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EmperorChandraguptaMauryaBiography
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AncientIndia
Chandragupta Maurya
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In326BCE,Chandragupta
Mauryawasjustateenager
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whenAlexandertheGreatof
MacedoniainvadedIndia.
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Facingstiffresistanceall
LivingHealthy
throughwhatisnowPakistan,
andhamperedbythehigh
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HinduKushMountains,
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Alexandersarmylostitswill
toconquerIndiaattheBattle
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ofJhelum(orHydaspes
Chandragupta'sfootprints.RomanaKleeonFlickr.com
River).
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away,a20yearoldChandraguptaMaurya
wouldaccomplishthatfeat,andgoonto
unitealmostallofwhatisnowIndia.The
Alexanderssuccessorsandwin.
ChandraguptaMauryawasbornsometimearound340BCE,reportedlyinPatna,nowin
theBiharstateofIndia.Giventhevastspanoftimesincehisbirth,itisunsurprisingthat
scholarsareuncertainofmanydetails.Forexample,sometextsclaimthatbothof
ChandraguptasparentswereoftheKshatriya(warrior/prince)caste,whileothersstate
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ChandraguptaMauryasBirthand
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warelephants,whospookedthe
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thathisfatherwasakingbuthismotherwasamaidfromthelowlyShudra(servant)
caste.
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EmperorChandraguptaMauryaBiography
ItseemslikelythathisfatherwasPrinceSarvarthasiddhioftheNandaKingdom.
Chandraguptasgrandson,AshokatheGreat,laterclaimedabloodrelationshipto
SiddharthaGautama,theBuddha,butthisclaimisunsubstantiated.
WeknowalmostnothingaboutChandraguptaMauryaschildhoodandyouthbeforehe
tookontheNandaEmpire.Thissupportsthehypothesisthathewasofhumbleorigin,
sincenobodyrecordedanythingabouthimuntilhefoundedtheMauryanEmpire.
OverthrowoftheNanda:
Fromanearlyage,Chandraguptawasbraveandcharismaticabornleader.Theyoung
mancametotheattentionofafamousBrahminscholar,Chanakya,whoboreagrudge
againsttheNanda.ChanakyabegantogroomChandraguptatoconquerandruleinthe
placeoftheNandaEmperorhehelpedtheyoungmantoraiseanarmy,andtaughthim
tacticsthroughdifferentHindusutras.
Chandraguptaalliedhimselftothekingofamountainkingdom,perhapsthesamePuru
whohadbeendefeatedbutsparedbyAlexander,andsetouttoconquertheNanda.
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Initially,theupstartsarmywasrebuffed,butafteralongseriesofbattlesChandraguptas
forceslaidsiegetotheNandacapitalatPataliputra.In321BCE,thecapitalfell,and20
yearoldChandraguptaMauryastartedhisowndynastytheMauryanEmpire.
JonFrank
Me
TheMauryanEmpire:
Chandraguptasnewempire,atthetimeofitsfounding,stretchedfromwhatisnow
AfghanistaninthewesttoMyanmar(Burma)inthewest,andfromJammu/Kashmirinthe
northtotheDeccanPlateauinthesouth.Chanakyaservedastheequivalentofaprime
ShouldIT
SATorAC
ministerinthefledglinggovernment.
WhenAlexandertheGreatdiedin323BCE,hisgeneralsdivideduphisempireinto
satrapies,sothateachofthemwouldhaveaterritorytorule.Byabout316,Chandragupta
MauryawasabletodefeatandincorporateallofthesatrapsinthemountainsofCentral
VIEWMORE
Asia,extendinghisempiretotheedgeofwhatisnowIran,TajikistanandKyrgyzstan.
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SomesourcesallegethatChandraguptaMauryamayhavearrangedfortheassassination
oftwooftheMacedoniansatraps:PhilipsonofMachatas,andNicanorofParthia.Ifso,it
wasaveryprecociousactevenforChandraguptaPhilipwasassassinatedin326BCE,
whenthefutureruleroftheMauryanEmpirewasstillananonymousteenager.
PushintoSeleucidPersia:
In305BCE,ChandraguptadecidedtoexpandhisempireintoeasternPersia.Atthetime,
PersiawasruledbySeleucusINicator,founderoftheSeleucidEmpire,andaformer
generalunderAlexander.ChandraguptaseizedalargeareaineasternPersia.Inthe
peacetreatythatendedthiswar,Chandraguptagotcontrolofthatlandaswellasthe
handofoneofSeleucussdaughtersinmarriage.Inexchange,Seleucusgot500war
elephantswhichheputtogooduseattheBattleofIpsusin301BCE.
ConqueringSouthernIndia:
Withasmuchterritoryashecouldcomfortablyruletothenorthandwest,Chandragupta
Mauryanextturnedhisattentionsouth.Withanarmyof400,000,accordingtoStrabo,or
600,000,ifyoubelievePlinytheElder,ChandraguptaconqueredalloftheIndian
subcontinentexceptforKalinga(nowOrissa)ontheeastcoast,andtheTamilkingdomat
thefarthestsoutherntipofthelandmass.
Bytheendofhisreign,ChandraguptaMauryahadunifiedalmostalloftheIndian
subcontinentunderhisrule.Hisgrandson,Ashoka,wouldgoontoaddKalingaandthe
Tamilstotheempire,aswell.
FamilyLife:
TheonlyoneofChandraguptasqueensorconsortsforwhomwehaveanameis
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EmperorChandraguptaMauryaBiography
Durdhara,themotherofhisfirstson,Bindusara.However,itislikelythatChandragupta
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hadmanymoreconsorts.
Accordingtolegend,PrimeMinisterChanakyawasconcernedthatChandraguptamight
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Ashoka the Great
bepoisonedbyhisenemies,sostartedintroducingsmallamountsofpoisonintothe
(and Terrible)
AncientIndia
emperorsfoodinordertobuildupatolerance.Chandraguptawasunawareofthisplan,
andsharedsomeofhisfoodwithhiswifeDurdharawhenshewasverypregnantwith
theirfirstson.Durdharadied,butChanakyarushedinandperformedanemergency
operationtoremovethefulltermbaby.TheinfantBindusarasurvived,butabitofhis
motherspoisonedbloodtouchedhisforehead,leavingabluebinduspotthatinspiredhis
name.
Unfortunately,wedonotknowaboutanyofChandraguptasotherwivesorchildren.
Bindusaraislikelystillrememberedmorebecauseofhissonthanforhisownreign.He
wasthefatherofoneofIndiasgreatestmonarchseverAshokatheGreat.
ChandraguptasConversiontoJainismandDeath:
Whenhewasinhisfifties,ChandraguptabecamefascinatedwithJainism,anextremely
asceticbeliefsystem.HisguruwastheJainsaintBhadrabahu.
In298BCE,theemperorrenouncedhisrule,handingoverpowertohissonBindusara.
ChandraguptatraveledsouthtoacaveatShravanabelogola,nowinKarntaka.There,the
founderoftheMauryanEmpiremeditatedwithouteatingordrinkingforfiveweeks,until
hediedofstarvation.Thispracticeiscalledsallekhanaorsanthara.
ChandraguptaMaurya'sLegacy:
ThedynastythatChandraguptafoundedwouldruleoverIndiaandthesouthofCentral
Asiauntil185BCE.HisgrandsonAshokawouldfollowinChandraguptasfootstepsin
severalwaysconqueringterritoryasayoungman,butthenbecomingdevoutlyreligious
asheaged.Infact,Ashoka'sreigninIndiamaybethepurestexpressionofBuddhismin
anygovernmentinhistory.
Today,ChandraguptaisrememberedastheunifierofIndialikeQinShihuangdiinChina,
butfarlessbloodthirsty.Despitethepaucityofrecordsonhislife,Chandraguptaslife
storyhasinspiredmoviessuchasthe1958SamratChandraguptnovels,andevena
2011HindilanguageTVseries.
Sources:
Mookerji,Radhakumud.ChandraguptaMauryaandHisTimes,NewDelhi:Motalil
BanarsidassPublishers,1966.
Pletcher,Kenneth.TheHistoryofIndia,NewYork:Rosen,2010.
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