Bindusara was born in 320 BCE and was the son of Chandragupta. An ancient Jain text tells the story of Bindusara's birth. Chanakya used to put drops of poison into Chandragupta's food in order to build up his immunity in case someone tried to kill him using poison. Chandragupta was not aware of the poison and offered it to his wife who was close to giving birth to their son. She ate the poison and died. Chanakya ran to save the unborn child and future heir to the dynasty. He cut open the queen's stomach and delivered the baby. The poison had just reached the tip of the baby's forehead and left a small blue mark on his forehead. The Sanskrit or Hindi term for dot is Bindu so they named him Bindusara.
When Bindusara was 22, his father Chandragupta died, and he became Emperor of the great Mauryan Empire. During his rule he conquered the entire Indian peninsula except for the southern tip. Bindusara did not follow in his father's footsteps when it came to religion. Chandragupta had converted to Jainism which is a version of Hinduism and Buddhism that focuses on non-violence. Bindusara followed Hinduism and married a woman of Brahmin caste. They had a son, Ashoka, who would become the next Emperor.
Click on the following slideshow and watch the progression of conquered land during the Mauryan Empire.
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