Society of Post-Mauryan India

Post Mauryan wasn’t a remarkable period in India for solidarity. Yet it showed much development in our Indian culture. Despite many foreign tribes invading our society, we continued making our development by adding and absorbing infiltrators. Yet they continued making alterations. 

This post-Mauryan period seemed to be the pillar of our society and Indian culture. Soon the Sunga dynasty came and replaced the Mauryan dynasty as the Ashoka’s successors were unable to take care of the empire. Several small kingdoms came in front and ruled over this subcontinent.

The Sunga dynasty

Pushpa Mitra Sunga was the one who founded the Sunga dynasty. They ruled from 187-151BC. He fought against the Brihadratha and won. Post Mauryan culture decline, the Satvahans controlled the southern part. The northwest had to face Bactrian Greek invasions. Pushyamitra had to struggle for his control over the area. His major achievement was the Greek invasions that he controlled. Pushyamitra supported Indian culture, Brahmanical traditions and also practised Ashwamedha yajna. They also promoted Sanskrit. Then after his death, Agni Mitra, his son, conquered and ruled over the Vidarbha area. There were nine rulers in the sunga dynasty. The 9th one was Devabhuti. One of his ministers, named Vasudeva Kanva, murdered him.

Kanva dynasty 

Vasudeva Kanva was the founder of the Kanva dynasty. The Kanvas being brahmins, believed that they were descendants of the rishi Kanva. During this period, the kingdom was reduced. There’s not much information about this dynasty’s rulers. Susarman, the last ruler of Kanvas.

Satavahana dynasty

The Satavahana Dynasty was the most important in Indian culture and the dominant native successor of the Mauryas. Following the Mauryan culture decline in Deccan followed by Indian culture diversity. The Satavahanas rose to prominence in the mid of the first century B.C.

The greatest Satavahana ruler, Gautamiputra Satakarni. He defeated Nahapana, the shaka ruler of Western India. Thus, extending the Satavahan rule. Gautamiputra Satkarni’s kingdom stretched from the Krishna River to the Godavari River in the north. Pratishthana served as the Satavahana capital, present-day Paithan in Maharashtra near Aurangabad.

Chetis or chedis

Kalinga rose to power under King Kharavela in the mid of the first century B.C. According to his inscriptions, Kharavela was Kain. He made numerous conquests. These are commemorated in the Hathigumpha inscription. Its location is in the Udayagiri hills, which is near Bhubaneswar, Orissa. The name of this inscription comes from an elephant image carved into the stone. 

Bactrian indo-greek

Following Alexander’s death. The different Greeks moved to India’s northwestern border, which is now Afghanistan. It’s interesting to note that the kings of Bactria. They are known as the Bactrian Greeks as their ancestors were Hellenistic.

Demetrius ruled the invaders in the period of Pushyamitra Sunga. King Menander, however, was the most renowned Indo-Greek ruler. The southern Gandhara and Afghanistan regions were part of his dominion. He is known as King Milinda, and he is mentioned in the classic Buddhist text ‘Milindapanho,’ in which Milinda’s philosophical queries to Nagasena. Sakala was his kingdom’s capital Sialkot. He later converted to Buddhism. Heliodorus, a Greek envoy, converted to Vaishnavism and built the pillar named Garuda in Besnagar. After King Menander’s death, Greek-influenced India and continued this for more than a century.

 Sakas dynasty

Also called the Scythians, conquered Bactria from the Greek kings and set the Greek’s example in expanding their control over India’s northeastern regions. The Northern Satraps, who governed from Taxila. Western Satraps, which they controlled across Maharashtra, were two distinct groups of Sakas. Maues was the founder of Saka. He ruled in India in the first century B.C. Rudradaman I, who ruled in the mid of the 2nd century A.D., was the most influential of the Shaka rulers. He is said to have worked on repairing Sudarshana Lake, that’s established during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya. Which was mentioned in Girnar/Junagarh inscription. This is Indian culture’s first inscription that’s royal written in Sanskrit. The Parthians deposed the Saka monarchs of Taxila.

 Parthians

They were descended from Iranians and shared a deep cultural bond with Shakas. As a result, these two groups are known as ‘Shaka-Pahlava.’ The ‘Takht-i-Bahi’ inscription at Mardan. Its presence near Peshawar suggests Parthian authority in Pakistan’s northern region. It mentions Gondophernes as a Parthian ruler. He’s thought to have become a Christian as a result of his friendship with St. Thomas.

Kushans

The Kushanas, sometimes known as Tocharians or Yuechis, followed the Parthians. They were among the Yuechi tribe’s five clans. In Kushanas, there were two succeeding dynasties.Kadphises, with 28 years of rule, established the first dynasty. Kadphises I and II, also known as Vima Kadphises, were the rulers of this kingdom. Kanishka was one of the greatest Kushan kings, and his realm extended well beyond the western Himalayas. He propagated Buddhism in Central Asia, Tibet and China.These are the kingdoms that made changes in Indian culture and added diversity Indian culture. 

Conclusion

Just after the Ashoka passed away, this led to the division of the Mauryan empire into the south and the north. This led to the abridgement of the south part as Kalinga pronounced freedom. And due to Bactrian intrusions, the north side crumpled. Pushpa Mitra Sunga was the one who ended the Mauryan dynasty. Sunga were Brahmins, hence they downgraded and abused Buddhists. They controlled a few groups of the Mauryan dynasty. Thereafter Kanva tradition trailed the Sunga. In this article, you’ll come across the post-Mauryan Indian culture, including the Sunga dynasty, Bactrian dynasty, and much more. This article will help you in many competitive exams. Feel free to contact us anytime.