Topic overview
- Bindusara was the second Mauryan Emperor and the son of Chandragupta Maurya, ruling from approximately 297 BCE to 273 BCE.
- He is known in Greek sources as Amitrochates, which is considered the Hellenized form of the Sanskrit title Amitraghata, meaning destroyer of foes.
- His reign bridges the foundational consolidation under Chandragupta and the extensive ideological expansion under his famous son, Ashoka.
- Buddhist, Jain, and Puranic texts provide diverse and rich accounts of his accession, administration, and personal religious inclinations.
- During his tenure, the Mauryan Empire maintained active diplomatic and commercial relations with the Hellenistic kingdoms of the West.
Concept 1
Accession and Early Life
The transition of power from Chandragupta Maurya to Bindusara and traditional accounts of his birth.
Details
- Bindusara succeeded his father Chandragupta Maurya around 297 BCE.
- According to Jain tradition, Chandragupta abdicated the throne and accompanied Bhadrabahu to Shravanabelagola.
- Jain texts record that Chanakya fed Chandragupta small doses of poison to build immunity against enemies, and a pregnant queen accidentally ingested it.
- Chanakya performed a cesarean section to save the child, cutting open the queen's womb, during which a drop of poison touched the baby's head, causing a spot or bindu.
- This incident allegedly led to his name being established as Bindusara, meaning the strength of the drop.
Remember
- Predecessor: Chandragupta Maurya.
- Successor: Ashoka.
- Estimated Reign: c. 297 BCE – 273 BCE.
- Primary traditions: Jain and Buddhist accounts.
Examples & sources
- The story of Chanakya performing surgery to save the unborn child is narrated in the Jain text Parishishtaparvan.
- The Mahavamsa mentions him as the son of Chandragupta by queen Durdhara.
Compare
- Chandragupta Maurya founded the empire through military conquest and overthrow of the Nanda dynasty.
- Bindusara inherited a vast pre-established empire and focused primarily on internal consolidation and southern expansion.
Common confusions
- Students often confuse Bindusara with Bimbisara of the Haryanka dynasty.
- Many assume Bindusara personally conquered the entire Indian peninsula, though southern campaigns are debated.
Exam points
- Sanskrit equivalent of Amitrochates.
- Role of Chanakya as prime minister during early years.
- Jain source mentioning his birth details.
Concept 2
Epithets, Names and Foreign Accounts
The various titles bestowed upon Bindusara by indigenous and foreign historical sources.
Details
- Greek historians refer to Bindusara by the name Amitrochates or Allitrochades.
- Linguists trace Amitrochates to the Sanskrit epithet Amitraghata, meaning slayer of enemies.
- Puranas and Brahmanical texts frequently refer to him as Bhadrasara or Varisara.
- Jain texts mention him as Bindusara, aligning with the legend of the poison drop.
- Strabo and Athenaeus preserve Greek accounts mentioning diplomatic exchanges with Seleucid rulers.
Remember
- Greek Name: Amitrochates.
- Sanskrit Title: Amitraghata.
- Purana Name: Bhadrasara.
- Source: Writings of Athenaeus citing earlier Greek ambassadors.
Examples & sources
- Athenaeus mentions that Antiochus I sent figs, sweet wine, and a Greek philosopher to Amitrochates at his request.
- Puranic lists place him immediately after Chandragupta Maurya.
Compare
- Chandragupta Maurya was known to Greeks as Sandrokottos.
- Bindusara was known to Greeks as Amitrochates, showing continuity in diplomatic nomenclature.
Common confusions
- Amitraghata is sometimes mistakenly attributed to Ashoka instead of Bindusara.
- Foreign names like Amitrochates are often confused with Bactrian Greek invaders.
Exam points
- Match the Greek name Amitrochates with Bindusara.
- Identify Amitraghata as slayer of enemies.
- Distinguish Puranic names from Buddhist names.
Concept 3
Foreign Relations and Hellenistic Contacts
Bindusara's diplomatic outreach to Western Hellenistic monarchs and exchange of commodities.
Details
- Bindusara maintained friendly diplomatic ties with the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire of West Asia.
- He corresponded with Antiochus I Soter, the ruler of the Seleucid Empire.
- According to Athenaeus, Bindusara requested Antiochus to send him sweet wine, dried figs, and a Greek philosopher.
- Antiochus replied that he sent the wine and figs, but noted that Greek law prohibited the trade or export of philosophers.
- Deimachus was sent as the Seleucid ambassador to Bindusara's court at Pataliputra, succeeding Megasthenes.
Remember
- Seleucid King: Antiochus I Soter.
- Greek Ambassador: Deimachus.
- Requested Items: Wine, figs, and a sophist/philosopher.
- Diplomatic channel: Pataliputra royal court.
Examples & sources
- Deimachus resided at Pataliputra as the official ambassador representing the Seleucid court.
- Correspondence with Ptolemaic Egypt is also suggested by later historical interpretations.
Compare
- Chandragupta Maurya's foreign relations involved military conflict and matrimonial alliance with Seleucus I Nicator.
- Bindusara's foreign relations were characterized by peaceful commercial and cultural requests with successor states.
Common confusions
- Megasthenes is often incorrectly associated with Bindusara's reign instead of Chandragupta's.
- Students assume the Greek philosopher was actually dispatched to Pataliputra.
Exam points
- Identify Deimachus as ambassador to Bindusara.
- Recall the three items requested by Bindusara from Antiochus I.
- Significance of the title Amitrochates in trade relations.
Concept 4
Administration and Ministerial Council
The continuity of Mauryan administrative machinery and prominent ministers during Bindusara's reign.
Details
- Bindusara inherited the robust administrative framework designed by Kautilya and Chandragupta Maurya.
- Chanakya continued to serve as the chief minister or advisor during the early part of Bindusara's reign.
- Later traditions mention Radhagupta, a minister belonging to a prominent Brahman family, who later played a crucial role in Ashoka's succession.
- The council of ministers known as Mantriparishad retained immense executive power and advisory roles.
- Provincial administration continued under royal princes functioning as kumaras or aryaputras.
Remember
- Chief Advisor: Chanakya (early reign).
- Key Minister: Radhagupta.
- Administrative Body: Mantriparishad.
- Governance Model: Centralized autocracy with provincial autonomy.
Examples & sources
- Ashoka served as the viceroy or kumar at Ujjain and Taxila during Bindusara's administration.
- Subandhu is mentioned in Tibetan Buddhist traditions as a minister associated with court intrigues.
Compare
- Chandragupta's administration was focused on state creation and subduing regional satraps.
- Bindusara's administration focused on bureaucratic stabilization and regional pacification.
Common confusions
- Chanakya is often thought to have died immediately after Chandragupta's retirement, ignoring his service under Bindusara.
- Radhagupta is frequently confused with Kautilya in popular media.
Exam points
- Continuity of Kautilya's administrative system under Bindusara.
- Radhagupta's association with the Mauryan court.
- Role of royal princes as provincial governors.
Concept 5
Revolts at Taxila and Suppression
Internal security challenges and the uprisings in the northwestern frontier province of Taxila.
Details
- Taxila, situated in the northwestern province, witnessed two major revolts during Bindusara's reign due to misrule by local officials.
- The first revolt occurred while Bindusara was reigning, and he dispatched his eldest son, Susima, to quell it, but he failed to restore order.
- Subsequently, Ashoka was sent to Taxila, where he successfully pacified the populace without widespread bloodshed by addressing local grievances.
- A second revolt broke out later, which was also effectively handled by the imperial administration.
- These uprisings highlight the fragility of control in distant frontier regions and the strategic importance of royal princes as troubleshooters.
Remember
- Location of Revolt: Taxila (North-Western Province).
- First Prince Dispatched: Susima (failed to suppress).
- Second Prince Dispatched: Ashoka (successfully pacified).
- Primary Cause: Oppressive local administration of Amatyas.
Examples & sources
- The Divyavadana provides detailed accounts of the Taxila revolts and the respective missions of Susima and Ashoka.
- Local citizens in Taxila reportedly complained against wicked officials rather than the imperial crown itself.
Compare
- Chandragupta Maurya faced external Greek threats like Seleucus.
- Bindusara faced internal regional revolts from provincial subjects and officials.
Common confusions
- The Taxila revolt is often mistakenly attributed to foreign invasions rather than internal administrative oppression.
- Some believe Ashoka led a massive army of slaughter to crush Taxila, whereas Buddhist texts emphasize peaceful resolution.
Exam points
- Source text for Taxila revolts (Divyavadana).
- Princes involved: Susima and Ashoka.
- Strategic location of Taxila in the northwest.
Concept 6
Empire Extent and Southern India
The territorial boundaries of the Mauryan Empire under Bindusara and expansion towards the Deccan.
Details
- Bindusara inherited an empire that spanned from the Hindu Kush in the northwest to the valleys of the central Deccan.
- Historians like Taranath and medieval inscriptions suggest his campaigns extended Mauryan influence into the southern peninsula.
- Taranath records that Chanakya and Bindusara destroyed the nobles and kings of sixteen towns and subjugated the territory between the eastern and western seas.
- Pliny and Plutarch note the vastness of the Mauryan dominion, which continued uninterrupted through his reign.
- Mysore and Karnataka regions contain Mauryan administrative footprints that date back to this phase of consolidation.
Remember
- Geographical Scope: From Northern Afghanistan/Hindu Kush down to Karnataka.
- Tibetan Historian: Taranath's account of southern conquests.
- Stretches between two seas: Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.
- Core Regions: Magadha, Gandhara, Avanti, and Kalinga (partially autonomous or contested).
Examples & sources
- Taranath's history mentions conquest of land between the eastern and western oceans.
- Distribution of Mauryan punch-marked coins across South India.
Compare
- Chandragupta conquered North, Northwest, and parts of Central India.
- Bindusara pushed the southern frontier further into the Deccan plateau.
Common confusions
- Bindusara is often credited with conquering Kalinga, which actually took place under Ashoka.
- Many assume South India was entirely independent until Ashoka's Kalinga war.
Exam points
- Taranath's testimony regarding sixteen towns.
- Territorial continuity between Chandragupta and Ashoka.
- Deccan expansion under Bindusara.
Concept 7
Religious Inclinations and Death
Bindusara's personal faith, patronage of non-orthodox sects, and the end of his rule.
Details
- Unlike his grandson Ashoka, Bindusara was not a follower of Buddhism for most of his life.
- He showed deep interest in Ajivika ascetics, a heterodox sect founded by Gosala Maskariputra.
- Divyavadana mentions Brahmanical and Ajivika teachers frequented his court, earning him the title of patron of ascetics.
- Jain traditions claim he had favorable relations with Jain monks and respected various ascetic orders.
- Bindusara died around 273 BCE, leading to a four-year war of succession among his sons before Ashoka formally ascended the throne in 269 BCE.
Remember
- Primary Sect Patronized: Ajivikas.
- Court Ascetics: Brahmins and heterodox philosophers.
- Year of Death: c. 273 BCE.
- Succession Crisis: Four-year civil war prior to Ashoka's coronation.
Examples & sources
- Divyavadana records his interaction with various religious sects and Brahmins.
- The war of succession involved the conflict between Ashoka and his elder brother Susima.
Compare
- Chandragupta Maurya embraced Jainism towards the end of his life.
- Ashoka embraced Buddhism after the Kalinga War, whereas Bindusara patronized Ajivikas and Brahmins.
Common confusions
- Bindusara is often wrongly assumed to be a devout Buddhist because he was Ashoka's father.
- The four-year gap between his death and Ashoka's coronation is frequently ignored.
Exam points
- Bindusara's association with the Ajivika sect.
- Four-year succession interregnum before Ashoka's coronation.
- Death year around 273 BCE.