Nanda Empire | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
c. 345 BCE[a]–c. 322 BCE[1] | |||||||||||
![]() | |||||||||||
Status | Empire | ||||||||||
Capital | Pataliputra | ||||||||||
Religion | Hinduism[3] Buddhism[3] Jainism[3] | ||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
Emperor | |||||||||||
• c. 345 – c. 340 BCE | Mahapadma (first) | ||||||||||
• c. 329 – c. 322 BCE | Dhana (last) | ||||||||||
Historical era | Iron Age India | ||||||||||
• Established | c. 345 BCE[a] | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | c. 322 BCE[1] | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Today part of | Bangladesh India Nepal |
History of India |
---|
Timeline |
History of South Asia |
---|
![]() |
The Nanda dynasty was the Third ruling dynasty of Magadha in the northern Indian subcontinent during the fourth century BCE and possibly also during the fifth. The Nandas overthrew the Shaishunaga dynasty and expanded the empire to include a larger part of northern India. Ancient sources differ considerably regarding the names of the Nanda kings and the duration of their rule, but based on the Buddhist tradition recorded in the Mahāvaṃsa, they appear to have ruled during c. 345–322 BCE, although some theories date the start of their rule to the fifth century BCE.
The Nandas built on the successes of their Haryanka and Shaishunaga predecessors and instituted a more centralised administration. Ancient sources credit them with amassing great wealth, which was probably a result of the introduction of a new currency and taxation system. Ancient texts also suggest that the Nandas were unpopular among their subjects because of their low-status birth, excessive taxation, and general misconduct. The last Nanda king was overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya, founder of the Maurya Empire.
Modern historians generally identify the ruler of the Gangaridai and the Prasii mentioned in ancient Greco-Roman accounts as a Nanda king. While describing Alexander the Great's invasion of Punjab (327–325 BCE), Greco-Roman writers depict this kingdom as a great military power. The prospect of a war against this kingdom, coupled with the exhaustion resulting from almost a decade of campaigning, led to a mutiny among Alexander's homesick soldiers, putting an end to his Indian campaign.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha>
tags or {{efn}}
templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
template or {{notelist}}
template (see the help page).
During the period of the Nanda Dynasty, the Hindu, Buddha and Jain religions had under their sway the population of the Empire