India Map 322 BCE — Historical Map & Timeline

Who ruled India in 322 BCE?

In 322 BCE, power in the subcontinent was shared among 2 major states and dynasties. Dates are conventional estimates.

• Maurya Empire — Chandragupta Maurya (322 BCE–298 BCE)
  Most of the subcontinent; capital Pataliputra. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya; reached its widest extent under Ashoka. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Mauryan Empire · Read: The Maurya Empire
• Magadha
  Present-day Bihar. The Mahajanapada that grew into the strongest state of the Ganga plain under the Haryanka, Shishunaga and Nanda houses. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Magadha

What happened in India around 322 BCE?

• 400 BCE: Punch-marked coinage circulates more widely
• 364 BCE: Nanda power rises in Magadha
• 326 BCE: Alexander’s campaign reaches the Punjab. Macedonian forces crossed the Indus and fought King Porus near the Hydaspes before turning back at the Hyphasis. The expedition disturbed northwestern politics but did not amount to a conquest of the subcontinent. Source: Britannica: India—The northwestern frontier
• c. 321 BCE: Chandragupta replaces the Nandas and faces Seleucus. Chandragupta Maurya established power in Magadha and extended it into the northwest. A settlement with Seleucus I connected the new empire to the Hellenistic world through diplomacy as well as war. Source: Britannica: Chandragupta
• 305 BCE: Settlement with Seleucus I
• 3rd century BCE: Pillars and polished stone create an imperial visual language. Monolithic columns, animal capitals and inscriptions carried Mauryan authority into sacred and public landscapes. The Sarnath lion capital later became the emblem of the Republic of India. Source: Met Museum: The Mauryan Empire