Shungas, Satavahanas and Kalinga

When the Mauryas fell, three regional powers rose. The Shungas held Magadha. The Satavahanas held the Deccan. Kharavela ruled Kalinga.

Think of three corners of India. Each corner left inscriptions that exams love.

2.1 How did the Shungas begin?

Pushyamitra Shunga was a general of the last Mauryan king, Brihadratha. He killed his master and took the throne. The dynasty ruled for about 112 years, from about 185 to 73 BCE.

2.2 What did Pushyamitra do as king?

An inscription from Ayodhya, issued by a king named Dhana, says Pushyamitra performed two Ashvamedha sacrifices. He also faced the Greeks in the northwest. His grandson Vasumitra, son of Agnimitra, turned them back.

Common mistake: the Greek invader is named Demetrius or Menander in different accounts. Do not state one name as certain.

2.3 Did Pushyamitra persecute Buddhists?

Some Buddhist books say he did and destroyed monasteries. But Barhut and Sanchi were renovated and improved in this age. So historians think the persecution stories betray sectarian bias.

Why does this matter? A source written by a rival can colour the story. Check it against stone and monuments.

2.4 How did the Shungas end?

Pushyamitra’s son Agnimitra ruled next, then Agnimitra’s son Vasumitra. The last king, Devabhuti, was killed by his minister Vasudeva. Vasudeva founded the Kanva dynasty (73 to 28 BCE). A pillar at Besnagar shows a Greek, Heliodorus, worshipping Vasudeva as a Bhagavata.

3.1 Where did they come from?

The Puranas call them Andhras or Andhra-bhrityas. Their own inscriptions and coins do not use that name. Their origin is debated. The founder was Simukha (about 231-208 BCE).

Common mistake: “Andhra” is the Puranic label, not what the kings called themselves.

3.2 What did they leave behind?

• Their capital was Pratishthana (Paithan).
• The Naneghat inscription of Queen Naganika tells of Satakarni I.
• King Hala compiled 700 poems, the Gathasaptashati, in Maharashtri Prakrit.
• Roman coins found in the Krishna valley show trade with the West.

3.3 Why were the kings named after their mothers?

Satavahana kings used matronymics: names built from the mother’s name. Gautamiputra means “son of Gautami”. Historians still say succession was generally from father to son.

Common mistake: matronymic naming does not mean the throne passed through women.

3.4 Who was Gautamiputra Satakarni?

He was the greatest Satavahana king. His mother Gautami Balashri had his deeds carved in the Nashik inscription after his death. It calls him destroyer of the Shakas, Pahlavas and Yavanas. He beat the Shaka ruler Nahapana and won back lost land. Sources give different dates for his reign.

4.1 What is the Hathigumpha inscription?

The Hathigumpha (“Elephant Cave”) inscription is on Udayagiri hill near Bhubaneswar. It is written in Prakrit. It opens with a salutation to the Arhats and Siddhas. It is one of the earliest royal biographies in India.

4.2 What does it say year by year?

• Year 2: he sent an army west, ignoring Satakarni.
• Year 8: he attacked Gorathagiri (Barabar hills). A Greek king named Dimita retreated to Mathura. Scholars debate if this was Demetrius.
• Year 11: he broke a confederacy of Tamil states, reckoned at 113 years old.
• Year 12: he beat the Magadha king Bahasatimita and brought back the Kalinga-jina image taken by a Nanda king.

Common mistake: the 113 years belong to the Tamil confederacy, not the Nanda canal of year 5.

4.3 When did Kharavela rule?

The date is debated. Most writers place him in the 2nd or 1st century BCE. The inscription names Satakarni, the Nanda king, a Greek king and Bahasatimita, which helps scholars fix the time.

5.1 What should you remember?

• Pushyamitra killed Brihadratha, c. 185 BCE. Dynasty to 73 BCE.
• Persecution stories are doubted; Barhut and Sanchi grew in this age.
• Satavahanas: Simukha, Pratishthana, Hala, matronymics.
• Gautamiputra: Nashik inscription by his mother.
• Hathigumpha: Tamil confederacy 113 years, year 11; Magadha, year 12.

Which inscription mentions a Tamil confederacy?

The answer is (b). A Live History India article and the Lucknow University note place the Tamil confederacy in Kharavela’s year 11.

How old was the Tamil confederacy?

The answer is (d). The Lucknow University note reads the phrase as 113 years, though it can also be read as 1300.

What do the Puranas call the Satavahanas?

The answer is (a). INFLIBNET says the Puranas call them Andhras or Andhra-bhrityas.

Did names and succession follow the mother?

The answer is (c). The NCERT Class 12 chapter says both: names came from mothers, but succession was generally patrilineal.