Known as the founder of Mauryan Empire, King
Chandragupta Maurya is considered to be one of the most able rulers who
ruled and unified India. Chandragupta Maurya ruled from 320 - 298 B.C
approximately. He is considered to be one of the most authentic and able
rulers of India. The life history of Chandragupta Maurya is very
intriguing and inspiring. Check out this short biography of Chandragupta
Maurya.
Chandragupta Maurya was successful in unifying India as a single unit
and is thus regarded as a unifier. Before Chandragupta became a powerful
emperor, north western India was mainly ruled by small regional kingdoms
that were scattered here and there. Chandragupta's empire extended from
Kashmir in the north to Deccan plateau in the south and Assam in the
east to Afghanistan in the west. Such was the extent of his empire that
not just India, but even neighboring lands of Afghanistan, Balochistan,
Nepal cam under his kingdom.
Not much is known 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. As a young child he had the qualities
of a successful ruler. He was first spotted by Chanakya who recognized
the true talent of the young lad. Chanakya trained him and taught him
the principles of warfare and other fine arts.
Chandragupta Maurya's biggest achievements were defeating Alexander's
army and taking over the Nanda Empire at a young age of just 20 years.
These are regarded as milestones in India's history and are studied with
great interest by historians even today. After uniting India during his
efficient reign, Chandragupta gave up the throne and adopted the life of
an ascetic. According to Jainism, Chandragupta became an ascetic under
the saint Bhadrabahu Swami. He migrated towards the south approximately
to the present day Karnataka and left for heavenly abode in a small
cave. A temple has been built in that site in the honor of the emperor.
