Chandragupta Maurya

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 came 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.