Nanda dynasty

Nanda dynasty, family that ruled Magadha, in northern India, between c. 343 and 321 bce. The Nanda dynasty immediately preceded the dynasty of the Mauryas, and, as with all pre-Maurya dynasties, what is known about it is a mixture of fact and legend. Indigenous traditions, both Brahmanical and Jaina, suggest that the founder of the dynasty, Mahapadma (who was also known as Mahapadmapati, or Ugrasena), evidently had a low social origin—a fact confirmed by classical scholarship. Mahapadma took over from the Shaishunagas not only the reins of Magadhan power but also their policy of systematic expansion. His probable frontier origin and early career as an adventurer helped him to consolidate the empire with ruthless conquests. The authenticity of the Puranic statement that he was the “destroyer of all Kshatriyas” and that he overthrew such disparately located powers as the Ikshvakus, Pancalas, Kashis, Haihayas, Kalingas, Ashmakas, Kurus, Maithilas, Shurasenas, and Vitihotras is borne out by independent evidence, which also associated the Nandas with conquests in the distant Godavari River valley, Kalinga, and part of Mysore.

The post-Mahapadma genealogy of the Nanda dynasty is perfunctory in the Puranas, which mention only Sukalpa (Sahalya, Sumalya), while the Buddhist text Mahabodhivamsa enumerates eight names. Dhanananda, the last of this list, possibly figures as Agrammes, or Xandrames, in classical sources, a powerful contemporary of Alexander the Great. The Nanda line ended with him in about 321 bce when Chandragupta laid the foundation for Mauryan power.

The brief spell of Nanda rule, along with the lengthy tenure of the Mauryas, represents the political aspect of a great transitional epoch in early Indian history. The changes in material culture in the Ganges (Ganga) River valley beginning in the 6th–5th centuries bce, chiefly characterized by settled agricultural technology and growing use of iron, resulted in agricultural production surpluses and a tendency toward the growth of commerce and urban centres. It is significant in this context that in many sources, indigenous and foreign, the Nandas are portrayed as extremely rich and as ruthless collectors of various kinds of taxes. In Alexander’s period, Nanda military strength is estimated at 20,000 cavalry, 200,000 infantry, 2,000 quadriga (chariots), and 3,000 elephants. In administration the initiatives of the Nanda state are reflected in references to irrigation projects in Kalinga and the organization of a ministerial council.