Nanda Dynasty :-
he Nanda dynasty was a short-lived Dynasty that originated from the region of Magadha in ancient India during the 4th century BCE and lasted between 345–321 BCE. At its greatest extent, the empire ruled by the Nanda Dynasty extended from Bengal in the east, to the Punjab region in the west and as far south as the Vindhya range. The rulers of this dynasty were famed for the great wealth which they accumulated. The Nanda Empire was later conquered by Chandragupta Maurya, founder of the Mauryan Empire.
Mahapadma Nanda a Shudra, who has been described in the Puranas as "the destroyer of all the Kshatriyas", defeated many other kingdoms, including the Panchalas, Kasis, Haihayas, Kalingas, Asmakas, Kurus, Maithlas, Surasenas and the Vitihotras; to name a few. He expanded his territory south of the Vindhya Range into the Deccan Plateau. The Nandas, who usurped the throne of the Shishunaga dynasty c. 345 BCE, were thought to be of low origin. He is said in the Puranas the son of Mahanandin, and a Shudra mother.
Jaina, Buddhist and Puranic sources all state that the Nanda kings were nine in all. But they differ in the details. The Buddhist Mahabodhivamsa lists the following as the nine Nandas.
List of Nandas Rulars :-
- Ugrasena (Mahapadma Nanda)
- Panduka
- Pandugati
- Bhutapala
- Rashtrapala
- Govishanaka
- Dashasiddhaka
- Kaivarta
- Dhana
The Puranas claim that the first of the nine, Mahapadma was the father, while the rest were his sons. Only one of the sons, Sukalpa, is named. The Buddhist tradition also claims that the later eight were brothers.
The Nanda kings built on the foundations laid by their Haryanka and Shishunaga predecessors to create the first great empire of north India. To achieve this objective they built a vast army, consisting of 200,000 infantry, 20,000 cavalry, 2,000 war chariots and 3,000 war elephants the size of the Nanda army was even larger, numbering 200,000 infantry, 80,000 cavalry, 8,000 war chariots, and 6,000 war elephants. However, the Nanda Empire did not have the opportunity to see their army face Alexander, who invaded North-western India at the time of Dhana Nanda, since Alexander was forced to confine his campaign to the plains of Punjab and Sindh, for his forces mutinied at the River Beas and refused to go any further upon encountering "the 4000 well trained and well equipped war elephants of the Gangaridei (Nanda)" according to Diodorus.
A possible indication of Nanda military victories in Kalinga is suggested by the later Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela, which mentions a King named Nanda building a canal and conquering a place. The existence of a place called Nau Nand Dehra on the Godavari is taken by some scholars as reflecting Nanda rule over the Deccan.
