(a) Arthashastra — Of all the literary sources on the history of the Mauryas, the most important source is the Arthashastra written by Kautilya, also known as Vishnugupta and Chanakya. Arthashastra contains 6000 shlokas and is divided into 15 sections and 180 subjects. It is written in Sanskrit. These subjects deal with politics, rules of diplomacy, principles of administration and other political topics. This book was discovered in 1909.
(b) Indica — Megasthenes wrote a book named Indica which contains his impressions of what he heard and saw during his stay in India. Megasthenes’ original Indica has been lost, but its fragments still survive in the writings of later Greek Authors like Starbo, Arrian, Diodorous. Plutarch and Justin.
(c) Sanchi Stupa — Sanchi Stupa was built around 3rd century BC by Ashoka at Sanchi about 60 km from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. Its dimensions are 36.58 metres in diameter and 16.46 metres in height. The pillars of the railings are 2.784 metres high. During the Sunga period, the wooden railings were replaced by stone railings. There are four gateways in four directions. They have carved panels depicting events from the life of Buddha and some tales Jataka stories.
