- not sons - of the first Nanda king. Also, according to the Buddhist tradition, the Nandas ruled for a total of 22 years. The last of these kings was Dhana Nanda. According to the Jain texts such as Parishishtaparvan and Avashyaka sutra, which do not mention the name "Mahapadma" either, the Nanda king was the son of a courtesan by a barber. They state that Nanda succeeded Udayin after his death from a rival king. They further state Kalpaka, a non-violent Jain, as his chief-minister, who is believed to have sacrificed his life for peace. The Greco-Roman sources suggest that the founder of the Nanda dynasty was a barber, who usurped the throne from the last king of the preceding dynasty. Roman historian Curtius (1st century CE) states that according to Porus, this barber became the former queen's paramour thanks to his attractive looks, treacherously assassinated the then king, usurped the supreme authority by pretending to act as a guardian for the then princes, and later killed the princes. The Nanda king who was the contemporary of Porus and Alexander was the son of this barber. References Bibliography Nanda Empire 4th-century BC Indian monarchs Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Founding monarchs