Chandragupta Maurya and His Times

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Motilal Banarsidass, Jan 1, 2016 - History - 285 pages

This is a comprehensive work dealing with the life and times of India's first historical emperor, and a picture of the civilization of India in the early period of the fourth century BC.

The author while enlightening on the origin and early life, conquests and chronology, administration, ideals, divisions, presents the reader in the court of the first historical emperor of India, duly attended by his popular ministers and officers and acquaints the student with the rules of service and administrative departments. Land system and rural administration are surveyed along with the municipal administration of the times. Justice personified in the King appears before us along with the huge divisions of the army to maintain it. Social and economic conditions have been so elaborately discussed as to cause surprise and curiosity. As a matter of fact, the author takes the reader back to the golden times as if by magic.

To render the matter easily accessible to the reader an Index of subjects, an Index of Technical Terms, three Appendices and a plate of typical Mauryan coins, have also been added. This work is meant to fill up a gap in the knowledge of Ancient India.

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Contents

127 Rural Staff 128 Fiscal Classification of Villages 128 Village
127
CHAPTER VIII
133
against Epidemics 138 Killing rats 138 RatCess 138 Control
139
Mining 146 Roads 147 Summary of Agreements
147
Inheritance 154 Sons of different kinds
154
an offence 157 List of Offences 157 Arrest 158 Abetment 158
158
CHAPTER X
165
Greek Accounts of Equipment 170 Kautilyas Account 170
172

Varnasramadharma 49 Duties of different Castes 49 and
51
Interviews Upasthana Agnyāgāra 51 Maxims for Royalty
57
Processions at Festivals 62 Courtly Pomp 62 Ceremony of washing
63
according to Kautilya 68 Pataliputra as described in Buddhist texts
71
Maurya trade in images of gods 76 Hierarchy of Officers from
81
Service 85 Pensions 88 Payment of salary in cash and kind
88
Sannidhata 97 Government Buildings 97 Treasury 97 Granary
98
Rainfall 103 Means of Irrigation 103 Agricultural Seasons 103
103
Superintendent of SlaughterHouse
110
115 Table of Tolls
117
CHAPTER VII
124
Elephants in military operations 178 ElephantRiders 178 Eastern
178
Caste and Craft 184 Brahmins 184 Śramanas 186 Their
188
194 Slavery 195 Religion
195
Uncultivated Wastes and Forestry 201 Forest Staff
201
Seaborne Trade 207 Panini on Roads 208 Patanjali on Roads
208
210 Corals 210 Fragrant Woods 210 Skins 210 Blankets 211
211
Fortresses as described by Greek writers 221 Towns mentioned
224
Parallelisms between Aśokas Edicts and Kautilyas
236
INDEX OF SANSKRIT WORDS
256
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