Maurya

Maurya

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Primary culture

Magadhi (Pracyan)

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Capital territory

Pataliputra (4440)

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Government

Aristocratic Monarchy

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State religion

Hindu

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Military traditions

Indian tradition group

Heritage of Chandragupta

+5% Population Capacity
+10% Religious Tech Investment
+15% Aggressive Expansion Impact

Maurya is a major power controlling much of northern India, founded by Chandragupta Maurya a few years before the start of the game after the overthrow of the Nanda dynasty. Rapidly expanding from its core areas in Magadha to the west and south, the Mauryan Empire would reach its greatest fame under Chandragupta's grandson, Ashoka the Great, who would rule nearly all of South Asia as one of the largest empires in Indian history. Ashoka and the Mauryans are especially remembered for their conversion to Buddhism after witnessing the horrors of war during the conquest of Kalinga, and he would spend the rest of his reign enacting humane policies, bringing prosperity to the country, and sending Buddhist missionaries throughout Asia and beyond. The Mauryan Empire would go into decline shortly thereafter as weak kings could not keep the empire united, with princes and feudatories on the periphery breaking off one by one until the final overthrow of the dynasty by the Sungas, though the legacy of the first great Indian empire would not soon be forgotten and the Mauryans would be long remembered as one of the greatest empires in Indian history.

Will you follow the Mauryan path of conquest? Or will you convert your empire to Buddhism and bring peace and enlightenment to India? But you must ensure the empire does not collapse as it did historically. What if the world witnessed a long-lasting united Indian empire instead of Rome?

Name

Main article: Country rename events

As a dynamically named country, the name of Maurya can and usually will change at some point during the game. If the ruling dynasty changes or the country is no longer a monarchy, the former Mauryan Empire will receive an event to break with its dynastic traditions and naming, allowing the country to choose between renaming itself the Magadhan Empire if its capital is still in the province of Magadha or taking a more general name based on its capital region (e.g. Pracyan Empire, Madhyadesan Empire, Avanti Empire, etc.).

Apart from that event, the base name of the country will always use the name of the ruler's family and takes the form [RulerDynastyAdjective] Empire, defaulting to Magadha Empire as a fallback if the country ceases to exist or has no ruler for whatever reason. This behaviour is also currently active if the country loses a civil war.

Events

The Seleukid-Mauryan War

Main article: Seleukid flavor events

At the beginning of the game, the Seleukids will decide how to resolve the ongoing war with Maurya, which has recently taken control of the former Indian satrapies of the Argead Empire. The Seleukids will usually choose to sue for peace and offer control over their eastern provinces of Paropamisidae and Sattagydia as well as their satrapy of Arachosia for an extended truce, which can be rejected to immediately restart the war at the expense of unhappiness in the conquered Greek population. Rarely, the Seleukids may decide not to make the peace offer and immediately resume the war instead.

Mauryan decline

Main article: Buddhism events

Mauryan Decline

+5% Population Capacity
+10% Religious Tech Investment
-15% Monthly Wages for Characters
-10% Threshold for Civil War
-2.50% Levy Size Multiplier

After the death or deposition of the first 3 members of the Mauryan dynasty - Chandragupta Maurya (22), Bindusara Maurya (65), and Ashoka Maurya (66) - the Mauryan empire will face a crisis of legitimacy with their heirs not seen as properly fit to rule the empire. The Mauryans will then have to choose to either accept their declining fortunes, which will change the country's heritage to the special Mauryan Decline heritage with maluses to civil war threshold and levy size, or demonstrate their right to rule with a show of force, deeply destabilizing the empire for a number of years in order to maintain Mauryan power and keep the normal Mauryan heritage. However, if the new Mauryan ruler is sufficient strong and wise (with an attribute total of at least 30), the negative effects of this event can be avoided entirely.

Decisions

As the by-far largest nation on the Indian subcontinent, the Maurya are in a good position to form Bharatavarsha.

id

Bharatavarsha

The Puranas speak of a united subcontinent, entrusted to Bharata, and known as Bharatavarsha. We must aspire to unite all of those lands so that the subcontinent may enjoy stability and peace.

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Potential requirements Has at least 1 territory Country is in the Aryan, Pracyan, or Dravidian culture group Is not 20px Bharatvarsha Is not AI-controlled or owns at least 50 territories	Allow 20px Bharatvarsha does not exist Is a monarchy or republic Is not at war or in a civil war Owns or has a subject that owns the following regions: Pracya Madhyadesa Vindhyaprstha Dravida Aparanta Karnata Avanti Maru Gandhara
Effects If the current government form is not Empire or Imperial Cult, set the government form to Empire If the country was originally a republic: If the country originally had the Provisioning Act or Punic Reforms law, enact the Royal Guard law Otherwise, if the country originally had the Military Modernization or Marian Reform law, enact the Royal Army law Get the modifier Bharatavarsha until the end of the game, giving: +6% Unintegrated Culture Group Happiness +2 Diplomatic Reputation +25% Pop Conversion Speed +8% National Citizen Happiness Current country becomes 20px Bharatvarsha Add 4 citizen pops, 4 freemen pops, and 4 slave pops to the capital Capital gets the modifier Capital of the Subcontinent until the end of the game, giving: +10% Local Tax +0.20% Local Population Growth +10% Local Civilization Level +12% Local Citizen Happiness Get 5 free province investments

Diplomacy

Maurya has Atavia, Paurava, Mahisamandala, and Palada as tributaries, and Yaudheya as a feudatory.

Pantheon

Maurya starts with the following Hindu pantheon:

• War: Vishnu
• Economy: Kubera
• Culture: Vishweshwara
• Fertility: Krishna

Population

The Maurya has a population of 3936 across its 304 territories, making it by far one of the largest empires in the world at the beginning of the game. The empire is relatively diverse, with mostly Pracyan culture group pops in core areas in the east while the vast west of the empire is mostly Aryan. While most of Maurya's pops are in another culture group, many of the biggest cultures are already integrated at the start of the game; unrest is mostly concentrated in the unintegrated borders of the empire. Religiously, Maurya is mostly Hindu like the rest of India, but with substantial Buddhist minorities along the Ganges plain, with a significant majority in the capital territory and province - so much so that Maurya can convert to Buddhist almost immediately, as soon as it acquires a Buddhist character. Small minorities of Jain pops also exist, scattered throughout the country.

Apart from the Indian population, there are also communities of Macedonian Hellenic pops along the Indus river, populating the Alexandrian cities.

Paliputra, the capital, is the only Metropolis at the start of the game.

Population Types:

• 25 Nobles (0.64%)
• 681 Citizens (17.30%)
• 948 Freemen (24.09%)
• 1091 Tribesmen (27.72%)
• 1191 Slaves (30.26%)

Cultural privileges

• Shauraseni (Aryan) - Integrated culture, Citizen rights
• Avanti (Aryan) - Integrated culture, Citizen rights
• Sindhi (Aryan) - Integrated culture, Citizen rights

Strategy

A Change in Faith

Maurya can convert to Buddhism very early in the game once 200 Political Power is obtained and the office of Purohita is occupied by a Buddhist. The +30% Pop conversion speed bonus of Buddhism is very helpful for a Mauryan empire expanding into the west as it can overcome wrong-culture penalties to conversion. However, this must be weighed against the costs of converting a large number of pops and characters within India to the faith.

Internal Affairs

The vast size of the Mauryan empire may be its greatest challenge as the player must prevent the empire from disintegrating as it did historically. Expanding the road network will help the empire respond to revolts and foreign threats in a timely manner. Keeping some highly mobile units such as light cavalry in reserve can prevent rebels or weak foreign armies from rampaging unchecked through the vast countryside.

Consolidating the capital region of Pracya is paramount as the empire already spans several regions from the start of the game. Foreign states which hold territories in Pracya include Kamarupa, Samatata and Nabhapakti.

The regions of Avanti and Madhyadesa are the most populous, and has potential for further expansion; this means that their governors must be appointed and handled carefully.

Foreign Affairs

The greatest foreign threat to the Maurya is the Seleukid Empire, especially if they ally with other Hellenistic states. But both sides will have very long supply lines. Naval dominance in the Arabian Sea (Mare Erythraeum) can provide an alternative route to the Seleukid homeland, bypassing low-supply regions of the Iranian plateau.

The Indian sub-continent consists of many tribes; this also means that Civilization values may be low, so much so that massive barbarian uprisings may occur. Having as many tribal vassals as possible may help raise the Civilization of the area; this also deprives Maurya's enemies of alliances.

Good choices for tribal vassals are the Tibetan minors: although it is easy to conquer this land, it isn't worth much, and its pops are of the wrong culture group and religion. It's easier to ally them and raise relations to 100, at which point it should be easy to peacefully subjugate them once relations have been raised.

Maurya's first targets for expansion should be Kamarupa, Samatata and Nabhapakti; the three states hold territories in the capital region of Pracya. Consolidating the region will in turn solidify the crown's grip on the realm.

The Seleukid Choice

Shortly after the beginning of the game, the Seleukid Empire will probably offer territory in exchange for a peace treaty and royal marriage (and some elephants). If your ruler is already married, the royal marriage will not take place. In almost all circumstances, it makes sense to accept the offer because you receive land and a new subject without aggressive expansion and can instead expand southwards, coming closer to forming Bharatavarsha. On other hand, the Seleukid Empire may soon become entangled in a war with the Antigonid Kingdom and/or Egypt, allowing an aggressive Maurya without a peace treaty to cripple the Seleukid Empire in a two-front war.

However, care should be taken to ensure the loyalty of Laodice Seleukid; she is not of the Hindu faith and her children (if any) are unlikely to become the primary heir, further reducing her loyalty. Forcing her to accept the Hindu faith should be relatively easier, but ensuring that she becomes the mother of the primary heir may in turn cause other issues. As such, it may be beneficial to turn a blind eye when AI characters are targeting the initial primary heir for assassination. Alternatively, becoming her friend will increase loyalty.

Achievements

Ashoka’s Pillars

As the Mauryas, conquer all of India, convert to Buddhism, and have at least 80% Religious Unity.