Dhana Nanda - Life

Life

Dhana Nanda's great-grandfather had 2 wifes and one of them was a daughter of a barber. So,his grandparents, his father and his uncles were often insulted. To take revenge, his grandfather along with his 9 sons (including Dhana Nanda's father) made a plan to kill his great-grandfather and the sons of his other wife. After they succeeded, Dhana Nanda's grandfather announced himself the king. Later the throne was given to Dhana's father and after that to Dhana Nanda. Not much is known about his early life, but there are a few accounts of him in both secular and religious texts. Dhana Nanda was addicted to hoarding treasure.... He collected riches to the amount of eighty kotis in a rock in the bed of river (Ganges). Having caused a great excavation to be made, he buried the treasure there....Levying taxes, among other articles, even on skins, gums and stones, he amassed further treasure which disposed of similarly"

A Tamil poet called Mamulanar belongs to this period in his poem Ahananuru anthology number 251 points out hoardings of Nandan

During the Alexander's campaign of India, King Poros(or Porus) stated the king of Gangaridai was a man of worthless character and was not held in respect. He was considered to be the son of a barber. It is clear that the Dhana Nanda dynasty was very unpopular among the people and the neighboring states, few possible explanations of the unpopularity could be their varna, Nanda Kings were said to be of shudra caste and the other reason being their financial extortion. But the trait of cruelty was passed from generation to generation resulting the Nanda dynasty to be unpopular for its subjects.