POST-MAURYAN PERIOD

THE SHUNGA DYNASTY (185 B.C. – 74 B.C.)

• PUSHYAMITRA SHUNGA ESTABLISHED THE SHUNGA DYNASTY IN 185
B.C.
• THE SHUNGAS WERE ORIGINALLY FROM UJJAIN AND WORKED AS
OFFICIALS IN THE MAURYAN EMPIRE
• PUSHYAMITRA SHUNGA DEFEATED THE INDO-GREEK INVADERS AND
PUSHED THEM BACK ACROSS THE INDUS RIVER
• HE REVIVED THE VEDIC SYSTEM OF SACRIFICES AND PERFORMED
TWO ASHWAMEDHA YAJNAS subject (someone) to hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of their ethnicity,
religion, or sexual orientation or their political beliefs:

• BUDDHIST SOURCES CLAIM THAT HE PERSECUTED BUDDHISTS

• BUT ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT BUDDHISM
CONTINUED TO FLOURISH DURING THE RULE OF THE SHUNGAS
MINOR
STUPA AT
BHARHUT
BUILT
DURING THE
SHUNGA
PERIOD
THE SHUNGA DYNASTY (CONTD.)
• PUSHYAMITRA WAS SUCCEEDED BY HIS SON AGNIMITRA, WHO WAS
THE HERO OF THE DRAMA ‘MALAVIKAGNIMITRA’ BY KALIDASA
• HE MAINTAINED THE KINGDOM INTACT IN THE FACE OF INVASIONS
• A TOTAL OF NINE KINGS OF THE SHUNGA DYNASTY RULED THE
KINGDOM
• DURING ITS PEAK, THE DYNASTY CONTROLLED THE GANGA PLAINS
UP TO KALINGA IN THE SOUTH AND UP TO THE PUNJAB IN THE WEST
• LATER, THE DYNASTY’S POSSESSIONS DECLINED TO MAGADHA AND
PARTS OF THE NARMADA VALLEY
• THE LAST RULER OF THE DYNASTY, DEVABHUTI, WAS OVERTHROWN
BY HIS BRAHMANA MINISTER VASUDEVA WHO STARTED THE KANVA
DYNASTY IN 74 B.C.
THE KANVA DYNASTY (74 B.C. – 28 B.C.)
• VASUDEVA FOUNDED THE KANVA DYNASTY AFTER OVERTHROWING
THE LAST SHUNGA KING IN 74 B.C.
• TOTALLY FOUR KINGS OF THIS DYNASTY RULED MAGADHA
• THE LAST KING OF THE KANVA DYNASTY,SUSARMAN, WAS DEPOSED
BY THE SATAVAHANA KING
• A NUMBER OF LOCAL RULERS EMERGED DURING THIS PERIOD
• THESE INCLUDE THE KUNINDAS WHO RULED AT THE FOOT OF THE
SHIVALIK HILLS, THE TRIGARTAS WHO RULED PARTS OF THE PUNJAB
AND THE YAUDHEYAS AND SIBIS WHO RULED PARTS OF RAJASTHAN
KING KHARAVELA OF KALINGA
• ANOTHER IMPORTANT RULER OF THE PERIOD WAS KING KHARAVELA
OF KALINGA
• HIS DEEDS ARE RECORDED IN AN INSCRIPTION AT HATHIGUMPHA IN
THE UDAYAGIRI HILLS IN ORISSA
• HE WAS THE THIRD RULER OF THE MAHAMEGHAVAHANA DYNASTY
• HE WAS A POWERFUL RULER AND ATTACKED NEIGHBOURING
KINGDOMS SUCH AS MAGADHA, THE SATAVAHANA KINGDOM AND
THE PANDYA KINGDOM
• HE ALSO UNDERTOOK MANY PUBLIC WORKS FOR HIS SUBJECTS
• HE WAS A FOLLOWER OF JAINISM AND ERECTED SEVERAL CAVE
MONASTERIES FOR JAINA MONKS