Post Mauryan Dynasties

After the death of Ashoka there was disintegration of Mauryan empire in India and many Indian and Foreign dynasties came into existence and they were as follows-

• The Sungas.

• The Kanvas.

• The Satavahanas.

• The Indo-Greeks.

• The Indo-Parthians.

• The Kushanas

The northwest India slipped out of the control of the Mauryas and a series of foreign invasions affected this region. Kalinga declared its independence and in the further south the Satavahanas established their independent rule

The Shungas-

Sources of Sunga Dynasty- 

A.Literary sources of Shunga dynasty-

• Mahabhasya of Patanjali.

• Divyavadana.

• Puranas.

• Malavikagnimitra of Kalidasa.

• Harshacharita of Banabhatta.

• The Pali work Milinda-Panha (The Questions of Milinda) gives information about the Yavana king Menander and on Buddhism of this period

B.Archaeological sources of Shunga dynasty-

• The important sources for the Sunga period are available in the inscriptions from Ayodhya, Vidisha, and Bharut.

Rulers of Shunga Dynasty-

Founder- Pushyamitra sunga

A.Pushyamitra sunga-

• He was a staunch Brahim, captured the throne after assassinating the last Mauryan king Brahadratha in 184 BC.

• In the Ayodhya inscription of Dhanadeva, Pushyamitra Sunga is credited with the performance of two Asvamedha sacrifices.

Wars by Pushyamitra-

The First war-

• Pushyamitra had to be on guard in the northwest because of the constant Greek threats.

• He had to fight two wars the first one with Demetrios, king of Bactria and the second one with King Manender

The second war 

• It was fought between Manender and Vasumitra the grandson of Pushyamitra. The Greek General defeated Vasumitra in the war.

• Sunga rule in India according to the Puranas lasted for 112 years. Magadha was the nucleus of the kingdom

B.Vasumitra and Agnimitra-

• His son and successor was Agnimitra and he was succeeded by his son Vasumitra.

• In this period  we see the use of titles like Maharaja, Rajaraja, Rajati raja, Shaonanoshao etc.

• Vedic sacrifices like Asvamedha, Rajasuya etc. were performed with a view to augment royal power

Malavikagnimitram of Kalidasa-

• Malavikagnimitram, a play by Kalidasa, preserves the memory of the defeat of the yavanas at the hands of Vasumitra, the grandson of Pushyamitra Sunga.

• Vasumitra defeated the Yavanas on the banks of the Sindhu river.

• Agnimitra is portrayed as the viceroy at Vidisha (near Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh).

• This drama also refers to the conflict between Pushyamitra and Yajnasena, king of Vidarbha (the eastern Maharashtra area). The Sungas were victorious

C.Devabhuti-

• The last Sunga king was Devabhuti.

• The last Sunga king was assassinated by his Brahmand Minister Vasudeva Kanva

Administration of Sunga Dynasty-

• There is no clear information about sungas administration.

• It is  possible that Pushyamitra had a central administration at Pataliputra.

• He was assisted by a council of ministers and bureaucrats, and his empire was divided into provinces.

• The provinces were put under the charge of governors of royal blood.

• Kalidasa and Patanjali mention a mantriparishad.

Art and Architecture of Sunga dynasty-

• Bharhut, Bodhgaya and Sanchi bear evidence of the patronage received from the Sunga rulers

A.The gates and railings of the Bharhut stupa -

• The decorations on the railings of the Bharhut stupa are ornate and depicted with yakshas, yakshis and Kubera, their leader.

• The fine gateway railings which surround the Sanchi stupa are said to have been built during the Sunga period

B.Bhaja cave

• It is located in Western Ghats and it was a Buddhist monastery for the monks to stay during the rainy months.

• The caves have  yaksha depictions on sides of the doorways, a deity on a chariot drawn by four horses etc.

C.Scluptures-

• Some sculptures of Bharhut, Bodhgaya and Sanchi represent the first organized art activity which was opposite to the court art of the Mauryas.

• Both the male and female figures are adorned with a large number of ornaments.

• No efforts seem to have been made for expressing emotions and abstract feelings like peace, serenity, temptation, surprise, sobriety etc.

• A most characteristic formal quality of Sunga art is its flowing linear rhythm that binds all isolated objects in one continuous stream of life

The Bactrians /Indo-Greek

Introduction-

• Since Alexander's invasion, several Greek families had settled down in northwestern India.

• It was after his death that Selueus Nicator and there were many tribes that came into existence and two of them were the Bactrians and the Parthians.

• These two tribes declared themselves independent during the rule of Antiochus, the successor of Selucus.

• The Bactrians were pushed out of Bactria by the nomadic incursions from Scythian tribes

Sources-

• Coins are one of the important source of history of this tribe.

• The coins of the Graeco-Bactrians which circulated in the region north of the Hindu Kush were mostly in gold, silver, copper and nickel

Important Kings-

A. Menander I

• The most renowned of the Bactrian kings was Manender (Milinda).

Capital-

• Capital of his kingdom was Sakala (Sialkot).

• Menander extended his rule up to Mathura and from there he made attempts to capture Pataliputra. But he was stopped by the army of Vasumitra, the grandson of Pushyamitra Sunga

B.Milindapanho-

• He evinced much interest in Buddhism and his dialogues with the Buddhist monk Nagasena was compiled in the Pali work, Milindapanho (Questions of Milinda).

• A Greek ambassador Heliodorus became a Vaishnavite and erected the Garuda Pillar at Besnagar

• The Indo-Greek rule over Gandhara came to an end due to conflicts with the Parthians and Sakas

The Sakas or The Scythians

• The Sakas or the Scythians attacked Bactria and Parthia and captured them from the Greek rulers.

• They were the first large nomadic community to reach South Asia through Bactria.

• There were two different groups of Sakas – the Northern Satraps ruling from Taxila and the Western satraps ruling over Maharashtra

Important Kings of Sakas-

• The founder the Saka rule in India in the first century B.C. was Maues.

Vikrama era

• His son and successor was Azes I, who was considered to be the founder of the Vikrama era.

• The Saka rulers may be divided under two classes from the administrative point of view.

They are as follows:

• The northern Satraps(Kshatrapas )
• The western Satraps(Kshatrapas )

The northern Satraps were more predominant in Taxila and Matura

Kshatrapas (viceroys or subordinate rulers)

• The Sçythio-Parthians ruled through their Kshatrapas I.e. viceroys or subordinate rulers.

A.Western Kshatrapas

• A group of rulers who ruled in Gujarat, Saurashtra and Malwa during the post Mauryan times are known as Western Kshatrapas.

• The first two rulers of the family were Bhumik and Nahapana.

• Nahapana is known from his silver coins and from his inscriptions.

• Chatsana and Rudraman were the Satraps who ruled Ujjain

Rudradaman I-

• Rudradaman I was the most important ruler of the Kardamaka family.

• During his reign the Saka power experienced a major expansion.

• He assumed the title of Mahakshatrapa

Junagarh Inscription-

• The Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman, also known as the Girnar Rock inscription of Rudradaman, is a Sanskrit prose inscribed on a rock by the Western Satraps ruler Rudradaman I.

• It is located near Girnar hill near Junagadh, Gujarat, India.

• His famous inscription from Junagarh, dated Saka Era 72 (150 CE) bears testimony to this.

• James Prinsep, known for his work with the Brahmi script, first edited and translated this inscription in April 1838.

• Rudradaman I, according to the Junagarh prasasti, defeated Satakarni twice, the lord of the Deccan, but spared him on account of the nearness of relation; this brought him glory.

• The Junagarh prasasti also throws lights on the diversified revenue demands of the state.

• This inscription describes that the treasury (kosa) of Rudradaman I overflowed with precious metals like gold (kanaka), silver (rajata) etc.

The Parthians or the Pahlavas-

• The Parthians became dominant in the western frontier of India.

• They succeeded the Sakas.

• The first ruler was Gondophares.

• Gondophares probably allowed the Kshatrapas a large measure of autonomy.

• It was during time that Christianity arrived in India when St. Thomas began propagation this new religion in 52 A.D.

• The kingdom collapsed as a result of a major invasion by the Kushanas and also by the Kshetrapas