Question

When Alexander invaded India, who were the rulers of Magadha?
A) Haryankas
B) Shishinasu
C) Nandas
D) Maurya

Answer 1

Hint: Alexander came to India in 326 BC. Alexander had conquered Asia Minor along with Iran and Iraq. He then marched into northwest India from Iran.

Complete answer:
When Alexander invaded India, the dynasty which was ruling over the entire North India was the Nanda Dynasty of Magadha Empire. At the time when Alexander was invading India, Magadha was ruled by King DhanaNand , who was the last ruler of the dynasty. Now let's see the options:-

Haryankas- Haryanka Dynasty was believed to be the second dynasty of the Magadha Empire. The reign of this dynasty was from 558 BC to 491 BC which was before the time when Alexander invaded, hence it is the incorrect option.
Shishinasu- Haryanka Dynasty was succeeded by Shishunaga Dynasty and was the 3rd Dynasty of the Magadha Dynasty. Their reign was from 413 BC to 345 BC which was before the time when Alexander invaded , therefore this option is incorrect.
Nandas- When Alexander invaded India the dynasty which was ruling over India was the Nanda dynasty which was the last dynasty of the Magadha Empire. The reign of the Nandas were 467 BC to 312 BC , hence this is the correct option.
Maurya- The last ruler of the Nanda dynasty was overthrown by the Mauryas. It was the 1st dynasty who unified most of the Indian subcontinent but their reign was from 321 BC to 185 BC, therefore it is the incorrect option.

Hence the correct answer is option C.

Note: When Alexander was coming towards India he was stopped by King Porus. Porus lost against him but he impressed Alexander by his answer when he asked what way he wanted to be treated.So he granted him his territory back.