The site also has several ancient and medieval sculptures, out of these at least one as reported by A. Cunningham, who visited the site, 1879-80, was of the Yaksha of the Mauryan art-affiliation, though the whereabouts of this sculpture are not known now.

One of the most stunning examples would be Didarganj Yakshi, a statue of a woman made during the Mauryan period.

Foundation of the Maurya Empire ( Sanskrit: म ौ र ् य र ा जव ं श, Maurya Rājavanśha ) which was geographically extensive and powerful empire in ancient India, ruled by the Mauryan dynasty from 321 to 185 BC. It was one of the world's largest empires in its time.

Buddhism is then said to have been introduced to the Sinhalese from India by Mahinda, son of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great, during the 3rd century BC.

* 185 BC – Brhadrata, Indian emperor, last ruler of the Indian Mauryan dynasty ( from 197 BC )

* Chang ' an, the capital of China, is thought to become the largest city in the world at the time, taking over from Pataliputra, the capital of the Mauryan empire.

* Brhadrata, Indian emperor, last ruler of the Indian Mauryan dynasty ( from 197 BC )

Demetrius started the invasion of northwestern India from 180 BC, following the destruction of the Mauryan dynasty by the general Pusyamitra Sunga, who then founded the new Indian Sunga dynasty ( 185 – 78 BC ).

The well-known Brahmin Chanakya was a Rajpurohit for Chandragupta Maurya, founder of the Mauryan empire, who helped Chandragupta get a grip on the well-established Nanda Empire and prevent Alexander the Great from invading India.

* Edicts of Ashoka, by Ashoka the Great, of the Mauryan dynasty during his reign from 272 BCE to 231 BCE.

Following the demise of the Mauryan Empires the Satavahanas rose as the successor state to check and contend with the influx of the Central Asian tribes from the Northwest.

Mauryan control over northwestern frontier, including the Yonas, Kambojas, and the Gandharas is attested from the Rock Edicts left by Ashoka.

The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in ancient India, ruled by the Mauryan dynasty from 321 to 185 BC.

Seleucus failed ( Seleucid – Mauryan war ), but the two rulers finally concluded a peace treaty: a marital treaty ( Epigamia ) was concluded, in which the Greeks offered their Princess for alliance and help from him.

Brihadrata, the last ruler of the Mauryan dynasty, held territories that had shrunk considerably from the time of emperor Ashoka, although he still upheld the Buddhist faith.

After the death of Asoka there was definitely a weakening at the center particularly after the division of the empire, which inevitably led to the breaking of provinces from the Mauryan rule.

* The Mauryan Empire from Britannica

The route spanning the GT road existed during the Mauryan Empire, extending from the mouth of the Ganges to the north-western frontier of the Empire.

The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of 33 inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, made by the Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty during his reign from 269 BCE to 231 BCE.

Buddhism flourished under the Indo-Greek kings, and it has been suggested that their invasion of India was intended to show their support for the Mauryan empire, and to protect the Buddhist faith from the religious persecutions of the new dynasty of the Sungas ( 185 – 73 BCE ).

Dasaratha ( 252 – 224 BCE ) was Mauryan Emperor from 232 to 224 BCE.

Dasaratha was the last ruler of the Mauryan dynasty to have issued imperial inscriptions — thus the last Mauryan Emperor to be known from epigraphical sources.

Evidence from Greek sources confirm the loss of the north-western provinces which was then ruled by the Mauryan ruler Sophagasenus ( Subhagasena, probably a successor of Virasena ).

Another possible source of its name could be the combination of (- langkha Sanskrit for " resplendent land " – and Asoka in tribute to the legendary Mauryan Hindu warrior king who eventually became a pacifist after embracing the ideals espoused in Buddhism ), the ancient kingdoms of the Malay Isthmus – Langkasuka having been one of them – believed by some scholars to have been first founded or rebuilt by emissaries or descendants of Asoka from Magadha in India.

Previously it was commonly held by scholars that the Lepchas migrated from Tibet or southern China ; but the Lepchas hold on a story mentioned in Chunakh-Aakhen, a Lepcha book of history, tradition and folk-lore that a Lepcha king named Pohartak Panu sent his army to help Chandragupta Maurya, the Mauryan emperor in his war with the Greeks in Takshashila.

In addition to this treaty, Seleucus dispatched an ambassador, Megasthenes, to Chandragupta, and later Deimakos to his son Bindusara, at the Mauryan court at Pataliputra ( modern Patna in Bihar state ).

* According to the Theravāda commentaries and chronicles, the Third Buddhist Council is convened by the Mauryan king Ashoka at Pataliputra ( modern Patna ), under the leadership of the monk Moggaliputta Tissa.

In addition to this matrimonial recognition or alliance, Seleucus dispatched an ambassador, Megasthenes, to the Mauryan court at Pataliputra ( Modern Patna in Bihar state ).

In addition to this treaty, Seleucus dispatched an ambassador, Megasthenes, to Chandragupta, and later Deimakos to his son Bindusara, at the Mauryan court at Pataliputra ( modern Patna in Bihar state ).

In addition to this treaty, Seleucus dispatched an ambassador, Megasthenes, to Chandragupta, and later Deimakos to his son Bindusara, at the Mauryan court at Pataliputra ( modern Patna in Bihar state ).

Seleucus dispatched an ambassador, Megasthenes, to Chandragupta, and later Deimakos to his son Bindusara, at the Mauryan court at Pataliputra ( Modern Patna in Bihar state ).

According to the Theravāda commentaries and chronicles, the Third Buddhist Council was convened by the Mauryan king Ashoka at Pātaliputra ( today's Patna ), under the leadership of the monk Moggaliputta Tissa.

With the rise of the Mauryan empire ( 321 BC-185 BC ), Patna, then called Pataliputra became the seat of power and nerve center of the Indian subcontinent.

Like Chandragupta Maurya, he first conquered Magadha, set up his capital where the Mauryan capital had stood ( Patna ), and from this base consolidated a kingdom over the eastern portion of northern India.

Several rock-cut caves belonging to this sect, built during the times of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka ( r. 273 BC to 232 BC ) have been found at Barabar Caves, Jehanabad district, Bihar.

These hordes had helped Chandragupta Maurya defeat the ruler of Magadha and placed Vhandragupta on the throne, thus laying the foundations of Mauryan Dynasty in Northern India.

Mauryan India also enjoyed an era of social harmony, religious transformation, and expansion of the sciences and of knowledge.

* Ashoka, Mauryan ruler of India ( 273 BC – 232 BC )

The city is also important in the history and heritage of Buddhism in India, with several Buddhist temples, monuments and centers of learning having been established here during the age of the Mauryan Empire and the Gupta Dynasty.

Ultimately, this act was an imitation of the ancient Mauryan Emperor Ashoka of India.

It rose to importance in Buddhism during the Mauryan Empire and in Hinduism with the decline of Buddhism in India during the Gupta Empire.

Meanwhile, the Roman Republic is embroiled in war against the Samnites, the Mauryan Empire continues to thrive in Ancient India, and the Kingdom of Qin in Ancient China, the one which in the future will conquer its adversaries and unite China, begins to emerge as a significant power during the Warring States Period.

* Chandragupta Maurya, Mauryan dynasty Emperor of India, r. 322 – 298 BC

* Bindusara, Mauryan dynasty Emperor of India, r. 298 – 272 BC

* The Mauryan Lion Capital of Asoka, is erected as part of a pillar at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh in India ( approximate date ).

* Mauryan 321-185 BC ( All India )

* The Mauryan emperor Chandragupta defeats Seleucos I as he tries to invade India.

Seleucus obtained knowledge of most of northern India, as explained by Pliny the Elder through his numerous embassies to the Mauryan Empire:

* Chandragupta: Great Battles of the Mauryan Empire, India 319-261 BC, a board wargame

Buddhism flourished under the Indo-Greek kings, and it has been suggested by W. W. Tarn that their invasion of India was not only intended to show their support for the Mauryan empire.

The recorded history of the city goes back to the 3rd century BC, being mentioned by Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador to India, and Kautilya, a minister of the Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya.

Mauryan India: A People's History of India, New Delhi: Tulika Books, 2004 ; 189pp

* Bongard-Levin, G. M. Mauryan India ( Stosius Inc / Advent Books Division May 1986 ) ISBN 0-86590-826-5

According to some European historians, Mauryan emperor Aśoka the Great sent the royal monk Massim Sthavira to India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China to spread Buddhism around 265 BCE.

Uttar Pradesh was home to many powerful empires of ancient and medieval India, including the Magadha, Nanda, Mauryan, Sunga, Kushan, Gupta, Gurjara, Rashtrakuta, Pala and Mughal empires.