Indian History 101 - M is for Maurya, Macedonia, Magadha, Money and Mahatma.

In the last weeks of 327 BC, the Macedonian king Alexander invaded the valley
of the river Kabul, and in the next months, he captured Taxila, defeated the
Indian king Porus at the river Hydaspes, and reached Punjab. He wanted to continue
to the kingdom of Magadha in the Lower Ganges valley, but his soldiers refused to
go any further. Alexander's conquests had been spectacular, but he had not
conquered India. In Taxila, Chandragupta Maurya had seen Alexander and realised
he could raise an army too, he captured Magadha in 321 BC, and thus began one of
the greatest dynasties in India...The Mauryan Empire. Chandragupta Maurya's grandson,
the great Emperor Ashoka, captured most of India and united it under one flag. However
striken by the bloodshed he had witnessed he converted to Buddhism and was then
instrumental in its spread.

Ashoka was a great patron of Architecture. Under his reign many Buddhist Stupas and
pillars were built. The national emblem of India shown here in the coin and the wheel
in India's flag are symbols from Ashokas's Stupas. The National Emblem of India is a
replica of the Lion of Sarnath, near Varanasi in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The Lion Capital
was erected in the 3rd century BC by Emperor Ashoka to mark the spot where Buddha
first proclaimed his gospel of peace and emancipation. It is symbolic of India's
reaffirmation of its ancient commitment to world peace and goodwill. There are
four lions (one hidden from view), standing back to back, mounted on an abacus.
At the bottom four smaller animals - guardians of the four directions can be seen:
the lion of the north, the elephant of the east, the horse of the south and
the bull of the west. The abacus rests on a lotus in full bloom, exemplifying the
fountainhead of life and creative inspiration. Carved out of a single block of polished
sandstone, the capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dharma Chakra). The motto
'Satyameva Jayate' inscribed below the emblem in Devanagari script means 'truth alone triumphs'.

In the background is Mahatma Gandhi who was instrumental in shaping India in the 20th century
and a great believer in non-violence as was Ashoka.

Read... about the Mauryan Empire.