Indian history · Kings and empires

Chandragupta Maurya and Chanakya: How the Mauryan Empire Was Founded (c. 321–297 BCE) — Exam Notes

Chandragupta Maurya built the first empire to unite most of the Indian subcontinent. Guided by the scholar-strategist Chanakya, he overthrew the powerful Nanda kings of Magadha, defeated the Greek successors of Alexander and set up an administration so detailed that it is still studied. This guide covers the facts that appear in SSC, state PSC, police and teaching exams.

By PunjabExams Editorial Team · Updated 29 October 2026 · 6 min read · How we prepare guides

Life at a glance

Background: Magadha and the Nandas

By the 4th century BCE, Magadha in present-day Bihar was the strongest kingdom in north India. The Nanda dynasty, the last of whose kings was Dhana Nanda, had a huge army and treasury but was unpopular for its heavy taxes. Greek writers say that Alexander's soldiers, who refused to march beyond the Beas in 326 BCE, had heard of the Nandas' vast army.

Chanakya and the rise of Chandragupta

The sources for Chandragupta's early life are a mix of Buddhist, Jain, Brahmanical and Greek accounts, and they differ on his family origins. The best-known tradition holds that Chanakya, a Brahmin teacher from Taxila, was insulted at the Nanda court and vowed to destroy the dynasty. He found the young Chandragupta, trained him, and together they raised an army.

• They first won control of parts of the north-west, where Greek garrisons had been weakened after Alexander's death (323 BCE).
• Around 321 BCE, they overthrew Dhana Nanda and captured Pataliputra.
• The Sanskrit play Mudrarakshasa by Vishakhadatta (written centuries later) dramatises Chanakya's plans against the Nanda minister Rakshasa.

War and treaty with Seleucus (305 BCE)

After Alexander's death, his general Seleucus I Nicator controlled the eastern part of his empire and tried to recover the Indian provinces. Around 305 BCE, Chandragupta defeated him. In the treaty that followed:

• Seleucus gave up the territories of Arachosia (Kandahar), Gedrosia (Baluchistan), Paropamisadae (Kabul region) and part of Aria (Herat);
• Chandragupta gave Seleucus 500 war elephants;
• a marriage alliance was agreed;
• Seleucus sent Megasthenes as his ambassador to Pataliputra.

This treaty pushed the Mauryan frontier deep into present-day Afghanistan.

Megasthenes and the Indica

Megasthenes wrote an account of India called Indica. The original is lost, but quotations survive in later Greek writers such as Strabo and Arrian. Points often asked in exams:

• He described Pataliputra as a huge city surrounded by a wooden wall with 570 towers and 64 gates.
• He divided Indian society into seven classes (philosophers, farmers, soldiers, herdsmen, artisans, magistrates and councillors) — a description that does not match the varna system.
• He described a municipal administration of six committees of five members each.
• He wrote that there was no slavery in India, which historians treat as a misunderstanding.

The Arthashastra

The Arthashastra, attributed to Kautilya (Chanakya), is a treatise on statecraft, economy and law. Its text was rediscovered in 1905 by R. Shamasastry in Mysore. Scholars think its present form was compiled over several centuries, but it reflects Mauryan ideas of government.

Key ideas:

• Saptanga theory — the state has seven limbs: swami (king), amatya (ministers), janapada (territory and people), durga (fort), kosha (treasury), danda (army) and mitra (ally).
• Mandala theory of foreign relations — your neighbour is a natural enemy and your neighbour's neighbour a natural friend.
• Detailed rules on taxes, spies, trade, punishments and the duties of officials.

Mauryan administration

The Junagadh rock inscription of the Shaka ruler Rudradaman (150 CE) records that the Sudarshana lake in Gujarat was first built by Chandragupta's governor Pushyagupta — evidence of Mauryan public works far from the capital.

The extent of the empire

By the end of his reign, Chandragupta's empire stretched from Afghanistan and Baluchistan in the west to Bengal in the east, and from the Himalayas to the Deccan. Only the far south and Kalinga (Odisha) lay outside it; Kalinga was later conquered by Ashoka.

Final years: the Jain tradition

According to Jain tradition, Chandragupta gave up the throne in favour of his son Bindusara, became a disciple of the Jain monk Bhadrabahu, and went with him to Shravanabelagola in Karnataka during a long famine. There he is said to have fasted to death by the Jain practice of sallekhana. A hill there is named Chandragiri after him.

Successors

• Bindusara (c. 297–273 BCE) — called Amitraghata ("slayer of foes") by Greek writers; he maintained links with the Seleucids.
• Ashoka (c. 268–232 BCE) — the most famous Mauryan ruler.
• The last Mauryan king, Brihadratha, was killed by his general Pushyamitra Shunga around 185 BCE, who founded the Shunga dynasty.

Exam traps

• Chandragupta Maurya (c. 321 BCE) is different from Chandragupta I (founder of the Gupta era, 319–20 CE) and Chandragupta II Vikramaditya.
• Megasthenes came to Chandragupta's court; Deimachus came to Bindusara's court.
• The Indica is by Megasthenes; the Arthashastra is by Kautilya; Mudrarakshasa is by Vishakhadatta.

Key points to remember

• Founded the Mauryan Empire around 321 BCE, capital Pataliputra, with Chanakya.
• Defeated Dhana Nanda and later Seleucus I (treaty c. 305 BCE; 500 elephants).
• Megasthenes — Indica; Arthashastra — saptanga and mandala theories.
• Sudarshana lake built by his governor Pushyagupta (Junagadh inscription).
• Became a Jain monk; died at Shravanabelagola.

Practice questions

1. Q1. Who was the Greek ambassador at the court of Chandragupta Maurya?

   • (a) Deimachus
   • (b) Megasthenes
   • (c) Dionysius
   • (d) Ptolemy
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Megasthenes — Seleucus I sent Megasthenes, who wrote the Indica.

2. Q2. The Arthashastra was rediscovered in 1905 by:

   • (a) James Prinsep
   • (b) R. Shamasastry
   • (c) Alexander Cunningham
   • (d) William Jones
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) R. Shamasastry — R. Shamasastry found the manuscript in Mysore.

3. Q3. According to Jain tradition, Chandragupta Maurya spent his last days at:

   • (a) Pataliputra
   • (b) Ujjain
   • (c) Shravanabelagola
   • (d) Pawapuri
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) Shravanabelagola — He is said to have died by sallekhana at Shravanabelagola, Karnataka.

4. Q4. The 'saptanga' theory of the state is found in the:

   • (a) Indica
   • (b) Arthashastra
   • (c) Mudrarakshasa
   • (d) Rajatarangini
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Arthashastra — Kautilya's Arthashastra describes the seven limbs of the state.

5. Q5. Which inscription records that the Sudarshana lake was built by Chandragupta Maurya's governor?

   • (a) Allahabad pillar inscription
   • (b) Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman
   • (c) Hathigumpha inscription
   • (d) Aihole inscription
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman — Rudradaman's Junagadh inscription credits Pushyagupta.

6. Q6. The last Mauryan ruler, Brihadratha, was killed by:

   • (a) Kharavela
   • (b) Pushyamitra Shunga
   • (c) Kanishka
   • (d) Menander
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Pushyamitra Shunga — Pushyamitra Shunga founded the Shunga dynasty around 185 BCE.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Chanakya?

A scholar and strategist, also known as Kautilya or Vishnugupta, who guided Chandragupta Maurya and is traditionally credited with the Arthashastra.

Which territories did Seleucus give to Chandragupta?

Arachosia, Gedrosia, Paropamisadae and part of Aria — roughly southern and eastern Afghanistan and Baluchistan.

Who succeeded Chandragupta Maurya?

His son Bindusara, the father of Ashoka.

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