Nanda–Mauryan war
The Nanda–Mauryan War[11] 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 Mauryan Empire in Magadha.[12] Little is known from historical sources for certain dating about the conflict. According to Mudrarakshasa legends, Chandragupta's army included Bahlika, Kirata, Parasika, Kamboja, Saka, and Greek mercenaries. The army invaded capital city Pataliputra after regaining power and defeated the Nandas.[13][14]
| Nanda–Mauryan war | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Extend of the Nanda Empire around the time of the war. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Nanda Empire |
House of Maurya Supported by: Matsya Kingdom[1] Suryavamshi dynasty of Kalinga[1] | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Dhana Nanda † [5] Amatya Rakshas 🏳️ Bhaddasala † [6] |
Chandragupta Maurya Chanakya Brahmaadittiya | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| Nanda Army |
Matsya Army Kalinga Army Sakas Kambojas Bahlikas Kiratas Parasikas Greeks [7][8] | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
200,000 infantry 80,000 cavalry 8,000 chariots 6,000 war elephants[9] |
600,000 infantry 30,000 cavalry 8,000 chariots 9,000 war elephants[10] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 100,000 of soldiers, 10,000 elephants, 100,000 horses and 5,000 charioteers were killed in the encounter. [4] | Unknown | ||||||||
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.[15] The conquest was fictionalized in Mudrarakshasa, a political drama in Sanskrit by Vishakadatta composed between 300 CE and 700 CE.[16] The history is also briefly recounted in Vishnu Purana (unknown date), which emphasizes the importance of Chanakya in the destruction of the Nanda empire.[17] In another work, Milinda Panha (dating from 100 BCE), Bhaddasala is named as a Nanda general during the conquest.[16]
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,[18] an estimate also given by 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 chariots, and 6,000 war elephants. These estimates were based in part of the earlier work of the Seleucid ambassador to the Maurya, Megasthenes.[9] 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".[19]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 [17] Roy, Kaushik. Warfare in Pre-British India–1500BCE to 1740CE. Routledge, 2015. p46-50
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mookerji 1988, p. 6.
- ↑ Mittal 2006.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chatterjee 1998.
- ↑ Prasad 1999.
- ↑ [11] Roy, Kaushik. Hinduism and the Ethics of Warfare in South Asia: From Antiquity to the Present. Cambridge University Press, 2012. p61-62
- ↑ Raj Kumar 2008.
- ↑ Mookerji & Banarsidass 1966.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Mookerji, Radhakumud. Chandragupta Maurya and his times. Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1966. p165-166
- ↑ Empires ascendant : time frame 400 BC-AD 200. Internet Archive. Alexandria, Va. : Time-Life Books. 1987. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-8094-6412-8.
Chandragupta and his successors devoted much of their wealth to building military power. At the height of the Mauryan empire, army was counted at 600,000 infantry, 30,000 cavalry, 9,000 war elephants, and 8,000 chariots.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ↑ Roy 2012, p. 62.
- ↑ Sen 1895, pp. 26–32.
- ↑ Chandragupta Maurya and His Times, Radhakumud Mookerji, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1966, p. 27 [1]
- ↑ History Of The Chamar Dynasty, Raj Kumar, Gyan Publishing House, 2008, p. 51 [2]
- ↑ Barua, Pradeep. The State at War in South Asia. Vol. 2. U of Nebraska Press, 2005. pp13-15 via Project MUSE (subscription required)
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Roy, Kaushik. Hinduism and the Ethics of Warfare in South Asia: From Antiquity to the Present. Cambridge University Press, 2012. p61-62
- ↑ Sharma, Urmila, and Sanjeev Kumar Sharma. Indian Political Thought. Atlantic Publishers & Dist, 2001. p53
- ↑ Bhattacharyya, Pranab Kumar. Historical Geography of Madhyapradesh from Early Records. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 1977. p8
- ↑ Chatterjee 1998, p. 155.