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| caption = Extend of the Nanda Empire around the time of the war. | | caption = Extend of the Nanda Empire around the time of the war. | ||
| date = {{circa}} 323–321 BCE{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=6}} | | date = {{circa}} 323–321 BCE{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=6}} | ||
| place = [[ | | place = [[Magadha]]{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=6}} | ||
| result = {{ubl|Mauryan victory{{sfn|Mittal|2006}}}} | | result = {{ubl|Mauryan victory{{sfn|Mittal|2006}}}} | ||
*Fall of the [[Nanda Empire]]{{sfn|Chatterjee|1998}} | *Fall of the [[Nanda Empire]]{{sfn|Chatterjee|1998}} | ||
| combatant1 = [[Nanda Empire]] | | combatant1 = [[Nanda Empire]] | ||
| combatant2 = [[Mauryan Empire#List of rulers|House of Maurya]]<br>'''Supported by:'''<br>[[Matsya (tribe)|Matsya Kingdom]]<ref name="Roy, Kaushik 2015. p46-50">[17] Roy, Kaushik. Warfare in Pre-British India–1500BCE to 1740CE. Routledge, 2015. p46-50</ref><br>[[Solar dynasty|Suryavamshi dynasty]] of [[Kalinga (historical region)|Kalinga]]<ref name="Roy, Kaushik 2015. p46-50"/> | | combatant2 = [[Mauryan Empire#List of rulers|House of Maurya]]<br>'''Supported by:'''<br>[[Matsya (tribe)|Matsya Kingdom]]<ref name="Roy, Kaushik 2015. p46-50">[17] Roy, Kaushik. Warfare in Pre-British India–1500BCE to 1740CE. Routledge, 2015. p46-50</ref><br>[[Solar dynasty|Suryavamshi dynasty]] of [[Kalinga (historical region)|Kalinga]]<ref name="Roy, Kaushik 2015. p46-50"/> | ||
| commander1 = [[Dhana Nanda]]{{KIA}} {{sfn|Prasad|1999}}<br/>[[Amatya Rakshas]] | | commander1 = [[Dhana Nanda]]{{KIA}} {{sfn|Prasad|1999}}<br/>[[Amatya Rakshas]]{{Surrendered}}<br/>Bhaddasala{{KIA}} <ref>[11] Roy, Kaushik. Hinduism and the Ethics of Warfare in South Asia: From Antiquity to the Present. Cambridge University Press, 2012. p61-62</ref> | ||
| commander2 = [[Chandragupta Maurya]]<br/>[[Chanakya]]<br/>[[Kalinga (region)|Brahmaadittiya]] | | commander2 = [[Chandragupta Maurya]]<br/>[[Chanakya]]<br/>[[Kalinga (region)|Brahmaadittiya]] | ||
| territory = Establishment of the [[Mauryan Empire]] over annexed [[Nanda Empire|Nanda territories]] | | territory = Establishment of the [[Mauryan Empire]] over annexed [[Nanda Empire|Nanda territories]] | ||
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The '''Nanda–Mauryan War'''{{sfn|Roy|2012|p=62}} was a war fought in ancient India from c. 323 BCE to 321 BCE between the Emperor [[Dhana Nanda]] of the [[Nanda dynasty]] and the forces of [[Chandragupta Maurya]] that led to the establishment of the [[Maurya dynasty|Mauryan Empire]] in [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)|Magadha]].{{sfn|Sen|1895|pp=26–32}} Little is known from historical sources for certain dating about the conflict. According to [[Mudrarakshasa]] legends, Chandragupta's army included [[Bahlikas|Bahlika]], [[Kirata]], [[Parasika]], [[Kambojas|Kamboja]], [[Shakas|Saka]], and [[Greek people|Greek]] mercenaries. The army invaded capital city [[Pataliputra]] after regaining power and defeated the Nandas.<ref>Chandragupta Maurya and His Times, Radhakumud Mookerji, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1966, p. 27 [https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA27]</ref><ref>History Of The Chamar Dynasty, Raj Kumar, Gyan Publishing House, 2008, p. 51 [https://books.google.com/books?id=eEJ-sXBmBIkC&pg=PA51]</ref> | The '''Nanda–Mauryan War'''{{sfn|Roy|2012|p=62}} was a war fought in ancient India from c. 323 BCE to 321 BCE between the Emperor [[Dhana Nanda]] of the [[Nanda dynasty]] and the forces of [[Chandragupta Maurya]] that led to the establishment of the [[Maurya dynasty|Mauryan Empire]] in [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)|Magadha]].{{sfn|Sen|1895|pp=26–32}} Little is known from historical sources for certain dating about the conflict. According to [[Mudrarakshasa]] legends, Chandragupta's army included [[Bahlikas|Bahlika]], [[Kirata]], [[Parasika]], [[Kambojas|Kamboja]], [[Shakas|Saka]], and [[Greek people|Greek]] mercenaries. The army invaded capital city [[Pataliputra]] after regaining power and defeated the Nandas.<ref>Chandragupta Maurya and His Times, Radhakumud Mookerji, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1966, p. 27 [https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C&pg=PA27]</ref><ref>History Of The Chamar Dynasty, Raj Kumar, Gyan Publishing House, 2008, p. 51 [https://books.google.com/books?id=eEJ-sXBmBIkC&pg=PA51]</ref> | ||
==Primary War== | |||
Much of what is known about the conquest comes from accounts written long after the war itself. Ancient historian [[Plutarch]] gives an account of parts of the conquest.<ref name="Barua2005">Barua, Pradeep. [https://muse.jhu.edu/book/11919 The State at War in South Asia]. Vol. 2. U of Nebraska Press, 2005. pp13-15 via [[Project MUSE]] {{subscription required}}</ref> The conquest was fictionalized in ''[[Mudrarakshasa]]'', a political drama in Sanskrit by [[Vishakadatta]] composed between 300 CE and 700 CE.<ref name="Roy2012">Roy, Kaushik. Hinduism and the Ethics of Warfare in South Asia: From Antiquity to the Present. Cambridge University Press, 2012. p61-62</ref> The history is also briefly recounted in ''[[Vishnu Purana]]'' (unknown date), which emphasizes the importance of Chanakya in the destruction of the Nanda empire.<ref>Sharma, Urmila, and Sanjeev Kumar Sharma. Indian Political Thought. Atlantic Publishers & Dist, 2001. p53</ref> In another work, ''[[Milinda Panha]]'' (dating from 100 BCE), Bhaddasala is named as a Nanda [[Senapati|general]] during the conquest.<ref name="Roy2012"/> | |||
Estimates of the number of soldiers involved are based in part on ancient Roman sources. Plutarch estimates that Chandragupta's army would later number 600,000 by the time it had subdued all of India,<ref name="Battacharyya1997">Bhattacharyya, Pranab Kumar. Historical Geography of Madhyapradesh from Early Records. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 1977. p8</ref> an estimate also given by [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] (23 AD–79 AD). Pliny and Plutarch also estimated the Nanda Army strength in the east as 200,000 [[infantry]], 80,000 [[cavalry]], 8,000 [[Ratha|chariots]], and 6,000 [[war elephant]]s. These estimates were based in part of the earlier work of the Seleucid ambassador to the Maurya, [[Megasthenes]].<ref name="Mookerji, Radhakumud 1966. p165-166">Mookerji, Radhakumud. Chandragupta Maurya and his times. Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1966. p165-166</ref> One 21st-century author, Suhas Chatterjee, suggests that "Chandragupta had to engage all his military strength, even Greek mercenaries from [[Punjab]] in his conquest of the Nanda king" and according to references about the conquest in the ''[[Milinda Panha]]'' "100,000 of soldiers, 10,000 elephants, 100,000 horses and 5,000 charioteers were killed in the encounter".{{sfn|Chatterjee|1998|p=155}} | |||
== Reign of Chandragupta Maurya == | |||
In ''Mudrarakshasa'', Chandragupta was said to have first acquired [[Punjab]], and then combined forces with Chanakya and advanced upon the Nanda Empire.<ref name="Roy2012" /> Similarly, Plutarch writes that he first overthrew [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]]'s prefects in the northwest of India.<ref name="Barua2005" /> | |||
P. K. Bhattacharyya concludes that the war would have consisted of gradual conquest of provinces after the initial consolidation of Magadha.<ref name="Battacharyya1997" /> | |||
In ''Mudrarakshasa'', he laid siege to Kusumapura (or [[Pataliputra]], now [[Patna]]), the capital of Magadha, with the help of north-west frontier tribe mercenaries from areas already conquered.<ref name="Roy2012" /> The siege may have begun in 320 BCE.<ref name="Grant2010" /> By 312 BCE he had conquered all of north and north-west India.<ref name="Roy2012" /> | |||
In the war, Chandragupta may have allied with the [[Matsya (tribe)|Matsya]] king and the [[Solar dynasty|Suryavamshi]] king of [[Kalinga (historical region)|Kalinga]] (modern-day [[Odisha]]).<ref>Roy, Kaushik. Warfare in Pre-British India–1500BCE to 1740CE. Routledge, 2015. p46-50</ref> The prior experience of his mercenaries from the Punjab were likely important in his military success.<ref name="Roy2015">Roy, Kaushik. Military Manpower, Armies and Warfare in South Asia. Routledge, 2015. p13</ref> | |||
It is also suggested that [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]]'s campaign was laid out by using popular [[Guerrilla warfare|guerrilla]] tactics, as the Nanda Empire was large and had been able to wield large armies that would have been overwhelming to oppose by an upstart.<ref name="Grant2010">R.G. Grant: ''Commanders'', Penguin (2010). pg. 49</ref> | |||
== Siege of Patliputra (322 B.C) == | |||
{{Infobox military conflict | |||
| conflict = Siege of Pataliputra | |||
| place = [[Pataliputra]], [[Nanda Empire]] | |||
| result = Mauryan Victory {{sfn|Mittal|2006}} | |||
| combatant1 = [[Nanda Empire]] | |||
| combatant2 = [[Mauryan Empire|Mauryan Polity]] | |||
| commander1 = [[Dhana Nanda]]{{KIA}}{{sfn|Prasad|1999}}<br>[[Amatya Rakshas]]{{Surrendered}} | |||
| commander2 = [[Chandragupta Maurya]]<br>[[Chanakya]] | |||
| date = 322 BCE | |||
| territory = Capture of Pataliputra by the Mauryans | |||
}} | |||
Chanakya and Chandragupta Maurya stationed garrisons in ''rashtras'' (nations)<ref>https://www.learnsanskrit.cc/translate?search=nation&dir=au</ref> and [[Janapada|''janapadas'']]. In 322 BC, they march to Magadha, besieged the capital [[Pataliputra]] and captured it.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mittal |first=J.P |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rrh4tY3v2A4C&q=besieged+patliputra |title=History of Ancient India (A New Version) |date=2006 |publisher=Atlantic |isbn=9788126906161 |pages=623 |language=English}}</ref> They forced the Nandas to surrender.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chatterjee |first=Suhas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KItocaxbibUC&q=besieged+patliputra |title=Indian Civillization and Culture |date=1998 |publisher=M. D. Publications |isbn=9788175330832 |pages=136 |language=English}}</ref> Dhana Nanda, the last Nanda emperor was killed in action during the siege.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Prasad |first=Rajendra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zNIlAAAAMAAJ |title=Politico-geographical Analysis of the Arthashastra |date=1999 |publisher=Inter-India Publications |isbn=9788121002240 |pages=57 |language=English}}</ref> The war brought an end to the Nanda dynasty and established the [[Maurya Empire]] with [[Chandragupta Maurya]] as its emperor | |||
==Aftermath== | |||
[[Maurya Empire]] consisted of at least 3 provinces at the end of Chandragupta's conquests: [[Avantirastra]] (capital: [[Ujjayini]]), [[Uttarapatha]] (capital: [[Taksasila]]), and [[Gangaridai|Purvapatha]] (capital: [[Pataliputra]]).<ref name="Battacharyya1997"/> Chanakya later became Chandragupta's [[Amatya|prime minister]].<ref name="Roy2015"/> | |||
[[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]] eventually expanded his empire to southern India and [[Seleucid-Mauryan War|warred]] with the [[Seleucid Empire]] over control over all of north western India and parts of [[Ancient Iran|Persia]].<ref>[[Strabo]], ''Geography'', [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/15B*.html#2.9 xv.2.9]</ref>{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=33–34}} | |||
The [[Maurya Empire]] eventually became the most extensive empire in India with area of 5,000,000 km<sup>2</sup>.<ref name="Grant2010" /> | |||
== References == | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
===Works cited=== | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Kosmin |first=Paul J. |author-link=Paul J. Kosmin |title=The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in Seleucid Empire |date=2014 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-72882-0}} | |||
* {{citation |last=Mookerji |first=Radha Kumud |author-link=Radha Kumud Mukherjee |title=Chandragupta Maurya and his times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C |edition=4th |year=1988 |orig-year=first published in 1966 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=81-208-0433-3}} | |||
* {{citation |last=Roy |first=Kaushik |title=Hinduism and the Ethics of Warfare in South Asia: From Antiquity to the Present |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-107-01736-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRE3n1VwDTIC}} | |||
* {{citation |last=Sen |first=R.K. |title=Journal of the Buddhist Text Society of India |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r0ZBAQAAMAAJ |year=1895 |publisher=The Society |chapter=Origin of the Maurya of Magadha and of Chanakya}} | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nanda-Mauryan War}} | |||
[[Category:320s BC conflicts]] | |||
[[Category:Wars involving the Nanda Empire]] | |||
[[Category:Wars involving the Maurya Empire]] | |||
[[Category:Conflicts in India]] | |||
[[Category:4th century BC in India]] | |||
[[Category:Chandragupta Maurya]] | |||
[[Category:Wars involving the Greeks]] | |||