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overmostofthesubcontinent.HewasassistedbyKautilya(orChanakya),aBrahminchiefminister

whomayhavebeenthemaincontributortotheArthashastra,atextbookonpoliticsakintoThe Prince

bytheItalianhistorianNiccolMachiavelli.ThemilitarypoweroftheIndianEmpirecausedSeleucusI,
oneofAlexandersgeneralsandthefounderoftheSeleucidEmpire,toarrangeanalliancewiththe

Mauryaruler.Concludedin305BC,thetreatywasconsolidatedbyamarriagearrangementbetween
ChandraguptaandadaughteroftheSeleucidruler.

Asoneresultofthecloserelationsbetweenthetwoempires,Greekculturalinfluencewaswidespread

innorthernIndia.TheMauryadynastyendureduntilabout185BC.Duringthereign(c.273-232BC)of
Ashoka,thegreatestMauryasovereign,Buddhismbecamethedominantreligionoftheempire.India
was,bynow,agreatcentreoflearningwithuniversitiessuchasthoseatNalanda,andTakshasila
attractingscholarsfromChinaandSouthEastAsia.Ofthedynastiesthatappearedintheperiod

immediatelyfollowingthedownfalloftheMauryas,theSungaenduredlongest,lastingmorethana

century.Thechiefeventofthisperiod(c.184-72BC)wasthepersecutionanddeclineofBuddhismin
IndiaandthetriumphofBrahmanism.InconsequenceofthevictoryoftheHinduBrahman(priests),
thecastesystembecamedeeplyingrainedintheIndiansocialstructure,creatinggreatobstaclesto
nationalunification.

AnextensivesectionofwesternIndiawasoccupiedinabout100BCbyinvadingShakas(Scythians),
theninretreatbeforetheYueh-chiofcentralAsia.Pushingsouthwards,theYueh-chisubsequently

settledinnorth-westernIndia,whereKadphises,oneoftheirkings,foundedtheKushandynastyin

aboutAD40.AlargepartofnorthernIndiashortlyfellundertheswayoftheKushankings.Oneofthe
earlyKushanmonarchsestablisheddiplomaticandcommercialrelationswiththeRomanEmpire.

BuddhismthrivedundertheKushans,andespeciallyundertheruleofEmperorKanishka,whowasa

patronoflearningandthearts.MathematicsandscienceflourishedandthemedicaltextsofCharaka
werewrittenatthistime.

TherulersoftheindigenousAndhradynasty,whichcametocontroltheformerSungadominionsin
about27BCandenduredforabout460years,maderepeatedattemptstoexpeltheShakas.These

attemptsendedinfailureandinaboutAD236theShakasattainedcompletesovereigntyoverwestern
India.Adecadeearlier,shortlybeforethefalloftheAndhradynasty,theKushanrealmalso

disintegrated.TheensuingcenturywasaperiodofpoliticalconfusionthroughoutmostofIndia.

GuptaEmpire

In320aMagadharajanamedChandraguptaI(reigned320-330),whohadconqueredthe

neighbouringterritories,foundedanewimperialregimeandtheGuptadynasty.Hisgrandson

ChandraguptaII(reigned375-413)vastlyexpandedtherealm,subjugatingallofthesubcontinent
northoftheRiverNarmada.UndertheGuptadynasty,whichlastedfor160years,Indianculture
reachednewheights.Theperiodwasoneofsustainedpeace,steadyeconomicadvance,and

intellectualaccomplishment,particularlyinart,music,andliterature.Equallyimportantly,Hinduism,

whichhadlongbeenindecline,experiencedarobustrenaissancethroughabsorptionofsomefeatures
ofBuddhism.

Towardsthecloseofthe5thcentury,Hunnishinvaders,oftenreferredtoastheWhiteHuns,pushed

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