Person

Chanakya

c. 375–c. 283 BCE · 4th century BCE · Also known as Kautilya

Chanakya, also known as Kautilya, was an ancient Indian scholar and statesman traditionally regarded as the chief adviser to Chandragupta Maurya. He is credited with the Arthashastra, a treatise on statecraft, economics and military strategy. Tradition holds that he guided Chandragupta's overthrow of the Nanda dynasty and the foundation of the Maurya Empire.

Chanakya
Image: Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

Maurya EmpireFoundation, GovernanceKingdom of MagadhaDecline

Mentioned in 3 state histories

KambojaKingdom of TaxilaNanda Empire

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Chanakya. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chanakya
MLA
“Chanakya.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chanakya. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Chanakya.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chanakya.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Chanakya’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chanakya (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻