The Great Chandraupta Maurya

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THE GREAT CHANDRAGUPTA MAURYA Erik Preston HIST 111 B001: World History before 1650 Dr. Gorbunova-Ford, 27 Jan 2014 Know as the founder of Mauryan Empire, King Chandragupta Maurya is considered to be one of the most able rulers who ruled and unified India. 1 Chandragupta was born into a family left destitute by the death of his father, chief of the migrant Mauryas, in a border fray. His maternal uncle left him with a cowherd who brought him up as his own son. Later he was sold to a hunter to ten cattle. Purchased by a Brahman politician, Kautilya (also called Chanakya), he was taken to Taxila (now in Pakistan), where he received an education in military tactics and the aesthetic arts. 2 Not much is know about the youth of Chandragupta Maurya. Some say that he belonged to the Magadha clan and was born of an illegitimate affair between a Nanda prince and a maid. 3 Tradition states that while he slept, following a meeting with Alexander the Great, a lion began licking his body, gently waking him and prompting in him hopes of royal dignity. Upon Kautilya’s advice, he collected mercenary soldiers, secured public support, and ended the autocracy of the Nanda dynasty in a bloody battle against forces led by their commander in chief, Bhaddasala. 4 Chandragupta used his power to destroy the Nanda dynasty and push forward to gain control of the throne of Magadha. 5 Ascending the throne of the Magadha kingdom, in modern Bihar, about 325 BCE, Chandragupta destroyed the sources of Nanda Power and eliminated opponents through well-planned administrative schemes that included an effective secret service. When Alexander died in 323, his last two representatives in India returned home, leaving Chandragupta to win the Punjab about 322. The following year, as emperor of Magadha and ruler of the Punjab, he began the Mauryan dynasty. 6 Chandragupta and Kautilya began their
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