Chandragupta Maurya
Friday, 10th October, 2008
Chandragupta In Indian history Chandragupta Maurya is considered to be the first ruler who unified small states into a big nation. He founded the Maurya Kingdom that included some parts of the modern Afghanistan, Pakistan and some states of north and middle India. He overthrew the Nanda Dynasty that ruled the Magadha and became the king of the state. Historians have different view but it is said that he was 340BCE and died in 298 BCE after the rule of 24 years.
Origin There are different view about his parents and his origin. Some historians say that he was the illegitimate son a the last Nanda ruler and his Sudra maid Maurya from which his name Chandragupta Maurya has been derived. According to the Jains’ history he was the son of the daughter of the chief of a village of peacock tamers. Some historians establish his link with the Kshatriyas of Sakyas race. It is said that Sakyas lived in the Nepali Terai and the Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh. Different historians have given different views about his origin but no one have denied his links with Chanakaya and Alexander the Great.
Chanakya’s Disciple According to the Indian historians who have based their theories on Sanskrit literature Chandragupta was the pupil of Chanakaya. It is said that Chanakaya had a grudge towards the Nanda king as the later had humiliated him and he wanted to take the revenge from him. For it he used Chandragupta to overthrow the Nanda dynasty and establish his own kingdom. According to a story Chanakaya saw him playing as a king with his friends and giving justice to another boy playing as criminal. He was very much impressed to see Chandragupta’s command and sense of justice. He took Chandragupta with him to give him education in Takshila (World’s largest and famous university of that time). It was the time of Alexander’s invasion of India and it is believed that Chandragupta had worked as an officer in his army.
Revenge Chanakaya was a teacher at Taxila University when Alexander invaded India. The king of the Taxila and Gandhara named Ambhi instead of fighting against the invading Greeks made a treaty with them. Only the King of Punjab, Porus fought against him but was defeated. Chanakaya saw the Greek’s invasion as an invasion on the local culture. He tried his best to unite the kings of small states to fight against the invaders. But all his efforts proved worthless. After the defeat of Porus he went to Magdha to seek the help of the Nanda king but was humiliated by the king Dhana. Here Chanakaya realized only a big empire can protect the nation from foreign invasions. He decided to establish it himself with the help of his disciple Chandragupta.
Rise To Power After Alexander’s death in 323 BC Chandragupta defeated his prefects and assassinated them and conquered the state of Punjab that included the modern Pakistan and some parts of Afghanistan also. After it he decided to achieve his main target the defeat of Nanda. Under the guidance and training of Chanakaya he started the destruction of Magdha. He raised a guerrilla army to destabilize the Nanda dynasty. He bribed some ministers of the Dhana king also. He fought many battles against them and succeeded in defeating them around 321 BC. Thus he founded the most powerful Empire in Northern India when he was only 20 years of age. After it he fought some battles with Greeks and strengthened the northern borders. He defeated Seleucus and won the Arachosia, Gedrosia, Paropamisadae, and Aria territories that included Hindukush, modern Afghanistan and Pakistan. Some historians say that he had agreed on a treaty with Seleucus who had surrenders the north-Indian territories in exchange of five hundred war elephants. They had also agreed on a matrimonial alliance between the Indians and Greeks. After it Chandragupta Maurya expanded his empire to southwards.
It is said that under the Jain saint Bhadrabahu Swami he gave up his thrown and became a ascetic and had died because of self-starvation.
