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A Ksatriya hero of little-known antecedents, Chandragupta Maurya was unmistakably a born leader of men, who within twentyfour years of his reign: 317 BC-293 BC, established a gigantic empire by not only unifying the countless fragments of a distracted India, but annexing some of the erstwhile Persian dominions as well. Professor Bhargava here profiles this "first historical emperor of India", in all essential detail. Based on diverse original sources, notably, Brahmanical, Buddhist, Jaina, and Greek, the book sets out a fascinating, well-knit narrative delineating Chandragupta Maurya: the man, his times, and his meteoric rise to political supremacy--with contextual focus on the state of polity, administrative mechanisms, religion, society, economy, literature and arts during his rule. The author also tries to apply correctives to the myths woven around Chandragupta in legend, literature, and chronicles. Acclaimed alike by historians and indological journals of repute, Dr. Bhargava's book is now in its second edition: enlarged and thoroughly revised against the backdrop of the latest research findings.