Chandragupta

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Chandragupta Founder of the Maurya Empire in India (r. c.321–297 bc) and grandfather of Ashoka. He seized the throne of Magadha and defeated Seleucus, gaining dominion over most of n India and part of Afghanistan. His reign was characterized by religious tolerance. He established a vast bureaucracy and secret service based at Patna. He abdicated and, it is thought, became a Jain monk before dying.

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