The Maurya Empire was crated by Chandragupta in (322 – 185 B.C.E.). It was a political and military empire in ancient India. Originating from the kingdom of Magadha. The empire's capital city was at Pataliputra. Chandragupta Maurya founded the Empire in 322 B.C.E. after overthrowing the Nanda Dynasty. He began rapidly expanding his power westward across central and western India. His powers had been disrupted by the westward withdrawal of Alexander the Great's and his Macedonian and Persian armies. By 316 B.C.E. the empire had fully taken over Northwestern India, defeating the satraps left by Alexander. The Empire stretched to the northern natural boundaries of the Himalaya Mountains. To the west, it reached beyond modern Pakistan and significant portions of Afghanistan, including the modern Herat and Kandahar provinces and Balochistan. Emperor Bindusara expanded the Empire into India's central and southern regions, but it excluded a small portion of unexplored tribal and forested regions.