Mahapadma Nanda
Mahapadma Nanda (IAST: "Mahāpadmānanda"; c. 4th century BCE), according to the Puranas, was the first Emperor of the Nanda Empire of ancient India. The Puranas describe him as a son of the last Shaishunaga king Mahanandin and a Shudra woman, and credit him with extensive conquests. The different Puranas variously give the length of his reign as 28 or 88 years, and state that his eight sons ruled in succession after him. The Buddhist texts don't mention him, and instead name the first Nanda ruler as robber-turned-king Ugrasena, who was succeeded by his eight brothers , the last of whom was Dhana Nanda. Life. According to the Puranas, the first Nanda king was called Mahapadma or Mahapadma-pati (literally, "lord of the great lotus"). He was the son of the last Shaishunaga king Mahanandin and a Shudra woman. The "Puranas" describe him as "ekarat" (sole sovereign) and "sarva-kshatrantaka" (destroyer of all the "Kshatriyas"). The Kshastriyas (warriors and rulers) said to have been exterminated by Mahapadma include Maithalas, Kasheyas, Ikshvakus, Panchalas, Shurasenas, Kurus, Haihayas, Vitihotras, Kalingas, and Ashmakas. The "Matsya Purana" assigns Mahapadma an incredibly long reign of 88 years, while the "Vayu Purana" mentions the  length of his reign as only 28 years. The Puranas further state that Mahapadma's eight sons ruled in succession after him for a total of 12 years, but name only one of these sons: Sukalpa. Indologist F. E. Pargiter dated Nanda's coronation to 382 BCE, and historian R. K. Mookerji dated it to 364 BCE. Historian H. C. Raychaudhuri places the event at c. 345 BCE. The beginning of Nanda reign is also assigned as early as 5th century BC.