Acharya Chanakya was an economist, jurist, philosopher and royal advisor of ancient India. Chanakya is often known as Kautilya or Vishnugupta. The author of Arthashastra, Kautilya was a revolutionary. He was the creator of India's first largest empire- the Maurya Empire. Creation of the Mauryan empire takes its roots when Chanakya was insulted by the then mighty emperor of the Nanda dynasty. Following this insult, he pledged to overthrow the Nanda dynasty and he succeeded as well by aiding Chandragupta Maurya in taking over tbe reins of power. Here are 10 lesser known facts about the great scholar Chanakya .
Chanakya was Born in Taxila, Pakistan, into a Brahmin family and he completed his education at Taxila.
Kautilya is also believed to have had a knowledge of medicine and astrology along with being a great economist and politician.
It was Chanakya who created India's first biggest and greatest empire- the Mauryan empire. He made Chandragupta Maurya, the king of the Mauryan empire when Chandragupta was just 19 years old.
Chanakya was once insulted by the emperor of the Nanda dynasty, who ruled the Magadha Kingdom in India. After being offended Chanakya allied with Chandragupta Maurya-who had been exiled from the Nanda clan. He helped Chandragupta to form his small army, ignited a civil war and overthrew the powerful Nanda dynasty at Pataliputra with his intellect.
The great scholar had a mastery of “Samudra Shastra” through which he could judge and analyze what a person is thinking by only looking at facial expressions.
Kautilya is credited to Arthashastra-The Science of Material Gain. The book is written in Sanskrit and is the philosopher's guide on how to run an empire. The book is believed to have been lost and was rediscovered in 1905.
Chanakya has also studied Shastras and compiled his understanding into 'Chanakya Niti' or 'Chanakya Niti Shastra.'
Chanakya's life has been described in four versions- The Buddhist version, the Kashmiri version, the Jain version and Vishakhadatta's Sanskrit Mudrarakshasa version.
Throughout his life, Chanakya had served the Maurya empire and its emperors. He died in 283 BC during the reign of Bindusara, Chandragupta's son. Many believe that he starved himself to death while some believe that because of court conspiracies, he died.
