Nanda–Mauryan war: Difference between revisions

| 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"/>

| commander2        = [[Chandragupta Maurya]]<br/>[[Chanakya]]<br/>[[Kalinga (region)|Brahmaadittiya]]

| territory        = Establishment of the [[Mauryan Empire]] over annexed [[Nanda Empire|Nanda territories]]

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"/>

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>