Chandragupta was the founder of the Maurya dynasty, which ruled ancient India for about 140 years. He was not born a prince. He came from an ordinary family and it is believed that Chandragupta was raised by peacock trainers.
Some say, he came from a land of peacocks, and that is why he was called ‘Maurya’, a word that comes from ‘mayura’, which means peacock. Chandragupta was the pupil of a brilliant Brahmin called Chanakya. Under his guidance, he started taking over the small villages on the outskirts of the kingdom ruled by King Dhanananda. Finally, in 321 BC, he conquered the capital, Pataliputra, and overthrew King Dhanananda. Chandragupta’s troops conquered many north Indian kingdoms and claimed lands that stretched as far west as Afghanistan. In this way, Chandragupta united northern India under one ruler for the first time in history, and established the Mauryan Empire.
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