Shisunaga Dynasty : 412 BC -344 BC

               Nag –Dasak was umworthy to rule. So the people got disgusted and elected Shisunaga as the King ,the minister of the king.

              The most important  achievement of Shisunaga was the destruction of the Pradyota dynasty of Avanti . This brought to an end the hundred year old rivalry between Magadha and Avanti.  From then of Avani become a part of the Magadha rule.

              Shisunga was succeeded by Kalashoka (Kakavarna).  His reign is important because he convened the Second Buddhists Council in Vaishali (383 BC).

Nanda Dynasty : 344 BC -323 BC

               The Shisunaga dynast was overthrown by Mahapadma who established a new line of king known as the Nandas.

               Mahapadma is known as Sarvakshatrantak i.e.  Uprooter of all the Kshatriyas )Puranas ) and Ugrasena i.e. Owner of huge army (palitexts).

              The Puranas call Mahapadma Ekrat i.e. the sole monarch. He seems to have overthrown all the dynasties which ruled at the time of Shisungas.  He is often described as ‘the first  empire builder of Indian history.’

              Mahapadma was succeeded by his eight sons.  Dhananada  was the last one.

              The last king Dhanananda is possibly identical with the Agrammes or Xandrames of the Greek texts.

                It was during the rule of Dhanananda that the invasion of Agrammes or took place in north –west  India in 326 BC.

               According to Greek writer Curtius, Dhananada commanded a huge.  Army 20.000 cavalry, 200,000 chariots and 3,000 elephants . It was the might of Dhanananda that terrorized Alexander and stopped his march to the Gangetic Valley.

             The Nanda dynasty came to an end about 322-21 BC and was supplanted  by another dynasty known as Mauryas, with Chandragupa Mautya as the founder.

Macedonian Invasion_ Alexander’s Invasion (326 BC)

          In the 4^th century BC, the Greeks and the Iranian fought for the supremacy of the world .  Under the leadership of Alexander of Macedonia the Greek finally destroyed the Iranian empire.

          Alexander succeeded his father Philip to the throne of Macedonia. He was then only 20 years of Age .

           From his very childhood he used to  dream of world – conquest . He quickly conquered many areas.

           As a preliminary step to conquer  India  ,thee Kabul   valley and the hilly area of North-West  frontier were conquered, and he reached Ohind near Attock in 326 BC.  

            The rules of Taxila and Abhisara submitted but Porus (Puru ) refused to do so.

           Alexander than crossed the Jhelum  by a trick. Porus was defgeated in the battle that followed , but Alexander treated him very generously for his bravery.  (Battle of  Vitasta i.e. modern Jhelum ,. Greek – Hydaspes – 326 BC).

          This was  how the Indians were defeated because of their  disunity.

          After a brilliant victory at sakala, the Greek forces reached the Beas Alexander  had to return from thirds place as his soldiers refused to go any further.  The battle of Jhelum and Sakla had opened their eyes and they were afraid of the great  Magadhan empire across the Beas.

        After making administrative arrangements for the conquered territory, Alexander ,marched back in Sept. 325 BC.

        He reached Babylon in 323  BC where he died at the age of 33.