Shunga Empire

The Shunga Empire was an ancient Indian polity centred on Magadha that controlled much of the northern Indian subcontinent from about 185 to 75 BCE. It was founded by Pushyamitra, a commander who overthrew the last Maurya emperor and seized the throne. The Shunga capital was Pataliputra, although later rulers such as Bhagabhadra also held court at Besnagar, near modern Vidisha. Pushyamitra ruled for thirty-six years and was succeeded by his son Agnimitra, but after Agnimitra's death the empire rapidly fragmented, and inscriptions and coins show that much of northern and central India consisted of small kingdoms and city-states independent of Shunga rule. The dynasty fought the Kalingas, the Satavahanas, the Indo-Greek kingdom and possibly the Panchalas, and its conflicts with the Greeks are remembered in the Shunga-Greek War. The period saw a flowering of art, learning and philosophy: the stupas at Bharhut and Sanchi were expanded, the Mathura school of art emerged, and Patanjali's Mahabhashya was composed. The last Shunga emperor, Devabhuti, was assassinated by his minister Vasudeva Kanva around 73 BCE, after which the Kanva dynasty took power. The name Shunga is largely a convenience of modern historiography, appearing in only one contemporary inscription.