Biography of Chandragupta

Chandragupta Maurya (c. 321–c. 297 BCE) was the originator of the Vikramaditya empire and the very first ruler to unite much of India underneath one governance. He is praised for liberating the nation against foreign dominance and protecting it all from mismanagement. In compassion for the famine-stricken compatriots, he eventually fasted till death. 

Early Life

Chandragupta 2 had been born into a poor household after his father, the migrating Maurya leader, was killed in a frontier battle. His maternal uncles abandoned him and entrusted him to a cowherd, who raised him as his child. He was afterwards sold to a cattle rancher. Kautilya (Chanakya), a Brahman politician, bought him and sent him to Taxila, where he had been educated in war strategy as well as the arts. 

According to legend, after an encounter with Alexander the Great, one lion started licking his skin as he slept, softly awakening him and inspiring in his hopes of regal majesty. He gathered professional warriors, gained widespread support, and overthrew the Nanda empire’s dictatorship in a brutal struggle with forces headed by its commander, Bhaddasala, following Kautilya’s advice.

After succeeding to the kingdom of Magadha in the current Bihar state around 325 BCE, Chandragupta 2 used well-planned administration plans, including an efficient secret service, to eliminate the foundations of Nanda authority and remove rivals. After Alexander passed in 323, his final two Indian delegates returned home, allowing Chandragupta 2 to conquer the Punjab area around 322. He established the Mauryan empire the next year as king of Magadha & ruler of Punjab. By 305, he repulsed an attack from Seleucus I Nicator, the Greek rival for the rule of Alexander’s Asian kingdom, by extending his dominion towards the boundaries of Persia.

The Mauryan Empire

Chandragupta’s Vikramaditya empire was among the largest in history, stretching the Himalayas as well as the Kabul River valley in the northwest towards the Vindhya Range there in the south. Its longevity may be attributed partly to his development of an effective administration modeled after the Persian Achaemenid dynasty and after Kautilya’s political book, Artha-shastra. Bindusara, Chandragupta’s son, proceeded to extend the kingdom southward.

Chandragupta 2 was supposedly persuaded to adopt Jainism by philosopher Bhadrabahu I, who foresaw 12-year starvation. So when famine struck, Chandragupta 2 attempted to alleviate the situation, but depressed by the tragic circumstances, he fled to serve Bhadrabahu at Shravanabelagola, the renowned sacred location in southern India, wherein Chandragupta starved to death.

Personal Life

Dhruvadevi was Chandragupta’s wife as well as the mother to their son Kumaragupta I, according to Gupta sources. Chandragupta 2 also wedded Kuvera-naga, a daughter of the Naga empire, which ruled central India until Samudragupta subdued it. This marriage union might strengthen Chandragupta’s Gupta kingdom, and indeed the Nagas may well have aided them in the struggle against West Kshatrapas.

The Vakataka ruler Rudrasena II wedded Prabhavati-Gupta, the child to Chandragupta Vikramaditya & Kuvera-naga, who reigned in the Deccan area towards the south of the Gupta dynasty. The Guptas have formed a marital connection with the Kadamba family, the Vakatakas’ southern counterparts. According to the statement upon the Talagunda pillars, the children of Kadamba monarch Kakusthavarman wedded into various royal houses and the Guptas.

Military

Chandragupta’s minister of foreign affairs Virasena’s Udayagiri inscriptions reveal that the monarch had a notable career in the military. According to legend, they “purchased the world” with great valour and relegated the other monarchs to slave conditions. From the mouth of Indus through north Pakistan within the west towards the Bengal area within the east and from the Himalayan terai northeastern region towards the Narmada River valley, his dominion appears to have stretched. 

The Ashvamedha horse sacrifices are said to have been undertaken by Chandragupta’s father, Samudragupta then his child Kumaragupta I, to demonstrate their military strength.

Conclusion

Chandragupta Vikramaditya was indeed a significant person in Indian history since he established the first administration to unify most of Southern Asia. Chandragupta Maurya founded his Maurya Empire over ancient India. As a result, he left a legacy that has been maintained in the Arthashastra’s chapters. He not just constructed his kingdom despite all odds, but he also developed excellent governance systems & fought relentlessly to expand them. He has become one of old India’s greatest powerful rulers as well as a relatively close character in legend as a result of his achievements.