POST-MAURYAN DYNASTIES
SUNGAS AND KANVAS
âž® Pushyamitra laid the foundation of the Sunga dynasty.
âž® Pushyamitra killed the last Mauryan ruler Brihdrath in 185 B.C.
âž® Patanjali, Malavikagnimitram was a contemporary of Pushyamitra Sunga.
âž® The last Sunga king was Devabhuti.
THE SATVAHANA DYNASTY
âž® The Puranas speak only of Andhra rule and not of Satvahana rule.
âž® Simuka was the first Satvahana king.
âž® They issued mostly coins of lead.
âž® They were the successors of the Mauryans in the Deccan and the central India.
âž® Gautamiputra Satkarni (106-130 A.D.) called himself the only Brahamana.
âž® His achievements are recorded in Nasik Inscription.
âž® Nasik Inscription belongs to his mother Gautami Balasri.
âž® Satvahanas were the first rulers to make land grants to Brahamanas.
âž® Prakrit text Gathasaptashati is attributed to Satvahana king Hala.
âž® They had brisk trade with Romans.
âž® Nasik and Nanaghat are important inscription of the Satvahana period.
THE INDO-GREEKS
âž® A series of invasions from central Asia began around 200 B.C.
➮ The first to cross the Hindukush were the Indo–Greeks.
âž® The most famous Indo-Greek ruler was Menander (165-145 B.C.). His capital was Sakala or Sialkot.
âž® Menander was converted to Buddhism by Nagasena or Nagarjuna.
➮ The conversation between the two is recorded in a book named ‘Milindapanho’, or question of Milinda.
➮ Indo–Greeks were the first to issue gold coins in India.
âž® They were the first rulers in India to issue coins definitely attributed to the kings.
➮ They also introduced practice of military governorship. The governors were called ‘Strategos’.
THE SAKAS
âž® The Greeks were followed by the Sakas.
âž® They are referred to as scythians.
âž® The Saka poured into India through the Bolan Pass.
âž® The earliest Indian textual reference to the Sakas are found in the Mahabhasya.
âž® The most famous of the Saka rulers was Rudradaman (130- 152 A.D.)
âž® His achievements are highlighted in his Junagarh Inscription.
âž® It is the first major inscription to be written in Sanskrit.
âž® It records the repair of Sudarshan lake undertook by his officers.
THE KUSHAN DYNASTY
âž® They are referred to as Yuch- Chis or Tocharians.
âž® They belonged to one of the five clans of the Yuch-Chis tribe.
âž® They came from North Central Asia near China. Their empire included a good part of central Asia a portion of Iran a portion of Afghanistan, Pakistan and almost the whole of North India.
âž® Kanishka (78-144 A.D.) started the Shaka era (78 A.D.)
âž® His two capitals were Purushpura (Peshawar) and Mathura.
âž® Charak was the court physician of Kanishka.
âž® Fourth Buddhist Council was held under his patronage at Kundalvan.
âž® Kanishka controlled the famous Silk route in central Asia.
âž® The Gandhara School of art recieved royal patronage of the Kushans.
âž® Kanishka provided patronage to Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna.