"Sunga" redirects here. For other uses, see Sunga (disambiguation).
Shunga Empire
187 BCE–73 BCE
SATAVAHANAS
MAHAMEGHA- VAHANAS
MALAVAS
INDO- GREEKS
PANDYAS
CHOLAS
◁ ▷
Territory of the Shungas c. 150 BCE.[1]
Capital
Pataliputra
Vidisha
Common languages
Sanskrit
Religion
Hinduism
Government
Monarchy
Emperor
• c. 185 – c. 151 BCE
Pushyamitra (first)
• c. 151–141 BCE
Agnimitra
• c. 83–73 BCE
Devabhuti (last)
Historical era
Ancient India
• Assassination of Brihadratha by Pushyamitra Shunga
187 BCE
• Assassination of Devabhuti by Vasudeva Kanva
73 BCE
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Maurya Empire
Kanva dynasty
Today part of
India
Bangladesh
Nepal
Pakistan
The Shunga dynasty (IAST: Śuṅga) was the fifth ruling dynasty of Magadha and controlled most of the northern Indian subcontinent from around 187 to 73 BCE. The dynasty was established by Pushyamitra, after taking the throne of Magadha from the Mauryas. The Shunga Empire's capital was Pataliputra, but later emperors such as Bhagabhadra also held court at Besnagar (modern Vidisha) in eastern Malwa.[2] This dynasty is also responsible for successfully fighting and resisting the Greeks in Shunga-Greek War.[3][4][5]
Pushyamitra ruled for 36 years and was succeeded by his son Agnimitra. There were ten Shunga rulers. However, after the death of Agnimitra, the second king of the dynasty, the empire rapidly disintegrated:[6] inscriptions and coins indicate that much of northern and central India consisted of small kingdoms and city-states that were independent of any Shunga hegemony.[7] The dynasty is noted for its numerous wars with both foreign and indigenous powers. They fought the Kalinga, the Satavahana dynasty, the Indo-Greek Kingdom and possibly the Panchalas and Mitras of Mathura.
Art, education, philosophy, and other forms of learning flowered during this period, including small terracotta images, larger stone sculptures, and architectural monuments such as the stupa at Bharhut, and the renowned Great Stupa at Sanchi. The Shunga rulers helped to establish the tradition of royal sponsorship of learning and art. The script used by the empire was a variant of Brahmi script and was used to write Sanskrit.
The Shungas were important patrons of culture at a time when some of the most important developments in Hindu thought were taking place. Patanjali's Mahābhāṣya was composed in this period. Artistry also progressed with the rise of the Mathura art style.
The last of the Shunga emperors was Devabhuti (83–73 BCE). He was assassinated by his minister Vasudeva Kanva and was said to have been overfond of the company of women. The Shunga dynasty was replaced by the Kanvas. The Kanva dynasty succeeded the Shungas around 73 BCE.
^Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 145, map XIV.1 (c). ISBN 0226742210.
^Stadtner, Donald (1975). "A Śuṅga Capital from Vidiśā". Artibus Asiae. 37 (1/2): 101–104. doi:10.2307/3250214. JSTOR 3250214.
^Mani, Chandra Mauli (2005). A Journey Through India's Past. Northern Book Centre. p. 38. ISBN 978-81-7211-194-6.
^Sen, Sailendra Nath (1999). Ancient Indian History and Civilization. New Age International. p. 170. ISBN 978-81-224-1198-0.
^Raychaudhuri, Hem Channdra (1923). Political history of ancient India, from the accession of Parikshit to the extinction of the Gupta dynasty. Robarts - University of Toronto. Calcutta, Univ. of Calcutta. p. 205.
^K.A. Nilkantha Shastri (1970), A Comprehensive History of India: Volume 2, p.108: "Soon after Agnimitra there was no 'Sunga empire'."
^Bhandare, Shailendra. "Numismatics and History: The Maurya-Gupta Interlude in the Gangetic Plain". in Between the Empires: Society in India, 300 to 400, ed. Patrick Olivelle (2006), p.96
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was the founder and the first ruler of the ShungaEmpire which he established to succeed the Maurya Empire. His original name was Puṣpaka or Puṣpamitra...
Empire. He ruled from 187 to 185 BCE, when he was overthrown and assassinated by his General, Pushyamitra Shunga, who went on to establish the Shunga...
then-emperor Brihadratha by his general Pushyamitra Shunga. Shunga would go on to form the ShungaEmpire in the north and northeast of the subcontinent, while...
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Shunga who went on to found the ShungaEmpire in 185/184 BCE. Rulers- Magadha History of India List of largest empires List of Gupta emperors List of Indian...
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The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval Indian, thalassocratic empire that was established by the Chola dynasty...
This is a navigational list of empires. Contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z See also References External links List of former...
as Pataliputra, was the capital of the Magadha Empire throughout the Haryanka, Nanda, Mauryan, Shunga, Gupta, and Pala dynasties. Pataliputra was a seat...
etc Sena dyansty, Ruled by Brahmakshatriya ShungaEmpire of Magadha was established By Pushyamitra Shunga Vakataka Dynasty was a Dynasty from the Indian...
Indo-Greeks, and possibly the Panchalas and Mathuras. Extent of the ShungaEmpire's wars with the Indo-Greek Kingdom figure greatly in the history of this...
The Kushan Empire (c. 30–c. 375 AD) was a syncretic empire formed by the Yuezhi in the Bactrian territories in the early 1st century. It spread to encompass...
dynasty of Magadha, established after Vasudeva Kanva overthrew the preceding Shunga dynasty and ruled from 73 BCE to 28 BCE. Although the Puranic literature...
list enumerates Hindu empires and dynasties in chronological order. Note: Kingdoms that acted as princely states to the British Empire are not mentioned except...
Dantidurga, it overthrew Chalukya Kirtivarman II and went on to build an empire with the Gulbarga region in modern Karnataka as its base. This clan came...
of the Shungaempire led to a wave of persecution of Buddhists, and a resurgence of Hinduism. According to John Marshall, Pushyamitra Shunga may have...
Limited. ISBN 978-93-5708-047-7. Sinopoli, Carla M. (2001). "On the Edge of Empire: Form and Substance in the Satavahana Dynasty". In Alcock, Susan E.; D'Altroy...
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