The first is the rock inscription of Junagadh, near Gimar in Gujarat. This was carved during the reign of Rudradaman, the local ruler and dates back to 130-150 CE.
It refers to Pushyagupta, the provincial governor (rashtriya) of Emperor Chandragupta. This is of importance for two reasons:
i) It indicates the extent of the Mauryan Empire which had expanded as far west as Gujarat and
ii) It shows that more than four centuries after his death, the name of Chandragupta was still well known and remembered in many parts of the country.
iii) A second source is a literary work. The play Mudrarakshasa by Visakhadatta was written during the Gupta period, sometime after the 4th century CE. It narrates Chandragupta's accession to the throne of the Magadha Empire and the exploits of his chief advisor Chanakya or Kautilya by listing the strategies he used to counter an invasion against Chandragupta. This play is often cited as a corroborative.

1. The edicts of Ashoka thus constitute the most concrete source of information about the Mauryan Empire.
2. There are 33 edicts comprising 14 Major Rock Edicts, 2 known as Kalinga edicts, 7 Pillar Edicts,
3. Minor Rock Edicts and a few Minor Pillar Inscriptions.
4. The Major Rock Edicts extend from Kandahar in Afghanistan, Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra in northwest Pakistan to Uttarakhand district in the north, Gujarat and Maharashtra in the west, Odisha in the east and as far south as Karnataka and Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh.
5. Minor Pillar Inscriptions have been found as far north as Nepal (near Lumbini). The edicts were written mostly in the Brahmi script and in Magadhi and Prakrit.
6. The Kandahar inscriptions are in Greek and Aramaic,while the two inscriptions in north-west Pakistan are in Kharosthi script.

1. The north-western part of India came under the control of the Persian Empire from about middle of the sixth century, the region became a centre of confluence of Persian and Indian culture.
2. The Persian contact left its impact on art, architecture, economy and administration of ancient India.
3. The cultural impact was felt most in the Gandhara region.
4. Most significant impact was the development of the Kharosthi script, used in the north-western part of India.
5. It was used by Ashoka in his inscriptions in the Gandhara region.
6. The Kharosthi script was derived from Aramaic used widely in the Achaemenid Empire of Persia.

1. The major areas of concern for the Mauryan state were the collection of taxes as revenue to the state and the administration of justice.
2. In addition to the maintenance of internal security and defence against external aggression.
3. This required a large and complex administrative machinery and institutions.
4. This bureaucratic set-up covered a hierarchy of settlements from the village, to the towns, provincial capitals and major cities.
5. The bureaucracy enabled and required an efficient system of revenue collection, since it needed to be paid out of taxes collected.
6. Equally, the very large army of the Mauryan Empire could be maintained only with the revenue raised through taxation.
7. The large bureaucracy also commanded huge salaries.
8. According to the Arthasastra, the salary of chief minister, the purohita and the army commander was 48,000 panas, and the soldiers received 500 panas. If we multiply this by the number of infantry and cavalry
9. The enormous resources needed to maintain the army and the administrative staff.

1. The edicts of Ashoka thus constitute the most concrete source of information about the Mauryan Empire.
2. There are 33 edict comprising 14 Major Rock Edicts, 2 known as Kalinga edicts, 7 Pillar. Edicts, some Minor Rock Edicts and a few Minor Pillar Inscriptions.
3. The Major Rock Edicts extend from Kandahar in Afghanistan, Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra in northwest Pakistan to Uttarakhand district in the north, Gujarat and Maharashtra in the west, Odisha in the east and as far south as Karnataka and Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh.
4. Minor Pillar Inscriptions have been found as far north as Nepal (near Lumbini).
5. The edicts were written mostly in the Brahmi script and in Magadhi and Prakrit.
6. The Kandahar inscriptions are in Greek and Aramaic, while the two iriscriptions in north-west Pakistan are in Kharosthi script.