Question

Which of the following is wrong in the context of the decline of the Mauryan empire?
A) The successors of Ashoka were weak and could not control the empire properly.
B) The various regions of the empire were separated from one another by great distance
C) A large army and administration structure became a burden
D) The policy of ahimsa (or nonviolence) led to the decline of Mauryan empire

Answer 1

Hint: The Mauryan empire was founded around 321 BCE and ended in 185 BCE. It was the first vastly spread Indian empire which spread across central and northern India as well as parts of modern-day Iran.

Complete answer:
Ashoka changed completely after the Kalinga war in 260 BCE and moved towards the Buddhist religion. He devoted the rest of life to Ahimsa or non-violence. He ceased to expand the strength of his army and still managed to lead the Mauryan Empire through more than forty years. This brought about peace, prosperity and harmony to the empire.

He preached and propagated Buddhism to new heights and far off places like Rome and Egypt. He gained the support of many kings and expanded his empire even to the Hindu Kush mountains which are modern-day Afghanistan. The adoption of ahimsa was definitely not the reason for the decline of the Mauryan empire.

The actual reason why the Mauryan empire collapsed was the incapability of the successors of Ashoka. After the death of the Ashoka his successor was unable to hold their empire as a whole and revenues from their land also got reduced. The empire was later bifurcated. Unlike Ashoka, His grandson Dasharatha was unable to keep his empire united which later resulted in the separation of various regions and which later reduced to a small region.
The policy of ahimsa (or nonviolence) that led to the decline of the Mauryan empire is wrong in the context of decline of Mauryan empire.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (D)

Note: Edicts were issued by Ashoka which carried the message concerning Dharma which resulted in the expansion of his empire as many kings followed what he said. Until his inscriptions were discovered in 1837, Ashoka was basically unknown except in the Buddhist chronicles of Sri Lanka.