Ancient India
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| conspired with Chanakya, the minister of the Nandas, to overthrow the Nandas. After that, he negotiated with Seleucus Nicator, the Greek Viceroy of Alexander, who ceded Eastern Afghanistan, Baluchistan and the area west of the Indus. | |
Under Chandragupta Maurya, the whole of northern India was united. Trade flourished, agriculture was regulated, weights and measures were standardised. Money first came into use. Taxation, sanitation and famine relief became the concerns of the State. His son and successor, Bindusara (296 BC - 273 BC), extended the kingdom further and conquered the south as far as Mysore. | |
India, south of the Vindhya mountains and the Narmada river, was known as the Deccan. Further south was the land of the Dravidas . From ancient times, these lands were home to Indians of non-Aryan origin.
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| In the fourth century AD a new Indian dynasty, the Guptas, arose in Magadha and established a large kingdom over the greater part of northern India. This period is also referred to as the | ||||||||||||||||
| 'Classical Age' of ancient India, and lasted for more than 200 years. The knowledge of this period comes from Fa-hien, a Chinese traveler. 'Gupta' India was far in advance of any country in the known world. There was a great Buddhist university at Nalanda in Bihar, which attracted students from all over Asia. | |||||||||||||||||
| The Guptas were in origin probably a family of the wealthy landowners who gradually gained political control in the region of Magadha. The founder of the Gupta | ||||||||||||||||
| dynasty, Chandragupta I ascended the throne in about 320 AD. The kingdom was enlarged by his son, Samudragupta, who fought against a number of kings and annexed territories in the northern part of the sub-continent. However, his direct political control was only over the Gangetic valley, as compared with the Mauryan kings. It was during the reign of Samudragupta's successor, Chandragupta II (also known as Vikramaditya), that the Gupta ascendancy was at it's peak. He conducted a victorious campaign in western India against the Shakas (338 AD - 409 AD). He made a matrimonial alliance with the Vakataka dynasty, the successors to the Satavahana power, thus ensuring friendly relations to the south of his domain. Chandragupta II is also remembered for his patronage of learning and arts. | |||||||||||||||||
| From the decline of the Guptas until the rise of Harshavardhana in the early seventh century, the political scene is confused and there are few records to illuminate us. Tribes of Hunas gradually moved over the mountains into North-western India. The name is etymologically related to the classical 'Huns', but they were probably only remotely connected, if at all, with the hordes of Attila. By early sixth century, Huna ruler Toramana and Mihirakula claimed Punjab and Kashmir as part of their kingdom. Once again, India experienced migrations of people from Central Asia and Iran. Some of them remained in Northern India and others moved further to the south and the west. This disturbance led to changes in the caste structure, with the emergence of new sub-castes. | |||||||||||||||||
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| In the second half of the seventh century, efforts at empire building were made by Harshavardhana (or Harsha). He belonged to the Pushabhukti family, who ruled in | ||||||||||||||||
| Thaneshwar, north of Delhi. His reign is comparatively well-documented, thanks to his court poet, Bana, who composed an account of his rise to power, Harshacharita. The Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, Hieun Tsang, who visited India during his reign,
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