Ashoka and the Maurya Dynasty: The History and Legacy of Ancient India’s Greatest Empire

by Colleen Taylor Sen

An illuminating history of the ancient Maurya Empire and its great leader Ashoka, offering insight into the lasting political and cultural legacies of both.

At its peak in 250 BCE, the Maurya Empire was the wealthiest and largest empire in the world, extending across much of modern India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. In this book, Colleen Taylor Sen explores the life, achievements, and legacy of the Maurya emperor Ashoka, one of the greatest leaders in Indian history. Sen relates how, after a bloody war in 261 BCE, Ashoka renounced violence and spent the rest of his life promoting religious tolerance, animal rights, environmental protection, peace, and multiculturalism—a policy he called Dhamma. This well-illustrated book explores the legacy and influence of the Mauryas in politics throughout Southeast Asia, China, and India, as well as contemporary popular culture.

Genres: History, India

296 pages, Hardcover

Published November 23, 2022

About the author

Colleen Taylor Sen is a Chicago-based author and culinary historian. Her articles have appeared in The Chicago Tribune, Travel and Leisure, Food Arts, Chicago Sun Times, Yoga International, The Hindu, and many other publications. She is the author of six books, including Food Culture in India; Curry: A Global History; Turmeric: The Wonder Spice; A Guide to Indian Restaurant Menus; Street Food Around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture (with Bruce Kraig, and, most recently, Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India. Colleen Sen has a B.A. and M.A. from University of Toronto and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.

Reviews

[Charlie Ye · Rating 3 out of 5]

A popular history read on the Mauryan Empire and Ashoka, which primarily highlights the distinction between the historical Ashoka and the Ashoka found in Buddhist hagiography. It also clarifies that Ashoka’s 'Dhamma' had very little to do with actual Buddhism. The extensive discussion of the Arthashastra was quite interesting—I hadn't realized India had its own version of the Book of Lord Shang. However, in my view, Chanakya is still several hundred Machiavellis behind Shang Yang. Furthermore, the section on Indian cuisine mentions 'curry' during the Mauryan period, yet 'curry' as a concept wasn't actually invented until the British colonial era. Given that the author’s primary field of research is Indian food history, this is a rather glaring and awkward oversight.