Political History of Ancient India, from the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty c12.s8.13

c12.s8.13

The first Nanda was **Mahāpadma** or Mahāpadmapati¹ according to the *Purāṇas* and **Ugrasena** according to the *Mahābodhivaṁsa*. The *Purāṇas* describe him as a son of the last Kshatrabandhu (so-called Kshatriya) king of the preceding line by a Sūdrā mother. (*Sūdrā-garbh-odbhava*). The Jaina *Pariśishṭaparvan*,² on the other hand, represents Nanda as the son of a courtesan by a barber. The Jaina tradition is strikingly confirmed by the classical account of the pedigree of Alexander's Magadhan contemporary who was the predecessor of Chandragupta Maurya. Referring to this prince (Agrammes) Curtius says, "His father was in fact a barber, scarcely staving off hunger by his daily earnings, but who from his being not uncomely in person, had gained the affections of the queen, and was by her influence advanced to too near a place in the confidence of the reigning monarch. Afterwards, however, he treacherously murdered his sovereign, and then, under the pretence of acting as guardian to the royal children, usurped the supreme authority, and having put the young princes to death, begot the present king."