Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka - Viśākha-datta - Mudrārākṣasa (Part 3)
The Viṣṇu- and the Bhāgavata-purāṇas narrate the story of Candragupta Maurya in brief. However, as Dhanika says, it is quite likely that the seed story of the Mudrārākṣasa is from the Bṛhatkathā. We don’t have enough evidence to claim that there was another historical work which could have served as the basis for the plot of the play. The core of the play is historical; however, the poet has added a great amount of detail to the story out of his creative imagination.