M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2008

Mauryan Foreign Policy

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

Which Indian king defeated Seleucus, the administrator of Sindh and Afghanistan appointed by Alexander-

Solution & Analysis

Answer: D

Concept The conflict between the rising Mauryan Empire and the Seleucid successors of Alexander defined the borders of ancient India.

Explanation Around 305 BCE, Chandragupta Maurya defeated Seleucus I Nicator. In the resulting treaty, Seleucus ceded the territories of Arachosia (Kandahar), Paropanisadae (Kabul), and Aria (Herat) to the Mauryas.

Logical Breakup

Logic 1: This victory marked the first time an Indian ruler effectively expanded the empire beyond the Hindu Kush mountains.

Logic 2: The alliance was sealed by a dynastic marriage and the arrival of the Greek ambassador Megasthenes.

Active Recall

Question

What gift did Chandragupta give to Seleucus in the peace treaty?

Answer

He gave Seleucus 500 war elephants, which Seleucus later used effectively in his Western campaigns (Battle of Ipsus).

Core Insight

The defeat of Seleucus proved that India had become a military peer to the Hellenistic world, with a stable and powerful central administration.

Which Indian king defeated Seleucus, the administrator of Sindh and Afghanistan appointed by Alexander-

Solution & Analysis

Active Recall

Core Insight

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