Shung , kanva & Satvahana Dyansty

Rule in India
Ancient History
Part – 12th
Useful for UPSC, SSC, Railways and various competition exams.

By - Sumit Choudhary
 Shung Dynasty (185 BC to 149 BC)
❖ Pushyamitra Shung a commander in chief of mouryan empire killed the last
mouryan king Brihadratha in 185 BC.
❖ Pushyamitra Shunga was also credited to repulse the two attacks of Greeks and
also conquest over Vidarbha.
❖ The first of these attacks from Greeks, which were repulsed by Pushyamitra
Shunga, was under Demetrius and another was under Meander.
❖ Shunga history after Pushyamitra, who ruled for roughly 36 years, is largely
uncertain. Nothing substantial is known about his successor, Agnimitra, the hero
of Kalidasa’s play Malavikagnimitra.
❖ The total tenure of Shunga rule was 112 years, coming to an end about 73 BC
❖ Devabhuti was the last Shunga Ruler who was killed by his own minister
Vasudeva Kanva in around 73 BC.
 Shung Dynasty (185 BC to 149 BC)
❖ He was Brahmin, re-established the Vaidika-Dharma in India .
❖ He was anti buddhist in his early period – Destroy 84000 Stupas which were built
by Ashoka.
❖ But, in later phase he built Bharhut stupa (M.P) and renovated Sanchi stupa.
❖ He performed two Asvamedha Yajna on the bank of River Indus ( Sindhu ) and
Pataliputra (Patna).
❖ Mahrishi Patanjali was the chief pundit of these Yajnas. We find a mention of
these Yajnas in a rock-edict of Ayodhya.
❖ Patanjali was the first Yog guru , wrote Yog sutra.
❖ Patanjali wrote Mahabhasya which is simplification of Aṣṭadhyayi of Paṇini.
 Kanva Dynasty ( 73 BC to 30 BC )
❖ The Kanva dynasty was a Brahman dynasty founded by Vasudeva Kanva, the
minister of Devabhuti, the last Sunga king in 75 BC.
❖ This period is said to have witnessed the rule of four kings (Vasudeva Kanva,
Bhumimitra, Narayana, Susarman) extending to a period about 45 years.
❖ Susarman was the last ruler of the Kanva dynasty.
❖ In 30 BC, the southern power swept away both the Kanvas and Sungas and the
province of Eastern Malwa was absorbed within the dominions of the
Satavahanas.
 Satvahana dynasty
❖ The Satavahana rule is believed to have started around the third century BC, in
235 BC and lasted until the second century AD , referred to as Andhras in the
Puranas.
❖ Some believed the time of Satvahana dynasty was between 40 BC to 250 AD.
❖ The founder of the Satvahanas was Simuka.
❖ The Satavahana kingdom mainly comprised of modern-day Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana and Maharashtra. At times, their rule also included parts of
Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
❖ Their capital cities varied at different times. Pratishthana (Paithan) and
Amaravati were its capitals.
 Satvahana dynasty
❖ Satakarni 1st , Hala , Gautamiputra satakarni , Vashisthiputra Pulumavi and
Yagshree satakarni were great kings of this dynasty .
❖ Social structure of state was Matriachy.
❖ They supported both Buddhism and Brahminism although they were Hindus
and claimed Brahminical status.
❖ They were the first native Indian rulers to issue their own coins with the
portraits of the rulers. This practice was started by Gautamiputra Satakarni
who derived the practice from the Western Satraps after defeating them.
❖ The coin legends were in Prakrit language. Some reverse coin legends are in
Telugu, Tamil and Kannada.
 Satvahana dynasty
❑ Satakarni I (180 – 124 BC) –
▪ Satakarni I was the first Satavahana king to expand his empire by military
conquests.
▪ He conquered Kalinga after the death of Kharavela.
▪ He also pushed back the Shungas in Pataliputra.
▪ He also ruled over Madhya Pradesh.
▪ After annexing the Godavari Valley, he assumed the title of ‘Lord of
Dakshinapatha’.
▪ His queen was Nayanika who wrote the Naneghat inscription which describes
the king as Dakshinapathapati.
▪ He performed Ashvamedha and revived Vedic Brahminism in the Deccan.
 Satvahana dynasty
❑ Gautamiputra Satakarni (86 – 110 BC) –
▪ He is considered the greatest king of the Satavahana dynasty.
▪ He defeated the Greeks, Pahlavas (Indo-Parthians) and the Sakas.
▪ His kingdom ran from Krishna in the south to Malwa and Saurashtra in the
north and from Berar in the east to the Konkan in the west.
▪ He defeated Nahapana, an important king of the Western Satraps.
▪ He is also called Ekabrahmana.
Satvahana dynasty
 Satvahana dynasty
❑ Gautamiputra Satakarni (86 – 110 BC) –
▪ He is considered the greatest king of the Satavahana dynasty.
▪ He defeated the Greeks, Pahlavas (Indo-Parthians) and the Sakas.
▪ His kingdom ran from Krishna in the south to Malwa and Saurashtra in the
north and from Berar in the east to the Konkan in the west.
▪ He defeated Nahapana, an important king of the Western Satraps.
▪ He is also called Ekabrahmana.
❑ Note –
✓ Pulamavi IV is considered the last king of the main Satavahana line.
✓ He ruled until 225 AD. After his death, the empire fragmented into five
smaller kingdoms.
Thank you
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