The Later Mauryas and Decline

Lesson 9 of 12 • 6 upvotes • 9:08mins

Abhyudaya Kelkar

Ashoka’s successors were weak and incompetent beyond any doubt. They are not worth mentioning except for the academic purposes. So this lesson focuses on later Mauryas and decline of the Maurya Empire. Ashoka was followed by his grandson Dashratha, Samprati and so on, until the last Mauryan Emperor Brihadratha, who was killed by his Brahmin commander Pushyamitra Shunga. Certain important developments during this time include invasion of Seleucids and Bactrian Greeks from the north-west, Mauryan patronage to Ajivikas and Jainism, rise of Kalinga as a rival political entity, most of which will be discussed in the next course. The only topics discussed in this lesson are: Who followed Ashoka as the emperors How the Mauryan Empire collapsed after the death of Ashoka.