Ancient Indian History
🔒 Log in to trackPost-Mauryan Age: Shungas to Kushanas
🔒 Log in to trackIndigenous dynasties
| Dynasty | Founder / key rulers | Facts |
|---|---|---|
| Shunga (c. 185–73 BCE) | Pushyamitra Shunga | Killed Brihadratha; performed 2 Ashvamedhas; patron of grammarian Patanjali; Agnimitra is the hero of Kalidasa's Malavikagnimitram; Bharhut stupa railings |
| Kanva (c. 73–28 BCE) | Vasudeva Kanva | Killed last Shunga king Devabhuti; ended by the Satavahanas |
| Satavahana (Andhras) | Founder Simuka; capital Pratishthana (Paithan) on the Godavari | Gautamiputra Satakarni — greatest; destroyed the Kshaharata Shakas (Nahapana); praised in the Nasik inscription of his mother Gautami Balashri. Hala wrote Gathasaptashati (Prakrit). First to give tax-free land grants to Brahmanas; kings used metronymics; lead and potin coins; official language Prakrit |
| Chedi (Kalinga) | Kharavela | Hathigumpha inscription (Udayagiri, Odisha); Jain patron |
Foreign dynasties
| Group | Key ruler | Facts |
|---|---|---|
| Indo-Greeks | Demetrius, Menander (Milinda) — capital Sakala (Sialkot) | First coins that can be definitely attributed to kings; first gold coins in India; Milindapanha; roots of Gandhara art |
| Shakas (Scythians) | Rudradaman I (Western Kshatrapa, Ujjain) | Junagadh (Girnar) inscription, c. 150 CE — first long inscription in chaste Sanskrit; repaired the Sudarshana lake (built by Chandragupta Maurya's governor Pushyagupta) |
| Parthians (Pahlavas) | Gondophernes | Visit of St. Thomas (tradition); Takht-i-Bahi inscription |
| Kushanas (Yuezhi) | Kujula Kadphises → Vima Kadphises (large gold issues, Shiva on coins) → Kanishka | See below |
Kanishka (accession 78 CE)
- Started the Shaka era (78 CE) — basis of India's National Calendar.
- Capital Purushapura (Peshawar); second centre Mathura.
- Convened the 4th Buddhist Council (Kundalvana, Kashmir); patron of Mahayana.
- Court: Ashvaghosha (Buddhacharita), Nagarjuna, Vasumitra, physician Charaka (Charaka Samhita).
- Title Devaputra; Rabatak inscription (Afghanistan) gives Kushana genealogy.
- Art: Gandhara school (Greco-Roman style, grey schist) & Mathura school (red sandstone, indigenous).
Eras
| Era | Starts | Founder (tradition) |
|---|---|---|
| Vikram Samvat | 57 BCE | Vikramaditya of Ujjain (after defeating Shakas) |
| Shaka Samvat | 78 CE | Kanishka — official national calendar |
| Gupta era | 319–320 CE | Chandragupta I |
| Harsha era | 606 CE | Harshavardhana |
Detailed notes
After the Mauryas — a crowd of dynasties
Pushyamitra Sunga (185–73 BCE) ruled from Pataliputra with Vidisha as a second centre; the grammarian Patanjali (Mahabhashya) adorned his age, and existing stupas (Sanchi, Bharhut railings) were expanded. The Kanvas (73–28 BCE) succeeded briefly. Then wave after wave of Central-Asian people entered through the north-west.
- Indo-Greeks (Bactrian Greeks): best king Menander (Milinda), whose dialogues with the monk Nagasena form the Milindapanha; they were the first to issue coins bearing kings' portraits.
- Shakas: five branches; the western branch of Ujjain produced Rudradaman I (c. 130 CE), whose Junagadh rock inscription is the first long inscription in chaste Sanskrit and records the repair of Sudarshana lake.
- Parthians (Pahlavas): Gondophernes is linked in tradition with St Thomas's arrival.
- Kushanas: the greatest of them all.
The Kushanas
Kujula Kadphises united the five Yuezhi clans; Vima Kadphises issued India's first gold coins; Kanishka (from 78 CE, the Shaka era used in India's national calendar) ruled from Purushpura (Peshawar) with Mathura as a second capital. Kanishka patronised the Fourth Buddhist Council (Kashmir) — after which Buddhism split into Hinayana and Mahayana — and scholars Ashvaghosha (Buddhacharita), Charaka (Charaka Samhita), Vasumitra and Nagarjuna. Two art schools flowered: Gandhara (Greco-Buddhist style, grey schist) and Mathura (indigenous, red sandstone). Kushana control of the Silk Road fed the economy.
The Satavahanas of the Deccan
Founded by Simuka (c. 1st century BCE), with the capital at Pratishthana (Paithan on the Godavari); their coins say 'Andhra'. The greatest ruler Gautamiputra Satakarni — 'destroyer of Kshatriyas', 'lord of the Andhra race' — is known chiefly from the Nasik inscription of his mother, Gautami Balashri. The Satavahanas were the first dynasty to make land grants to Brahmanas (tax-free), a seed of the feudal age; they issued lead and potin coins and used Prakrit. Their ports (Kalyan, Sopara) carried the Roman trade; their society shows nahapana-erased coins and, in some areas, cross-cousin marriage and mothers named on coins (a non-Sanskritic touch).
Indo-Roman trade
The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea and Sangam poems describe Yavana traders at Indian ports: Tamralipti (Ganga delta, east), Bharuch (Bhrigukachchha) and Sopara (west), Muziris (Kerala) and Arikamedu (near Pondicherry — arretine Roman pottery, beads, Roman lamps). Big hoards of Roman gold coins show the trade balance ran in India's favour — Pliny complained that Rome drained gold for pepper, pearls and textiles.
Quick revision
- Order of NW entries: Indo-Greeks → Shakas → Parthians → Kushanas; Sunga → Kanva in the heartland.
- Menander-Nagasena = Milindapanha; Indo-Greeks = first portrait coins; Rudradaman = first chaste-Sanskrit inscription + Sudarshana lake.
- Kushana chain: Kujula → Vima Kadphises (first gold) → Kanishka (78 CE Shaka era; Peshawar + Mathura).
- Kanishka's circle: Ashvaghosha, Charaka, Vasumitra, Nagarjuna; Gandhara & Mathura art.
- Satavahanas: Simuka → Pratishthana; Gautamiputra Satakarni (mother's Nasik inscription); first Brahmana land grants; lead-potin coins.
- Trade ports: Tamralipti (E), Bharuch (W), Muziris, Arikamedu (Roman finds).
Types of questions asked
Every way this subtopic shows up in exams — how to recognise it, the formula or logic to use, and a solved example.
Type 1: Post-Mauryan dynasties in order and their kingsvery common2 practice Q
'Which dynasty came after the Sungas', 'Rudradaman belonged to', ordering Sunga-Kanva-Indo-Greek-Shaka-Parthian-Kushana.
- Heartland chain: Sunga (185-73 BCE) → Kanva (73-28 BCE); NW entries in order Indo-Greeks → Shakas → Parthians → Kushanas.
- King hooks: Menander = Indo-Greek; Rudradaman I = Shaka (Ujjain); Gondophernes = Parthian; Kanishka = Kushana.
- Rudradaman's Junagadh inscription = first long chaste-Sanskrit record + Sudarshana lake repair.
Example: Who repaired the Sudarshana lake and issued the first long inscription in chaste Sanskrit?
Rudradaman I, the Shaka ruler of Ujjain — his Junagadh rock inscription (c. 130 CE).
Type 2: Kushanas: Kanishka and his agevery common3 practice Q
'The Shaka era was started by', first gold coins, Kanishka's capitals, Gandhara vs Mathura art, scholars at his court.
- Coin chain: Indo-Greeks = portraits; Vima Kadphises = first gold; Satavahanas = lead/potin; Kushanas = gold dynasty.
- Kanishka: 78 CE = Shaka era; capitals Purushpura (Peshawar) + Mathura; 4th Council; Hinayana/Mahayana split.
- Court circle: Ashvaghosha, Charaka, Vasumitra, Nagarjuna; art: Gandhara (Greco-Buddhist) and Mathura (red sandstone).
Example: Which Kushana ruler first issued gold coins in India?
Vima Kadphises — Kanishka's father; Kanishka continued the gold coinage on Roman-standard weights.
Type 3: Satavahanas: rulers, capital and social practicecommon2 practice Q
'Capital of the Satavahanas', Gautamiputra Satakarni's titles, first land grants, lead-potin coins, Prakrit language.
- Founders and place: Simuka; capital Pratishthana (Paithan) on the Godavari.
- Greatest king Gautamiputra Satakarni — 'destroyer of Kshatriyas'; evidence = mother Gautami Balashri's Nasik inscription.
- Firsts: first land grants to Brahmanas; coins in lead and potin; language Prakrit.
Example: The greatest Satavahana ruler, called the 'destroyer of Kshatriyas', was —
Gautamiputra Satakarni, known from his mother Gautami Balashri's inscription at Nasik.
Type 4: Indo-Roman trade: ports, goods, coinscommon3 practice Q
'Arikamedu is famous for', 'the main east-coast port', Roman gold hoards, Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.
- Ports: Tamralipti (east, Ganga delta), Bharuch/Bhrigukachchha and Sopara (west), Muziris (Kerala), Arikamedu (Coromandel).
- Arikamedu = arretine Roman pottery, lamps, beads — a Roman trading post.
- Roman gold coin hoards = trade surplus for India; Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is the Greek sailing guide.
Example: Which post-Mauryan coastal site in the south is famous for Roman pottery and trade goods?
Arikamedu (near Pondicherry) — arretine ware, Roman lamps and beads prove direct Indo-Roman trade.
Shortcut tricks
⚡ "57 minus, 78 plus"
Vikram Samvat = 57 BCE (subtract), Shaka = 78 CE (add). To convert: CE = VS − 57; CE = Shaka + 78.
Example: Shaka year 1948 corresponds to which CE year?
1948 + 78 = 2026 CE (Shaka year begins on 22 March in a normal year).
⚡ Satavahana = "S-P-G-H"
Simuka founder · Pratishthana capital · Gautamiputra greatest · Hala poet.
Where students lose marks
Rudradaman's Junagadh inscription is in Sanskrit; Ashoka's inscriptions are in Prakrit.
Shaka era was begun by Kanishka (a Kushana), not by a Shaka ruler.
Charaka was Kanishka's physician; Sushruta is the surgeon (Sushruta Samhita).
Practice sets — 12 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Each answer comes with a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 12 questions
Suggested time 5 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.