Chandragupta Maurya Chandragupta Maurya ( 340 BC – 298 BC ) was the founder of the Mauryan Empire and the first emperor to unify India into one state . He ruled from 322 BC until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favour of his son Bindusara in 298 BC . Chandragupta Maurya is a pivotal figure in the history of India . Prior to his consolidation of power , most of South Asia was ruled by small states , while the Nanda Dynasty dominated the Gangetic Plains . Chandragupta succeeded in conquering and subjugating almost all of the Indian subcontinent by the end of his reign . His empire extended from Bengal and Assam in the east , to Afghanistan and Balochistan , eastern and south - east Iran in the west , to Kashmir in the north , and to the Deccan Plateau in the south . It was the largest empire yet seen in Indian history . After unifying India , Chandragupta and his chief advisor Chanakya passed a series of major economic and political reforms . He established a strong central administration patterned after Chanakya ’ s text on politics , the Arthashastra ( English : Economics and Political Science ) . Mauryan India was characterised by an efficient and highly organised bureaucratic structure with a large civil service . Due to its unified structure , the empire developed a strong economy , with internal and external trade thriving and agriculture flourishing . In both art and architecture , the Mauryan empire constituted a landmark . There was a growth in culture which derived its inspiration from the Achaemenids and the Hellenistic world . Chandragupta ' s reign was a time of great social and religious reform in India . Buddhism and Jainism became increasingly prominent . In foreign Greek and Latin accounts , Chandragupta is known as Sandrokottos and Androcottus . He became well known in the Hellenistic world for conquering Alexander the Great ' s easternmost satrapies , and for defeating the most powerful of Alexander ' s successors , Seleucus I Nicator , in battle . Chandragupta subsequently married Seleucus ' s daughter to formalize an alliance and established a policy of friendship with the Hellenistic kingdoms , which stimulated India ' s trade and contact with the western world . The Greek diplomat Megasthenes is an important source of Mauryan history . Chandragupta was influenced to accept Jainism by the sage Bhadrabahu ; he abdicated his throne to spend his last days at the Shravana Belgola , a famous religious site in southwest India , where he fasted to death . Along with his grandson , Ashoka , Chandragupta Maurya is one of the most celebrated rulers in the history of India . He has played a crucial role in shaping the national identity of modern India , and has been lionised as a model ruler and as a national hero . Early life . Very little is known about Chandragupta ' s youth and ancestry . What is known is gathered from later classical Sanskrit literature , as well as classical Greek and Latin sources which refer to Chandragupta by the names " Sandracottos " or " Andracottus . " Many Indian literary traditions connect him with the Nanda Dynasty in modern day Bihar in eastern India . More than half a millennium later , the Sanskrit drama Mudrarakshasa calls him a " Nandanvaya " i . e . the descendant of Nanda ( Act IV ) . Again more than a millennium later , Dhundiraja , a commentator of 18th century on Mudrarakshasa states that Chandragupta was the son of the Nanda king Sarvarthasiddhi by a wife named Mura , daughter of a Vrishala ( Shudra ) . Mudrarakshasa uses terms like " kula - hina " and " Vrishala " for Chandragupta ' s lineage . This reinforces Justin ' s contention that Chandragupta had a humble origin . On the other hand , the same play describes the Nandas as of Prathita - kula , i . e . illustrious , lineage . The medieval commentator on the Vishnu Purana informs us that Chandragupta was the son of a Nanda prince and a ( ) named Mura . The poets Kshmendra and Somadeva call him Purvananda - suta , son of the genuine Nanda , as opposed to Yoga - Nanda , i . e . pseudo - Nanda . The Nanda dynasty was started by Mahapadma Nanda , who is considered the first Shudra king of Magadha . The Buddhist text the Mahavamsa calls Chandragupta a member of a division of the Gupta ( Vaisya ) clan called the Moriya ( Maurya ) . Divyāvadāna calls Bindusara , son of Chandragupt , an anointed Vaisya , Murdhabhishikata , and in the same work King Ashoka , son of Bindusara , is also styled a Vaisya . The Mahaparinibbana Sutta states that the Moriyas ( Mauryas ) belonged to the Kshatriya community of Pippalivana . These traditions indicate that Chandragupt came from a Vaisya lineage . The " Mahavamshatika " connects him with the Shakya clan of the Buddha , a clan which also belongs to the race of Ādityas . A medieval inscription represents the Maurya clan as belonging to the solar race of Kshatriyas . It is stated that the Maurya line sprang from Suryavamsi Mandhatri , son of prince Yuvanashva of the solar race . Chandragupta was a student of Chanakya . Plutarch reports that he met with Alexander the Great and Uvaratanam Velayudan , probably around Takshasila in the northwest , and that he viewed the ruling Nanda Empire in a negative light : According to this text , the encounter would have happened around 326 BCE , suggesting a birth date for Chandragupta around 340 BCE . Plutarch and other Greco - Roman historians appreciated the gravity of Chandragupta Maurya ' s conquests . Justin describes the humble origins of Chandragupta , and explains how he later led a popular uprising against the Nanda king . Foundation of the Maurya Empire . Chandragupta Maurya , with the help of Chanakya , defeated the Magadha king and the army of the Chandravanshi clan . Following his victory , the defeated generals of Alexander settled in Gandhara ( the Kamboja kingdom ) , today ' s Afghanistan . At the time of Alexander ' s invasion , Chanakya was a teacher in Takshasila . The king of Takshasila and Gandhara , Ambhi ( also known as Taxiles ) , made a peace treaty with Alexander . Chanakya , however , planned to defeat the foreign invasion and sought help from other kings to unite and fight Alexander . Parvateshwara ( Porus ) , a king of Punjab , was the only local king who was able to challenge Alexander at the Battle of the Hydaspes River , but he was defeated . Chanakya then went further east to Magadha , to seek the help of Dhana Nanda , who ruled the vast Nanda Empire which extended from Bihar and Bengal in the east to Punjab and Sindh in the west , but Dhana Nanda refused to help him . After this incident , Chanakya began to persuade his disciple Chandragupta of the need to build an empire that could protect Indian territories from foreign invasion . Nanda army . According to Plutarch , at the time of the Battle of the Hydaspes River , the Nanda Empire ' s army numbered 200 , 000 infantry , 80 , 000 cavalry , 8 , 000 chariot s , and 7 , 000 war elephant s , which discouraged Alexander ' s men and prevented their further progress into India : In order to defeat the powerful Nanda army , Chandragupta needed to raise a formidable army of his own . Conquest of the Nanda Empire . Chanakya had trained and guided Chandragupta and together they planned the destruction of Dhana Nanda . The " Mudrarakshasa " of Visakhadutta as well as the Jain work " Parisishtaparvan " talk of Chandragupta ' s alliance with the Himalayan king Parvatka , sometimes identified with Porus . It is noted in the " Chandraguptakatha " that Chandragupta and Chanakya were initially rebuffed by the Nanda forces . Regardless , in the ensuing war , Chandragupta faced off against Bhadrasala , the commander of Dhana Nanda ' s armies . He was eventually able to defeat Bhadrasala and Dhana Nanda in a series of battles , culminating in the siege of the capital city Pataliputra and the conquest of the Nanda Empire around 321 BCE , thus founding the powerful Maurya Empire in Northern India by the time he was about 20 years old . Conquest of Macedonian territories in India . After Alexander ' s death in 323 BCE , Chandragupta , turned his attention to Northwestern India ( modern Pakistan ) , where he defeated the satrapies ( described as " prefects " in classical Western sources ) left in place by Alexander ( according to Justin ) , and may have assassinated two of his governors , Nicanor and Philip . The satrapies he fought may have included Eudemus , ruler in western Punjab until his departure in 317 BCE ; and Peithon , son of Agenor , ruler of the Greek colonies along the Indus until his departure for Babylon in 316 BCE . The Roman historian Justin described how Sandrocottus ( Greek version of Chandragupta ' s name ) conquered the northwest : Expansion . By the time he was only about 20 years old , Chandragupta , who had succeeded in defeating the Macedonian satrapies in India and conquering the Nanda Empire , had founded a vast empire that extended from the Bay of Bengal in the east , to the Indus River in the west . In later years he would expand this empire . Chandragupta Maurya ( 340 BC – 298 BC ) was the founder of the Mauryan Empire and the first emperor to unify India into one state . He ruled from 322 BC until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favour of his son Bindusara in 298 BC . [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] Chandragupta Maurya is a pivotal figure in the history of India . Prior to his consolidation of power , most of South Asia was ruled by small states , while the Nanda Dynasty dominated the Gangetic Plains . [ 7 ] Chandragupta succeeded in conquering and subjugating almost all of the Indian subcontinent by the end of his reign . [ nb 1 ] His empire extended from Bengal and Assam in the east , to Afghanistan and Balochistan , eastern and south - east Iran in the west , to Kashmir in the north , and to the Deccan Plateau in the south . It was the largest empire yet seen in Indian history . [ 8 ] [ 9 ] After unifying India , Chandragupta and his chief advisor Chanakya passed a series of major economic and political reforms . He established a strong central administration patterned after Chanakya ’ s text on politics , the Arthashastra . Mauryan India was characterised by an efficient and highly organised bureaucratic structure with a large civil service . Due to its unified structure , the empire developed a strong economy , with internal and external trade thriving and agriculture flourishing . In both art and architecture , the Mauryan empire constituted a landmark . There was a growth in culture which derived its inspiration from the Achaemenids and the Hellenistic world . [ 10 ] Chandragupta ' s reign was a time of great social and religious reform in India . Buddhism and Jainism became increasingly prominent . In foreign Greek and Latin accounts , Chandragupta is known as Sandrokottos and Androcottus . [ 11 ] He became well known in the Hellenistic world for conquering Alexander the Great ' s easternmost satrapies , and for defeating the most powerful of Alexander ' s successors , Seleucus I Nicator , in battle . Chandragupta subsequently married Seleucus ' s daughter to formalize an alliance and established a policy of friendship with the Hellenistic kingdoms , which stimulated India ' s trade and contact with the western world . The Greek diplomat Megasthenes is an important source of Mauryan history . Chandragupta was influenced to accept Jainism by the sage Bhadrabahu ; he abdicated his throne to spend his last days at the Shravana Belgola , a famous religious site in southwest India , where he fasted to death . Along with his grandson , Ashoka , Chandragupta Maurya is one of the most celebrated rulers in the history of India . He has played a crucial role in shaping the national identity of modern India , and has been lionised as a model ruler and as a national hero . Conquest of Seleucus ' eastern territories . Seleucus I Nicator , a Macedonian satrap of Alexander , reconquered most of Alexander ' s former empire and put under his own authority the eastern territories as far as Bactria and the Indus ( Appian , History of Rome , The Syrian Wars 55 ) , until in 305 BCE he entered into conflict with Chandragupta : The exact details of engagement are not known . As noted by scholars such as R . C . Majumdar and D . D . Kosambi , Seleucus appears to have fared poorly , having ceded large territories west of the Indus to Chandragupta . Due to his defeat , Seleucus surrendered Arachosia , Gedrosia , Paropamisadae , and Aria . Mainstream scholarship asserts that Chandragupta received vast territory west of the Indus , including the Hindu Kush , modern day Afghanistan , and the Balochistan province of Pakistan . Archaeologically , concrete indications of Mauryan rule , such as the inscriptions of the Edicts of Ashoka , are known as far as Kandhahar in southern Afghanistan . It is generally thought that Chandragupta married Seleucus ' s daughter to formalize an alliance . In a return gesture , Chandragupta sent 500 war - elephants , a military asset which would play a decisive role at the Battle of Ipsus in 302 BCE . In addition to this treaty , Seleucus dispatched an ambassador , Megasthenes , to Chandragupta , and later Deimakos to his son Bindusara , at the Mauryan court at Pataliputra ( modern Patna in Bihar state ) . Later Ptolemy II Philadelphus , the ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt and contemporary of Ashoka the Great , is also recorded by Pliny the Elder as having sent an ambassador named Dionysius to the Mauryan court . Classical sources have also recorded that following their treaty , Chandragupta and Seleucus exchanged presents , such as when Chandragupta sent various aphrodisiac s to Seleucus : Southern conquest . After annexing Seleucus ' eastern Persian provinces , Chandragupta had a vast empire extending across the northern parts of Indian Sub - continent , from the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea . Chandragupta then began expanding his empire further south beyond the barrier of the Vindhya Range and into the Deccan Plateau except the Tamil regions ( Pandya , Chera , Chola and Satyaputra ) and Kalinga ( modern day Odisha ) . By the time his conquests were complete , Chandragupta had succeeded in unifying most of Southern Asia . Megasthenes later recorded the size of Chandragupta ' s army as 400 , 000 soldiers , according to Strabo : On the other hand , Pliny , who also drew from Megasthenes ' work , gives even larger numbers of 600 , 000 infantry , 30 , 000 cavalry , and 9 , 000 war elephants : Jainism and death . According to Jain tradition , Chandragupta gave up his throne in the beginning of 3rd century BCE , when he was forty - two years old , and became an ascetic under the Jain saint Bhadrabahu , migrating south with them and ending his days in " sallekhana " ( death by fasting ) at Śravaṇa Beḷgoḷa in present day Karnataka , though fifth - century inscriptions in the area support the concept of a larger southern migration around that time . Successors . Chandragupta Maurya renounced his throne to his son , Bindusara , who became the new Mauryan Emperor . Bindusara ' s son Ashoka the Great became one of the most influential kings in India ' s history due to his important role in the history of Buddhism . In popular culture . Chanakya ' s role in formation of the Mauryan Empire is the essence of a historical / spiritual novel " The Courtesan and the Sadhu " by Dr . Mysore N . Prakash . The story of Chanakya and Chandragupta was made into a film in Telugu Language in 1977 titled Chanakya Chandragupta . Akkineni Nageswara Rao played the role of Chanakya , while N . T . Rama Rao portrayed as Chandragupta . Santosh Sivan ' s 2001 epic Hindi language film Asoka . The sword of Chandragupt plays an important role in the film . The television series " Chanakya " is an account of the life and times of Chanakya , based on the play " Mudra Rakshasa " ( The Signet Ring of " Rakshasa " ) . Also there is a television series on Imagine TV called Chandragupt Maurya The Indian Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring Chandragupta Maurya in 2001 . In the American comic strip Pearls Before Swine a girl named " Carla " mentions the story of him becoming an ascetic , although she says monk , and starving to death .