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State of<br> India

-316 Ιn 316 B.C, seven years after the death of Alexander the great, India became free. A very intelligent leader Chandragupta Maurya not only kicked out the Macedonian guards, but also managed to unite the many Indian kingdoms to one under hiw government, around 305 B.C. The next years he managed to organize the vast country in such a way so the Greek traveler Megasthenis wrote: “There is not the notion of slavery, people are intergraded to professional castes and all of them are satisfied with the separation, they are simple in manners, self-contained and rarely end up to disagreements, the hierarchy is respectfully preserved”.

Maurya’s administration was strict with the criminals, based on the principle of torture and their practices included mutilations and executions while at the same time they preserved hospitals, poorhouses and secured food for the residents and the poor during famine and epidemics. The Buddhist and Jainism monasteries became centers of democracy and education, accepting members from all castes and both sexes.

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In 301 B.C. Maurya decided to become a monk and left the power to his son. In 269 B.C his grand-son Asoka took over, and as it turned out, he was an inspired leader. He continued his grand-father’s work and introduced the law of tolerance that demanded respect from all towards all creatures and all religions. He wanted from his people to do only good deeds and to show mercy, honesty and purity; he banned the murder of all living creatures. He became the leader of the Buddhist church himself and contributed to the dissemination of Buddhism in Asia. He built innumerable monasteries and sent Buddhist monks all around Asia. He was loved by his people but hated by the Brahmans whose profits were lost from the sacrifices which he banned. In his elder years he lost the throne from his grand-children and superior people of the palace. After his death India was intergraded again to hundredths of smaller states and governments.

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