How The Nanda Dynasty Built India's First Empire ¦ Indian History ¦ India Unravelled

This is an image of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka with his queens, found on a gate of the Sanchi Stupa in today's Madhya Pradesh. Ashoka is probably the most well-known emperor of ancient India, whose empire stretched from modern-day Afghanistan to Bangladesh to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. But the Mauryans were not the first empire builders of India. Before Ashoka's grandfather Chandragupta Maurya became king of Magadh, the Nanda dynasty, who ruled in the middle of the 4th century BC, had built India's first empire. To understand how the Nanda empire came about, we need to understand the history of Magadh after Ajatashatru. Bimbisara and Ajatashatru had made Magadh the most powerful kingdom in ancient India by conquering the kingdoms of Kosal, Fridji and Anga. But Ajatashatru was deposed by his own son Udayan, and some years later Udayan was also deposed by his son. Magadh also faced a threat from the kingdom of Avanti. Facing an internal instability and an external threat, the Magadhan people and the Magadhan elite staged a rebellion. They drew out the ruling house and elected a noble man named Shishunaga as their king. Shishunaga was able to conquer the Mahajanapada of Avanti, thus making Magadh the dominant political power in northern India. Shishunaga was succeeded by Kalashoka. In this period, Pataliputra, situated on the banks of the Ganga river, had emerged as a centre of trade and commerce, dwarfing the earlier cities of Rajagraha and Vaishali. Kalashoka permanently shifted his capital to Pataliputra. Kalashoka was killed by the person who became the founder of the Nanda dynasty. Literary sources for this period differ on the name of the Nanda founder. Some call him Mahapadmananda, while others call him Ugrasen. They also provide different details on the origin of the Nandas, but all of them agree that they were of low origin. These sources also agree that there were nine Nanda kings. The Nandas were able to extend their territories by conquering several of their neighbouring kingdoms. The Nandas thus established India's first empire. The Puranas call the Nandas Ekarat or sole sovereign, possessed of vast armies and wealth. Even the Greek and Roman sources about Alexander's invasion of India mention how powerful the Nanda empire was. The Nandas also introduced a new currency system and weighing standards. Historical accounts say that the Nandas were resented by the people for their unjust and excessive taxation, which led to their opulent lifestyle. The ancient Tamil poet Mamoolanar describes the wealth of the Nanda dynasty in this fashion. The treasure accumulated in prosperous Pataliputra was hidden in the waters of the Ganga by the great Nandas who were victorious in war. And this opulence and arrogance was what ultimately brought about the destruction of the Nandas, when a teacher from Takshashila and a young nobleman of the Maurya dynasty would seize the Magadhan throne. But that is a story for another day.