Chandragupta is a board wargame designed by Stephen R. Welch and released in 2008 by GMT Games as part of the Great Battles of History (GBoH) series of games (designed by Richard Berg and Mark Herman) on ancient warfare. Chandragupta simulates battles fought by the Mauryan Dynasty in ancient India, and in so doing, attempts to illuminate the features, challenges, and unique attributes of the Indian military system and culture during this period.
The game is a traditional Hex-and-counter style game. The game maps are covered with a hexagonal grid, each hex representing 70 yards of distance. Each turn represents about 15–20 minutes, although the rules are designed assuming a loose time scale. Each counter represents 300 to 1000 fighting troops, depending on size and type.[1] Since little is known about the terrain, numbers of men or types of units engaged, methods of combat, leaders and so on, these games, despite their high level of detail, remain essentially speculative and fictional in nature.[2]
Play of Chandragupta follows the general sequence of the other hex-and-counter style board games, each player taking turns moving units, conducting combat, and resolving combat using an odds-based combat results table (CRT) using a die. As with the other games in the GBoH series, rules for leadership and command and control are emphasized, and players have the opportunity (depending upon leader quality) to conduct "extra" moves and/or "trump" an opponent, effectively cancelling activation of an opponent's leader. Combat results generally result in rout and/or retreat, and victory is achieved by (more commonly) forcing an opponent's army to quit the field when a certain threshold of losses has been achieved, or by (less commonly) obtaining a specific territorial objective.[3]
Indian Military System
Using period sources as well as research from largely Indian military historians, Chandragupta attempts to model specific features of what is believed to have been common features of the Mauryan military system. One of the most distinctive features is the catarangubala, or the "four-fold" army consisting of foot-soldiers (patti), car-warriors, or chariots (rathin), elephants (hastī), and cavalry (aśva). Deployment of the catarangubala remained remarkably consistent throughout the period following the Vedic period (after which chariots and elephants came into full military use), through Arab invasion in the 7th century AD.[4] The game simulates the catarungabala by representing the four divisions with distinctive counters whose use in play is governed by specific rules for movement, combat, and command-and-control.
Another feature of the ancient Indian military system simulated in Chandragupta are rules for troop classes, based on a classification system with a long tradition preceding the Mauryan era. The classifications were hierarchical. At the apex of the hierarchy were the Maula or "hereditary" troops, who were professional soldiers and largely (though not exclusively) of the Kshatriya warrior-caste. Next where the Bhrta, or mercenary-class of troops, followed by the shrenis (śreṇī) or shrenibala (śreṇībala), who were essentially armed trade-guild levies, and lastly the Atavibalam, or "tribal" levies.[5] The game Chandragupta attempts to simulate the differing qualities of morale, leadership, and fighting ability of these various troop classes. Other sub-classes, such as Mitra and Amitra (deserters from enemy armies, prison conscripts and the like),[6] but for interests of playability and simplicity the designers chose not to represent these additional classes in Chandragupta.[7]
Scenarios
Chandragupta has ten scenarios which simulate major battles from the founding of the Mauryan Dynasty under Chandragupta Maurya, through the Battle of Kalinga waged by Chandragupta's grandson, Ashoka:
Pataliputra, ca 319 BCE – Chandragupta's first attempt to overthrow the Nanda dynasty, under the leadership of his mentor, the Brahmin Chanakya. This inaugural battle did not go well for Chandragupta, as he and his insurgents brashly attacked the capital without having consolidated their power base among the "hereditary" (i.e. Maula) military class. By all accounts they were defeated, forcing them to regroup in the countryside to build up their military strength and political support.[8] The game posits a set-piece battle, with the Nandan imperial army facing down a rebellion of Chandragupta's mercenaries and allied insurgents on the plains outside of Pataliputra, the capital city of Magadha.[9]
Magadha, ca 317 BC—Though Ugrasena Nanda apparently was a great conqueror and able ruler, his rich and powerful sons were not. As Ugrasena grew older, his sons' greed and corruption became intolerable.[10] Using this as well as the Nanda's lowness of birth to drum up popular support of their rebellion, Chanakya and Chandragupta began to broaden their anti-Nanda coalition among the freedom-loving clans and princes of Punjab and Sindh, most of whom had given stout resistance to the foreign invader Alexander, they find the military support they had been seeking, this time with the help of the chieftain Parvataka and his brother Vairodhaka.[11] The game speculates that the battle took place near a military camp, and provides a model of an ancient Indian military camp on the mapboard.[12]
Revolt of Malayaketu, ca 317 BC—This scenario is based on events from the play Mudrarakshasa, which, per Bhargava, was "probably based on events which actually occurred". Having won power with the help of independent tribes and principalities, Chandragupta promptly evades the pre-war promises he had made them. Betrayed, the tribal chieftains rise against Chandragupta. The revolt is led by the son of Parvataka, named Malayaketu, with the help of five other chiefs and an ex-minister of the Nanda regime named Rakshasa. Chanakya gets to work, employing "cunning" against the rebels, e.g. he has several of Malayaketu's allies poisoned and uses guile to sow dissension among the tribes.[13] The game uses the Indian military camp, as described by Kautilya in the Arthashastra,[14] as the centerpiece of the scenario. The designers posit an attack by Chanakya upon the camp at night.[15]
Takshashila, ca 316 BC—After overthrowing the Nandas, Chandragupta had to justify his new dynasty by proving it able to secure the protection of the people against foreign invasion by the Greeks.[16]Takshashila (aka "Taxila" in Greek) was at the time under the joint rule of the Indian king Ambhi, who had allied himself years earlier with Alexander against his rival king Puru ("Porus" of Hydaspes fame), and the Thracian general Eudemus, a successor of Philip. When Eudamus treacherously has Puru murdered, a native revolt begins. Chandragupta transforms the revolt into an organized military action against Takshashila. Eudamus is not committed to this battle – his joint rule with Ambhi was meant to be temporary, but his permanent appointment as satrap was never made. He quits India to later help Eumenes in his fight against Antipater, and the remaining Greek officers remaining are put to the sword.[17]
The battle takes place in the valley of the Tamra Nala river, bounded by rugged hills overlooking Takshashila from the east. The centerpiece of the terrain is the city itself – the walled city, with four gated entrances, surrounding dense city blocks of congested dwellings. In the center of the city is its temple and palace. The game map is based upon topographical maps drawn by archaeologist J. M. Marshall's A Guide to Taxila.[18]
Gandhara, 304 BC—According to Grainger, after his stalemate with Antigonus in 308, Seleucus conquers Bactria and then proceeds to Gandhara on India's western frontier. Marching through Oxyartes' satrapy of Paropamisadae and then down the Kabul River, he crosses at the confluence of the Indus somewhere in the vicinity of modern Attock in Pakistan. On the east bank of the Indus Chandragupta confronts him. With his back to the river, Seleucus fought to what was possibly a tactical draw, but it was a strategic loss. Having gambled so far from home but failing to achieve a victory, Seleucus is "gifted" 500 war elephants from the Mauryan emperor in exchange for the surrender of his possessions in the Indus valley, Arachosia, and Gedrosia.[19] Sources suggest that the cession of these territories were treated as the dower of Seleucus' daughter in her marriage to Chandragupta's son, Bindusara.[20]
The game deploys Seleucus squeezed close to the sands and mud of the Indus River at his back, leaving him with little room to maneuver.[21]
Revolt in the Provinces, ca 275 BC—From the Buddhist narratives Divyavadana, it is related that Chandragupta's grandson Ashoka, while proconsul of Takshashila, was commissioned by his father Bindusara with the task of restoring order during a popular revolt against "wicked officials" (i.e. high-handed oppression by local ministers). The "official" history takes pains to reassure that the people were not opposed to the "Kumara [prince] or even king Bindusara."[22]
The designer of Chandragupta (the game) opted to design the scenario with the premise speculating that the aging Chanakya, as viceroy of Takshashila, is faced with an uprising by the city's merchant class. Chanakya's forces occupy a portion of the city; the "rebel" forces – a coalition of śreṇī – occupy part of the city, and its gates and the roads leading to it. Ashoka, with a force of Maula, must rescue the beleaguered Chanakya.[23]
Suppression of the Khashas ca 274 BC—Though he was hailed as "Slayer of Enemies," Chandragupta's son Bindusara was friendly with the Hellenic world and was known to have had a taste for Greek figs, wine, and philosophy. Little is known, however, about the military conquests of Bindusara. He is generally thought to have consolidated (if not expanded) his father's empire, but from the chronicles of Taranatha, we are told that Bindusara "destroyed kings and nobles of about sixteen cities" in the rebellious Khasa rajya, or realm of the Khashas. The Khashas, whose settlements in the former kingdom of Puru extended from Jhelum to the west of Kashmir, were likely independent principalities united by clan or tribal connections who chafed at Mauryan imperial power.[24]
The game sets the hypothetical battles among tribal strongholds on rugged mountain terrain. According to Sastri the Khashas' strongholds were West of the Jhelum ("Hydaspes") River, though the historical locations of these battles are not known. We have opted to "condense" what was probably a series of scattered revolt suppressions into two scenarios.[25]
Battle of Kalinga, 261 BC—Ashoka was the proconsul of Takshashila prior to his ascension to the throne, which he seized – as legend has it – as outcome of a fratricidal struggle that he waged after his father became ill.[26] There is no clear evidence, but some scholars suggest that Ashoka is the son of Bindusara and the Greek princess Helen, daughter of Seleucus.[27]
Chandragupta and Chanakya had been hostile to non-monarchial states. Many such states, quasi-democratic oligarchies as well as republics, had been weakened by the wars with Alexander, and that weakness made possible the eventual hegemony of the Mauryan Empire. Thus, the Mauryans had always kept a wary eye on Kalinga.[28] A large and fiercely independent saņgha (republic), Kalinga had been originally conquered by Ugrasena Nanda, but regained its independence during the rule of Sahalya, and remained so until the reign of Ashoka Maurya.[29] Eight years after his anointment, Ashoka marched on Kalinga. On a battlefield near the village of Dhauli the Kalingan army was defeated. Records affirm that 100 thousand were slain, 150 thousand were deported (enslaved), and many times that number died thereafter. It is said that the river Daya nearby ran red with the blood of the slain.[30] After the battle Ashoka ascended the hillocks to survey the field he had won; at twilight he saw heaps of dismembered bodies of soldiers and animals, heard the cries of wounded, witnessed the anguish of women searching the dead for their husbands and sons. As the story is told, the slaughter filled Ashoka with such anguish he changed from Chandashoka ("Ashoka the Terrible") to Dharmashoka ("Ashoka the Pious"), and converted to Buddhism.[31] For this scenario, the game uses two mapboards as the scene of a large set-piece battle. The terrain represented is based upon topographical maps of the area near Dhauli Hill, the historical battle site and now a Buddhist shrine.[32]
Expansions
An expansion was printed in C3i Magazine, published by RBM Publications (Rodger B. MacGowan, Editor & Publisher), which provided two "alternative history" scenarios.[33] The first, "Ganges River," speculates a battle between the army of Alexander the Great and the Nandan army at the banks of the Ganges River (which did not happen historically due to the mutiny of Alexander's troops at the Beas River), and the second, "Magnesia," a hypothetical show-down between the Mauryan army of Ashoka and the Roman Republic in Asia Minor.[34]
The Magadhan Empire was an ancient Indian empire that succeeded the Magadha Mahajanapada. It was established by Bimbisara in 544 BC. It was ruled by the Haryankas, the Shaishunagas, the Nandas, the Mauryas, the Śungas, the Kanvas and the Guptas.
Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Maurya Empire, which ruled over a geographically-extensive empire based in Magadha. He reigned from 320 BCE to 298 BCE. The Magadha kingdom expanded to become an empire that reached its peak under the reign of his grandson, Ashoka the Great, from 268 BCE to 231 BCE. The nature of the political formation that existed in Chandragupta's time is not certain. The Mauryan empire was a loose-knit one with large autonomous regions within its limits.
Megasthenes was an ancient Greek historian, indologist, diplomat, ethnographer and explorer in the Hellenistic period. He described India in his book Indica, which is now lost, but has been partially reconstructed from literary fragments found in later authors that quoted his work. Megasthenes was the first person from the Western world to leave a written description of India.
Chanakya was an ancient Indian polymath who was active as a teacher, author, strategist, philosopher, economist, jurist, and politician. He is traditionally identified as Kauṭilya or Viṣṇugupta, who authored the ancient Indian political treatise, the Arthashastra, a text dated to roughly between the fourth century BCE and the third century CE. As such, he is considered the pioneer of the field of political science and economics in India, and his work is thought of as an important precursor to classical economics. His works were lost near the end of the Gupta Empire in the sixth century CE and not rediscovered until the early 20th century. Around 321 BCE, Chanakya assisted the first Mauryan emperor Chandragupta in his rise to power and is widely credited for having played an important role in the establishment of the Maurya Empire. Chanakya served as the chief advisor and Prime Minister of the both emperors Chandragupta Maurya and his son Bindusara.
Bindusara was the second Mauryan emperor of Magadha in Ancient India. The ancient Greco-Roman writers called him Amitrochates, a name likely derived from his Sanskrit title Amitraghāta.
The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia based in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The empire was centralized by the conquest of the Indo-Gangetic Plain; its capital city was located at Pataliputra. Outside this imperial centre, the empire's geographical extent was dependent on the loyalty of military commanders who controlled the armed cities scattered within it. During Ashoka's rule, the empire briefly controlled the major urban hubs and arteries of the subcontinent excepting the deep south. It declined for about 50 years after Ashoka's rule, and dissolved in 185 BCE with the assassination of Brihadratha by Pushyamitra Shunga and foundation of the Shunga dynasty in Magadha.
In ancient times, trade between the Indian subcontinent and Greece flourished with silk, spices and gold being traded. The Greeks invaded South Asia several times, starting with the conquest of Alexander the Great and later with the Indo-Greek Kingdom.
The Kalinga war was fought in ancient India between the Maurya Empire under Ashoka the Great and Kalinga, an independent feudal kingdom located on the east coast, in the present-day state of Odisha and northern parts of Andhra Pradesh. It is presumed that the battle was fought on Dhauli hills in Dhauli which is situated on the banks of Daya River. The Kalinga War was one of the largest and deadliest battles in Indian history.
The History of Bihar is one of the most varied in India. Bihar consists of three distinct regions, each has its own distinct history and culture. They are Magadha, Mithila and Bhojpur.Chirand, on the northern bank of the Ganga River, in Saran district, has an archaeological record dating from the Neolithic age. Regions of Bihar—such as Magadha, Mithila and Anga—are mentioned in religious texts and epics of ancient India. Mithila is believed to be the centre of Indian power in the Later Vedic period. Mithila first gained prominence after the establishment of the ancient Videha Kingdom. The kings of the Videha were called Janakas. A daughter of one of the Janaks of Mithila, Sita, is mentioned as consort of Lord Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana. The kingdom later became incorporated into the Vajjika League which had its capital in the city of Vaishali, which is also in Mithila.
Dhana Nanda, according to the Buddhist text Mahabodhivamsa, was the last Nanda king of Magadha.
The Nanda–Mauryan War was a war fought in ancient India from c. 323 BCE to 321 BCE between the King Dhana Nanda of the Nanda dynasty and forces of Chandragupta Maurya that led to the establishment of the Maurya Empire in Magadha. Little is known from historical sources for certain dating about the conflict. According to Mudrarakshasa legends, Chandragupta's army included Bahlika, Kirata, Parasika, Kamboja, Saka, and Greek mercenaries. The army invaded capital city Pataliputra (Kusumapura) after regaining power and defeated the Nandas.
The Seleucid–Mauryan War was fought between 305 and 303 BCE. It started when Seleucus I Nicator of the Seleucid Empire sought to retake the Indian satrapies of the Macedonian Empire, which had been occupied by Emperor Chandragupta Maurya, of the Maurya Empire.
Chandragupta Maurya is an Indian Historical drama series being broadcast on Dangal TV, based on the life of Chandragupta Maurya, an Indian emperor of ancient India and the founder of the Mauryan Empire. Chandragupta Maurya was first aired in March 2011 on Imagine TV. Ashish Sharma played the adult and Rushiraj Pawar played the young Chandragupta Maurya.
Durdhara was the empress of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the 4th-century BCE Maurya Empire of ancient India, according to the 12th century CE Jain text Parishishtaparvan by Hemachandra. She is stated by this text to be the mother of the second Mauryan emperor, Bindusara also known as Amitraghāta.
Dhamma is a set of edicts that formed a policy of the 3rd Mauryan emperor Ashoka the Great, who succeeded to the Mauryan throne in modern-day India around 269 B.C.E. Ashoka is considered one of the greatest kings of ancient India for his policies of public welfare.
Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat is a 2015 Indian historical drama TV series that aired on Colors TV from 2 February 2015 to 7 October 2016. with Siddharth Nigam portraying the young version of the character.
Chandra Nandini is an Indian Hindi-language historical drama television series that aired on StarPlus from 10 October 2016 until 10 November 2017. It was produced by Ekta Kapoor under her banner Balaji Telefilms and directed by Ranjan Kumar Singh. Starring Rajat Tokas as Chandragupta Maurya and Shweta Basu Prasad as a princess Nandni, the story is loosely based on the life of Chandragupta Maurya.
Chandragupta Maurya is an Indian historical television show that aired on Sony TV from 14 November 2018 to 30 August 2019. Written by Raj Routh, the show is based on the life of Chandragupta Maurya, the first Mauryan emperor and founder of the Maurya Empire. The show is produced by Siddharth Kumar Tewary's One Life Studios.
Rakshasa is a character in the ancient Indian Sanskrit-language play Mudrarakshasa. In the play, he holds the post of Amatya in the Nanda and Maurya courts of Magadha. Originally a minister of the Nanda king, he escapes during Chandragupta Maurya's conquest of the Nanda empire. He then makes several attempts to overthrow Chandragupta, but each time, he is outsmarted by Chandragupta's advisor Chanakya. Finally, he agrees to give up the resistance, and accepts the post of amatya in the Maurya court.
Werbaneth, Jim, "Indian Armies at War: The Rise of the Mauryan Empire in GMT's Chandragupta, Line of Departure Magazine, Issue 64 (Winter 2008/Spring 2009). Retrieved 4/15/2010.
Bibliography
Bhargava, P.L. Chandragupta Maurya: A Gem of Indian History (New Delhi: DK Printworld, 1996).
Chakravarti, P.C. The Art of War in Ancient India (New Delhi: Low Price Publications, 1993).
Das, H.C., Military History of Kalinga (Calcutta: Punthi Pustak, 1986).
Dikshitar, V.R. Ramachandra. War in Ancient India (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987).
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