''Chandragupta Maurya'' is an Indian historical television show that aired on

Sony TV Sony Television, Sony TV, or Sony HD may refer to any of the following television-related products from Japanese conglomerate Sony: * Television sets designed and manufactured by Sony Corporation in Japan ** Trinitron, television hardware brand (196 ...

from 14 November 2018 to 30 August 2019. Written by Raj Routh, the show is based on the life of

Chandragupta Maurya Chandragupta Maurya (Sanskrit: elp:IPA/Sanskrit, t̪͡ɕɐn̪d̪ɾɐgupt̪ɐ mɐʊɾjɐ (reigned 320 BCE – c. 298 BCE) was the founder and the first emperor of the Maurya Empire, based in Magadha (present-day Bihar) in the Indian ...

, the first Mauryan emperor and founder of the

Maurya Empire The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary source ...

. The show is produced by Siddharth Kumar Tewary's One Life Studios. The show is a seamless continuation of One Life Studio's earlier show ''Porus''.

Plot

The show starts in 323 BCE, immediately after the deaths of the king of the

Pauravas The Pauravas were an ancient tribe in the northern Indus valley, to which Raja Porus may have belonged. Origins The origins of the Pauravas are still disputed. The Pauravas may be related to the Puru tribe, due to the closeness of the names. ...

Porus Porus or Poros ( ; 326–321 BC) was an ancient Indian king whose territory spanned the region between the Jhelum River (Hydaspes) and Chenab River (Acesines), in the Punjab region of what is now India and Pakistan. He is only mentioned in Gr ...

and the Emperor of

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

. Alexander's general

Seleucus Nicator Seleucus I Nicator (; Greek: Σέλευκος Νικάτωρ, ''Séleukos Nikátōr'', "Seleucus the Victorious"; ) was a Macedonian Greek general, officer and successor of Alexander the Great who went on to found the eponymous Seleucid Empire, ...

is still in India, having vassalised Ambhiraj (formerly Ambhikumar in the prequel

), the King of

Takshashila Taxila or Takshashila () is a city in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and is just south of the Harip ...

has captured the Paurava Kingdom after assassinating Porus.

Chanakya Chanakya (ISO 15919, ISO: ', चाणक्य, ), according to legendary narratives preserved in various traditions dating from the 4th to 11th century CE, was a Brahmin who assisted the first Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya, Chandragup ...

, a Takshashilan

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

scholar and the former prime minister of the Paurava Kingdom arrives in

Magadha Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period. The region was ruled by several dynasties, which overshadowed, conquered, and ...

, ruled by the unjust and cruel

Nanda Nanda, including Nanda (南大), may refer to: Education * Nanchang University (南昌大学), a public university in Nanchang, Jiangxi, China * Nanhua University (南华大学), a public university in Hengyang, Hunan, China * Nanjing Universi ...

emperor

Dhana Nanda Dhana Nanda (died ), according to the Buddhist text '' Mahabodhivamsa'', was the last Nanda king of Magadha. Chandragupta Maurya raised an army that eventually conquered the Nanda capital Pataliputra and defeated him. This defeat marked the ...

. He urges him to drive the Macedonians out of India and unite the

Mahajanapadas The Mahājanapadas were sixteen Realm, kingdoms and aristocracy, aristocratic republics that existed in ancient India from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE, during the History of India#Second urbanisation (c. 600 – 200 BCE), second urbanis ...

(Indian kingdoms). However, Dhana Nanda openly humiliates Chanakya in the court, mocking his dream of a united India and informs him that it was he who financially helped Seleucus during the assassination of Puru, so that Seleucus will not attack Magadha. This prompts Chanakya to take a vow of eradicating the Nanda dynasty and putting a capable ruler on the throne of

. Chanakya finds Chandragupta (nicknamed Chandra), a slave who in reality is the crown prince of Piplivan, a kingdom which was destroyed by Dhana Nanda, and sees in him the talent to become a ruler. Meanwhile Dhana Nanda (unaware of Chandra's lineage), also recognises his aptitude and appoints him as the bodyguard of his beloved younger sister, Durdhara. Gradually, Durdhara develops a liking for Chandragupta. With the help of the former soldiers of Piplivan and the king of the janapada (Indian kingdom)

Assaka Aśmaka or Assaka was a Mahajanapada in ancient South Asia which existed between 700 BCE and 425 or 345 BCE according to the Buddhist texts and ''Puranas''. It included areas in present-day Telangana, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh in south-ce ...

, Vajrabahu, Chandra forms a small army. Chandragupta faces Dhana Nanda in a series of encounters and kills his elder brother Govishanka and commander-in-chief, Bhadrasaal. However, due to the betrayal of Vajrabahu (who later loses both his life and kingdom to Dhana Nanda) he is eventually badly defeated and forced to flee from Magadha. Before being defeated, Chandra managed to inform Durdhara that her father

Mahapadma Nanda Mahapadma Nanda (IAST: ''Mahāpadmānanda''; r. c. 364 - 337 BCE), (died 337 BCE) according to the Puranas, was the first Nanda king of Magadha. The Puranas describe him as a son of the last Shaishunaga king Mahanandin and a Shudra woman. ...

was killed by Dhana Nanda after the former urged the latter to give a part of his empire to each of his seven brothers. This totally estranges her from Dhana Nanda. Chandra and Chanakya arrive in Takshashila to seek the help of Seleucus. However, Ambhiraj manipulates Seleucus against them and they are thrown into a pit.

5 years later

To prove to Durdhara that he is a worthy successor to his father, Dhana Nanda conquers 13 Mahajanapadas, and now turns towards the last remaining janapada, Takshashila. Chandra comes out of the pit, along with Chanakya and other people who had been trapped in the pit earlier, including Porus' son Malayketu. Dhana Nanda faces the combined Macedonian and Takshashilan armies in an indecisive battle but eventually a peace treaty is signed according to which Dhana Nanda is promised the Paurava Kingdom. With the help of Chanakya and Malayketu, Chandra unites the Macedonian and Paurava armies which defeat the Magadhan and Takshashilan armies, killing Ambhiraj and forcing Dhana Nanda to flee to Magadha. Later he uses the Paurava and Takshashilan armies to force Seleucus to retreat as well, thus capturing Takshashila and the Paurava Kingdom (where Malayketu is enthroned).

Durdhara Durdhara was the empress of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the 4th-century BCE Maurya Empire of ancient India, according to the 12th century CE Jain text ''Parishishtaparvan'' by Hemachandra. She is stated by this text to be the mother of ...

and Chandra fall in love with each other and later marry. Chandra faces Dhana Nanda (and later Seleucus who re-allies with Dhana Nanda to take revenge from Chandragupta) in a series of confrontations and eventually manages to kill Dhana Nanda and all his remaining brothers, thus eradicating the Nanda dynasty, and founding the Mauryan Empire. Seleucus is captured but later freed on the condition that his daughter Helena would marry Chandra and he would return all the wealth he stole from India. On the other hand, Chandra also faces heavy losses, with Malayketu (who passed on his kingdom to Chandra) being killed and Durdhara, who before dying gave birth to Chandra's son and successor,

Bindusara Bindusara (320 BCE – 273 BCE) () was the second Mauryan emperor of Magadha in Ancient India. The ancient Greco-Roman writers called him Amitrochates, a name likely derived from his Sanskrit title ''Amitraghāta'' ("slayer of enemies"). ...

after being mistakenly poisoned by Dhana Nanda. Dhana Nanda's former prime minister, the Brahmin

Rakshasa Rākshasa (, , ; ; "preservers") are a race of usually malevolent beings prominently featured in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Folk Islam. They reside on Earth but possess supernatural powers, which they usually use for evil acts such as ...

is spared by Chandra due to the immense knowledge he possesses, and he becomes his prime minister while Chanakya goes on to finish his treatise

Arthashastra ''Kautilya's Arthashastra'' (, ; ) is an Ancient Indian Sanskrit treatise on statecraft, politics, economic policy and military strategy. The text is likely the work of several authors over centuries, starting as a compilation of ''Arthashas ...

Cast

Faisal Khan Mohammad Faisal Hussain Khan (born 3 August 1966) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. He is famous for his role as Shankar Shane in '' Mela''. Family background Khan is the son of producer Tahir Hussain. His brother is Aamir Khan, ...

as Chandragupta Maurya (nicknamed Chandra): Chandravardhan and Mura's son, Durdhara's husband, Bindusara's father. Crown prince and later King of Piplivan, later first Emperor of the Mauryan Empire. Based on

. **

Kartikey Malviya Kartikey Malviya is an Indian child actor. He is well known for his role as Young Shani in the popular mythological soap '' Karmaphal Daata Shani'' that aired on Colors TV. Malviya was last seen in ''Chandragupta Maurya''. He plays the role of ...

as young Chandragupta Maurya. * Tarun Khanna as Vishnugupta Chanakya (alias Kautilya): A Brahmin scholar from Takshashila and the former Prime Minister of the Paurava Kingdom. Chandragupta's mentor and right-hand man. Based on

. *

Saurabh Raj Jain Sourabh Raaj Jain is an Indian actor. He gained a household name with his portrayal of Krishna in '' Mahabharat'' (2013–2014), that met with nationwide acclaim and proved to be a "game-changer" for him. His portrayal of Vishnu in '' Devon Ke ...

as Dhana Nanda: Emperor of Magadha. The second youngest of the Nanda siblings, son of Mahapadma Nanda, elder brother of Durdhara, brother-in-law of Chandragupta, and Tarini's husband. Based on

. *

Aditi Sanwal Aditi Sanwal is an Indian actress who works in films and television. She made her debut with various TV commercials followed by her television debut in 2019 by playing the lead role of Rajkumari Durdhara in '' Chandragupta Maurya'' In 2020 she ...

as Durdhara: The youngest Nanda sibling, daughter of Mahapadma Nanda, younger sister of Dhana Nanda, Chandragupta's wife and Bindusara's mother. Formerly Princess of Magadha; Queen of Piplivan, and Empress of the Maurya Empire. Based on

. ** Pranali Ghogare as Young Durdhara. * Sneha Wagh as Moora, former queen of Piplivan, Chandragupta's mother. *

Nimai Bali Nimai Bali is an Indian actor who generally plays legendary supporting and villainous roles.''Another Sanju loyalist'' by Chaitanya PadukoneDNA India 16 March 2008. Accessed February 2010.''Hoja Rangeela Re''Times of India 13 March 2009. Access ...

, Prime Minister of the

Nanda Empire The Nanda Empire was a vast empire that governed in Magadha and Gangetic plains with an enormous geographical reach in 4th-century BCE northeastern India, with some accounts suggesting existence as far back as the 5th century BCE. The Nandas ...

and later the

. *

Dinesh Mehta Dinesh (Devanagari: ') is a common Hindu male given name. The Sanskrit word ' is a compound of ' 'day' and ' 'lord', meaning 'day-lord', an epithet of the Sun. Notable people with the name include: * Dinesh, Indian film actor * Dinesh Baboo, In ...

as Pandup, Dhana Nanda's elder brother, Prince, Minister of Finance, and formerly Emperor of Magadha. *

Vinit Kakar Vinit Kakar is an Indian film and television actor. He is well-known for portraying various characters in Indian mythology television series and contestant in the first season of ''Lock Upp''. Career Currently playing parallel lead role in ha ...

as Kaivarta, Dhana Nanda's elder brother, Prince, Minister of Defense, and formerly Emperor of Magadha. * Munendra Singh Kushwah as Pandugati, Dhana Nanda's elder brother, prince, Minister of Agriculture, and formerly Emperor of Magadha. * Raman Thukral as Malayketu, the son of the Paurava King Purushottam and Queen Laachhi, long-lost crown prince and later king of the Paurava Kingdom. * Unknown as Rudradev Singh, the commander-in-chief and governor of Paurava Kingdom * Pragati Mehra as Dai Maa, Dhana Nanda and his siblings' foster mother, Bhadrasaal and Shipra's mother. * Sujeet Kumar as Bhairava, main student of Chanakya. *

Vishal Nayak Vishal Nayak is an Indian television actor. He has appeared in the shows '' Qubool Hai'', ''Parshuram'' and film ''Second Marriage Dot Com.'' Personal life Vishal married Preet Kaur Nayak in 2011 and they have a daughter. Career He start ...

as Chandravardhan Maurya, former king of Piplivan, Chandragupta's father. *

Vikas Verma Vikas Verma (born 24 September 1987) is an Indian actor and model who mainly works in Hindi films. His notable works include '' Raabta'' (2017), '' Mom'' (2017 film), '' Judwaa 2'' (2017) and '' Coolie No. 1'' (2020). Verma began his career ...

Seleucus I Nicator Seleucus I Nicator (; Ancient Greek, Greek: Σέλευκος Νικάτωρ, ''Séleukos Nikátōr'', "Seleucus the Victorious"; ) was a Ancient Macedonians, Macedonian Greek general, officer and successor of Alexander the Great who went on to fo ...

's former General, first emperor of the

Seleucid Empire The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great ...

. *

Kaivalya Chheda Kaivalya () is the ultimate goal of aṣṭāṅga yoga and means "solitude", "detachment" or "isolation", a -derivation from "alone, isolated". It is the isolation of purusha from prakṛti, and liberation from rebirth, i.e., moksha. is describ ...

as Sthoolbhadra (nicknamed Sthool), close friend, aide and general of Chandragupta. ** Shayank Shukla as young Sthoolbhadra. *

Barkha Sengupta Barkha Bisht is an Indian actress who mainly works in Hindi television, along with Bengali films and Hindi films. She made her first television appearance in '' Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi'' as Udita. She made her screen debut in Hindi Film ''Raa ...

as Tarini, Dhana Nanda's love interest, wife and empress of Magadha. * Kamaljeet Rana as Bhadrasaal, commander-in-chief of the Magadha army, brother of Shipra and foster-brother of Dhana Nanda and his siblings. * Atharv Padhye as Dhoomketu, close friend and aide of Chandragupta. * Harsh Mehta as Indrajanik, close friend and aide of Chandragupta. *

Ankur Nayyar Ankur Nayyar is an Indian television and film actor. He has worked in many shows like '' Kasautii Zindagii Kay'', '' Kashmeer'' and '' Jeet''. He is also known for playing the lead role of Samman Chaudhary in Sahara One's show '' Ghar Ek Sapna ...

as Ambhiraj, king of Takshashila. * Rohit Chandel as Ambhikumar, Ambhiraj's son, crown prince of Takshashila. * Vivek Vallah as the royal priest of the Paurava Kingdom. *

Brownie Parashar Brownie, Browny, or brownies may refer to: Foods * Blondie (confection) * Chocolate brownie, a baked good People People with the given name *Brownie (given name) * Brownie Samukai, Minister of National Defence of Liberia * Brownie Wise (1913–19 ...

, former emperor of Magadha, father of Dhana Nanda, Durdhara and their 7 elder brothers. *

Sumbul Touqeer Sumbul Touqeer (born 15 November 2003) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi television. She is best known for her portrayal of Imlie Chaturvedi Rathore in '' Imlie'' and IAS Kavya Bansal Pradhan in '' Kavya – Ek Jazbaa, Ek Junoo ...

as Shubhada, Sukhdev's daughter and Chandragupta's friend. * Abhilash Chaudhary as Agnimukh, an expert swordsman, former soldier and later general of the Piplivan Army. * Devesh Sharma as Martand, son and heir of Jagat Jala, the governor of Paraspura, a friend of Chandragupta. *

Yogesh Mahajan Yogesh is an Indian masculine given name. The Sanskrit word ' is a compound of the words ' and ' and has the meaning "master of yoga" and has also been used as an epithet of Shiva. Notable people * Yogesh (actor) * Yogesh (lyricist) (born 1 ...

as Durgam Daga, younger brother of Jagat Jala. * Raj Routh as Writer

Megasthenes Megasthenes ( ; , died 290 BCE) was an ancient Greek historian, indologist, diplomat, ethnographer and explorer in the Hellenistic period. He described India in his book '' Indica'', which is now lost, but has been partially reconstructe ...

* Pooja Sharma as

River Jhelum The Jhelum River is a major river in South Asia, flowing through India and Pakistan, and is the westernmost of the five major rivers of the Punjab region. It originates at Verinag and flows through the Indian-administered territory of Jammu ...

, the narrator. *

Laksh Lalwani Laksh Lalwani (born 19 April 1996), known mononymously as Lakshya, is an Indian actor. He played the titular warrior in the period drama series ''Porus'' (2017–2018) and made his feature film debut with a starring role in the action film ''K ...

Purushottam Purushottamacharya (; 9th century) also known as Purushottama, was a vedantic philosopher and theologian. He was a disciple of Viśvācārya and the third after Nimbarka. He was 7th acharya of Nimbarka Sampradaya. Purushottamacharya composed ''Ve ...

(nicknamed Puru, called Porus by foreigners), former king of the

, Malayketu's father. (Shown in trailer and flashbacks only, mentioned) *

Aditya Redij Aditya Redij is an Indian television actor known for portraying Raghav Saghvan in ''Na Aana Is Des Laado'', Prithvi Khanna and Ishwar Pandey in ''Junoon – Aisi Nafrat Toh Kaisa Ishq ''Junoon – Aisi Nafrat Toh Kaisa Ishq'' is a soap o ...

as Bamni, former king of the Pauravas, Porus' father and Malayketu's grandfather. (Shown in flashback only) *

Rati Pandey Rati Pandey is an Indian actress known for her performances in ''Hitler Didi'', ''Miley Jab Hum Tum'', ''Porus (TV series), Porus'', ''Devi Adi Parashakti'', ''Begusarai (TV series), Begusarai'', ''Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai'' and ''Shaadi Mubarak' ...

as Anusuya, former queen of the Pauravas, Porus' mother and Malayketu's grandmother. (Shown in flashback only)

Reception

Writing for ''Zoom'', Anusha Iyengar praised Sourabh Raj Jain's portrayal of Dhana Nanda and, based on the first episode, wrote, "Chandragupta Maurya enjoys a good narration and a brilliant set design. The visuals are appealing and dialogues are even better."

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, tt9261994 Sony Entertainment Television original programming Indian historical television series 2018 Indian television series debuts Swastik Productions television series Works about Chandragupta Maurya