Chandragupta Drama

[Cecila Dammrich]

ChandraguptaMaurya is an Indian Historical drama series being broadcast on Dangal TV, based on the life of Chandragupta Maurya, an Indian emperor of ancient India and the founder of the Mauryan Empire.[1] Chandragupta Maurya was first aired in March 2011 on Imagine TV.[2][3] Ashish Sharma played the adult and Rushiraj Pawar played the young Chandragupta Maurya.[4]

The story is about Chandragupta Maurya, who ruled over the Indian subcontinent in 300 BC. He would go on to become one of the greatest emperors in ancient India with his empire extending from Assam in the east to Afghanistan and Balochistan in the west.

The story begins with Chanakya, who goes to Dhana Nanda with the offer of Akhand Bharat (literally meaning Undivided India), but Dhana Nanda and his prime minister Amatya Rakshasa end up humiliating him. Chanakya then pledges to not tie a knot in his hair until he succeeded in overthrowing the Nanda dynasty. Whilst travelling to Takshashila, he meets Chandragupta and finding him suitable to achieve his dream of Akhand Bharat, (with the permission of Chandragupta's mother) takes Chandragupta to Takshashila. There they meet Prince Ambhik and his friends (Shashank, Digvijaya and Digamber), who as a group spare no expense in humiliating Chandragupta. This prompts Chandragupta to escape from Takshashila and return home to his village, but Dhana Nanda arrives with his army and destroys the village, killing Chandragupta's mother in front of him. Enraged, Chandragupta vows to destroy The Nanda Empire.

With this in mind, Chandragupta begins training under Chanakya, who then takes him to train under various warriors, who themselves had suffered under the rule of Dhana Nanda. Chandragupta also takes part in a Vijay Yatra, winning it. When Chandragupta turns 13, Chanakya hatches a plan to kill Dhana Nanda and orders Chandragupta to execute it. Chandragupta manages to kill Dhana Nanda, but Prime Minister Rakshasa reveals that the real Dhana Nanda is still alive. It is shown that the Dhana Nanda had seven doppelgangers and Chandragupta had killed one of the doppelgangers. Chandragupta is shattered, but succeeds in escaping from the palace. On hearing of this, an enraged Chanakya decides to further train Chandragupta into an Excellent Warrior.

The show then skips ahead to 8 year in the future, where an adult Chandragupta is being played by Ashish Sharma. Chandragupta is still plotting on overthrowing the Nanda Empire. The show now introduces a new Character Alexander the Great, who is called Sikandar. Prince Ambhik readily joins hands with Sikandar. Together they defeat Porus and their armies enter India. When Chanakya hears about this, he determines that it is time for Chandragupta to rise to his true calling and they set out to gather the forces of India and defend the land from the invaders. They spread the news of the might of the forthcoming Nanda Empire based in the Greek camp, and also poison some of their generals. With the soldiers' deteriorating health and fierce Indian resistance at every step, Alexander is forced to abandon his Indian campaign and returns to Greece. However, his general Eudemus remains in India, joining hands with Ambhik. However, Chandragupta and Chanakya pose them against each other, killing them, therefore ending any Greek influence in India.

A period at the height of the Gupta Empire, marked by extensive inventions and discoveries that contributed to Hindu culture, in subjects such as science, technology, engineering, art, dialectic, literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion, and philosophy.

The prosperity created under the leadership of the Gupta Empire, which covered much of the Indian subcontinent from approximately 320-550 CE, enabled the wide pursuit of scientific and artistic endeavors. This period became known as the Golden Age of India because it was marked by extensive inventions and discoveries in science, technology, engineering, art, dialectic, literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion, and philosophy. These discoveries crystallized elements of what is generally considered Hindu culture.

These scholars included Aryabhata, who is believed to have envisioned the concept of zero, as well as working on the approximation for the long-form number Pi. Aryabhata is also believed to be the first of the Indian mathematician-astronomers who postulated the theory that the Earth moves round the Sun and is not flat, but instead is round and rotates on its own axis. He also may have discovered that the moon and planets shine due to reflected sunlight.

Varahamihira was an astronomer, astrologer, and mathematician, whose main work is a treatise on mathematical astronomy. Sushruta, a famed Indian physician of the Gupta period, wrote the Samhita, a Sanskrit text on all of the major concepts of ayurvedic medicine, with innovative chapters on surgery. Other scholars of the Golden Age helped create the first Indian numeral systems with a base of ten. The game of chess also likely originated during this period, where its early form, Chaturanga, contained game pieces for infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots, each of which would evolve into the modern pawn, knight, rook, and bishop, respectively.

Kalidasa, considered the greatest poet and dramatist of the Sanskrit language, also belonged primarily to this period. He wrote plays, such as Shakuntala, which is said to have inspired the famed German writer and statesman, Johann von Goethe, centuries later. Kalidasa also became renowned for his study of the shringara, or romantic, element of literature. The Indian scholar and Hindu philosopher Vatsyayana, authored the Kama Sutra, which became a standard work on human sexual behavior, while Vishnu Sharma was thought to be the author of the Panchatantra fables, one of the most widely-translated, non-religious books in history.

The cultural creativity of the Golden Age of India produced magnificent architecture, including palaces and temples, as well as sculptures and paintings of the highest quality. The walls of Buddhist shrines and monasteries were decorated with colorful frescoes, a type of wall paintings. These showed scenes from the life of the Buddha, the ascetic and philosopher, who lived in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent sometime between 6th and 4th centuries, on whose teachings the Buddhist religion is based. Some shrines were cut out of the cliffs, and although dark, they were also decorated with sculptures and paintings.

The Gupta Dynasty promoted Hinduism, but supported Buddhist and Jain cultures as well. Gupta Buddhist art influenced East and Southeast Asia as trade between regions increased. The Gupta Empire became an important cultural center and influenced nearby kingdoms and regions in Burma, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia. Classical forms of Indian music and dance, created under the Guptas, are still practiced all over Asia today.

Fa Xian was one of the first Chinese travelers to visit India during the reign of Gupta Emperor Chandragupta II. He started his journey from China in 399 CE, and reached India in 405 CE. He recorded all of his observations in a journal that was eventually published.

During his stay in India, until c. 411 CE, Fa Xian went on a pilgrimage to Mathura, Kanauj, Kapilavastu, Kushinagar, Vaishali, Pataliputra, Kashi, and Rajgriha. His writings express pleasure in the mildness of the administrations in these places.

After the shameful political drama in Karnataka a few months back, another farce is unfolding in Maharashtra. A major part of the media is unashamedly calling the politicians involved in this sham as modern-day Chanakyas.

Though the brazen skulduggery may shock the nave, Indian history is full of such amoral acts. The parties that cry hoarse about democracy being murdered are the ones who made butchering democracy a routine affair while in power.

This has been mentioned by Visakhadutta in his drama Devi Chandragupta. In between Samudragupta and Chandragupta II for a period of five years (375 to 380) Ramagupta became the ruler. He was a weak and feeble ruler and was unable to uphold royal power and authority and thus his rule was polluted with disgrace.

Chandragupta II the second great ruler of the Gupta dynasty was one of the ablest rulers of India. But this theory is not corroborated by any unimpeachable evidence. In fact depending on the drama it is imprudent to accept the theory of Ramagupta and his ascendency immediately after Samudragupta. It is further said that Chandragupta II was specially selected by his father for his ability and competence and ruled from 375 AD to 414 AD. Like his father Chandragupta II spearheaded the policy of world conquest. The iron pillar discovered at Mehrauli near Kutub Minar at Delhi bears a Sanskrit inscription.

The inscription referred to a king Chandra who defeated the kings of Vanga. Chandragupta waged many wars against the chiefs of Bengal and maintained peace there. Chandragupta was the worthy son of a worthy father. He took up the heroic legacy of his father and earned further glories for the Gupta dynasty. He is identified with the famous Vikramaditya of the Indian tradition, a king of many legends who ruled from Ujjayini. For his acts as a hero and a wise king Chandragupta Vikramaditya obviously became a centre of many legends and stories.

Mehrauli iron pillar throws some light about the conquests of Vikramaditya. After defeating the king of Vanga or Bengal Chandragupta waged war and crossed seven mouths of river Sindhu and conquered Vahlika in the Beas Valley bordering Kashmir. On the basis of this theory it is accepted that his territory was extended towards north-western province. Chandragupta thought of subduing his enemies who were constant threats to the security and independence of Aryavarta and the Gupta empire. He therefore undertook a series of campaigns.

He secured the friendship of the Vakatakas of Berar through matrimonial alliance. He gave his daughter Parvati in marriage to the Vakataka king Rudrasena II. Unfortunately Rudrasena died. Still then Parvati being the regent of her minor son helped her father Chandragupta in his campaigns. The Saka Satrapas of the Western India were very powerful and became regular threats to the Gupta empire. Therefore Vikramaditya made flawless preparation before any campaign.

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