Question

Which one of the following was the actual cause of the Kalinga war?
A) Ashoka wanted to control both the land and sea routes to South India, and any hostile power obstructing the route would have to be conquered.
B) Kalinga had grown very powerful during the reign of Bindusara and was posing a danger to the Mauryan Empire.
C) The Nagas, the sea-faring people of Kalinga were indulged in piracy and obstructing the foreign trade.
D) Kalinga was a throne in the body-politic of the empire.

Answer 1

Hint:Kalinga kingdom was an important kingdom in terms of trade routes through both sea and land. The cause of the Kalinga war was both economic and political. Kalinga is considered the deadliest war in Indian History and about 300,000 people died in this war.

Complete answer:
The Kalinga war was fought between the Mauryan empire and the state of Kalinga because the Kalinga kingdom controlled the trade routes through land and sea routes.The Kalinga war was fought between the Kalinga Kingdom and the Mauryan Empire under Ashoka. This was the only major war fought by Ashoka after he acceded to the throne. Earlier, Ashoka's grandfather Chandragupta Maurya tried to conquer the Kalinga Kingdom but he did not succeed. As soon as Ashoka set on the throne he wanted to follow the footsteps of his grandfather and father and started the war to conquer the state of Kalinga. The Mauryan kingdom saw Kalinga as a threat because due to its trade relations with other states Kalinga has already expanded its military powers. Ashoka could not neglect the benefits of Kalinga for the Mauryan empire. The Kalinga town turned into a battlefield and Ashoka and his army fought the deadliest fight with the Kalinga army. The Kalinga army fought with bravery but they could not perish the Ashoka men and they lost the battle.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A).

Note: Even though Ashoka was the winner of the battle he could stay any longer in the Kalinga state as he finds himself responsible for this bloodshed. He saw corpses of soldiers, animals, and the entire Kalinga was destroyed. After winning this war he felt unhappy and finally, he decided to devote the rest of his life to non-violence. This war became Ashoka's first and last war. After the death of Ashoka the Great, the Mauryan empire came to an end.