Chandragupta Maurya (9 May 342 BC-298 BC), also known as Sandrocottus, was the founder and Emperor of the Mauryan Empire from 321 to 298 BC, preceding Bindusara. He established a powerful Indian kingdom which overthrew the Nanda dynasty and conquered Gandhara from the Seleucid Empire, having been inspired by his contemporary Alexander the Great.
Biography[]
Chandragupta Maurya was born on 9 May 342 BC to a family of humble origins. He came from the kshatriya (warrior) caste of Hinduism, and his father was killed in battle when he was young. He was adopted by a cowherd who later sold him to a hunter to tend cattle for him. He studied under the guru Chanakya, who was prophesied to one day educate an emperor. After being taught and trained by Chanakya, Chandragupta recruited soldiers and began a rebellion against the corrupt Nanda dynasty of Pataliputra, ultimately overthrowing them and establishing the Mauryan Empire in 321 BC. Chandragupta went on to conquer the rest of the Nanda empire, and he then went on to free several Indian territories from Greek servitude and execute some of their governors. From 305 to 303 BC, he warred with the Seleucid Empire, and he conquered Arachosia (Afghanistan), Gedrosia (Balochistan), and Paropamisadae (Gandhara), giving Seleucus 500 war elephants as a peace offering once his campaigns were over. He then conquered much of the Deccan plateau, and his empire soon extended across the Indian Subcontinent. He died in 298 BC and was succeeded by his son Bindusara.