. The amount collected from the tax was spent on maintenance of the king, his ministers, army, salaries of other officials, religious purposes and on infrastructure. 5. Answer the following questions in detail.R/U/EV Discuss the factors that led to the decline of the Mauryan Empire. The promotion of Buddhism had adversely affected the Brahmans. Hence, the empire received a strong protest from the Brahmanical society. The Mauryans used large amount of money on the maintenance of army. This developed a dent in the Mauryan treasury. The successors of Ashoka were not capable enough to look after a huge empire. These were followed by a series of foreign invasions. Bactrians were the first ones to invade India in 206 BCE. The Mauryan Empire was finally destroyed by PushyamitraShunga, the General of last Mauryan ruler, Brihadratha in 185 BCE. Briefly explain the political scenario in India before the Mauryan Dynasty was established. Magadha was the most powerful kingdom out of the sixteen Mahajanapadas . Magadha saw the rise of many dynasties – the Haryanka, the Shishunaga and the Nanda Dynasty before the establishment of the Mauryan Dynasty, that is considered to be the one who established the first empire of India. Several smaller kingdoms extending over a very large area were incorporated into the territory of Magadha. In 326 BCE, Alexander turned his attention towards India. He was assisted by Ambhi, the Prince of Taxila and he infiltrated further east into India. He crossed the Chenab and the Ravi rivers and advanced upto the Beas. Discuss any five features of the Mauryan administration. Role of the king The king was the supreme and the final authority in all the matters of the empire. He led in the war, with consultation from his Senapati or Commander-in-Chief. He made important appointments, looked into the state funds, met diplomats and collected secret information from spies. He also issued sasanas or royal edicts for the management of the people. He was helped in his work by mantri-parishads or council of ministers. There are various references of high officials such as the Amatyas ,Mahamatras and Adhyaksas. In the Arthashastra written by Chanakya. He maintained a huge army for the protection of thekingdom as well as for conquest of new territories. The maintenance of the army was done with the taxes collected from the people. Chandragupta maintained 6,00,000 foot soldiers, 30,000 cavalry and 9,000 elephants. Administration of the Empire The Empire was divided into provinces for administrative purposes. The provinces were ruled by viceroys who were generally princes or kumaras .The provinces were further divided into districts which were managed by sthanikas . Each district consisted of five to ten villages. Grama or the village was the lowest unit of administration. Gramika was the head of the village, who used to regulate land and water rights and collected taxes from the people. Spies were appointed to keep a watch over the officials. Sources of income Land revenue was the main source of income. The farmer paid one-sixth of the total produce to the state. Chanakya mentions several types of taxes collected from the peasants, artisans and traders. Tax was also collected from mines, forests and customs at the frontiers, tolls, ferry duties and fines. The official in charge for finances and revenue collection was known as Samaharta . The amount collected from the tax was spent on maintenance of the king, his ministers, army, salaries of other officials, religious purposes and on infrastructure. 6. Observe the picture and answer the following questions.AN/AP Identify the personality in the image. Kautilya What is the name of the book written by him? Arthashastra Why did he vow to uproot the Nanda dynasty? He was worried about Alexander’s invasion on India. He went to the Magadha court to suggest that they drive out the army of Alexander. However, Dhana Nanda not only snubbed his suggestion but also insulted Chanakya. 7. Draw a graphic organiser to identify the features of Ashoka’sDhamma. 8. The welfare measure initiated by Ashoka suggests that he followed high principles of kingship. Justify the statement. (Ev/ CR)