Originally posted by: Roxelana
1- Chandragupta is called chandragiri Chandrashree in Mudrarakshasa.
2- Chandragupta married Dhananada's daughter in a swayamvar as per parisisth parva because she fell in love with him at first sight.
3- Seleucus's daughter invented modern saree. She was culturally very active in Mauryan household.
4- Chandragupta used to tonsure his head on his birthday which was a Persian tradition. 😉
5- He used to go out in a golden palanquin surrounded by women bodyguards and trained birds used to fly over his head.
6-Chandragupta was a very good hunter. He was brought up by a hunter who was his master.
7- Diodorus wrote that King of Patliputra had great love for Greeks.
8-Bindusara was of weak health. He used to stay sick most of the time.
9-Asoka was ripped off of his treasury by his grandson Samprati. He hated him for blinding his father and his excessive donations to monks. He used to give him half amla for his survival which means he forced Asoka to starve to death.
10- Some historians believe Kaurwaki and Tishyarakshita both were the same person.
11-One source mention Chandragupta as son of Maha Nanda and dasi Moora.
12- One later source mention chandragupta's step mother whose name was Sunanda. Surprise.😆 In this source his father's name is Sarvarthsiddhi.
13- Chandragupta falling for a woman (Selucus's daughter) near Jhelumafter seeing her playing with maidens is a folklore.
14- Apama was a marvellous woman because according to greek scholars selecus's keeping her as a wife was.more than just a political gain, she bewitched his heart. She was a woman of substance.
15- Chanakya used to call Alexander as Alikshendra means a king with no goals.
16- Some scholars think Durdhara as a greek origin.
17-According to Mahavansha Mauryans used to intermarry in their family.
18- Chandragupta's sister was married to Pushyagupta who was a vaishya and governor of Gujarat.
19- The meaning of durdhara's name is irresistible.Dhurdhara is also a form of yoga.
20- Ashok appointed Tushaap who was a greek as subordinate governor of Gujarat under him.
21- Chandragupta used to have massages in his personal spa.
22-Cgm exchanged gifts with Seleucus. Same goes with Bindusara.
23-Chandragupt recruited dacoits at North western borders as soldiers to give them a better life.
24-Megasthenes said chandragupta was a very hard working king and hardly slept for four hours.
25- Chandragupta hated Nanda dynasty for their corrupt disposition.
26-Some historians believe that shasigupta or sisicottus who befriended Alexander and later went against him was none other than chandragupta himself though no concrete facts are available to prove this theory.
27- Megasthenes called cgm a great king even better than porus who gained fame because of his courage.
28- Ashok stopped eating onions after conversion into Buddhism. He married kaurwaki only after she agreed to convert in Buddhism. He admired her charity in his inscription.
29- Ashok did genocide of ajivikas aka shiva sect because they used to say bad things about Buddha though later regretted it when his own brother Tissa was killed in confusion.
30- Charumati, Ashoka's illegitimate daughter built a Buddhist monastery in Nepal. She used to care Asoka in his old age.
31-Chandragupta had his reservations about marrying Dhananada's daughter because he didn't like her but for his own safety he married her but sources hint that it was a platonic relationship but nothing concrete can be said in lack of personal documents unlike Asoka who maintained personal contact through his inscriptions.
32- Bindusara was not a passionate person and thus chandragupta once said he won't be a great king because he is never passionate neither for any one of his wives nor the empire. Bindusara weak health didn't favour him either.
33- Asoka burnt many women in harem. He also burnt his wife padmavati, mother of Kunala when she asked for a divorce.
33- Chandragupta established a separate committee of ministers who served his Syrian Greek wife (Helen). No other Mauryan queen ever enjoyed this privilege. Only Asandhimitra was the one who enjoyed good position as queen Consort of Ashoka.
34- Cgm had his bahubali moment once😆. It's said once during a war probably with Seleucus am elephant marched towards him but surprisingly that elephant accepted him as his master. He was a very charismatic and brave person.😊
35-Only bindusar's name is recorded in history as son of cgm. Daughters weren't given any importance at that time so their names were not recorded anywhere and names of his other sons are not known.
36- Other titles of bindusar's were Bhadrasara, amitraghat, simhasena and ajatshatru.
37-Apama was Persian not Macedonian. She met cgm only once in her life at the time of her daughter's wedding. She never came to India.
38- There is no evidence of selucus's daughter giving birth to cgm's son.
39- Helen/Apama/Cornelia/laodice was converted to Indian religion and she wore sarees. So she would never name her children in Greek language. Neither cgm would allow it.
40-Apama gave birth to 4 children whose names were Antiochus, achaeus,apama (named after her) and laodice.
41-Chandragupta fought with dhananda not mahapadmanand.
42-No person called nandini existed in chandragupta's life.
43-Chandragupta renounced throne because he was very impressed by jaina religion and it's philosophy plus the famine in his empire broke his morale to rule the empire. Chanakaya tried to stop him from going to shravanbelgola but couldn't succeed.
44-Chandragupta was accompanied by Bhadrabahu , a Jain saint to Mysore where cgm fasted to death. Bhadrabahu wrote kalpsutra which is a Jain text.
45-Asoka is called asokavardhan in.puranas.
46-Susima was favorite son of bindusara and he always wanted him to be his successor.
47-Asoka's expressed his compassion for his brothers and sisters in his fifth rock edict which contradicta Buddhist legend that he killed his 99 brothers though he definitely killed susima/sumana.
48- Mahendr a, sanghamitra, kunala , charumati, tivala , jalauka and suyash(probably kunala himself) are the names of asoka's children.
49- Bindusara was very fond of sweet vine and dried figs which he imported from syria.
50-Bindusara followed ajivika sect of shaivism.
51-Bindusara was not a drug addict or alcoholic unlike shown in the serial.
52-Dharma was given to Bindusara by her poor father. She was a Brahmin but poor. She worked as barber in palace of Bindu. Other queens appointed her in this job so that she could not meet bindusara. Later while cutting bindusara's hair she expressed her desire to be with him making him angry and surprised. Later she revealed who she really is and that's how they reunite.
53-Dharma's real name was subhradhangi and her title was janpad kalyani. Her status as queen was low though. However one source calls her agramahishi (means chief queen). Only most favorite queen of emperor could get this title. Asandhimita and Dharma are the queens who are mentioned as agramahishi in mauryan sources. Surprisingly durdhara has not been called agramahishi which creates doubt about her status in palace. The Syrian queen of chandragupta maurya enjoyed many privileges in the palace but her title, name and status are not known so she cannot be called agramahishi unless proven.
55-Mauryan court was very diverse , ambassadors from Syria, Egypt, Greece and other countries we're present there. Mauryans married foreign women and also imported beautiful maidens as was the custom that time.
56-Porus and Sandrocottus , both were envied and admired in Europe due to their wealth, power and bravery.
57-Helen was not a negative woman. She was petite, sweet natured and very beautiful. Her fair skin attracted chandragupta the most as said in folklore.
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