HIST 134

Nano-History Assignment

Faisal Siddiqi

Bindusara Maurya was the second emperor of the Maurya Empire, ruling it from 298 BC
272 BC. The son of Chandragupta Maurya, who was the first Mauryan Emperor, he was
dubbed Amitrochates by the Greeks, a transliteration of the Sanskrit word Amitraghata, which
meant slayer of enemies (Pletcher, 69). His fathers aggressive tactics had lead to the Mauryan
Empire to expand rapidly. But if Chandragupta was the conqueror, Bindusara was the
consolidator. The government left by Chandragupta would have likely ceased to function if his
successor was unable to maintain its momentum.
Upon Chandraguptas death, Bindusara was twenty-two years of age, and inherited the
expansive empire that consisted of northern, central and eastern parts of what modern India.
Bindusara further extended the Mauryan Empire to the south, brought sixteen states under his
rule, and thus conquered almost the entire Indian peninsula (Mookerji, 163). The only kingdoms
he didnt conquer included the Dravidian kingdoms and Kalinga. He had two famous sons,
Susima and Ashoka, the latter of which eventually conquered Kalinga in a bloody battle.
Bindusara was also believed to be tolerant of all sects. Saints of various religions visited his
court. Bindusara also possessed a special interest in culture and philosophy (Shastri, 209).
The birth of Bindusara is enshrouded in mystery. Legend has it that Chandraguptas Guru
and advisor dosed Chandragupta with small amounts of poison in order to build his tolerance
against poisoning attempts by enemies (Singh, 29). Then one day, Chandragupta, oblivious to the
poison in his food, shared it with his pregnant wife, Durdhara, who was only a week from
delivery. The empress wasnt immune to the poison and collapsed, dead within minutes.
Chandragupta had entered the room just as she passed away, and tried to save the baby by
immediately cutting open Durdharas womb. By that time, the drop of poison had reached the
babys head. Due to the contact with the poison, the child developed a permanent bluish spot,

HIST 134

Nano-History Assignment

Faisal Siddiqi

known as a bindu, on his forehead. The newborn was thusly named Bindusara. This occurred
in 320 BC (Mookerji, 164).
Bindusara administered his empire intelligently by maintaining good relations with
Seleucus Nicator, the successor of Alexander the Great. He regularaly exchanged ambassadors
and presents with Seleucus. Bindusara also maintained friendly ties with the Hellenic West that
was established by Chandragupta (Pletcher, 69). If it werent for him, the Mauryan Empire
wouldnt have remained rooted as a powerful civilization, one that his successor, Ashoka would
inherit, only to change it forever.