Queen Helena Maurya’s life is one of the best-kept secrets in History. Helena was the daughter of Seleucus Nicator ( 358–281 BC), the Greek commander in Chief of Alexander’s army. She was married to Indian king Chandragupta Maurya during 300 BC to strengthen the ties between Mauryan and Greek empires.
Political Science Professor Chanakya of Takshila University was the brain behind this marriage. Chanakya’s life itself is no less mysterious, and History has very little about his deeds and actions. Chanakya was a great visionary.
Helena was teenage when she married Sandrocottos: as the Greeks called Chandragupta Maurya, ruler of the Magadh Empire. Helena had a deep interest in Indian civilization; she understood the culture, the language, believed to be a scholar of Sanskrit. Since Prof Chanakya was a teacher in Taxila and Chandragupta Maurya is considered to have first seen Helena somewhere near Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Greeks ruled that region for some time, and when Maurya defeated them.
Chandragupta Maurya is widely speculated as Vishpurush. Whether Maurya’s marriage is a love cum arranged by Prof Chanakya was not fully known but seemed a combination of both. Prof Chanakya converted enmity with greeks into a bond of relationship.
Helena did not have a son, as per historical records. Folklores of Helena will say otherwise. She had a son called Justin with a Roman name (not a greek name?). There is no historical account of what happened to Helena after Chandraguta’s death. When Bindusara’ss, son of Chandragupta from another wife, took over the Mauryan dynasty, anecdotal information indicates Helena returned to Macedonia. Was there a conflict of interest with Bindusara? Some speculations suggest that Helena had a good grip on the empire, though what made her return is unknown. Chandragupta became Jain and fasted to death during his final years.
Helena will remain a mystery in the annals of history. Hope against hope that someday we will know more about Helena.
