Mudrarakshasa (The Minister Signet’s Ring) is a 4th century AD Sanskrit drama
written by Vishakhadatta, who is also credited with the authorship of
Devichandragupta. It describes the overthrow of
the Nandas ruling the Magadhan empire by the first Mauryan emperor Chandragupta
Maurya who was aided in this endevour by Kautilya also called variously as
Chanakya and Vishnugupta.
There is no unanimity among the authorities on the date
of Mudrarakshasa. However, majority of them are in favour of assigning the composition
of this Sanskrit work to 4th-5th centuries AD. The Minister
Signet’s Ring centers around the schemes of the wily Chankya to frustrate the
plots of Raksasa, the minister of Dhana
Nanda, the last ruler of the Nanda dynasty. Consequently Chankya was
able to place Chandragupta on the throne of Patliputra (modern day Patna), the
capital of Magadh.
Though the plot of Mudrarakshasa is exceedingly complicated,
Vishakhadatta has been able to unravel the story with great skill.
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