Samacheer Class 6 Social Science - The Post-Mauryan India

Malavikagnimitra is a famous drama written by the renowned Sanskrit poet Kalidasa. The hero of this play is Agnimitra, the son of Pushyamitra Sunga, the founder of the Sunga dynasty. The drama is set during the Sunga period and provides valuable historical and cultural insights into that era. The play also contains references to the military achievements of the Sunga dynasty, particularly the victory of Vasumitra, who was Agnimitra's son, over the Greek invaders on the banks of the Sindhu river. This victory is significant as it demonstrates the military strength of the Sunga rulers and their ability to repel foreign invasions. Through this drama, Kalidasa not only entertained his audience but also preserved important historical events and the cultural values of the Sunga period.

The Satavahanas made significant literary achievements that enriched Sanskrit and Prakrit literature. The Satavahana king Hala was himself a great scholar of Sanskrit and a patron of learning. The Kantara school of Sanskrit flourished in the Deccan during the Second Century B.C., becoming an important center of literary and intellectual activity. Hala is particularly famous as the author of Sattasai, also known as Saptasati, which is a collection of seven hundred stanzas composed in Prakrit language. This work is considered a masterpiece of Prakrit literature and demonstrates the high level of literary sophistication achieved during the Satavahana period. The Satavahanas' patronage of scholars and poets contributed significantly to the development of Indian literature and helped preserve important works that continue to be studied and appreciated.

Kadphises I was the first famous military and political leader of the Kushana empire who played a crucial role in establishing Kushana dominance in the Indian subcontinent. He successfully overthrew the Indo-Greek and Indo-Parthian rulers who had previously controlled the northwestern regions. Through his military campaigns, Kadphises I established himself as a sovereign ruler of Bactria and extended his power across a vast territory that included Kabul, Gandhara, and extended up to the Indus river. His conquests were significant because they marked the beginning of Kushana expansion into India and laid the foundation for the later achievements of his successors, particularly Kanishka. Kadphises I's military prowess and administrative abilities enabled the Kushanas to become one of the major powers in the post-Mauryan period and to play an important role in the cultural and commercial development of India.

After the decline of the Mauryan empire, India experienced invasions and political fragmentation from multiple directions. From the north-west, various foreign groups invaded India including the Sakas, Scythians, Parthians, Indo-Greeks or Bactrian Greeks, and the Kushanas. These invasions resulted from the break-up of the Mauryan empire and the weakening of central authority. In the southern regions, the Satavahanas became independent and established their own powerful kingdom after the decline of Mauryan influence. In the northern and central regions, the Sunga and Kanva dynasties emerged as important powers before the eventual rise of the Gupta dynasty. The Chedis in Kalinga also declared their independence from Mauryan rule. Despite these political changes and the loss of Magadha's position as the premier state of India, Magadha continued to maintain its importance as a great center of Buddhist culture and learning, preserving the intellectual and spiritual traditions established during the Mauryan period.

Pushyamitra Sunga was a military general who rose to power by assassinating the last Mauryan emperor, Brihadratha. He then established the Sunga dynasty in Magadha with Pataliputra as his capital, marking the end of Mauryan rule and the beginning of a new era. Pushyamitra was a successful military commander who undertook several important conquests to expand and consolidate his kingdom. He successfully repulsed the invasion of Menander, the powerful Bactrian Greek king, thereby protecting his empire from foreign conquest and demonstrating the military strength of the Sunga dynasty. He also conquered Vidarbha, extending his territorial control. Pushyamitra was a staunch follower of Vedic religion and sought to revive Vedic traditions after the Buddhist-oriented policies of the Mauryan rulers. He performed two Asvamedhayagnas, or horse sacrifices, which were important Vedic rituals used to assert imperial authority and legitimize his rule. These sacrifices were significant religious and political events that demonstrated his power and his commitment to Vedic traditions, helping to establish the Sunga dynasty as a major force in post-Mauryan India.

The Indo-Parthians, also known as the Gondopharid dynasty, emerged as a significant power in the post-Mauryan period following the decline of the Indo-Greeks and Indo-Scythians. The dynasty was founded by Gondophemes and controlled a kingdom that encompassed the regions of Kabul and Gandhara in the north-west. The Indo-Parthians were eventually defeated by the Kushanas in the second half of the first century A.D. One of the most notable aspects of the Gondopharid dynasty is its connection to early Christianity in India. According to Christian tradition, the apostle St. Thomas visited the court of King Gondophemes and converted him to Christianity, making this dynasty significant in the history of Christian missionary activities in the Indian subcontinent. This religious conversion demonstrates the cultural and religious exchanges that occurred during this period of foreign rule in India.

Menander is widely considered the best known and most important Indo-Greek king due to his extensive territorial control and cultural influence. He ruled a large and prosperous kingdom in the north-west of the Indian subcontinent, and archaeological evidence in the form of his coins has been discovered over a vast area stretching from the Kabul valley and the Indus river in the west to western Uttar Pradesh in the east, indicating the reach of his power and commerce. Menander is further immortalized in the Buddhist text called the Milinda Panha, which is a philosophical discourse between the Bactrian king Milinda and the renowned Buddhist scholar Nagasena. Scholars have identified this Milinda with Menander, suggesting that the king engaged deeply with Buddhist philosophy and thought. Most significantly, Menander is believed to have converted to Buddhism and actively promoted the religion throughout his kingdom, making him an important patron of Buddhist culture and learning during the Indo-Greek period.

Kanishka was an ardent Buddhist.
His empire was a Buddhist empire.
He adopted Buddhism under the influence of Asvaghosha, a celebrated monk from Pataliputra.
He was as equal as the exponent and champion of Mahayanism.
He made Buddhism the state religion.
He built many stupas and monasteries in Mathura, Taxila, and many other parts of his kingdom.
He sent Buddhist missionaries to Tibet, China, and many countries of Central Asia for the propagation of Buddha’s gospel.
He organised the fourth Buddhist Council at Kundalavana near Srinagar to sort out the differences between the various schools of Buddhism. It was only in this council that Buddhism was split into Hinayanism and Mahayanism.

The Gandhara School of Art represents a remarkable synthesis of Greek and Indian artistic traditions and holds great importance in the history of Indian art and culture. This school of art was heavily influenced by Greek artistic techniques and styles, as the Greeks who ruled in the region were skilled cave builders and rock-cut architects. The Mahayana Buddhists learned the sophisticated art of carving out caves and rock-cut architecture from the Greeks, and they became highly skilled in these techniques. The Gandhara School of Art flourished particularly during the reign of the Kushan emperor Kanishka, who was a great patron of Buddhism and the arts. The most favored and frequently depicted subject in Gandhara art was the carving of sculptures of Buddha, which represented the Mahayana Buddhist emphasis on the worship and veneration of Buddha. These Buddha sculptures combined Greek sculptural techniques with Indian religious themes, creating a unique artistic style that influenced Buddhist art across Asia and demonstrated the cultural exchange between the Hellenistic world and the Indian subcontinent.

During the Post-Mauryan period, South India experienced significant growth in trade and commerce, facilitated by the policies of rulers like Kadphises II of the Kushan dynasty. Kadphises II maintained friendly and diplomatic relations with the emperors of both China and Rome, which enabled extensive trade networks to flourish across land and maritime routes. He actively encouraged and promoted trade and commerce with foreign countries, recognizing the economic benefits of such exchanges. The coins issued by Kadphises II provide valuable evidence of the cultural and religious synthesis of the period, as they contained inscribed figures of Lord Siva, reflecting the importance of Hindu deities in the kingdom. The imperial titles inscribed on these coins were written in the Kharosthi language, which was widely used in the north-western regions during this era. This period witnessed the development of the famous Silk Road trade routes, which connected India with Central Asia, China, and the Mediterranean world, facilitating the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultural practices. The prosperity generated by this trade led to the growth of urban centers and contributed to the flourishing of art, architecture, and literature in South India.

The Satavahana dynasty was founded by Simuka, who came to power through a significant political upheaval in the region. The last ruler of the Kanva dynasty, Susarman, was assassinated by Simuka, who was a powerful feudatory chief of Andhra under Kanva rule. After eliminating Susarman, Simuka established his own dynasty and laid the foundation of the Satavahana empire, which would become one of the most important and prosperous dynasties of ancient India. The Satavahanas went on to rule large parts of the Deccan and South India for several centuries, becoming major patrons of Buddhism and contributing significantly to Indian art, architecture, and commerce.