History of Chandragupta Maurya

Chandragupta Maurya in ancient India founded the Maurya Empire. He is tasked with introducing the country’s small, dispersed kingdoms and uniting them into a single huge empire. During his rule, the Maurya Empire spanned Bengal and Assam in the east, Afghanistan and Balochistan in the west, Kashmir and Nepal in the north, and the Deccan Plateau in the south. Thanks to Chandragupta Maurya and his mentor Chanakya, the Nanda Empire was brought to an end. Chandragupta Maurya renounced all worldly pleasures and became a Jain monk after a successful reign of roughly 23 years. He allegedly committed ‘Sallekhana,’ a practice of fasting till death, and therefore willingly took his own life.

Origin

There are numerous points of view when it comes to the history of Chandragupta Maurya’s pedigree and the father of Chandragupta Maurya. There are numerous points of view. The majority of his ancestry knowledge comes from Greek, Buddhist, ancient Hindu and Jains literature known as Brahmanism. The beginnings of Chandragupta Maurya have been the subject of numerous studies and investigations, preceding the father of Chandragupta Maurya. Some historians think he was born to a Nanda prince and his maid, Mura, as an illegitimate kid. Others think Chandragupta was a member of the Moriya’s, a Kshatriya (warrior) clan from Pippalivana, a small ancient republic located between Rummindei and Kasia.

According to two competing theories about the history of Chandragupta Maurya, he belonged to the Muras or the Kshatriyas of the Indo-Scythian lineage. Finally, Chandragupta Maurya is claimed to have been orphaned by his parents and come from a needy family. According to legend, a pastoral family raised him before being taken in by Chanakya, who educated him on the rules of governing and everything else a victorious ruler needed to know.

Early Life

Chanakya was reportedly on the hunt for a suitable man to end the reign of a Nanda monarch and the Empire. Throughout this time, Chanakya spotted a young Chandragupta in the Magadha realm, enjoying himself with his friends. After being pleased by Chandragupta’s leadership talents, Chanakya is said to have adopted him and is portrayed to be the legal father of Chandragupta Maurya. He then put him through numerous stages of training. Chanakya then brought Chandragupta to Takshashila, where he utilised all of his former money to assemble a vast army to dethrone the Nanda ruler. Nandini, Chandragupta Maurya’s wife, was also the mother of his only son Bindusar, who became his heir and the Mauryan Empire’s second Samrat. Nandini, on the other hand, didn’t live long enough to see her kid grow up because she died before she could see him.

Fall of the Empire of Nanda

Chanakya finally had the opportunity to put an end to the Nanda Empire. In truth, he assisted Chandragupta in establishing the Mauryan Empire purely to defeat the Nanda Empire. As a result of Chanakya’s advice, Chandragupta allied with King Parvatka, king of ancient India’s Himalayan region. Chandragupta and Parvatka’s combined forces conquered the Nanda Empire around 322 BC.

Expansion of the Maurya Empire

Chandragupta Maurya conquered the Macedonian satrapies in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. He next went to fight with Seleucus, a prince from Greece who had taken control of the Indian territories that Alexander the Great had previously conquered. On the other hand, Seleucus offered Chandragupta Maurya his daughter in marriage and allied with him. Chandragupta began capturing several provinces and expanding his empire as far as South Asia with the support of Seleucus. Chandragupta Maurya’s empire was claimed to be the most widespread in all of Asia, second only to Alexander’s in this region, thanks to this vast growth. These territories were obtained from Seleucus, who had given them up as a kind gesture.

Infrastructure and Architecture

Temples, reservoirs, irrigation,  mines and highways were among the Mauryan Empire’s engineering achievements. Because Chandragupta Maurya disliked waterways, his primary form of transportation was the road. As a result, he constructed bigger roads to allow enormous carts to pass smoothly. He also constructed a thousand-mile route between Patliputra and Takshashila. He built other such highways that connected Nepal, Dehradun, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka to his capital. This type of structure contributed to a flourishing economy, which supported the empire.

Despite the lack of historical evidence to identify the Chandragupta Mauryan era’s style of art and architecture, archaeological finds such as Didarganj Yakshi suggest that the Greeks impacted his era’s art. Historians also believe that ancient India provided most of the Mauryan Empire’s art and architecture.

ARMY:

A vast army with hundreds of thousands of warriors is only proper for an emperor like Chandragupta Maurya. This is exactly what numerous Greek texts explain. According to many Greek reports, Chandragupta Maurya’s army had about 500,000 foot soldiers, 9000 war elephants, and 30000 cavalries. According to Chanakya’s recommendations, the entire squad was well-trained, well-paid, and given special prestige.

Conclusion

Chandragupta Maurya decided to give up his mortal body through Sallekhana in 297 BC, with the help of his spiritual guru Saint Bhadrabahu. For over 130 years, the enterprise thrived across generations. Chandragupta Maurya and the father of Chandragupta Maurya was also responsible for bringing most of modern-day India together. In reality, during Ashoka’s reign, the Maurya Empire reached its pinnacle. The empire grew to be one of the most powerful in the world. Until the Maurya Empire was established, this vast kingdom was ruled by many Greek and Persian kings, each with their domains. Chandragupta Maurya is still regarded as one of ancient India’s most powerful and influential monarchs.