India was divided into multiple smaller kingdoms. Some of these kingdoms had big ambitions. Chandragupta Maurya was an ambitions and very wise person. Inspired by Alexander the Great, he had his goals set on creating one very big empire across the whole Indian subcontinent. In order to do this, Cahndragupta first attacked the most powerful kingdom, which he also despised, the Nanda kingdom. He was successful, and once he managed to conquer the Nandas, gradually, through war and diplomacy, he managed to make the empire very large and powerful, establishing the mighty Mauryan Empire.