During the reign of which of the following Mauryan kings, the Kalinga War was fought?

The correct answer is Ashoka.

Key Points

Ashoka

• Ashoka also is known as "Devanampiya".
• Piyadasi was the son of Mauryan Emperor Bindusara and was born in 304 BC.
  • His reign lasted from 268 BC to 232 BC.
  • Once he became King, he started expanding his empires by conquest, in the ninth year of his reign he waged a war with Kalinga (present-day Odisha).
• Ashoka's 13th Rock edicts describe the Kalinga war.
• Source of Information about Ashoka:
  • There are two main sources - 
    • Buddhist sources
    • Ashoka's edicts
• Ashoka's inscription can be classified into three - 
  • Pillar edicts
  • Major rock edicts
  • Minor rock edicts
• Ashoka uses his name only in four of these places namely 
  • Maski
  • Brahma Giri (Karnataka)
  • Gujjara (MP)
  • Nettur (AP)

Additional Information

• Bindusara 
  • Bindusara was the son of Chandragupta Maurya and father of the King Ashok.
  • He ascended the throne in 298 BC after his father. 
  • He had so many names mentioned in the various text.
• Brihadratha
  • The last king of the Maurya dynasty was Brihadratha.
  • The last Mauryan ruler, Brihadratha, was assassinated in 185 BC by his commander-in-chief, Pushyamitra Sunga.
  • Sunga Dynasty was established by Pushyamitra Sunga.
  • Pushyamitra was succeeded by his son Agnimitra, the hero of Kalidasa’s drama Malavikagnimitra.

• Chandragupta Maurya
  • Chandragupta Maurya ascended the throne at the age of 25.
  • Chandragupta Maurya established the Mauryan Empire by defeating the Nandas.
  • He defeated the last Nanda ruler Dhanananda and occupied Pataliputra in 322 BC.
  • Chandragupta Maurya was supported by a wise man named Chanakya/Kautilya.
  • In 305 BC, Chandragupta Maurya defeated Seleucus Nikator.