{"id":10276,"date":"2021-11-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-23T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/23-11-2021\/chandragupta-maurya\/"},"modified":"2021-11-23T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-11-23T00:00:00","slug":"chandragupta-maurya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/23-11-2021\/chandragupta-maurya","title":{"rendered":"Chandragupta Maurya"},"content":{"rendered":"

In News\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
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  • Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister recently said that <\/span><\/span><\/span>Chandragupta Maurya<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, who founded the Mauryan empire in the 4th century BC, had defeated <\/span><\/span><\/span>Alexander of Macedon in battle<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> \u2014 and yet, it is the latter whom historians have chosen to call \u201cgreat\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Historical findings in this context\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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    • Historically, there is little evidence of the<\/span><\/span><\/span> Greek conqueror and the Mauryan emperor having crossed paths at all.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • In fact, Alexander died in 323 BC, and it is generally accepted that Chandragupta Maurya <\/span><\/span><\/span>ascended the throne in 321 BC.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • The only anecdotal rumours of their meeting refer to the historically-contested incident, where a v<\/span><\/span><\/span>ery young Chandragupta met Alexander in the latter’s barracks<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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      • However, there is no solid historical corroboration for that incident.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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        The use of the suffix \u2018great\u2019 in history\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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        • Alexander was referred to as \u201cgreat\u201d by early historians just as several other <\/span><\/span><\/span>conquerors and prominent rulers <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>have been called across empires and ages<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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          • Prominent examples are the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Roman emperor Constantine;<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> the Persians <\/span><\/span><\/span>Cyrus and Darius;<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span>Herod, king of Judea<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>; and in more modern times, <\/span><\/span><\/span>Catherine and Peter of Russia, and Frederick of Prussia<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
          • In Indian history, \u2018great\u2019 has been used for the emperors <\/span><\/span><\/span>Ashoka, Rajaraja and Rajendra Chola, and Akbar, among others.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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            • The use of the <\/span><\/span><\/span>suffix \u2018great\u2019 has become less common in modern history-writing <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>however, as historians have moved their focus away from the <\/span><\/span><\/span>political triumphs<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> of individual rulers to the<\/span><\/span><\/span> society, economy, art and architecture of their times.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
            • They have also subjected the rulers\u2019 <\/span><\/span><\/span>apparent greatness to new perspectives<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and to <\/span><\/span><\/span>more rigorous historical scrutiny<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> through a <\/span><\/span><\/span>re-evaluation of old sources<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and by <\/span><\/span><\/span>referencing those that have been discovered more recently.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

              Chandragupta Maurya\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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              • Chandragupta was the <\/span><\/span><\/span>founder of the Mauryan dynasty<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and the first emperor to unify most of India under one administration.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
              • He is<\/span><\/span><\/span> credited with saving the country from maladministration <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>and freeing it from<\/span><\/span><\/span> foreign domination<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
              • Early Life:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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                • Chandragupta was born into a <\/span><\/span><\/span>family left destitute<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> by the death of his father, chief of the migrant Mauryas, in a border fray.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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                  • Buddhist texts say Chandragupta Maurya belonged to the Kshatriya Moriya clan associated with the Shakyas. Brahmanical texts, however, refer to the Mauryas as Shudras and heretics.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                  • He was trained by a Brahman politician, <\/span><\/span><\/span>Kautilya (also called Chanakya) in <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0Taxila (now in Pakistan).<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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                    • A major treatise on political economy in Sanskrit is the Artha-shastra of Kautilya.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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                      • Ascending the throne:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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                        • After ascending the throne of the Magadha kingdom <\/span><\/span><\/span>he destroyed<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> the sources of Nanda power and eliminated opponents through well-planned administrative schemes that included an effective secret service.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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                          • Chandragupta overthrew the unpopular last king of the Nandas, Dhana Nanda, and occupied his capital, Pataliputra.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n