The Maurya period is remarkable in the early history of the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta Maurya was the first ruler who tried to consolidate small fragmented kingdoms and combined them to form the first empire of the Indian subcontinent.
Lion was one of the motifs used in Ashokan pillars. Lion is a solar symbol and it also represents the Buddha, as he is referred to as Sakyasimha which also means a lion among the Sakyas.
Nagarjuna was also termed as the Indian Einstein. He proposed the Theory of Relativity in his time in the form of a Sutra which is also called as the Prajna Parimata Sutra. He was a great patron of Mahayana doctrine.