Dated roughly from the 4th till the 8th century, 'Mudrarakshas' is a play that narrates the incidents transpiring in the life of Chandragupta Maurya. It follows his ascent as a ruler. Under the guidance of Chanakya, Chandragupta Maurya obtained the allegiance of Porus (Lord of the Himalayas, Parvateshwar) to acquire Nanda empire and between themselves they divided the remains of that empire. However, following the death of Porus, Malayaketu, his son, instigates the last minister of the Nanda kingdom, Rakshasa to re-inherit the lost empire. What follows is a twisting series of events that arise due to Chanakya's shrewdness that gets to subdue Rakshasa and make him Chandragupta's Prime Minister. A very different historical play, 'Mudrarakshas' makes for a interesting read.
