Chanakya (Kautilya) (350-283 BC)

1. Chanakya was an adviser and a prime minister to the first Maurya Emperor Chandragupta , who was the chief architect of his rise to power. Born as Vishnu Sharma, Kautilya and Vishnugupta, the names by which this ancient Indian Politico-economical treatise called the Arthaśāstra identifies its author.

2. He is known as “The Indian Machiavelli” in the Western world. Chanakya was a professor at Takshashila University and was responsible for the creation of Mauryan Empire.
3. Strabo (a greek Geographer) gives him the name Palibrothus. Arien Plutarch give him the names of Androkottus.
4. In Mudrarakshasa of Vishakhadatta he has been depicted by names Piyadamus, Vrishal, Chandrasiri & Kulihin.
5. In Mudrarakshasa Chandragupta has been depicted as a weak insignificant young man and Chanakya being the real ruler.
6. Historian Sir Thomas R. Trautmann has mentioned that Chanakya was born with a complete set of teeth , which gave a sign that he would become a King. However his teeth were broken so he would rule through someone else.
7. He was thrown out of Nanda court which prompted him to swear to take revenge.
8. Chanakya mixed poison to the food eaten by Chandragupta Maurya, now king, in order to make him immune. Unaware, Chandragupta feeds some of his food to his queen, who is in her ninth month of pregnancy. In order to save the heir to the throne, Chānakya cut the queen open and extracts the fetus, who is named Bindusara because he was touched by a drop (bindu) of blood having poison.