"Mourya" or "Kushwaha" traditionally involve in occupation related to agricultural activities. They reside mostly in U.P., Bihar and North India. This caste is included in the list of 'Other Backward Classes' (OBC) by the UP/Bihar and MP where they are found in large numbers. They are vegetarian in lifestyle. They use titles like Kushwaha, Maurya, Hardia,Verma, Singh, or Mahto. Mourya caste is als
o allied with other Kshatriya castes like Kashi(ancient republic of Kashi), Shakya (India and Nepal) and Saini (western UP). Kushwaha/Mourya/Shakya are important farming caste in UP/Bihar/MP etc. The Maurya history goes way back to 322 BC.At that time the Mourya Empire (322–185 BC), ruled by the Mouryan dynasty, was the largest and the most powerful political and military empire of ancient India.While Chandragupta mourya was first king, Ashok Mourya, Dashratha and Samprati Maurya were other great kings.Originating from the kingdom of Magadha in the Indo-Gangetic plains (modern Bihar and Bengal) in the eastern side of the sub-continent, the empire had its capital city at Pataliputra (near modern Patna). The Empire was founded in 322 BC by Chandragupta Maurya, who had overthrown the Nanda Dynasty and began rapidly expanding his power westwards across central and western India taking opportunistic advantage of the disruptions of local powers in the wake of the withdrawal westward by Alexander the Great's Macedonian and Persian armies. By 316 BC the empire had fully occupied Northwestern India, defeating the satraps left by Alexander.
