Who was the Greek envoy who visited the Mauryan capital Pataliputra and whose account is a key source for the Mauryan period?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The correct answer is option 4 i.e. Megasthenes.
- The Greek envoy Megasthenes visited the Mauryan capital Pataliputra and whose account is a key source for the Mauryan period.
- Megasthenes was a Greek ambassador who visited Pataliputra, the capital of the Mauryan Empire, during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya.
- He represented Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great’s successors, at the Mauryan court.
- Megasthenes authored a detailed account of India called Indica, offering insights into the Mauryan period.
- Although the original manuscript of Indica is lost, fragments survive through later historians like Strabo, Diodorus, and Arrian.
- His writings provide valuable information on the political, social, and economic life under Mauryan rule.
- He described Pataliputra as a well-planned, fortified city with a strong administrative system.
- Megasthenes noted the presence of a disciplined bureaucracy, an effective judicial system, and an emphasis on agricultural prosperity.
- His account remains one of the most significant foreign sources for understanding ancient Indian history during the Mauryan era.