BCE in a peaceful and natural transition. We do not know what happened to Chandragupta. He probably renounced the world. According to the Jain tradition, Chandragupta spent his last years as an ascetic in Chandragiri, near Sravanabelagola, in Karnataka.
Bindusara was clearly a capable ruler and continued his father’s tradition of close interaction with the Greek states of West Asia. He continued to be advised by Chanakya and other capable ministers. His sons were appointed as viceroys of the different provinces of the empire. We do not know much about his military exploits, but the empire passed intact to his son, Ashoka.
Bindusara ruled for years, and he must have died in BCE. Ashoka was not his chosen successor, and the fact that he came to the throne only four years later in BCE would indicate that there was a struggle between the sons of Bindusara for the succession. Ashoka had been the viceroy of Taxila when he put down a revolt against the local officials by the people of Taxila, and was later the viceroy of Ujjain, the capital of Avanti, a major city and commercial centre. As emperor, he is credited with building the monumental structures that have been excavated in the site of Pataliputra.
He continued the tradition of close interaction with the Greek states in West Asia, and there was mutual exchange of emissaries from both sides. Ashoka The defining event of Ashoka’s rule was his campaign against Kalinga (present-day Odisha) in the eighth year of his reign. This is the only the Greek prefects (military officials) left behind by Alexander and destroyed them, so that the way was cleared to carry out his ambitious plan of expanding the territories. Another major event of his reign was the war against Seleucus, who was one of Alexander’s generals.
After the death of Alexander, Seleucus had established his kingdom extending up to Punjab. Chandragupta defeated him in a battle some time before BCE and drove him out of the Punjab region. The final agreement between the two was probably not too acrimonious, since