A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

SANDROCOTTUS. SANDROCOTTUS. 705
Mnd, sailing on afterwards to the south by them- (eavap6Keviros), which bears a much greater reselves, were captured by the Greeks off Artemi- semblance to the Hindu name than the common
sium. (Herod. vii. 194.) [E. E.] orthography. (Plut. Alex. 62; Justin, xv. 4;
SANDROCOTTUS (,avpJKcoT7'os), an Indian Appian, Syr. 55; Strab. xv. pp. 702, 709, 724;
king at the time of Seleuctus Nicator, ruled over Athen. i. p. 18, e.; Arrian, Arab. v. 6. ~ 2; Plin.
the powerful nation of the Gangaridae and Prasii H. N. vi. 17.)
on the banks of the Ganges. The Gangaridae, also Sandrocottus has excited considerable interest
written Gandaridae, and the Prasii, are probably among modern scholars, as he appears to be the
the same people; the former name signifying the same as the Cl]andragqupta of the Sanscrit writers.
people in the neighbourhood of the Ganges, and Not only does the great resemblance of name point
the latter being of Hindu origin, and the same as to an identity of the two, but the circumstances
the P'rachi, the eastern country of Sanscrit writers. related by the Sanscrit writers respecting the hisThe capital of Sandrocottus was Palibothra, called tory of Chandragupta bear so great a similarity to
by the Sanscrit writers Pataliputra, probably in those recorded by the Greek authors respecting
the neighbourhood of the modern Patna. The Sandrocottus, that it is impossible to doubt that
Greek writers relate that the father of Sandrocottus they are the same person. The differences between
was a man of low origin, being the son of a barber, the Greek and Sanscrit writers rather enhance the
whom the queen had married after putting her value of both sets of testimonies, since a perfect
husband the king to death. He is called by Dio- agreement would have been suspicious. The Hindorus Siculus (xvi. 93, 94) Xandrames, and by du narrative was as follows. At Pataliputra
Q. Curtius (ix. 2) Aygrrammes, the latter name reigned a king named Nanda, who was the son of
being probably only a corruption of the former. a woman of the Sudra caste, and was hence, acThis king sent his son Sandrocottus to Alexander cording to the Hindu law, regarded as a Sudra
the Great, who was then at the Hyphasis, and he himself. He was a powerful prince, but cruel and
is reported to have said that Alexander might avaricious; and hence, as well as by the inferiority
easily have conquered the eastern parts of India, of his birth, he provoked the animosity of the
since the king was hated on account of his Brahmans. He had by one wife eight sons, who
wickedness and the meanness of his birth. Justin with their father were known as the nine Nandas;
likewise relates, that Sandrocottus saw Alex- and, according to the popular tradition, he had by
ander, and that having offended him, he was a wife of low extraction another son, called Chanordered to be put to death, and escaped only by dragupta. The last circumstance, however, is not
flight. Justin says nothing about his being the stated in the Puranas, and may therefore be quesking's son, but simply relates that he was of ob- tioned; but it appears certain that Chandragupta
scure origin, and that after he escaped from Alex- was of low origin, and that he was of the same
ander he became the leader of a band of robbers, family as Nanda, if he was not his son. But
and finally obtained the supreme power. So much whatever was the origin of Chandragupta, he apseems certain, that in the troubles which followed pears to have been made the instrument of the
the death of Alexander, Sandrocottus or his father rebellious projects of the Brahmans, who raised
extended his dominions over the greater part of him while a youth to the throne, after effecting
northern India, and conquered the Macedonians, the destruction of Nanda and his eight sons. In
who had been left by Alexander in the Panjab. this they were aided by a prince in the north of
After the general peace between the successors of India, to whom an accession of territory was
Alexander in B. C. 311, Seleucus was left for ten offered as the price of his assistance; but after they
years in the undisturbed possession of his do- had gained their object, the Brahmans not only
minions, and at some period during this time he refused to fulfil their engagement, but appear to
made an effort to recover the Indian conquests of have got rid of him by assassination. To revenge
Alexander. The year in which he undertook the his father's death, his son Malayaketu marched
expedition is not stated, but from the account of with a large army against Chandragupta, and
Justin it would appear to have been only a short among his forces were Yavanas, whom we may
time before the war with Antigonus, that is, B.C. 302. regard as Greeks. Malayaketu was obliged to
It is unknown how far Seleucus penetrated in India; return to his own country without inflicting his
according to some accounts he advanced as far as meditated vengeance. Chandragupta reigned
Palibothra. At all events, he did not succeed in twenty-four years, and left the kingdom to his son.
the object of his expedition; for, in the peace con- The expedition of Malayaketu may perhaps be the
cluded between the two monarchs, Seleucus ceded same as that of Seleucus, who probably availed
to Sandrocottus not only his conquests in the himself of the distracted state of the kingdom for
Panjab, but also the country of the Paropamisus. the purpose of extending the Greek dominions in
Seleucus in return received five hundred war ele- India.
phants, which had then become an object of so The history of Chandragupta is the subject of a
much importance as perhaps to be almost an equi- Hindu drama, entitled IMudra Rakshasa, which
valent for the loss of the dominiols which he sus- has been translated from the Sanscrit by Professor
tained. The peace was cemented by a matrimonial Wilson, and published in his " Select Specimens
alliance between the Syrian and Indian kings. of the Theatre of the Hindus," London, 1835, vol.
Megasthenes subsequently resided for many years ii. p. 127, &c. In the preface to the translation,
at the court of Sandrocottus as the ambassador of Mr. Wilson has examined at length the question
Seleucus; and to the work which Megasthenes of the identity of Sandrocottus and Chandragupta,
wrote on India, later writers were chiefly indebted and thus sums up the result of his inquiries: -
for their accounts of the country. [MEGASTHENES.] "' It thus appears that the Greek and Hindu writers
The name of Sandrocottus is written both by Plu- concur in the name, in the private history, in the
tarch and Appian Androcottus without the sibilant, political elevation, and in the nation and capital of
fnd Athenaeus gives ius the form Sandrocuptus an Indian king, nearly, if not exactly, conternVOL. Ill.