Chandragupta Maurya entertains his Bride from Babylon, BC 303 (litho)

Chandragupta Maurya entertains his Bride from Babylon, BC 303. The first great empire in India, the Mauryan, was founded by Chandragupta, a rebel relative of the preceding Nanda Dynasty, who had been a fugitive in Alexander's camp. There he learnt the arts of creating and commanding a large army. In 305 Seleukos Nikator of Syria (Babylon), one of Alexander's generals, then creating his immense Asiatic empire, attacked India. But he was worsted by Chandragupta and had to make a peace with him, which included the gift of a daughter as a wife for its rival. In 303 she reached Pataliputra (Patna) in charge of the ambassador Megasthenes, who wrote an invaluable account of India. Illustration for Hutchinson's History of the Nations (Hutchinson, c.1920). Note: Image has been digitally enhanced to facilitate repro.