Dhanananda, the last Nanda ruler was overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya in 321 BC. He did this with the help of Chanakya, his friend and later his minister, and established the Mauryan Empire. Dhanananda’s capital was at Pataliputra then. Chandragupta decided to conquer the outskirts of Dhanananda’s kingdom first. For this, he took over the north-west, abandoned by Alexander and finally occupied Pataliputra with careful planning.
Spanning over 5 million square kilometres, the Mauryan Empire was the largest political entity to have existed in the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta was a powerful ruler known for expanding his kingdom. He fought Seleukos Nikator, a general of Alexander. Chandragupta won the battle following which he took over many parts of Afghanistan.
According to the Buddhist stories, Chandragupta is said to have come from an ordinary family, from a land full of peacocks and hence, the name Maurya. Though it had great rulers like Ashoka, the Mauryan Empire dissolved in 185 BC, with the foundation of the Shunga dynasty in Magadha.
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