The Mauryans had close connections with the area of modern Nepal, since the foothills were within the empire. One of Ashoka's daughters is said to have married a nobleman from Nepal. On the east was the province of Vanga (part of modern Bengal), the Ganges delta region.

The main port on the delta, Tamralipti, gave Vanga its importance, since ships heading for the Burma coast and south India began the voyage at Tamralipti. Tamralipti is supposed to have existed somewhere near the modern day Diamond Harbour.

The extent and influence of Mauryan power in south India can be gauged from the location of Ashoka's inscriptions in the south, which are not found beyond Mysore. Ashoka mentions the people of the south with whom he was on friendly terms - the Cholas, Pandyas, Satiyaputras and Keralaputras.

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