Chanakya Was Real: Pattanaik's "Pseudo-History" Debunked by Primary Sources

• Article refutes Devdutt Pattanaik's claim that Chanakya is a "fantasy," asserting his historical reality.
• Arthaśāstra explicitly names Viśnugupta/Kautilya as author; Ashoka's edicts confirm its Mauryan era relevance.
• Spitzer Manuscript (1st-2nd CE) and Kāmandakīya Nītiśāra (4th CE) by Buddhist scholar Kāmandaki provide early, independent validation of Kautilya's identity and role.
• Buddhist, Jain, Hindu, and regional traditions consistently identify Chanakya, Kautilya, and Viśnugupta as the same architect of the Mauryan Empire.
• Multiple names were common in antiquity; claims of "China" references and interpolations are misinterpretations or don't negate historical existence.

Why It Matters: Overwhelming evidence from diverse traditions confirms Chanakya, Kautilya, and Viśnugupta as one historical genius.