Srinivasan A TO Z INDIA SEPTEMBER 2022 PAGE 27 which this king had agreed to hand over to him." — Polybius, Greek historian, 200 BC. Brief timeline of Mauryan dynasty: 322 BCE: Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan Empire by defeating the Nanda Dynasty. 317–316 BCE: Chandragupta Maurya conquers the Northwest of the Indian subcontinent. 305–303 BCE: Chandragupta Maurya gains territory from the Seleucid Empire. 298–269 BCE: Reign of Bindusara, Chandragupta's son. He conquers parts of Deccan, southern India. 269–232 BCE: The Mauryan Empire reaches its height under Ashoka, Chandragupta's grandson. 261 BCE: Ashoka conquers the kingdom of Kalinga. 250 BCE: Ashoka builds Buddhist stupas and erects pillars bearing inscriptions. 185 BCE: The empire collapses when Brihadratha, the last emperor, is killed by Pushyamitra Shunga, a Mauryan general and the founder of the Shunga Empire. 1947 AD: Sovereign independent state of India is created, the national flag contains the Ashok Chakra as a symbol of progress. 1950 AD: Republic of India is formed, a nation with many of its modern foundations rooted back to the Mauryan Empire. After the Mauryans, a new dynasty became prominent in northern India, the Shunga Empire was formed by Pushyamitra Shunga, which lasted from 185-75 BC. At its peak the Mauryan empire covered just over 5,000,000 square km (or 1,900,000 square miles) - the largest ever empire on Indian soil. Th e empire lasted for 163 years. The Mauryans achieved new heights in governance, economy, infrastructure, foreign relations, art, technology and large-scale engineering and architecture. These achievements were on par with the best anywhere else in the world. There is little doubt, that the Mauryans made India one of great powers of the ancient world, at their peak. Subhagasena and Antiochos III (206 BC): Sub hagasena was a Mauryan ruler of the 3rd century BC, described in ancient Greek sources. His name is mentioned in the list of Mauryan princes, and also in the list of the Yadava dynasty, as a descendant of Pradyumna. He may have been a grandson of Ashoka, or Kunala, the son of Ashoka. He ruled an area south of the Hindu Kush, possibly in Gandhara. Antiochos III, the Seleucid king, after having made peace w ith Euthydemus in Bactria, went to India in 206 BC and is said to have renewed his friendship with the Indian king there: "He (Antiochus) crossed the Caucasus and descended into India; renewed his friendship with Sophagasenus (Subhagasena) the king of the Indians; received more elephants, until he had a hundred and fifty altogether; and having once more provisioned his troops, set out again personally with his army: leaving Androsthenes of Cyzicus the duty of taking home the treasure India Rediscovered : End of the Mauryan Empire, 185 BCE Mauryan Empire began to decline after the death of King Ashoka in 232 BC. The last king Brihadratha was assassinated in 185 BC by his general Pushyamitra Shunga who was a Brahmin. From the time of Ashoka's death, it took just 47 years for the Mauryan empire to end. This is mainly due to weak rulers, after Ashoka, and an inability to administer such a huge empire.