KBC Offline Quiz: Who was the founder of the Nanda dynasty?
Shishunaga
Mahapadma Nanda
Dhananand
Nandivardhan
Answer: Mahapadma Nanda
The founder of the Nanda Dynasty was
Mahapadma Nanda. He is referred to as the “first historical emperor of India.”
According to the Puranas, he was the son of the last Sisunaga king from a Sudra
woman but on the basis of few Jain texts and Greek writer Curtius, he was the
son of a barber and a courtesan. The reign of Mahapadma Nanda lasted for about
twenty-eight years in between the years of 367 BC and 338 BC. He is also
referred to as “Sarva Kashtriyantaka ” which means the destroyer of all the
Kshatriyas.
Mahapadma Nanda was the first Emperor of
the Nanda Empire of ancient India. The different Puranas variously give the
length of his reign as 28 or 88 years, and state that his eight sons ruled in
succession after him.
According to the Puranas, the first Nanda
king was called Mahapadma or Mahapadma-pati (literally, “lord of the great
lotus”). He was the son of the last Shaishunaga king Mahanandin and a
Shudra woman.
The Puranas describe him as ekarat (sole
sovereign) and sarva-kshatrantaka (destroyer of all the Kshatriyas). The
Kshastriyas (warriors and rulers) said to have been exterminated by Mahapadma
include Maithalas, Kasheyas, Ikshvakus, Panchalas, Shurasenas, Kurus, Haihayas,
Vitihotras, Kalingas, and Ashmakas.
The Matsya Purana assigns Mahapadma an
incredibly long reign of 88 years, while the Vayu Purana mentions the length of
his reign as only 28 years. The Puranas further state that Mahapadma’s eight
sons ruled in succession after him for a total of 12 years, but name only one
of these sons: Sukalpa.
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