TheMaurya Empire (322–180 BCE) was the first empire to cover most ofSouth Asia, including the present-dayIndia,Pakistan andBangladesh.

The empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya (reign: 321–297 BCE) after he overthrew the Nanda Dynasty and defeated the surviving forces ofAlexander the Great. It would be expanded further under his son Bindusara (reign: 297–273 BCE) and grandson Ashoka (reign: 268–232 BCE).

Ashoka was said to have been deeply remorseful after personally witnessing the destruction and cost in human lives resulting from his conquest of Kalinga, which is the present-dayOdisha and parts ofAndhra Pradesh. Following this, he renounced any further conquests and converted toBuddhism.

Following his conversion, Ashoka sent Buddhist missionaries far and wide, accelerating the spread of the religion toChina,Sri Lanka andSoutheast Asia. His reign would also see the erection of some of South Asia's most famous Buddhist monuments, most notably the Pillars of Ashoka (Ashoka Stambha) that have been found at many sites in India and Nepal. Today the lion capital that topped those pillars is used as the national emblem of the Republic of India, and the wheel of Ashoka is on the national flag.

The empire would, however, decline following the death of Ashoka, and eventually fractured into numerous small states. Over centuries Buddhism mostly died out in India, but remained strong in various countries where Ashoka had sent missionaries, and the Buddha was incorporated into the Hindu pantheon as the ninth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu.

During the Mauryan Era, a stretch of road ran from the mouth of the Ganges near present-dayKolkata toBactria, via the capital Pataliputra (today'sPatna) andTaxila. The road was known asuttarāpatha (road to the north) and was the ancestor of the modernGrand Trunk Road.

Map of Maurya Empire

• 25.61185.1441Pataliputra(Patna)(in present-dayBihar,India).The empire's capital.(updated Oct 2022)
• 25.38111183.0213892Sarnath(in present-dayUttar Pradesh,India).Ancient city near modern-dayVaranasi. Sarnath is the home of the Ashoka Chakra, which was sculpted by Mauryan Emperor Ashoka and exists on emblems, such as the Lion Capital, as well as India's national flag. 
• 33.74583372.78753Takshashila(Taxila)(in present-dayPunjab,Pakistan).A centre of trade and learning, now known mainly for its Greek-influenced Buddhist art.(updated Oct 2022)
• 23.18277875.7772224Ujjain(in present-dayMadhya Pradesh,India).(updated Oct 2022)
• 25.98659485.1255925Vaishali(in present-dayBihar,India).(updated Oct 2022)