GEOGRAPHY:
-Empire was founded in 322 BCE by Chandragupta Maurya, who had overthrown the Nanda Dynasty and rapidly expanded his power westwards across central and western India.
-First gained power in the Ganges river valley to later conquer most of northern India and then to the Deccan Plateau.
-Empire Capital: Pataliputra
RELIGION:
-The main religions of that time were Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. Interestingly enough, people had the independence of following any religion.
CONTRIBUTIONS:
-United India for the first time
-Pataliputra was one of the largest, richest cities of it's time.
-Asoka's Laws
-The spread of Buddhism.

GOVERNMENT:
-Chandra Gupta was the first ruler of the Maurya Empire
-Gupta collected taxes, builded roads and harbors that allowed trade to flourish.
-Chandra Gupta was a very harsh ruler
-Gupta feared assassination and was very paranoid.
-He had a brutal secret police who reported on crime, corruption, and disloyalty
-Gupta even had a food taster to try his meals before he did to assure they were not poisoned.
-Asoka was Chandra Gupta's grandson who ruled shortly after him.
-Asoka believed in ruling a different way; he rejected. His grandfather's brutal methods and turned to a more peaceful way of ruling.

MAURYA EMPIRE

-Asoka turned to Buddhism hoping to rule by moral rather than violence.
-he practiced religious tolerance but sent missionaries to spread the word of Buddhism.
-he turned the region to a more peaceful and prosperous empire
-Sadly, upon Asoka's death, the empire rapidly declined.