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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}} | 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> | |||