Bindusara: The King who was born from a drop of poison
Introduction
Bindusara was the Maurayan king and successor of the founder of the Mauryan Empire, Chandragupta Maurya. He was born in 320 BCE and ruled the Mauryan Empire from 298 BC to 272 BC. His mother’ss name is not well documented; according to the 12th-century Jain writer Hemachandra’s Parishishta-Parvan, his mother’s name was Durdhara. He was a patron of the arts and sciences and maintained a court of scholars and artists. He was known as Amitrochates by ancient Greeks, which is similar to his Sanskrit title Amitraghāta, which means “slayer of enemies” or “devourer of enemies.” He was also known by different names, such as Devanampriya, which means “beloved of the gods” in Sanskrit, and Simhasena, which means lion army.
According to Ashokavadana, there were three children of Bindusara, namely Vigatashoka, Sushima, and Ashoka. The mother of Ashoka and Vigatashoka was a woman named Subhadrangi, the daughter of a Brahmin. She was a barber in the palace of Patliputra until Bindusrara made her queen.
Legend of His Birth
The legend of Bindusara’s birth, as mentioned in both Buddhist and Jain texts, tells us that Chanakya, the minister of Chandragupta Maurya, used to mix small doses of poison in the emperor’s food to build his immunity against possible poisoning attempts, but one day, Chandragupta shared his food with his pregnant wife, who was seven days away from delivery, leading to the queen’s death. Soon Chanakya intervened to save the unborn child, and with this, Bindusara was born. In the Buddhist account (Mahavamsa and Mahavamsa Tikka), Chanakya cut off the empress’s head and cut open her belly with a sword to take out the foetus, placing it in the belly of a goat freshly killed each day for seven days. The child was then born with drops of goat’s blood on his body, leading to the name Bindusara. In the Jain text Parishishta-Parvan, Chanakya entered the room the moment the empress collapsed and cut open her womb to take out the baby. A drop of poison had already reached the baby, touching its head, leading to the name Bindusara, meaning “the strength of the drop.”.
Administration and Territorial Conquests
During Bindusara’s reign, the Mauryan Empire expanded its boundaries further, incorporating regions in the Indian subcontinent. The exact details of these conquests are not extensively documented, but it is believed that Bindusara brought 16 states under the Maurya Empire and thus conquered almost all of the Indian peninsula and his kingdom extend till the south of mysore , leaving around friendly states such as Cholas, Pandyas, and Cheras. He also sent his son Ashoka to lay siege to Takshashila and appointed him as Viceroy of Ujjain according to Ashokavadana.
Bindusara’s reign was marked by administrative continuity, with the Mauryan administrative system, known for its efficiency, enduring, and playing a crucial role in the empire’s governance, which also led to setting up the stage for his son Ashoka, who would be the next emperor of the Empire. He continued the administrative reforms initiated by Chandragupta Maurya, ensuring the empire’s smooth functioning and stability. Though debated, Chanakya was still the advisor to Bindusara until he went to the forest to starve till death.
Bindusara Died 270s BCE and regined for 25- 28 years.
