RAS question
Who was the founder of the Maurya dynasty?
Correct answer: (D) Chandragupta Maurya.
Chandragupta Maurya founded the Maurya dynasty around 321 BCE with the help of his adviser Chanakya, also known as Kautilya.
Explanation
Chandragupta Maurya is the founder because the Mauryan rise begins with his accession around 321 BCE. The NCERT account states that the growth of Magadha culminated in the emergence of the Mauryan Empire, and that Chandragupta Maurya founded it around 321 BCE. NCERT identifies Kautilya or Chanakya as the minister traditionally associated with Chandragupta, and Chanakya helped him establish the empire. The core distinction is the founder, not the most famous Mauryan ruler or the adviser behind the political strategy. Chandragupta overthrew the Nanda dynasty, established Mauryan rule, and later defeated Seleucus Nicator; Ashoka and Bindusara belong to the dynasty after him.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Ashoka was Chandragupta Maurya's grandson and a later Mauryan ruler, not the founder of the dynasty.
- (B) Chanakya, also called Kautilya, was the adviser or minister associated with Chandragupta, so he helped the founder rather than founding the dynasty himself.
- (C) Bindusara was Chandragupta Maurya's son and the second Mauryan emperor, which places him after the founding of the dynasty.
Concept
This tests the Ancient India sequence of Magadha's rise and the formation of the Mauryan Empire. RAS frequently asks founder-successor-adviser links because they anchor chronology and political change in early Indian history.