UPSC Key: Bhojshala, FCRA Bill 2026 and Samrat Samprati Maurya

• What was the Supreme Court verdict on CAPFs?

• How has the Centre reacted to the apex court judgment?

• Why have retired CAPF officers been writing to MPs against the Bill?

• The Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill, 2026-what are the main issues and challenges?

• Central Armed Police Force (CAPF)-know in detail

Key Takeaways:

• The Bill, which seeks to create a unified legal framework governing personnel across different CAP forces, replaces the current system of separate service rules for five Central Armed Police Forces.

• Replying to the debate, MoS for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the Bill aims to strengthen the security system of the country. Dismissing allegations that the Bill is against the federal structure of the country, Rai said, “I want to clarify that the Bill is not against the federal structure. In fact, it further strengthens the federal structure.”

• He said the Bill helps in ma¬intaining a proper coordination between armed forces and state police as well as state adminis¬tration. The minister also dismissed apprehensions of several members regarding other issues such as violation of principles of separation of power, and stagnation in the career progression.

• Leader of the Opposition in RS Mallikarjun Kharge said the minister’s reply did not address the main issues related to institutionalisation of deputation, adverse impact on morale and career progression, lack of cons¬ultation and representation and lack of concern for judicial direction.

Do You Know:

• In October last year, the Supreme Court had dismissed the Centre’s plea seeking a review of its 2025 verdict that directed that IPS officers’ deputation in CAPFs up to the level of Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) should be “progressively reduced” and asked for a cadre review to be carried out in six months.

• On March 11, the Union Cabinet cleared the draft Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill, 2026, to retain the deputation of IPS officers at senior level positions of the CAPFs, arguing that in the interest of maintaining Centre-state relationship and ensuring close coordination between the Union and the states, IPS officers are necessary for effective functioning of these forces.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How a new Bill could ensure dominance of IPS officers in CAPFs

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
1) Department of Border Management is a Department of which one of the following Union Ministries? (UPSC CSE, 2008)
(a) Ministry of Defence
(b) Ministry of Home Affairs
(c) Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways
(d) Ministry of Environment and Forests

The Editorial Page

Sleepwalking into catastrophe—silence is as alarming as the war

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

What’s the ongoing story: Vikas Swarup Writes: The silence is alarming. When the most consequential supply-chain disruption in half a century produces this little diplomatic urgency, it tells you something about how badly the international system has atrophied.

• Who’s silence is alarming?

• Why the author thinks that the war will lead to catastrophe?

• What is the most consequential supply-chain disruption in this war?

• What are the causes of escalating tensions in West Asia?

• What is the role of external powers in the region?

• How world is facing the implications of Iran–Israel tensions?

• How West Asia conflict is impacting India?

Key Takeaways:
Vikas Swarup Writes:

• There are moments in history when catastrophe announces itself loudly, with sirens and spectacle. And then there are moments when the danger advances quietly, almost politely, while the world carries on as if nothing fundamental has changed. The deepening confrontation around Iran belongs to the latter category.

• The US-Israeli strikes began on February 28 with the stated aim of regime change and dismantling Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. What followed was not the swift collapse promised by a clean decapitation strike.

• The conflict has now spread across at least a dozen countries, puncturing the illusion of the Gulf as a tax-free sanctuary of order and calm, closing the Strait of Hormuz, and killing thousands across the region.

• Iran is still firing. Hezbollah has re-entered the fight in Lebanon. The Houthis have joined, too. And the Pentagon is reportedly preparing for weeks of ground operations inside Iran.

• This was supposed to be over by now. Instead, it is widening, hardening, and turning into an open-ended, region-wide war with no clear exit and mounting global consequences.

• Every single day the Strait of Hormuz stays closed, the damage to the global economy compounds. The numbers are not abstract.

• They are already being calculated, and they are terrifying. Iran’s closure of the strait has been described as the largest disruption to the world’s energy supply since the 1970s energy crisis.

Do You Know:
Vikas Swarup Writes:

• Roughly 20 million barrels of oil per day used to transit the Strait of Hormuz — around 20 per cent of global supply, and more than a quarter of all global seaborne oil trade. Only a trickle of that is now passing through. US officials and Wall Street analysts are now starting to consider the prospect of oil hitting $200 a barrel if the strait stays closed into the second quarter. A short closure is an oil shock, but a long one becomes an inflation and growth shock.

• The situation with gas is even more alarming. Qatar and the UAE account for 99 per cent of Pakistan’s LNG imports, 72 per cent of Bangladesh’s, and 53 per cent of India’s.

• Japan and South Korea hold LNG reserves sufficient for only two to four weeks of stable demand. Every extra week of closure moves these countries closer to genuine energy scarcity, not just price pain.

• The Gulf region accounts for nearly half of the world’s urea exports and 30 per cent of its ammonia exports, with about a third of all globally traded fertiliser passing through the strait.

• Urea prices have already risen 50 per cent since the start of the war — from $482 a ton on February 27 to $720 by mid-March. The timing is catastrophic.

• A third of the world’s helium supply also transits through the Strait of Hormuz. Helium is not a luxury — it is a critical input for semiconductor manufacturing, MRI machines, fibre optic cables, and defence electronics. It cannot be synthesised, stockpiled easily, or quickly replaced with an alternative.

• Half of all global seaborne sulphur passes through the Strait of Hormuz, and sulphur is the feedstock for sulphuric acid, which is essential for processing copper, nickel, and cobalt — the metals inside every battery, every circuit board, and every precision-guided munition being fired in the very war that has blocked the strait. The longer this drags on, the deeper the damage.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍India’s silence on West Asia war is moral evasion

 The Ideas Page

Kerala’s silver sunrise: state must show how an ageing population can thrive

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: General Studies I: population and associated issues

What’s the ongoing story: Shashi Tharoor writes: India isn’t ageing yet. We are still a young country, with more than half our population under 25, and about 65 per cent under 35. But some of our states are ageing — and Kerala leads the way.

• What do you mean by ageing population?

• What is the concept of Silver Economy?

• Is India a Silver Economy?

• What are the merits and demerits in the Silver Economy?

• What are the issues and challenges in India’s Silver Economy?

• What steps should be taken to strengthen Silver Economy?

• What is the population status of the elderly in India?

• What are the challenges faced by the elderly in India?

• How is the problem faced by the senior citizens have changed over the years?

• What is the impact of globalisation on older persons?

• What are the potential and significance of the senior care economy?

• Why is there a need to regulate the senior living market?

Key Takeaways:
Shashi Tharoor writes-

• The tempo of population ageing in Kerala is no longer a distant demographic forecast; it is a profound and immediate transformation of the state’s social fabric.

• By the end of 2026, the proportion of citizens aged 60 and above is projected to hit 20 per cent, a figure that dwarfs the national average of 12 per cent. This shift is, ironically, a by-product of Kerala’s historic success in healthcare and education, which led to higher life expectancies and lower fertility rates.

• The current level of social and health facilities is ill-equipped to handle the specialised demands of an ageing society, particularly as financial and morbidity burdens on the elderly continue to climb.

• To navigate this “silver sunrise”, Kerala must move beyond reactive measures and proactively re-engineer its economy and urban landscape for a new reality. In doing so, it can set the standard for the rest of India to learn from when, inevitably, today’s 35-year-olds start turning 60 across Bharat.

• Kerala stands at a unique vantage point to turn a perceived demographic burden into a global competitive advantage. For years, critics have colloquially referred to Kerala as an “old-age home” due to its high rates of youth out-migration.

• To transform Kerala’s demographic challenge into a sustainable economic engine, the state must implement a multi-tiered policy framework for ageing that incentivises private participation while ensuring social equity. This shift requires moving beyond traditional welfare to a “silver economy” model that treats elderly care as a high-value service sector.

• The coastal areas near the sea, and the mist-covered, climate-friendly highlands of the Western Ghats, offer the perfect geography for this vision. By developing world-class retirement villages in these serene environments, Kerala can cater to both locals and the global diaspora.

Do You Know:
Shashi Tharoor writes-

• Policy must mandate the establishment of a Department of Geriatric Medicine in every government medical college by 2027.

• The state must pioneer a new definition of “wellness” that integrates its traditional strengths in Ayurveda with modern geriatric
science. The goal should be to maximise “healthy life years” rather than just extending life expectancy.

• Since institutionalising every elderly citizen is neither feasible nor desirable to combat the growing epidemic of loneliness, policy within Kerala should focus on “ageing in place”. A state-wide digital health stack could integrate wearable health monitors with local primary health centres.

• By fostering a “silver economy” that incentivises private investment in elder-care technology and infrastructure, Kerala can ensure that its ageing population remains a vibrant, contributing social segment. Kerala must now lead the way in showing the world how an ageing society can thrive with grace, innovation, and economic resilience.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Elderly in India-Population, Challenges, and Government Initiatives

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
2) Consider the following statements with reference to Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS): (UPSC CSE, 2008)
1. All persons of 60 years or above belonging to the households below poverty line in rural areas are eligible.
2. The Central Assistance under this Scheme is at the rate of `300 per month per beneficiary. Under the Scheme, States have been urged to give matching amounts.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Uniform Civil Code may leave Muslim women worse off

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance

Main Examination: 

• General Studies II: Indian Constitution—significant provisions etc.

• General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story: Faizan Mustafa Writes- The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has once again moved to the centre of public debate — driven by the Supreme Court (SC) rather than the government, even though Article 44 places it within the domain of policy.

• Uniform Civil Code (UCC) -What you know so far?

• What are the concerns regarding Muslim women under Uniform Civil Code (UCC)?

• What is the Shariat Act?

• Article 44 of the Indian Constitution and Uniform Civil Code-What is the ongoing debate?

• What is Article 44 of Indian Constitution i.e. Uniform Civil Code?

• What is Directive principles of State Policy (DPSP)?

• Difference Between Fundamental Rights and Directive principles of State Policy

• ‘Reform of Family Law’ report by 21st Law Commission of India on Article 44-Know in detail

• Issues and Controversy with Uniform Civil Code and Why it has not been Implemented even after seven decades of Independence?

• Know how the government’s stance on a uniform civil code (UCC) has evolved between the year 1991 to 2004?

• What are arguments for implementing Uniform Civil Code in India?

• What are arguments against implementing Uniform Civil Code in India?

• What constitutional experts saying in this regard?

Key Takeaways:
Faizan Mustafa Writes-

• In the latest petition, the Court was asked to strike down the Muslim Shariat (Application) Act, 1937, which permits the application of Muslim Personal Law (MPL) in matters of succession and inheritance.

• A three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, made pertinent observations while advocating a UCC to remove discriminatory provisions in MPL. The Chief Justice observed that “in our over-anxiety for reforms, we may end up depriving them, and they might end up getting less than what they are already getting”.

• The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has now challenged the newly enacted Gujarat UCC on the changes it has made to inheritance law. Merely providing equal shares in succession law to sons and daughters does not ensure equality in inheritance if the same law grants absolute testamentary powers — allowing a person to will away their entire property to anyone he chooses.

• In contrast, under the Shariat Act, as per MPL rules, a Muslim person cannot will away more than one-third of their property, nor can they make a will in favour of an heir without the consent of other heirs. Any UCC that does not restrict testamentary powers may do more harm than good to Muslim women in matters of inheritance.

• The Shariat Act was enacted because many Muslim communities, in the name of custom, were denying daughters any share in their father’s property.

• Section 2 of the Shariat Act states that MPL shall apply in certain personal matters where the parties are Muslims. MPL is often mistakenly regarded as purely customary law. In reality, it is partly codified through statutes such as the 1937 Act, enacted by a secular legislature. Judicial decisions also form part of MPL. Therefore, it is a jurist-made law based on scholarly opinions.

Do You Know:
Faizan Mustafa Writes-

• The Shariat Act does not extend to agricultural property, denying Muslim women rights over landed assets. Several state land laws are even more regressive. While MPL grants daughters at least half the share of sons, some land laws have completely excluded daughters when sons exist.

• The UP Revenue Code, 2006, introduced some improvement by granting shares to unmarried daughters. However, distinguishing between married and unmarried daughters is arbitrary and violates Article 14 of the Constitution. In certain respects, MPL is more women-friendly than even the Hindu Code or the Uttarakhand UCC. The CJI’s observations require serious consideration by those who view the UCC as a panacea for Muslim women

• Under MPL, the consent of the bride is essential for marriage, and there is no equivalence of kanyadaan. She can insist on the inclusion of any condition in the nikahnama or marriage contract. Unlike dowry, mehar (dower) is paid by the husband and is a necessary condition for a valid marriage. Marriage in Islam is treated as a civil contract rather than a sacrament, and the Shariat Act recognises several forms of divorce that a woman can initiate.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Civil code and govt stance

Previous year UPSC Main Question Covering similar theme:
Q. Customs and traditions suppress reason leading to obscurantism. Do you agree? (2020)

Nation

Bhojshala-Kamal Maula mosque dispute: SC says MP HC will decide on objections of Muslim side

Preliminary Examination: History of India

Main Examination: General Studies I: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

What’s the ongoing story: THE SUPREME Court on Wednesday left it to the Madhya Pradesh High Court to decide the request of the Muslim petitioners in the dispute over the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar district for copies of the site videography conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

• What is the Bhojshala temple-Kamal Maula mosque complex?

• What is the dispute of Bhojshala mosque?

• How did Bhojshala gain traction?

• What are the theories surrounding the idol?

• How did the row flare up?

• What exactly High Court said in this regard?

• Who was Raja Bhoj?

• What you know about Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty?

Key Takeaways:

• It also said that the High Court will decide on all the objections, including those arising from the videography.

• A three-judge bench presided by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant refused to interfere with the January 22 order of the High Court, noting that it had not rejected the request for colour photographs and video of the survey but had only said that it would be considered at the time of the final hearing of the case.

• Appearing for the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society, Senior Advocate Salman Khurshid told the bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, “All we want is videography and colour pictures to be handed over so that we can make our objections.”

• Khurshid said the High Court can consider the matter thereafter, and there is no need for any haste in hearing it.

• CJI Kant said the High Court had not rejected the request but had only said that the application seeking the video copy and colour pictures would be taken up with the main case.

Do You Know:

• At the centre of Dhar city, over 250 km away from Bhopal, is the tomb of Kamal al-Din, a Chishti saint and follower of Farid-al Din Ganj-i-Shakar and Nizam al-Din Auliya. His tomb was built adjacent to a spacious hypostyle mosque “built primarily of reused temple parts”. This led to right-wing groups arguing that the complex is a temple dedicated to the Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati).

• The Hindu Front for Justice (HFJ), argued that the mosque was constructed during the reign of Alauddin Khilji between the 13th and 14th centuries, after “destroying and dismantling ancient structures of previously constructed Hindu temples”.

• According to a 2012 research paper by Michael Willis, published in the Royal Asiatic Society, the Bhojshala or ‘Hall of Bhoja’ is a term used to describe the centre for Sanskrit studies associated with King Bhoja, the most celebrated ruler of the Paramara dynasty.

• The mosque has been referred to in the writings of English author John Malcolm in 1822 and William Kincaid in 1844. While they documented popular legends associated with Raja Bhoj, they never identified the Bhojshala.

• Willis pointed out that Alois Anton Fuhrer, a German Indologist who worked for the ASI, travelled to Central India in 1893 and recorded the mosque complex with the term “Bhoja’s school”. However, he was dismissed from his position in the ASI after an investigation uncovered an enormous degree of bad scholarship.

• In 1902, a small archaeological department office was established in Dhar by the British government and Superintendent of State Education, K K Lele, was made its in-charge. At the time, the British were investing in research to modernise the Indian government, and in his enquiry, Lele found “two serpentine inscriptions giving the alphabet and grammatical rules of the Sanskrit language.”

• Art historian O C Ganguly, and then Director-General of the ASI, discovered an “inscribed sculpture” in the British Museum and announced that it was “Bhoja’s Saraswati from Dhar”. Over time, many others would back this claim.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍As SC allows Basant Panchami prayers and namaz at Bhojshala, recalling the dispute

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

3) With reference to the history of India, consider the following pairs: (UPSC CSE, 2020)

	Famous Place	Present State
1.	Bhilsa	Madhya Pradesh
2.	Dwarasamudra	Maharashtra
3.	Girinagar	Gujarat
4.	Sthanesvara	Uttar Pradesh

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) 1 and 3 only 
(b) 1 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 2 and 4 only

Explained

Why Bill to amend FCRA has sparked controversy

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies II: Development processes and the development industry —the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.

What’s the ongoing story: The Union government on Wednesday deferred a discussion on the contentious Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment (FCRA) Bill, 2026, which was introduced in Lok Sabha on March 25.

• Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment (FCRA) Bill, 2026-what are the key highlights?

• Why Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment (FCRA) Bill, 2026 is termed as contentious?

• What are issues with Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment (FCRA) Bill, 2026?

• Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA)-What and When it was enacted?

• Rationality behind the enactment of Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA)?

• NGOs and FCRA-why most of the NGOs are brought under FCRA?

• What is foreign contribution defined in Section 2(1)(h) of FCRA, 2010?

• What is a foreign source?

• Can NGOs use the foreign contributions for investment in Mutual Funds and other speculative investments?

• Who can receive foreign contribution?

• Who cannot receive foreign contribution?

• Are there any banned organisations from whom foreign contribution should not be accepted?

• What is ‘pressure group’?

• What is Non-governmental Organizations?

• What are the legislations which regulates the finances of NGOs in India?

• A large number of Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs )exist in India-Can you recall some of those?

• Relationship between Government and Non-governmental Organizations -Analyse

• What is difference between charity and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)?

• Know the terms and differences between them- Non-Governmental Organization, Non-Profit Organization Charity Organization, Pressure Group and Social Enterprise

Key Takeaways:

• The Bill seeks to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 which regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution and foreign hospitality to “ensure that such inflows do not adversely affect national interest, public order or national security”.

• But several Opposition parties have alleged that the legislation would affect institutions belonging to minority communities, including Christians.

• Though Wednesday’s Lok Sabha agenda listed the Bill for consideration, it was not taken up for discussion. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters that the decision was based on legislative priorities and not politics.

• The controversy over the Bill, however, comes just ahead of the April 9 Assembly election in Kerala, a state with a large Christian population. And indeed, the most vociferous objections have come from this state, both from the ruling Left Democratic Front and Opposition Congress.

Do You Know:

• The FCRA was first enacted during the Emergency in 1976 amid apprehensions that foreign powers were interfering in India’s affairs by pumping money into the country through independent organisations.

• The law sought to regulate foreign donations to individuals and associations so that they functioned “in a manner consistent with the values of a sovereign democratic republic”.
An amended FCRA was enacted under the UPA government in 2010 to “consolidate the law” on utilisation of foreign funds, and “to prohibit” their use for “any activities detrimental to national interest”.

• According to the 2010 law, NGOs, similar associations and individuals have to obtain registration or permission to be able to accept foreign contributions. Such contributions are divided under five broad heads: cultural, economic, educational, social and religious purposes.

• The key change proposed by the 2026 amendment is the creation of a “designated authority” that the Union government will have the power to appoint. This replaces Section 15 of the existing Act.

• According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons, while the existing section did provide for vesting of assets, “the absence of a comprehensive framework” for such assets has led to “administrative uncertainty and scope for misuse”. The Statement of Objects and Reasons also cites “multiplicity of investigations, inconsistency in penalties, absence of timelines for utilisation, lack of express provision for cessation of registration, and ambiguity regarding treatment of assets during suspension”.

• The Bill proposes that the designated authority will take over, supervise and manage foreign contributions and assets of an association in case their FCRA registration is cancelled, surrendered or otherwise ceases.

• The controversy over the Bill appears to have gained significant traction in Kerala, which votes on April 9. According to the 2011 Census, which puts the state’s total population upwards of 3.34 crore, Christians constitute the second-largest minority in Kerala with a population of more than 61 lakh. This makes the Christian community a key voter base in the state. Indeed, the BJP has been attempting to reach out to them for years.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍FCRA Amendment Bill introduced in Lok Sabha, Opposition calls it ‘draconian’, ‘dangerous’

Previous year UPSC Main Question Covering similar theme:
Q. Examine critically the recent changes in the rules governing foreign funding of NGOs under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 1976. (2015)

Ashoka championed Buddhism; how his grandson helped spread Jainism

Preliminary Examination: History of India

Main Examination: General Studies I: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

What’s the ongoing story: On the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti on Tuesday (March 31), Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Samrat Samprati Museum in Koba, Gandhinagar. The museum is dedicated to Jain history and the life of Samrat Samprati, the grandson of the Mauryan ruler Ashoka.

• Who was Samrat Samprati Maurya?

• How Samprati was instrumental in spreading the faith across the subcontinent and beyond?

• Know the role of Mauryan rulers in religious diffusion.

• Buddhism and Jainism-Compare and Contrast

• Know the role of religion in governance in Mauryan era.

• Know the significance of Buddhist and Jain philosophies.

Key Takeaways:

• Unlike Ashoka, who is known for helping spread Buddhism, Samprati is remembered for his deep association with Jainism.

• Samprati was the son of Kunala. Jain texts, in particular, portray him as an adherent who played a significant role in the dissemination of Jina images across the subcontinent.

• Samprati is believed to have reigned between 230 and 220 BCE. According to Cort, “The story of Samprati first emerges in Shvetambara writings… in the context of the rules of monastic practice.”

• Over time, his legacy grew, with anonymous and undated medieval works devoted entirely to him, such as the 461-verse Sanskrit Deeds of King Samprati (Samprati Nripa Charitra).

• Some traditions describe Samprati as a Jain from birth, but most accounts emphasize his conversion under the monk Suhastin, the eighth leader of the Jain congregation established by Mahavira, whom he is said to have met in Ujjain.

• Ashoka’s successors are often faulted for lacking his vision, particularly in their understanding of dhamma. H C Raychaudhuri argues that Ashoka’s rejection of aggressive militarism weakened the empire’s military efficiency. Resentment among Brahmanical groups, provoked by Ashoka’s support of Buddhism and other heterodox sects, his ban on sacrifices etc, may also have encouraged his successors to move away from Buddhism.

• Following his conversion, Samprati is credited with actively promoting Jainism across the subcontinent and beyond — facilitating the movement of monks into distant regions, constructing and renovating thousands of temples, and establishing vast numbers of icons.

Do You Know:

• The rise and spread of the Mauryan Empire in the third century BCE, with all its associated grandeur and administrative order, is well known. Ashoka, who ruled from circa 269 to 232 BCE, is credited with expanding the empire and later instituting a moral framework grounded in Buddhist virtues.

• According to John E. Cort in Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History (2010): “He created a model for ethical kingship that persists today in the religious and political imaginaire of Buddhist Southeast Asia.” Indeed, Buddhists often regard Ashoka as almost single-handedly responsible for the spread of Buddhism beyond the north Indian landscape.

• Yet, despite the prominence of Buddhism under the Mauryas, Jainism remained an important religious tradition. “Asoka’s wives were predominantly Buddhist, but his first wife, Padmavati, was a Jain,” notes Michael C. Howard in Transnationalism in Ancient and Medieval Societies (2012).

• Another Mauryan figure central to Jain narratives is Ashoka’s grandfather, Chandragupta Maurya, who, Jain traditions say, embraced the faith. “The Digambara historians credit him with leading a migration south to avoid a great famine, and eventually dying in meditation at the holy shrine of Shravana Belgola [in present-day Karnataka],” writes Cort.

• While Chandragupta Maurya is venerated in the Digambara Jain tradition, “for Shvetambaras, the central person in the Mauryan dynasty was Ashoka’s grandson and successor, Samprati,” notes Cort. Although several of Ashoka’s sons are said to have contested the throne after his death in 232 BCE, historical sources offer little consensus on the line of succession.

• A popular theory, also mentioned by Colleen Taylor Sen in Ashoka and the Maurya Dynasty (2022), is that the empire was divided between his grandsons: Dasharatha and Samprati.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Knowledge Nugget: Mahavir Jayanti 2025 — Why is Jaina philosophy important for UPSC?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
4) With reference to the religious practices in India, the “Sthanakvasi” sect belongs to (UPSC CSE, 2018)
(a) Buddhism
(b) Jainism
(c) Vaishnavism
(d) Shaivism

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1.(b)  2.(d)  3.(a)  4.(b)

  

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