Mahapadma Nanda (IAST: Mahāpadmānanda; r. c. 345–329 BCE), (died 329 BCE) according to the Puranas, was the first Nanda king of Magadha. The Puranas describe him as a son of the last Shaishunaga king Mahanandin and a Shudra woman. These texts credit him with extensive conquests that expanded the Empire far beyond the Magadha region. The different Puranas give the length of his reign as 27 or 88 years, and state that his eight sons ruled in succession after him. Buddhist texts don't mention him, and instead name the first Nanda ruler as robber-turned king Ugrasena, who was succeeded by his eight brothers, the last of whom was Dhana Nanda.

Reign

According to the Puranas, Mahapadma or Mahapadma-pati (literally, "lord of the great lotus") was the first Nanda king. He was the son of the last Shaishunaga king Mahanandin and a Shudra woman. Puranas describe him as ekarat (sole sovereign) and sarva-kshatrantaka (destroyer of all the Kshatriyas). The Kshastriyas (warriors and rulers) said to have been exterminated by Mahapadma include Maithalas, Kasheyas, Ikshvakus, Panchalas, Shurasenas, Kurus, Haihayas, Vitihotras, Kalingas, and Ashmakas. Matsya Purana assigns Mahapadma an incredibly long reign of 88 years, while the contemporary source Vayu Purana mentions the length of his reign as only 28 years. The Puranas further state that Mahapadma's eight sons ruled in succession after him for a total of 12 years, but name only one of these sons: Sukalpa.

Various estimates of the first Nanda emperor's coronation

The beginning of Nanda reign is also assigned as early as 5th century BCE.

Descriptions of first Nanda king