Mauryan Empire

Hello there! Imagine a land so big it reached all the way to the shiny blue sea. That was me! I was like a giant, cozy blanket covering sunny fields and green forests. Big elephants with floppy ears walked across my lands, and busy cities were filled with people laughing and sharing colorful beads. Farmers grew yummy food for everyone to eat, and shiny rivers flowed like sparkly ribbons right through my middle. I was a kingdom full of wonderful things.

I am the Mauryan Empire! I was born a very, very long time ago, around the year 322 BCE. A brave king brought many people together to create me. His grandson was a king named Ashoka. At first, Ashoka was in a big, sad fight around the year 261 BCE. It made him feel very sorry in his heart. So, he decided he wanted to be a king of kindness instead. He put up tall stone pillars all over me, like big crayons pointing to the sky. On the pillars, he carved messages telling everyone to be kind to each other and to all the animals.

My time as a great empire ended a long time ago, around 185 BCE, but King Ashoka’s kind ideas never went away. On top of his pillars, he put statues of strong, proud lions. Today, those very same lions are a special symbol for the country of India. They remind everyone to be brave, but also to be peaceful and kind. So even now, my story whispers a happy roar: being kind is the best kind of strength, and it lasts forever and ever.