ORIENTAL SERIES.

only link by which Indian history
CHANDRA-GUPTA. 67
is connected with that of
Greece, and everything in Indian chronology depends upon the
date of Chandra-gupta as ascertained from that assigned
to San-
dracottus by the classical writers. His date, as thus discovered,
shows that he began to reign in 315 B.C., and as he reigned
twenty-four years, his reign ended in 291 B.C. Chandra-gupta is
a prominent name in both Brahmanical and Buddhist writings,
and his accession to the throne is the subject of the drama
Mudra-rakshasa.
When Alexander was in India, he learned that a king named
Xandrames reigned over the Prasii (Prachyas) at the city of
Palibothra, situated at the confluence of the Ganges and another
river called Erranaboas (the Sone). At this time, Sandracottus
was young,
but he waged war against Alexander's captains, and
he raised bands of robbers, with whose help he succeeded in
establishing freedom in India,
Hindu and Buddhist writers are
entirely silent as to Alex-
ander's appearance in India, but they show that Chandra-gupta
overthrew the dynasty of the Nandas, which reigned over
Magadha, and "established freedom in India by the help of
bands of robbers." He established himself at Pafoli-putra,
the capital
of the Nandas, which is identical with the Greek
Palibothra, and this has been shown to be the modern Patna.
That town does not now stand at the confluence of two rivers,
but the rivers in the alluvial plains of Bengal frequently
change their courses, and a change in the channel of the Sone
has been established by direct geographical evidence. There is
a difficulty about Xandrames. This is no doubt the Sanskrit
Chandramas, which some consider to "be only a shorter form of
the name Chandra-gupta, while others point out that the Greek
references indicate that Xandrames was the predecessor of San-
dracottus, rather than Sandracottus himself.
The dynasty of the ISTandas that reigned over Magadha are
frequently spoken of as the " nine Nandas," meaning apparently
nine descents ; but according to some authorities the last Nanda,
named Maha-padma, and his eight sons, are intended Maha-
padma Nanda was the son of a Sudra, and so by law he was a
$udra himself. He was powerful and ambitious, cruel and avari-
cious. His people were disaffected; but his fall is represen-
ted as having been brought about by the Brahman Chawakya.