Chandragupta Maurya and His Times c4.49

c4.49

Buddhist Tradition. We shall now turn to the Buddhist traditions which describe the 'Nandins' as of unknown lineage (*aññātakula*) and testify to the noble lineage of Chandragupta without any doubts about it. Chandragupta is described as a scion of the Kshatriya clan of Moriyas, an offshoot of the noble and sacred sept of the Śākyas who gave the Buddha to the world. According to the story, these Moriyas separated from the parent community to escape from its invasion by the cruel Kosala king, Viḍūḍabha and found refuge in a secluded Himalayan region. This region was known for its peacocks, whence the immigrants also became known as Moriyas, i.e., those belonging to the place of peacocks. Moriya is from '*Mora*' which is the Pali word for peacock, corresponding to the Sanskrit word '*Mayūra*.' Another version of the story mentions a city called Moriya-nagara after the fact that it was built with "bricks coloured like peacocks' necks." The people who built the city became known as Moriyas. The *Mahābodhivaṁsa* [ed. Strong p. 98], states that "Prince (*kumāra*) Chandragupta, born of a dynasty of kings (*narinda-kula-sambhava*), hailing from the city known as Moriyanagara, which was built by the *Sākyaputtas*, being supported by the Brāhmaṇa (*dvija*), Chāṇakya, became king at Pāṭaliputra."