INDIA is one geographical entity. Yet, throughout her long and chequered history, she never achieved political homogeneity. From the earliest times spasmodic attempts were made to bring about her consolidation. A pioneering effort in this direction was made by the Magadhan kings, Bimbisara and Ajatasatru, in the sixth century b.c. But it was not till about three centuries later that under the Mauryas, and particularly Asoka a large portion of India came under the sway of one emperor. The Mauryan empire lasted , only for about a hundred years and after its disruption the country again lapsed into numerous kingdoms. Nearly five centuries later, Ghandragupta, and his more illustrious son Samudragupta, brought the major part of the country under their suzerainty; and Harsha, in the seventh century, was able to make himself the undisputed master of north India. These and later attempts at political consolidation railed again and again for one chief reason: the empires were held together almost entirely by the personality and might of the emperor. The whole edifice crumbled when a line of supermen came to an end (Menon 1).
Menon, Vapal Pangunni. “Setting The Stage.” The Story of the Integration of the Indian States. Orient Longmans LTD, 1956, pp. 1-19.