Q. Symbiotic relationships between Buddhist establishments, traders, artisan guilds, and royal support led to a close proximity of religion, economy and Polity in the Mauryan and post-Mauryan periods. Examine the statement. [UPSC- 2024]

Ans:

The Mauryan and post-Mauryan periods witnessed a deep interaction between religion, economy and polity. Buddhist establishments such as stupas, monasteries and cave complexes did not exist in isolation. They were often located near trade routes, urban centres, ports and political capitals. Their growth was supported by traders, artisan guilds, lay devotees and rulers.

Buddhist establishments and trade routes

• Many Buddhist monasteries and cave complexes were located close to important trade routes. Monks required lay support for food, robes and shelter, while traders benefited from religious merit, social prestige and safe resting places.
• For example, Buddhist cave sites in western India such as Bhaja, Karle, Nasik, Kanheri, Junnar and Ajanta were located near trade routes connecting the Deccan with western coastal ports. These routes were linked with inland trade as well as overseas commerce with the Roman world.
• Monasteries often served as resting places for traders and caravan groups. In return, merchants made donations for caves, pillars, railings, stupas and residential cells. This created a close relationship between Buddhist institutions and commercial activity.

Role of traders and merchants

• Traders were among the most important patrons of Buddhism. Inscriptions from sites such as Sanchi, Bharhut, Karle, Nasik and Amaravati mention donations by merchants, bankers, caravan leaders and lay devotees.
• The Buddhist idea of dana or donation gave religious legitimacy to wealth.
  • Merchants could earn social prestige and spiritual merit by supporting the Sangha.
  • This was important because in Brahmanical society, merchants did not always enjoy the highest ritual status. Buddhism provided them an alternative path to respectability.
• The figure of the setthi or wealthy merchant became important in Buddhist literature. The relationship between the Buddha and merchants like Anathapindika also shows the early connection between Buddhism and urban commercial classes.

Role of artisan guilds

• Artisan guilds or shrenis also played an important role in supporting Buddhist establishments. Guilds of ivory workers, metal workers, weavers, potters, garland makers, carpenters and other craft groups made donations to Buddhist monuments.
• At Sanchi and Bharhut, inscriptions mention donations by individuals and groups connected with crafts and trade.
  • These donations were not always made by kings; many were made by ordinary monks, nuns, merchants, artisans and women.
• This shows that Buddhist religious centres were supported by a wide social base. The construction of stupas, railings, gateways, sculptures and caves also created employment for artisans. Thus, Buddhist establishments stimulated craft production, while artisans gained religious merit and public recognition.

Royal support in the Mauryan period

• The Mauryan period marked an important phase in the relationship between Buddhism and polity. Ashoka’s patronage gave Buddhism wider visibility and imperial support.
• After the Kalinga war, Ashoka adopted the policy of Dhamma. His inscriptions show concern for non-violence, moral conduct, welfare of subjects, religious tolerance and respect for all sects.
  • Though Ashoka’s Dhamma was not identical with Buddhism, it was deeply influenced by Buddhist ethical ideas.
• Ashoka is traditionally associated with the construction of stupas, support to the Sangha and the spread of Buddhism beyond India.
  • Buddhist missions were reportedly sent to Sri Lanka and other regions. This shows how royal support helped Buddhism expand geographically and institutionally.

Ashoka’s Dhamma: religion and polity

• Ashoka used moral principles as part of governance. His Dhamma was a political instrument for creating social harmony in a vast and diverse empire.
  • It promoted respect for parents, kindness to servants, non-injury to living beings, tolerance among sects and welfare measures.
• Thus, religion and polity came close to each other. The emperor did not simply rule through force; he tried to create moral legitimacy. Buddhist ethical ideas helped provide a new language of kingship based on welfare and righteousness.
• However, Ashoka did not establish a theocratic state. He respected Brahmanas, Shramanas and other religious groups. Therefore, his policy shows religious influence on polity, but not complete political control by Buddhism.

Post-Mauryan patronage: regional rulers and Buddhism

• After the Mauryas, Buddhism continued to receive support from several regional powers. The Shungas, Satavahanas, Indo-Greeks, Shakas, Kushanas and local chiefs contributed in different ways to Buddhist institutions.
• The Satavahanas and their subordinate chiefs supported Buddhist cave complexes in western Deccan. Inscriptions at Nasik, Karle and Kanheri mention donations by rulers, queens, merchants and officials.
• The Kushana ruler Kanishka is strongly associated with Buddhism, especially Mahayana Buddhism. Under the Kushanas, Gandhara and Mathura became important centres of Buddhist art and sculpture. This shows how political patronage helped Buddhism acquire new artistic and doctrinal forms.

Monasteries as economic institutions

• Buddhist monasteries were not merely spiritual centres. Over time, they became economic institutions as well. They received donations in the form of money, land, caves, lamps, pillars, gardens and other resources.
• Some inscriptions mention permanent endowments, where money was deposited and the interest was used for feeding monks, maintaining lamps or providing robes. This suggests a developed financial relationship between monasteries and donors.
• Monasteries became nodes of redistribution. Wealth moved from merchants, artisans and rulers to religious institutions, and from there to construction, rituals, maintenance and local economic activity.

Buddhism and urban culture

• Buddhism was closely associated with urban culture. Many early Buddhist centres were located near cities such as Rajagriha, Vaishali, Shravasti, Kaushambi, Taxila, Mathura and Pataliputra.
• Urban society required new ethical codes for trade, contracts, credit, property and social relations. Buddhist teachings on honesty, non-violence, moderation and right livelihood appealed to these groups.
• Unlike Vedic sacrificial religion, Buddhism did not require expensive rituals controlled by priests. This made it accessible to merchants, artisans and ordinary urban people. Thus, Buddhism became a religion suited to the social world of towns, markets and trade routes.

Stupas as religious and social centres

• Stupas such as Sanchi, Bharhut, Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda were not only places of worship but also centres of community life. Their railings, gateways and sculptures were funded by a wide range of donors.
• The inscriptions on these monuments show the participation of monks, nuns, merchants, guilds, officials, women and lay followers. This reveals a highly participatory religious culture.
• The stupa became a meeting point of religion, economy and society. It expressed devotion, attracted pilgrims, generated donations and supported artisans.

Art, economy and religion

• The growth of Buddhist art in the post-Mauryan period also shows the close relationship between economy and religion. Sites like Sanchi, Bharhut, Amaravati, Mathura and Gandhara developed rich sculptural traditions.
• This artistic development required financial resources, skilled artisans and stable patronage. Traders and rulers financed these works, while sculptors and craftsmen gave visual form to Buddhist stories, Jataka tales and symbols.
• In Gandhara, Buddhist art also reflected cross-cultural contacts with Hellenistic and Central Asian influences. This was possible because the region was connected to long-distance trade routes.

Political legitimacy through religious patronage

• Rulers supported Buddhism not only out of personal faith but also for political reasons. Patronage of religious institutions helped rulers gain legitimacy, moral prestige and support from influential social groups.
• For example, foreign-origin rulers such as Indo-Greeks, Shakas and Kushanas could gain acceptance in Indian society by patronising Indian religions, including Buddhism. Kanishka’s association with Buddhism helped him project himself as a universal ruler.
• Similarly, regional rulers supported Buddhist establishments to strengthen their authority over trade routes and urban centres. Religion became a medium through which political power connected with society.

Mutual benefits of the relationship

• The relationship between Buddhist establishments, traders, guilds and rulers was symbiotic.
• Buddhist monasteries received donations, protection and social support. Traders gained religious merit, prestige and safe institutional networks. Artisans received work and recognition. Rulers gained legitimacy and moral authority. Local economies benefited from pilgrimage, construction, trade and redistribution.
• Thus, Buddhism became part of a larger social system in which faith, wealth and power supported each other.

Cultural practices revealed through this relationship:

• This close relationship also reveals several cultural practices of the period. It shows the importance of dana, pilgrimage, merit-making, stupa worship, relic worship, image worship and collective religious donation.
• It also shows that women participated in religious patronage. Many inscriptions mention donations by women, nuns, wives of merchants and royal women. This indicates that Buddhist patronage was not limited to male elites.
• The evidence also shows the growing importance of written inscriptions, public memory and donor identity. People wanted their donations to be recorded, showing a link between religion, status and social recognition.

Critical examination

• Buddhism was not the only religion connected with trade and polity. Jainism and Brahmanical traditions also received support from traders, guilds and rulers.
• Buddhist establishments were not always dependent only on royal patronage. In fact, many Buddhist monuments were funded more by merchants, guilds and lay devotees than by kings. This shows that the relationship was socially broad and not purely political.
• Royal support could be unstable. A ruler might support Buddhism, but his successors could support other traditions. Therefore, Buddhism’s growth depended on a combination of royal, mercantile and popular support.
• Not all Buddhist ideas were economic or political. Buddhism remained a spiritual and ethical movement concerned with suffering, liberation and moral conduct. Its economic and political links should not reduce it merely to a commercial religion.

Thus, Buddhist establishments were not isolated spiritual centres; they were active participants in the economic and political life of early historic India. The Mauryan and post-Mauryan experience shows that religion, economy and polity were not separate spheres, but closely interwoven forces in the making of early Indian society.selfstudyhistory.com