Who was the founder of the Maurya Empire? <!-- layout: akzb, acew -->

Explanation

The Maurya dynasty was founded by Chandragupta Maurya. Its period was 321–184 BCE. After this, the Kushana dynasty, the Gupta dynasty, and the Vardhana dynasty ruled ancient India. <!-- layout: oyxy, uxle, zxuv --> ## Page 16 ## 4. Who amongst the following Mauryan rulers did conquered the Deccan? (a) Ashoka (b) Chandragupta (c) Bindusara (d) Kunala 46th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2004 Ans. (b) Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan Empire, conquered South India (the Deccan). In this regard, information is obtained from Ashoka’s inscriptions, and from Jain and Tamil sources. Ashoka’s inscriptions are found at many places in the southern region, but Ashoka carried out only the Kalinga conquest. Therefore, the credit for conquest in the south has to be given to Chandragupta Maurya, because Bindusara’s conquests are highly doubtful and he is not remembered in history as a conqueror. Jain and Tamil sources also confirm Chandragupta Maurya’s southern conquest. ## 5. Chandragupta Maurya figures prominently in the book of – (a) Bhasa (b) Sudraka (c) Vishakhadatta (d) Ashvaghosha 46th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2004 Ans. (c) Detailed information about Chandragupta Maurya is obtained from Vishakhadatta’s 'Mudrarakshasa'. In this work, Chandragupta is considered the son of Mahapadma Nanda (another name—Nanda). In Mudrarakshasa, Chandragupta is also called “Vrishala” and “Kulheen.” In the 18th century CE, Dhundhiraj wrote a commentary on Mudrarakshasa. ## 6. Megasthenes was the ambassador of - (a)…