In 321 BC the first Mauryan emperor, Chandragupta Maurya, usurped the throne of Magadha, and began expanding his dominions, seizing first the lands weakened by the campaigns of Alexander the Great.
His son, Bindusara, and grandson, Ashoka, further extended the empire which continued under less strong rulers until around 180 BC. The Mauryan emperor led a strong administration, ruling the regions through centrally appointed governors and bureaucrats.
The principal northern centre, Takshashila (Taxila) was the seat of a princely viceroy, Ashoka during Bindusara's reign and his son Kunala during his own.
The capital was at Pataliputra (Patna), the city founded by the 5th century Magadhan kings. A description of the city survives in the writings of Megasthenes, a Greek ambassador at the Mauryan court, who also painted a vivid picture of life under the benevolent Mauryans.
Many aspects of social welfare were assured by the state, such as the provision of hospitals. Learning was promoted - for example, there was a university at Takshashila - and the arts flourished.
Trade was also developing: Alexander's expedition had greatly increased contacts between east and west and Mediterranean knowledge of South Asia.
Crafts and industries, such as textile weaving and iron working, also prospered under Mauryan rule. Internal trade was promoted by a network of well maintained roads, of which the Uttarapatha survived into recent times as the Grand Trunk Road, linking Pataliputra and the central Ganges region with Takshashila and the countries to the north-west.
The Dakshinapatha, running south, connected the Mauryan heartland with central and southern India; Ashoka's edicts show that Mauryan authority was felt as far south as the gold-bearing regions of Karnataka.
