Post-Mauryan Dynasties
Post-Mauryan Dynasties
Between the fall of the Mauryas in 185 BCE and the rise of the Guptas around 320 CE, north India was ruled by a succession of indigenous and Central Asian powers - Shungas, Kanvas, Satavahanas, Indo-Greeks, Shakas, Parthians and Kushanas. This was politically fragmented but economically the richest phase of ancient India, driven by Indo-Roman trade.
Indigenous successors
| Dynasty | Founder | Key points |
|---|---|---|
| Shunga | Pushyamitra Shunga | Killed Brihadratha in 185 BCE; performed Ashvamedha; Bharhut stupa railing and Sanchi enlargement belong to this age |
| Kanva | Vasudeva | Short-lived Magadha dynasty, ended around 28 BCE |
| Chedi of Kalinga | Kharavela | Hathigumpha inscription; Jain patron; invaded Magadha |
| Satavahana | Simuka | Deccan power; Gautamiputra Satakarni is the greatest ruler; Nashik inscription of Gautami Balashri |
The Satavahanas deserve close attention. They ruled the Deccan from Pratishthana (Paithan), issued mainly lead and potin coins, used Prakrit as the official language, and followed a unique naming pattern in which kings took their mother's name - Gautamiputra, Vasishthiputra - although succession itself remained patrilineal. Gautamiputra Satakarni defeated the Shaka ruler Nahapana and restruck his silver coins, a fact confirmed by coin hoards.
मातृनाम पद्धति का अर्थ यह नहीं कि सातवाहन समाज मातृसत्तात्मक था | उत्तराधिकार पिता से पुत्र को ही जाता था; केवल नाम में माता का उल्लेख होता था | परीक्षा में यही अंतर पूछा जाता है |
Central Asian rulers
| Power | Notable ruler | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Indo-Greeks (Bactrian) | Menander (Milinda) | First gold coins and first portrait coins in India; Milindapanha records his dialogue with Nagasena |
| Shakas (Scythians) | Rudradaman I | Junagadh rock inscription in chaste Sanskrit; Western Kshatrapas of Ujjain |
| Indo-Parthians (Pahlavas) | Gondophernes | St Thomas is traditionally said to have visited his court |
| Kushanas | Kanishka I | Started the Shaka era in 78 CE; patron of the Fourth Buddhist Council; empire from Central Asia to Varanasi |
The Kushanas matter most. Kanishka's capital was Purushapura (Peshawar) with a second centre at Mathura. He issued the largest number of gold coins before the Guptas and his coinage carries Greek, Iranian, Hindu and Buddhist deities together - clear proof of a syncretic empire. Under him the Gandhara school of art, blending Greco-Roman form with Buddhist subject, and the Mathura school, indigenous and using red sandstone, both produced the first images of the Buddha.
Shaka era = 78 CE (Kanishka) | Vikram Samvat = 58 BCE | Gupta era = 319-320 CE
✗ The Vikram Samvat was started by Kanishka | ✓ Kanishka started the Shaka era in 78 CE; the Vikram Samvat dates from 58 BCE
Economy and society
This is the golden age of Indian trade. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea and Pliny describe Roman ships reaching Muziris, Barygaza (Bharuch) and Arikamedu. Pliny famously complained about the drain of Roman gold to India. Indian exports were pepper (called yavanapriya), textiles, ivory, gems and spices, against imports of wine, glass and gold coins.
- Discovery of the monsoon wind pattern by Hippalus made direct sea voyages possible
- Guilds (shreni) acted as bankers and received permanent endowments recorded in cave inscriptions
- Rock-cut caves at Karle, Bhaja, Nashik and Kanheri were funded by traders and guilds, not only kings
- Land grants to Brahmanas begin under the Satavahanas - the seed of later feudal tendencies
- Sanskrit revives as a court language; Ashvaghosha writes Buddhacharita in Kanishka's court
Linkage: Gandhara and Mathura schools carry straight into the Art and Culture material, the Shaka era links to the Indian national calendar in Polity and current affairs, and the Indo-Roman trade routes connect to the Economic Geography chapter on ports and to the Sangam age topic, since the same Roman ships reached the Tamil coast.
Exam pointer: usually one question, most often on the Kushanas or on eras. High-yield items are Kanishka and the Shaka era of 78 CE, the two art schools and their materials, and the Satavahana matronymic naming. Traps: mixing up Shaka era with Vikram Samvat, calling the Satavahanas matriarchal, and attributing the first Buddha image to only one school - both Gandhara and Mathura produced it, and UPSC has tested exactly that nuance.
FAQ
Who started the Shaka era and when?
Kanishka I of the Kushana dynasty started the Shaka era in 78 CE. India adopted this era as the basis of the National Calendar in 1957, so the fact appears in both history and polity questions. The Vikram Samvat, beginning 58 BCE, is a separate and older reckoning.
What is the difference between the Gandhara and Mathura schools?
Gandhara art used grey schist, showed strong Greco-Roman influence with wavy hair, muscular realism and drapery folds, and its subject matter was almost entirely Buddhist. Mathura art used spotted red sandstone, was indigenous in style, showed a more robust and smiling figure, and covered Buddhist, Jain and Brahmanical subjects.
Why is the post-Mauryan period called economically prosperous despite political disunity?
Because trade, not political unity, drove the economy. Direct monsoon sailing, Roman demand for Indian pepper and textiles, active guilds, and Kushana control of the Silk Route linking India to Central Asia and China together produced large-scale urban prosperity, visible in coin hoards and in donative cave inscriptions.
60-second recap
- 185 BCE Pushyamitra Shunga ends the Mauryas; Kanvas follow; Kharavela rules Kalinga.
- Satavahanas rule the Deccan from Pratishthana, use Prakrit, take matronymic names.
- Indo-Greeks bring portrait coins; Menander and Nagasena appear in the Milindapanha.
- Rudradaman's Junagadh inscription is the first long Sanskrit inscription.
- Kanishka starts the Shaka era in 78 CE, holds the Fourth Council, patronises Gandhara and Mathura art.
- Indo-Roman trade through Muziris, Barygaza and Arikamedu drains Roman gold to India.