Sunga Empire

For other uses of the term Sunga see Sunga (disambiguation)

The Sunga empire (or Shunga empire) controlled North-central and Eastern India from around 185 to 73 BCE. It was established after the fall of the Indian Mauryan empire. The capital of the Sungas was at Pataliputra.

Overthrow of the Mauryan dynasty (185 BCE)

The Sunga dynasty was established in 185 BCE, about 50 years after Ashoka's death, when the king Brhadrata, the last of the Mauryan rulers, was assassinated by the then commander-in-chief of the Mauryan armed forces, Pusyamitra Sunga "Pusyamitra is said in the Puranas to have been the senānī or army-commander of the last Maurya king Brhadratha" The Yuga Purana, Mitchener, 2002., while he was taking the Guard of Honour of his forces. Pusyamitra Sunga then ascended the throne.

Attitude towards Buddhism

Pusyamitra Sunga, a Brahmin, was believed by Buddhist scholars to be hostile towards Buddhists and allegedly persecuted the Buddhist faith. He is recorded as having "destroyed monasteries and killed Monks" (Divyavadana, p429-434): 84.000 Buddhist stupas which had been built by the Mauryan king Ashoka were destroyed (R. Thaper), and 100 gold coins were offered for the head of each Buddhist monk (Indian Historical Quarterly Vol. XXII, p.81 ff cited in Hars.407). A large number of Buddhist monasteries (viharas) were allegedly converted to Hindu temples, in such places as Nalanda, Bodhgaya, Sarnath or Mathura. The extent of this persecution remains a subject of modern debate, especially as the Sungas are thought by many to have contribute largely to the new Buddhist religion. Proponents point to the proclamations and a propogation of the Manu Smriti and detractors often cite the building of a Buddhist stupa at Baharut.

Conflict with the Indo-Greeks (180 BCE- )

The Sunga Empire's wars with the Indo-Greek Kingdom figure greatly in the history of this period. From around 180 BCE the Greco-Bactrian ruler Demetrius, conquered the Kabul Valley and is theorized to have advanced into the trans-indus. He is credited with established the Indo-Greek kingdom. At its maximum extent (under Menander), it is theorized to have run from the Hindu Kush to Mathura, which was to last in parts until the end of the 1st century BCE, and under which Buddhism flourished. Menander (Pali: Milinda) was a strong benefactor of the Buddhist faith at that time. The net result of these wars remains uncertain. Pushyamitra is recorded to have performed the Ashvamedha Yagna and Sunga imperial insriptions have extended as far as Jalandhar in modern Indian Punjab. Accordingly, conflict between the Shungas and Indo-Greeks is also recorded to have taken place on the Indus in Kalidasa's Malavikagnimitra. Nevertheless, very little can be said with great certainty. However, what does appear clear is that the two realms appeared to have established normalized diplomatic relations in the succeeding reigns of their respective rulers. The Indo-Greeks and the Sungas seem to have reconciled and exchanged diplomatic missions around 110 BCE, as indicated by the Heliodorus pillar, which records the dispatch of a Greek ambassador named Heliodorus, from the court of the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas, to the court of the Sunga king Bhagabhadra at the site of Vidisha in central India.

Cultural Contributions

While there is much debate on the religious politics of the Sunga dynasty, it is recognized for a number of contributions. Art, education, philosophy, and other learning flowered during this period. Most notably, Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and Mahabhasya were composed in this period. It is also noted for its subsequent mention in the Malavikaagnimitra. This work was composed by Kalidasa in the later Gupta period, and romanticized the love of Malavika and King Agnimitra, with a background of court intrigue.

During the historical Sunga period (185 to 73 BCE), Buddhist activity also managed to survive somewhat in central India (Madhya Pradesh) as suggested by some architectural expansions that were done at the stupas of Sanchi and Barhut, originally started under King Ashoka. It remains uncertain whether these works were due to the weakness of the control of the Sungas in these areas, or a sign of tolerance on their part.

The last of the Sunga kings was Devabhuti. He was assassinated by his minister (Vasudeva Kanva) and is said to have been overfond of the company of women. The Sunga dynasty was then replaced by the subsequent Kanvas.

List of Sunga kings

Pusyamitra Sunga (185 - 149 BCE)
Agnimitra (149 - 141 BCE)
Vasujyeshtha (141 - 131 BCE)
Vasumitra (131 - 124 BCE)
Andhraka (124 - 122 BCE)
Pulindaka (122 - 119 BCE)
Ghosha
Vajramitra
Bhagabhadra
Devabhuti (83 - 73 BCE)

Notes

References

"Dictionary of Buddhism" by Damien KEOWN (Oxford University Press, 2003) ISBN 0198605609
"Ashoka and the decline of the Mauryas" Romila Thaper (London 1961).
"The Yuga Purana", John E. Mitchiner, Kolkata, The Asiatic Society, 2002, ISBN 8172361246

External links

Empires | Empires and kingdoms of India | Historical Hindu empires

Shunga | シュンガ朝 | Шунга | Sunga

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