In the fourth century B.C., the empire of Magadha was expanded under the Nanda dynasty, which, though unpopular, became the sole emperors of India.

The extent of Nanda control in the South is not easy to determine, but evidence suggests it included Kalinga.

The famous Häthigumpha inscription of Kharavela mentions a Nanda king in connection with an aqueduct and also indicates that Nanda carried away trophies from Kalinga, including a statue of Jina.

Kannada inscriptions from the tenth and eleventh centuries A.D. preserve faint memories of the Nanda rule in Kuntala but provide little confirmation of this tradition.

The name Nander on the upper reaches of the Godavari may indicate the survival of an ancient name like Nau-Nand adhera, which suggests Nanda power extended into the Deccan.

Punch-marked coins found in the Deccan, South India, and Ceylon provide evidence of ancient contacts between North and South India, although they do not confirm the southern limit of the Nanda empire.

The Mauryan empire under Ashoka may have included Kuntala, a region consistent with the Nanda empire’s southern boundary.