Bindusara

(3rd c. B.C.E.) Son of Chandragupta
Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan
empire, and father of Ashoka, the
empire’s greatest figure. At Bindusara’s
accession the Mauryans controlled the
Indus and Ganges river basins.
Bindusara not only consolidated his
father’s gains, but also expanded
Mauryan control into the Deccan
region as far south as Mysore. He was
reportedly a man of universal tastes,
since tradition holds that he asked
Antiochus I, the Seleucid ruler of Syria,
for sweet wine, dried figs, and a sophist.
Antiochus apparently sent the first two
items but declared that Greek philosophers were not for export. See also
Maurya dynasty.