326-200 BC

In 326 BC, having conquered Greece and the Persian Empire, Alexander of Macedon entered India. Some of the northern leaders submitted to him, but others resisted. In 326 BC he won the fierce battle of Hydaspes against Porus, ruler of an area in modern Pakistan. However, later that year his army mutinied at Hyphasis and he was forced to turn back.

In around 310 BC an Indian noble, Candragupta, established the Mauryan dynasty after overthrowing the Nandas (the kings of Bengal) and gaining control of north India. He took Pātaliputra – modern Patna – as his capital. Candragupta was acknowledged by Alexander’s successor Seleucus (reigned about 358-281 BC) who finally ceded all territories in South Asia to him in 303 BC.

Mauryan power expanded over much of the Deccan and south India under Candragupta’s grandson Aśoka (about 270-234 BC). The conquest of Orissa, on the eastern coast, was extremely brutal and the horrors of this war inspired Aśoka to renounce violence and apply the rule of law or dharma. This general policy of non-violence was inspired by Buddhism, a religion which enjoyed protection and patronage under Aśoka’s rule.

By around 200 BC the northeastern provinces of the Empire had broken away, leaving the area destabilised and vulnerable. Greek kings from Bactria (northern Afghanistan) took advantage of this and invaded.