Hindu and Indian History — The Rise and Fall of Empires
During the summer of 2020, I had the opportunity to deliver a talk on Hindu and Bhāratiya (Indian) history covering around 2,000 years from 300 BCE to 1700.
During my research, I came across some fascinating findings from the rise and fall of empires to science and mathematical discoveries as well as the resistance from foreign invasions.
This series of Hindu and Bhāratiya History will summarise these findings so we can all learn about the great and proud history of the Hindu and Bhāratiya (India) civilisation.
Part one of the series will focus on The Rise And Fall Of Empires.
326 BCE: Battle of Hydaspes
In 326 BCE, Alexander reached the Indian subcontinent. King Ambhi of Takshashila surrendered and allowed Alexander to pass into the Punjab region which was ruled by King Porus.
King Porus fought and resisted Alexander. This battle became known as the Battle of Hydaspes.
There are a few historical accounts of who won this battle. Some say Porus won, some say Alexander won, and some say neither. Regardless, it is certain that King Porus’ resistance was such that it was the most costly battle fought by Alexander, thus halting and breaking the morale of Alexander’s army and was forced to return to Macedonia.
321 BCE: Chānakya and Chandragupt. The establishment of the Mauryan Empire
Chānakya was a monk and an āchārya who specialised in political science amongst many other subjects at Takshashilā University, one of the oldest and prestigious universities in the world (destroyed during the Islamic invasions).
Chānakya saw the threat of King Alexander for the whole of Bhārat (India) and went to the capital Patliputra to seek help from the powerful King Dhanānand of the Nanda dynasty, to fight Alexander and stop him from invading.
However, the corrupt, selfish and arrogant Dhanānand refused and insulted Chānakya. Chānakya took an oath that he will not tie the tuft of his hair until he uproots the whole Nanda dynasty and establishes Dharma and unifies the whole of Bhārat as one nation — i.e. Akhand Bhārat.
Chānakya set off in search of a potential emperor of Bhārat who would unify the nation. He selected a young boy named Chandragupt Maurya, son of Murā, and took him to Takshashilā for education and training.
In 321 BCE, Chandragupt defeats the Nanda dynasty and the remaining Macedonians and establishes the Mauryan empire, thus unifying the nation of Bhārat.
273 BCE — 232 BCE: King Ashok and the expansion of the Mauryan empire
In 273 BCE King Ashok, the grandson of Chandragupt inherits the Mauryan empire. From the years 266 BCE to 232 BCE, King Ashok expanded the Mauryan empire to span most of South Asia.
King Ashok ruled over the empire through the policy of Dharma, which favoured peace and social welfare. In his later life, he adopted Buddhism and spread Buddhist philosophy throughout the empire.
King Ashok spread the precepts of Dharma through inscriptions known as the edicts of Ashok which detailed the precepts of Dharma and were sent around the empire as far as the Mediterranean region.
57 BCE and 78 CE: Vikramaditya and the establishment of the Vikram Samvat and Shāhlivān Shaka eras
Vikramaditya is a title adopted by emperors and not a person’s name. Many legendary emperors of Bhārat have been given this title.
57 BCE — Vikram Samvat: It was the time when the Shakas were ruling parts of northern Bhārat. The Shakas were from the Persian region (modern-day Iran). It was one Vikramaditya who defeated the Shakas and thus the era of Vikramaditya was established. Many years later, this era was marked by the invention of the Vikram Samvat calendar system starting at 57 BCE. This calendar system is widely used in north Bhārat (India) and it is also the current national calendar of Nepal.
78 CE — Shāhlivān Shaka: This era has a few historical accounts. One is the ascent of King Charthana and the other is to mark the defeat of Shakas by Shāhlivān. This calendar system is widely used in south Bhārat.
The full factual history of these two eras and the establishment of the calendars are still being researched and may therefore not be 100% accurate.
900 CE — 1300 CE: The rise of the Cholā empire
It is said that the Cholā dynasty was one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the world. Though the most significant period of the Cholā empire was between 900 CE and 1300 CE, it was established around the end of the Mauryan empire at around 300 BCE. The Cholās were mentioned in one of King Ashok’s edicts.
It was from 1024 CE that the empire was expanded in terms of territory and influence. The territory covered south Bhārat and Sri Lanka, however, the cultural influence expanded north of Bhārat and a lot of the South and South-East Asia region including Burma/Myanmar, Indonesia, Maldives, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia etc.
I have only covered a part of the history of empires. There are many more which were either beyond the scope of the talk or not covered due to the time restriction. Empires such as the Marāthā and the Rājput empires and many more.
Part two in the series covers Contribution to Science, Mathematics and Philosophy
