Foundation of the Mauryan Empire, Chandragupta, Kautllya and Arthashastra;
Ashoka; Concept of Dhanna; Edicts; Polity, Administration; Economy; Art, architecture and sculpture: External contacts; Religion; Spread of religion; Literature;
Disintegration of the empire;
Sungas and Kanvas.
PYQs: Mauryan Empire (1985-2024)
- Discuss critically the relative importance of the different sources for the history of the Mauryan period. (1986)
- Write short essay of not more than 200 words on: Mauryan court art as an alien grafting. (1988)
- Discuss the comparative merit of the Arthasastra, the Indica and Asoka Inscriptions as sources for the administration, socio-economic conditions and religious life in the Mauryan period. (1989)
- Write short essay of not more than 200 words: The Maurya policy of regulating and controlling economic activities. (1990)
- Write brief essay on Contents of Asoka’s dhamma and reasons for Asoka’s keenness to propagate dhamma. (1991)
- Write brief essay on Similarities and differences between the Maurya columns and Achaemenian pillars. (1993)
- Examine the importance of Ashoka’s Rock Edit XIII for determining the extent of the Maurya Empire. Did Ashoka’s policies and reforms contribute to the fall of the empire? (1993)
- Determine the veracity of Megasthenes’ descri-ptions of Indian society & economy with the help of other contemporary evidences. (1994)
- Write brief essay on Inscriptions of Asoka. (1995)
- Write brief essay on Mauryan municipal administration. (1996)
- Write brief essay on architectural & artistic features of the great stupa at Sanchi. (1997)
- Examine sources of information for Mauryan dynasty. Throw light on historical significance of Ashoka’s inscriptions. (1999)
- How did Ashoka contribute to the moral and administrative welfare of his people? (2000)
- Examine the nature of the Mauryan State. Bring out the features of their administrative system. (2002)
- Determine the extent of the Mauryan empire. (2005)
- Examine the role of adhyaksa in the Mauryan administration. (2012)
- Social norms for women in the Dharmasastra and Arthasastra tradition were framed in accordance with the Vamashrama tradition.Evaluate critically. (2013)
- Discuss different interpretations of historians about the nature of Asoka’s ‘Dhamma’. Did his principle of Dhamma-vijaya render the Mauryan Empire militaristically weak? (2014)
- Delineate the nature and impact of India’s contact with Western Asia and the Mediterranean world during the Mauryan period. (2015)
- “The concept of Ashoka’s Dhamma as found through his inscriptions had its roots in Vedic-Upanishadic literature.” Discuss. (2017)
- Do you agree with the popular view that Mauryas established a unitary and highly centralized if not monolithic state system? (2018)
- Explain how Ashoka used religion as a tool of political aggrandizement? (2019)
- How would you characterize the nature of Mauryan state on the basis of Kautilya’s Arthashastra? (2021)
- Ashoka’s Dhamma was propagated not just for moral upliftment and social harmony but also for the extension of the state’s authority. Analyse the statement. (2022)
- Analyze the contours of imperial ideology as exhibited during the Mauryan period. (2023)
- Discuss the role of Buddhism in shaping the socio-religious landscape of the Mauryan empire. (2024)