Chandragupta Maurya: The Creation of a National Hero in India.

The article titled "Chandragupta Maurya: The Creation of a National Hero in India" by Sushma Jansari explores the process of creating a national hero and its effects. The author focuses on Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Maurya dynasty in northern India around 320 BC. Due to the scarcity of reliable information about Chandragupta, interpretations of his story vary greatly. The article discusses the influence of Graeco-Roman sources, colonial historiography, and Indian nationalist perspectives on the portrayal of Chandragupta as a hero. It also examines how Chandragupta has been depicted in art, literature, and popular culture in India since the 1940s. The author critically engages with the distortions of historical facts and biases found in contemporary works. However, the article could have provided a clearer analysis of the broader historiographical trends and the politicization of India's past. [Extracted from the article]