ICSE Class 6 Answered

The reasons behind the decline of the Mauryan empire were

1. The successors of Ashoka were politically weak and inefficient.
2. The empire was too large in terms of size and it was very difficult to control the far flung territories.
3. After Ashoka’s death, there was no strong central authority. As a result, the viceroys of the provinces declared themselves independent.
4. Maintenance of a large standing army and an elaborate administrative system was a major strain on the state treasury.