Chanakya: India's first political "mastermind"

Chanakya was an adviser and a prime minister to the first Maurya Emperor Chandragupta (c. 340-293 BC), and architect of his rise to power Kautilya and Vishnuguptathe names by which the political treatise Arthashastra identifies its author, are traditionally identified with Chanakya. Some scholars consider Chanakya to be "the pioneer economist of the world". He is known as "The Indian Machiavelli" in the Western world. Chanakya was a professor at Taxila University and is widely believed to be responsible for the first Indian empire.