The Life of Chandragupta Maurya

5 April 2015
Kendalyn Perry
HIST-134-112914

Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Mauryan Dynasty in India that lasted from
around 323-185 BC1. This ancient empire is significant because up until the 19th century, no
significant evidence of any major civilizations in India existed. Chandragupta was the first
known king in India to unite the Indian territories under one rule and have the empire last
through his line for a significant period of time. Much of what is known about Chandragupta
comes from the Greek writer Megasthenes, the writer of Indica, and the ambassador of General
Seleucus at the Mauryan court2.
Chandragupta Maurya is believed to have been born around 340 BC, though little is
known about his earlier years3. It is believed that he was a noble member of the Kshatriya caste,
or the warrior class4. He appears to have been related to the ruling Nanda family but was in
exile, thought to even have been a fugitive in Alexander the Greats following5. A man named
Kautilya Chanakya, found Chandragupta and helped raise him to power. Chanakya helped him
raise an army and strategically remove the Nanda family from power in Magadha in 322 BC, and
then became Chandraguptas prime minister6.
After Chandragupta established himself as the head of the Mauryan Dynasty, he turned to
taking back lands from Alexander the Greats generals. He eventually signed a treaty with
General Seleucus in 305 BC, in which borders were established and an exchange of 500 war
elephants gave Chandragupta Punjab7.
Chandragupta then turned his sights to conquering and expanding the territory of the
Mauryan Empire. By 298 BC, Chandragupta had conquered all of Northern India and most of
the independent Indian states in the southern part of the subcontinent8. One kingdom he did fail
to conquer, though, was that of Kalinga in central-eastern India. This kingdom, however, would

be brought into the Mauryan Empire after Chandraguptas death, by his grandson Asoka in 260
BC9.
Chandragupta Maurya voluntarily abdicated his to his son Bindusara around 298 BC10.
His reign is dated from approximately 323-300 BC11. According to tradition, Chandragupta
fervently took up the practice of Jainism after his abdication. He is then believed to have starved
himself to death in a cave somewhere in the southern portion of India, in accordance with Jain
beliefs12.

Notes
1. See Bosworths The Historical Setting of Megasthenes Indica.
2. See Bosworths The Historical Setting of Megasthenes Indica.
3. See Ancient History Encyclopedias Chandragupta.
4. See Ancient History Encyclopedias Chandragupta.
5. See Ancient History Encyclopedias Chandragupta.
6. See Barnetts Commercial and Political Connexions of Ancient India with the West. Also, see
Singhs The Sources of Contemporary Political Thought in India A Reappraisal.
7. See Ancient History Encyclopedias Chandragupta. Also, see Bosworths The Historical
Setting of Megasthenes Indica.
8. See Ancient History Encyclopedias Chandragupta. Also, see Singhs The Sources of
Contemporary Political Thought in India A Reappraisal.
9. See Ancient History Encyclopedias Chandragupta.
10. See Ancient History Encyclopedias Chandragupta.
11. See Hoojas Icons, Artefacts and the Interpretations of the Past: Early Hinduism in
Rajasthan.
12. See Ancient History Encyclopedias Chandragupta.

Annotated Bibliography
Barnett, L. Commercial and Political Connexions of Ancient India with the West. Bulletin of
the School of Oriental Studies, University of London 1.1 (1917): 101-5. JSTOR. Web. 2
Apr. 2015.
This article describes the relationship Ancient India, including the Mauryan Empire, had
with Western civilizations.
Bosworth, A. The Historical Setting of Megasthenes Indica. Classical Philology 91.2 (1996):
113-27. JSTOR. Web. 2 Apr. 2015.
This article is about Indica, a work of the Greek writer Megasthenes, in which the author
describes the ancient world during the time of the Mauryan Empire.
Hooja, R. Icons, Artefacts and the Interpretations of the Past: Early Hinduism in Rajasthan.
World Archaeology 36.3 (2004): 360-77. JSTOR. Web. 2 Apr. 2015.
This is an article that focuses on the archaeological evidence of religion in the modern
day Indian state of Rajasthan. There is a brief section on archaeological evidence from
the time of the Mauryan Empire.
Singh, B. The Sources of Contemporary Political Thought in India A Reappraisal. Ethics
75.1 (1964): 57-62. JSTOR. Web. 2 Apr. 2015.
This article proposes the argument that political thought in India is strongly rooted in the
native traditions of that country, as opposed to being influenced by Western societies.
There is a section on political activities in the Mauryan Empire.
Violatti, C. Chandragupta. Ancient History Encyclopedia. 26 June 2014. Web. 2 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.ancient.eu/Chrandragupta/>.

Ancient History Encyclopedia is a website containing a collection of independently

written and reviewed articles on various subjects in ancient history. This article in
particular details the accomplishments of Chandragupta Maurya, founder of the ancient
Mauryan Empire of India.