Chandragupta Maurya: 1st king of undivided kingdom

Chandragupta maurya

 

 

Fact Sheet

Date of Birth: 340 BC                                                 Place of Birth: Pataliputra

Date of Death: 297 BC                                                Place of Death: Shravanabelagola, Karnataka

Reign: 321 BC to 298 BC                                            Spouses: Durdhara, Helena

Child: Bindusara                                                          Successor: Bindusara

Father: Sarvarthasiddhi                                                Mother: Mura

Grandchildren: Ashoka, Susima, Vitashoka               Teacher: Chanakya

 

 

There have been many such warriors in the history of India, whose tales of valor are heard and taught in many parts of India till today. In the history of India, many kings have tried to make India unbroken.

Today we are going to tell you about the most valiant warrior of India, who, with his tireless efforts and under the guidance of his mentor, did the very important work of threading different parts of India in one thread and united India. Made first efforts towards making

 

There were 16 Mahajanapadas in India during the Vedic and North Vedic Yesterday, Mahajanapadas were a group of sixteen kingdoms that existed in ancient India. It all began when the tribes of the Vedic period decided to form their own territorial communities, which eventually gave rise to new and permanent territories of settlements called 'kingdoms' or 'janapadas'. In the sixth century BCE, present day Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh became centers of political activity as the region was not only fertile, but also close to iron production centers. Iron production played an important role in the expansion of the region's territorial states.

 Most of these Mahajanapadas were monarchical in nature, while some of them were democratic states. Many major ancient Buddhist texts flourished between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE. These 16 states included states such as Anga, Gandhara, Kuru and Panchala, which are mentioned in the great Indian epic "Mahabharata".

Sixteen Mahajanapadas of the territories are clearly marked. These included Kasi, Kosal, Anga, Magadha, Vajji or Vriji, Malla, Chedi or Cheeti, Vamsa or Vatsa, Kuru, Panchala, Machha or Matsya, Surasena, Asaka or Ashmaka, Avanti, Gandhara and Kambhoj.

In the fourth century BC, the kings of the Nanda dynasty ruled Magadha and this dynasty was the most powerful kingdom in the north. Chanakya, a Brahmin minister whom Kautilya / Vishnugupta trained a young man named Chandragupta from the Maurya family. Chandragupta organized his army and overthrew Nanda in 322 B.C. Therefore, Chandragupta Maurya is considered the first king and founder of the Maurya dynasty. His mother's name was Mura, hence it was called Maurya in Sanskrit which means Mur's son and its dynasty was called Maurya dynasty.

Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Maurya Empire in ancient India. He is credited with bringing small fragmented states of the country together and merging them into a single large empire. During his reign, the Maurya Empire extended from Bengal and Assam in the east, Afghanistan and Baluchistan in the west to Kashmir and Nepal in the north, and the Deccan Plateau in the south. Chandragupta Maurya, along with his mentor Chanakya, was determined to end the Nanda Empire.

Origin & Lineage

There are many views when it comes to the dynasty of Chandragupta Maurya. Most of the information about his dynasty comes from ancient texts of Greek, Jain, Buddhist and ancient Hindu Brahmanism. Many researches and studies have been done on the origin of Chandragupta Maurya. Some historians believe that he belonged to Chandragupta Morius, a Kshatriya (warrior) clan of an ancient republic of Piplivana, which lies between Rummindei (Nepali Terai) and Kasaya (Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh). Two other views suggest that he was either of Muras (or Mors) or of Kshatriyas of Indo-Scythian descent. Last but not least, it is also claimed that Chandragupta Maurya left his parents and that he came from a humble background. According to legend, he was reared by a rustic family and then later taken shelter by Chanakya, who taught him the rules of administration and everything else necessary to become a successful emperor.

End of the Nanda Empire

Chanakya finally got the opportunity to end the Nanda Empire. In fact, he helped Chandragupta establish the Maurya Empire with the sole purpose of destroying the Nanda Empire. So, Chandragupta, as advised by Chanakya, allied with King Parvataka, the ruler of the Himalayan region of ancient India. With the combined forces of Chandragupta and Parvataka, the Nanda Empire was brought to an end in about 322 BCE.

The Expansion

Chandragupta Maurya defeated the Macedonian satraps in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent. He then waged a war against Seleucus, a Greek ruler who controlled most of the Indian territories, which Alexander the Great had previously conquered. However Seleucus offered his daughter to marry Chandragupta Maurya and enter into an alliance with her. With the help of Seleucus, Chandragupta started acquiring many territories and extended his empire as far as South Asia. The empire of Chandragupta Maurya was said to be the most widespread in the whole of Asia. Except for parts of present-day Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the southern expanse of India, Chandragupta succeeded in establishing his empire throughout India.

 

Maurya Empire - Administration

On the advice of Chanakya, his Chief Minister, Chandragupta Maurya divided his empire into four provinces. He established a superior central administration with his capital at Pataliputra. The administration was organized with the appointment of representatives of the king, who managed his respective province. It was a sophisticated administration which is described in Chanakya's collection of texts "Arthashastra".

Chandragupta Maurya’s Army

In history, it is seen only for an emperor like Chandragupta Maurya that a huge army with millions of soldiers is ready to fight for the king. It is described in many similar Greek texts that Chandragupta Maurya's army consisted of more than 500,000 foot soldiers, 9000 war elephants and 30000 cavalry. The entire army was well trained, and enjoyed a special position according to Chanakya's advice.

Chandragupta and Chanakya were also adept at weapon-making arts which made them almost invincible in the eyes of their enemies. But he used his power only to intimidate his opponents and more often used diplomacy instead of war Chanakya believed that this would be the right way to do things according to religion.

Integration of India

Under Chandragupta Maurya's rule, the whole of India and a large part of South Asia were united. Various religions like Buddhism, Jainism, Brahmanism (ancient Hinduism) and Ajivika flourished under his rule. Since the entire empire had uniformity in administration, economy and infrastructure, the subjects enjoyed their privilege and considered Chandragupta Maurya the greatest emperor. This worked in favor of his administration which later led to a prosperous empire.

Personal Life

Chandragupta had three marriages. His first wife's name was Durdhara. Bindusara was born from Durdhara. The second wife was the Greek princess Cornelia Helena or Helen, the daughter of Seleucus. Helena had a son named Justin. It is said that he also had a third wife named Chandra Nandini.

                

Death

After a successful reign of nearly 23 years, around 297 BCE, Chandragupta Maurya renounced all worldly pleasures and transformed himself into a Jain monk. Under the guidance of his spiritual master Saint Bhadrabahu, Chandragupta Maurya decided to leave his mortal body through the Sallekhana method which was a ritual of fasting till death. So he started fasting and breathed his last on a particular day inside a cave at Shravanabelagola, ending his days of self-starvation. Today, a small temple is in the place in which he died.

Legacy

Bindusara, son of Chandragupta Maurya, placed him on the throne. Bindusara gave birth to a son Ashoka, who became one of the most powerful kings of the Indian subcontinent. In fact, it was under Ashoka that the Maurya Empire saw its full glory. The empire became one of the largest in the entire world. The empire flourished over generations for over 130 years. Chandragupta Maurya was also responsible in uniting most of the people of present-day India. Prior to the establishment of the Maurya Empire, this great country was ruled by many Greek and Persian kings who formed their own territories. To this day, Chandragupta Maurya is one of the most important and influential emperors of ancient India.

 

 

 

 

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