Not only Chandragupta Maurya was a great conqueror and an able empire-builder, but also he was one of the strongest administrators the history of India saw. His administrative system, later on modified by a humane touch of Ashoka, provided ample proof that the ancient Indian monarchy and polity were the products of wise statesmanship and practical considerations. Luckily enough a [...]
The rise of Chandragupta to power is mostly known from the Buddhist sources and the description of the Western classical writers. Superstitious stories are mixed up with historical accounts which make the subject fascinating. According to Buddhist accounts, the boy Chandragupta was living in Pataliputra in hardship and poverty, and was employed by a hunter to look after his cattle. [...]
The Maurya dynasty was founded by Chandragupta Maurya, who seems to have belonged to an ordinary family. According to the brahmanical tradition, he was born of Mura, a shudra woman in the court of the Nandas. However, an earlier Buddhist tradition speaks of the Mauryas as the ruling clan of the little republic of Pipphalivana in the region of Gorakhpur [...]