Why was Pataliputra surrounded by a moat around the city?

Megasthenes also described Pataliputra’s impressive fortifications and magnificent palaces. The city was surrounded by a wooden wall with 570 towers and 64 gates and a moat that served as both a form of defense and a sewage system. Around the city, farmers grew sugarcane and cotton in the lands between the rivers.

How was the Mauryan Empire being ruled in the areas around Pataliputra?

The Maurya Empire was centralized by the conquest of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, and its capital city was located at Pataliputra (modern Patna). The Mauryan Empire then defeated Seleucus I, a diadochus and founder of the Seleucid Empire, during the Seleucid–Mauryan war, thus acquiring territory west of the Indus River.

What was Pataliputra famous for?

Pataliputra was famous for trading and exporting goods. Hence Pataliputra ancient city located on the Ganduk River, which flows from the North side of the city and merges into Ganges. Son river enters into Ganges from the South, So Pataliputra noted as the best business trading place in ancient times.

What did the Maurya build?

The most significant remains of monumental Mauryan art include the remains of the royal palace and the city of Pataliputra, a monolithic rail at Sarnath, the Bodhimandala or the altar resting on four pillars at Bodhgaya, the rock-cut chaitya-halls in the Barabar Caves near Gaya including the Sudama cave bearing the …

How is Pataliputra better known as?

Pataliputra is the ancient name for the present-day city of Patna (which was adopted in the reign of Sher Shah Suri). The old name is believed to derive from Patali, meaning Trumpet Flower, which was the name of King Putraka’s wife. The of Pataliputra/Patliputra site is now known as Kumrahar.

Why was Pataliputra famous in Mauryan empire?

Its central location in north eastern India led rulers of successive dynasties to base their administrative capital here, from the Nandas, Mauryans, Shungas and the Guptas down to the Palas. Situated at the confluence of the Ganges, Gandhaka and Son rivers, Pataliputra formed a “water fort, or jaldurga”.

Why was the Mauryan Empire successful?

The empire was very successful in the fact that they had a standing army and civil service. The empire stretched over almost the entire Indian Subcontinent. The empire was near the junction of the son and Ganges (Ganga) rivers. The people of the Mauryan Empire worshipped Buddhism, Jainism, Ajikika, and Hinduism.

What kind of city was Pataliputra?

Pataliputra (IAST: Pāṭaliputra), adjacent to modern-day Patna, was a city in ancient India, originally built by Magadha ruler Ajatashatru in 490 BCE as a small fort (Pāṭaligrāma) near the Ganges river. Udayin laid the foundation of the city of Pataliputra at the confluence of two rivers, the Son and the Ganges.

What were the main building materials used in the Mauryan Empire?

Material Used: Wood was the principal building material used during the Mauryan Empire. Examples: The Mauryan capital at Pataliputra, Ashoka’s palace at Kumrahar, Chandragupta Maurya’s palace. Pillars: Ashoka pillars, (usually made of chunar sandstone), as a symbol of the state, assumed a great significance in the entire Mauryan Empire.

Why was Pataliputra chosen as the capital of the Maurya Empire?

Chandragupta Maurya and his descendants continued to live in Pataliputra and made it the capital of their vast Empire they carved from the Indian subcontinent. Pataliputra earned recognition as a major center beyond India. Megasthenes, a Greek envoy of the Seleucid Empire, made a description of the city that wondered many in the Greek world.

What was the architecture of Chandragupta Maurya inspired by?

Persian Influence: The palace of Chandragupta Maurya was inspired by the Achaemenid palaces at Persepolis in Iran. Material Used: Wood was the principal building material used during the Mauryan Empire. Examples: The Mauryan capital at Pataliputra, Ashoka’s palace at Kumrahar, Chandragupta Maurya’s palace.

What is the significance of the palaces of Maurya Empire?

Palaces: Greek historian, Megasthenes, described the palaces of the Mauryan empire as one of the greatest creations of mankind and Chinese traveler Fa Hien called Mauryan palaces as god gifted monuments. Persian Influence: The palace of Chandragupta Maurya was inspired by the Achaemenid palaces at Persepolis in Iran.