Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c11.2

c11.2

The political picture clarifies with the coronation of Chandragupta Maurya, about 323 B. C., on the throne of Magadha, with capital at Pāṭaliputra. He was an emperor, a *Chakravartī* sovereign, true to ancient tradition ruling over a large part of India, from Bāhlika te Bengal in the east and from the Himalayas to Mysore in the south. He had an extraordinary genius for political organisation and the prosperous government he established with the help of his able minister, Chāṇakya, bore lasting fruits for civilisation of the country. He was succeeded by his son Bindusāra (298-272 B. C.) and the latter by his son Aśoka (272-232 B. C.). This long period of peaceful rule and economic prosperity contributed to a national pattern of culture and art. We now enter the threshold of a mighty and creative civilisation, rich in content with lasting influence on subsequent generations.