Megasthenes (350 BCE– 290 BCE) was an ancient Greek historian, diplomat, ethnographer and explorer in the Hellenistic period.
Megasthenes was then an ambassador for Seleucid king Seleucus I Nicator and to the court of the Mauryan Emperor Chandragupta Maurya in Pataliputra (modern Patna).
He described Mauryan India in his book Indica, which is now lost, but has been partially reconstructed from literary fragments found in later authors that quoted his work.
The earliest historical references to the Pandya dynasty are found in the Megasthenes's writings.
Megasthenes was the first person from the Western world to leave a written description of India.
Eratosthenes (2nd century BCE) in his writings accused Megasthenes of engaging in falsehood, although he apparently borrowed much of his content about India from Megasthenes.