Post Mauryan Period | Complete Ancient Indian History for UPSC 2026-27 | Class 12

Hello and welcome Hardworking Aspirants. Today we'll discuss about post-Mauryan period. In last class we have studied about Mauryans and also the later Mauryans. The 30 years after Ashoka, we saw few of the weak successors of Ashoka and then we saw Brihadratha, the last Mauryan ruler who was assassinated by his own commander-in-chief that is Pushyamutra Sunga and that will be the start of Sunga dynasty. Along with Sunga dynasty we'll also see the Satwanas and also the important ruler of Chedi dynasty of Kalinga. So this will be few of the things that we'll be discussing. We'll also be discussing about Manusmriti which is somewhere the other compiled when there was Pushyamutra Sunga and we'll also be seeing the territorial extent and the other things important. But before that guys, Main Sensor Writing Foundational Bootcamp 2025 is live now and you should join it because there are 30 power-packed live sessions. Along with this, there are so many things to learn and your approach to the UPSC or the state PCS exam should always be mains cum prelims and it is also available at a very affordable cost of 499 rupees. So you should check it out and also for the batches of UPC, CSE 2026 and 2027, this is the opportunity for you. We are getting 50% off right now. So call on the numbers given below and inquire for more. Let's get started with our class. So after the decline of Mauryan Empire, this 200 BC to 300 AD, this period is basically known as the dark age of Indian history. Why the dark age? Because you are not going to find some very specific or some very important rulers at this time. But as discussed in the last class also Brihadrata, the last Mauryan ruler was killed or assassinated by Pushyamutra Sunga. Pushyamutra Sunga being the commander-in-chief and he was also a Brahmin. They belong to Ujjain and they started this Sunga dynasty. Now the Sunga dynasty will start the ruling from Pataliputra, but then they will shift the capital to Bidisha. This is very important. Also remember while this period Manusmriti was compiled. Manusmriti being the of Sanatan Dharma or Hindu Dharma and it was compiled by Bhrigu Rishi. This may be important information. So please note that down. That is something very important and also please remember there are two things related to Pushyamutra Sunga that is very important for you. Number one, in Buddhist books he is told to be as the persecutor of Buddhism and specifically there is a book named as the Divya Vadana. This is a Buddhist book, scripture where it is mentioned that Pushyamutra Sunga was the destroyer of Buddhism, but there is contradictory thing in the evidence and what is that? That is while the period of Pushyamutra Sunga, there was renovation done in Sanchi Stupa and there was Bharat Stupa of Buddhism. These both were somewhere or other renovated at that time. So this is a contradictory statement that you should know and along with this you should also know that Pushyamutra Sunga also defeated the Greek bacterians. The bacterians also what they are known as were defeated by him. Then there were these ten rulers in total along with Pushyamutra and his son Agnimitra being the most prominent. And the last ruler in the Pushyamutra Sunga's dynasty will be Devabhuti who will be assassinated by his minister Vasudev Kanwa and that will be the start of the Kanwa dynasty. That is something you should know. Along with this please remember that there was one more Sunga ruler that is Bhagabhadra. While the time of Bhagabhadra in Tashila, there was this Greek bacterian ruler and his name was Antialchides. In the king of Tashila at that time Antialchides and he sent an ambassador. The ambassador's name is Heliodorus. Heliodorus being the ambassador, why he is important? Because of Baisnagar inscription. Heliodorus inscribed the Baisnagar inscription. What is so important in this Baisnagar inscription? In Baisnagar inscription we come to know about Bhagavat religion and it is also said that Heliodorus accepted Bhagavat as a religion. He converted himself. So this is something of very importance and where is this Baisnagar inscription? It is in Vedisa, the capital at that time of the Sunga dynasty. That is you should remember that and then after this what we will see? We will see the Kanwas but before that let's see the administration. That is the territory and administration, the military and foreign relations and religion and culture of the Sunga dynasty along with art and architecture. Let's see the territory and administration. The Sunga empire controlled much of northern and central India including Magadha, parts of Bengal, northern Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Major centres included Ujjain, Madhura, Saket, Sanchi and Kapilavastu and the empire rapidly fragmented after Agnimitra with many regions gaining independence. Sometimes Agnimitra is also known as the grandson. Please remember that. So this you can see in the map. Military and foreign relations what was at their time. The Sungas faced constant warfare including conflicts with the Indo-Greeks, notably Demetrius and Menander. Demetrius guys after you can see when he had this matrimonial alliance with the Mauryan empire. Then after Pushyamitra Sunga killed the last Mauryan ruler then Demetrius takes control of the Pataliputra as well. But Pushyamitra defeats Demetrius and restricts him to the areas of the Tassila. That is something important which you should know. And the Satvanas, Pushyamitra Sunga successfully repelled Greek invasion, performed Aswamedhi Yagna to assert his authority. That is something of noting down. Religion and culture, the Sunga period marked the revival of Brahmanism and Hinduism after the Buddhist Mauryan era. Notably literary works include Patanjali's Mahabhashya and advances in Sanskrit literature. I have already told you about Manusmriti. Portions of Brahman and Mahabharata may have been composed or compiled during this period. The Manusmriti and Kama Sutra are also linked to this era. So here you can see the Patanjali Mahabhashyam which was written there at that time by Saint Patanjali. And you also see the Manusmriti that we have already talked about. Then see the art and architecture back then. The Singa era saw significant artistic development specially in sculpture and architecture. The Bharat Stupa and the enlargement of Great Stupa at Sanchi are major contributions. This I have already said you because many people, specially the Buddhist scriptures talk about Pushyamitra Sunga as the persecutor of Buddhism but there is something else that the evidence suggests. So please remember these contradictory statements about him. The Madhura art style and terracotta images flourished and Sunga art was more secular and less sectarian than Mauryan art. Now let's see the rise of regional dynasties that we have already seen. The Kanwa dynasty was founded by Vasudev Kanwa, a Brahmin minister who assassinated the last Sunga ruler Devabhuti around 73 before Kama era. The Kanwa's rule from the Pataliputra that is the modern Patna but points suggest Bidisha in central India was also a major centre. Why? Because Bidisha was the capital of the Sunga. So Vasudev Kanwa and along with him we will see the Su-Sarma. Not very notable things that were done by them. So Vasudev Kanwa, then you have Bhumimitra, then you have the Narayana and then you have the Su-Sarma as the last ruler. Let's see the territory and administration. The Kanwa territory was mainly limited to the former Sunga domains in eastern and central India, especially around Magadha and Bidisha. This you can see in the yellow. That's a part of the Kanwa dynasty. Not a very large or very profound one. Their rule was relatively weak and short-lived, lasting about 45 years. Declined in legacy, the dynasty ended when Su-Sarma was overthrown likely by Satavahanas around 28 BC. After their fall, the Magadha region came under the influence of Mitra dynasty of Kausambi and later the Sakas. The Kanwas allowed remnants of the Sunga family to rule in some regions. Rise of regional dynasties. Now we will see the rise of Satavahana dynasty. The Satavahanas also known as the Andhras emerged in the Deccan after the Mauryan decline around the late 2nd or mid 1st century BCE. Now Andhras, they are known as in Puranas. In Puranas, when they talk about the Satavahanas, they call them as Andhras. Simukha is considered the founder and the dynasty's early power base was in present-day Maharashtra, later expanding into Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. So Simukha is the one who was the founder. Main capital being the Prathisthana or the Paithan and Amravati. That is of importance. Administration, the kingdom was divided into provinces or the Aharas. The provinces were known as the Aharas, governed by civil and military officials, that is the Amatyas, Mahabhojas and Senapatis. Please remember this term, this can be asked. The king was the upholder of Dharma and followed Sastric ideals. The Satavahana started the practice of granting tax-free villages to Brahmanas and Buddhist monks. This is also of importance. Please remember, just repeating, the Satavahana started the practice of granting tax-free villages to Brahmanas and Buddhist monks at that time. One of the very first to start doing so. So you can see in this map, the Satavahana's territory that has extended, it is extending to the middle part of India, the central India and also to the southern part of the India. Okay. Let's see the military achievement. Their greatest ruler was Gautami Putra Satakarn, who defeated the Sakas king, Nahapana and expanded the empire across central India and the western Deccan. The dynasty frequently clashed with Sakas and other regional powers. So Gautami Putra Satakarn is attributed to have defeated the Sakas. Okay. They were also known as the Western Satrapas. Now there is one thing more of this, which you should know. Okay. Simukha was the founder of the dynasty. So these people along with, when we have discussed about Vashimitra Sunga, he was a Brahmin and these people are also in Varna. They are the Brahmins. Okay. And there is also in the Nasik inscription is the mention of the brothers of Simukha, that is Krishna one and Kanha. They are mentioned in the Nasik inscription and these people are the brothers of Simukha, who was the founder of this. And along with him, please also remember about Satakarni one. Satakarni one and wife Naginika. Okay. Satakarni one and wife Naginika are mentioned in the Nanaghat inscription. Okay. Which is said that by the wife Naginika only, it was inscribed over there. So this is something which you should also remember. And Satakarni one hold the title of Dakshin Pathpati. Okay. Dakshin Pathpati. This was the title of Satakarni one. Might be of importance for the exams. So please note that down too. Society, region and culture, the Sathwanas were Brahmanas, but supported both Hinduism and Buddhism, patronized practice, literature and Buddhist architecture. They issued coins with rulers, portraits and legends in Prakrit and sometimes in Tamil, Tolugu and Kannada. Major Buddhist sites like Amravati and Nagarjun Konda flourished under their rules, under the rules of the Sathwanas. Economy and trade, the Sathwanas played a key role in Deccan and Western coastal trade, including links with the Roman Empire. They issued some of the earliest Indian coins with royal portraits, reflecting trade and cultural exchange. So Sathwanas coins can be seen here. Let's see the rise of regional dynasties at that time, the Chedis and their rule over Kalinga. Who are the Chedis? Also known as the Cheta or Cheta Vamsa dynasty, trace their lineage to ancient Chedi kingdom mentioned in Mahabharata. After the decline of the Mauryan Empire, the Chedis rose to the prominence in Kalinga, that is the modern day Odisha and also the parts of northern Andhra Pradesh. In Kalinga, the Chedi dynasty became widely known as the Maha Megh Vahana. What does the Maha Megh Vahana means? It means the lord of the great clouds. So this is the territorial extent that we can see Maha Megh Vahanas that you can see here. Right from the top you can see Pataliputra and Rajgriha, to the down you can see the Madurai part. So King Kharvel that too reigned from somewhere 209 to 170 BC. The most famous ruler was King Kharvel. His achievements are recorded in Hathi Gupa inscription that is near Bhuvaneshwar. Kharvel celebrated for restoring Kalinga's power after devastation by Ashoka. You must remember Ashoka after the war of Kalinga accepted Buddhism but because he had done so much of devastation, so much of killing, more than 1 lakh people were killed. So after that Kharvel is celebrated as the one who restored Kalinga and reviving its economic infrastructure and cultural traditions. Under Kharvel, Kalinga's influence extended from Ganga to Kaveri rivers and the state developed significant maritime trade links with regions across South and Southeast Asia. Please remember maritime trade so they must have good navels. Administration and Society The Chedi's established a regular monarchy in Kalinga marking a shift from earlier less centralized form of governance. Kharvela's administration is noted for its efficiency, military powers and public works including irrigation and support for trade and agriculture. The dynasty was known for its patronage of Jainism with Kharvela himself being a devout Jain who convened a Jain council and supported Jaina as the seat though he was also a capable military leader. Though this is a sharp contradiction which you should understand. He had followed Jainism but he was a capable military leader means it was not that he completely believed in the non-violence. With this we have come to the end of this chapter. We will also see the part two of it where we will have the Greek bacterians, the invasions and all those things. So, do not worry. With reference to the Sunga dynasty consider the following statement. The Sunga dynasty came into power after the decline of Gupta empire. No, it was not Gupta empire, it was Maurya empire. The Sunga empire included territories from the river Ganga up to the Narmada valley, Odisha. Yes, it looks sure initially the capital of the empire was Bidisha but later it was shifted to Pataliputra. No, first it was Pataliputra, later it was shifted to Bidisha. So, the right answer is only one. Let us see the next question. Was the founder of Sunga dynasty? Very simple one. Pushya Mitra Sunga is the correct answer here. Let us see the next question. The Hathi Gufa inscription is associated with which ruler? Near Bhuvaneshwar. It is related with Kharvel. So, Kharvel is the correct answer. Which of the following dynasties included the combined ruling system? Kushna, Saka, Sunga, Maurya. Saka here is the correct answer. And the last question. With reference to the Sathwana ruler, consider the following. The Sathwanas appeared as the successor of Mauryas in the Deccan region. They were the first ruler to give land grants to Brahman and sometimes to Buddhist monks. This we have seen. The earliest Roman coins in India are found in Sathwana kingdom. So, we are seeing three statements here. What is correct here? Only two. One and two are correct. That is the Sathwana succeeded the Mauryas in the Deccan and land grants to Brahmanas and monks. The earliest Roman coins are found in the Tamil kingdom outside the Sathwana dominions, not inside. That is something which you should remember and you should also remember the mentorship program that we are providing for UPSC, TSPSC and APPSC, which is one-on-one live by Deepika ma'am. Deepika ma'am having 20 plus years of experience can be the guide for you who can make your journey shorter that the journey from an administrative officer that you want to become from the aspirant that can be taken care of if you join this mentorship program. You can call on the numbers given below and also subscribe so that we meet again. Keep working hard for success. Thank you.