Brief History of the Sunga Dynasty
Sunga Dynasty Brief History:
Pushyamitra Sunga was the founder of the Sunga Dynasty. In 187 B.C., he overthrew the Mouryas and became the Sunga dynasty’s first ruler. With Pushyamitra Sunga, there were another eight rulers who ruled Sunga Dynasty. Agnimitra, Vasumitra, Bhagavata and Devabhumi were admirable rulers who stamped their presence with their administrative skills in Indian History. The last two empires only ruled for a long time.
As soon as Pushyamitra overthrew the Maurya king Brihadrata, he faced various rebellions within the kingdom. But he oppressed all and waged a few wars to stabilise his dynasty. According to the scriptures of Patanjali’s Mahabashva, Pushyamitra Sunga defeated Yavanas and became the pungent king of his time.
Pushyamitra and Contradictions:
There are some contradictions about Pushyamitra defeating the Yavanas. But his torans believe Pushyamitra had his presence in establishing the Sunga Dynasty. Another piece of evidence, according to Malavikaganimtiram and Gargi-Samhita, is that Vasumitra, the grandson of Pushyamitra, defeated the Yavanas. However, Agnimmitra and Veerasenal collated with each other and fought against the Vidarbha ruler, beating them and making the Sunga Dynasty very strong. Devabhuti was the last emperor of the Sunga Dynasty. He was very fond of the company of women. So Vasudeva Kanva, the minister of Sungas, was assassinated and established the Kanvas dynasty.
Administration of Sunga Dynasty:
Sungas administrated their kingdom with admirable decisions. They understand the problems of the people and support them at every level. Sungas concentrated on irrigation projects and collected less tax from the farmers. They primarily valued the development of cultural and social development. During their time, Hinduism emerged and significantly impacted the people. Buddhism began to decline, and the king withdrawal of royal patronage. During Sungas, the Buddhists were procured so that the Buddhist scriptures mentioned Sungas, an exaggerated account of their troubles. Another important event during the Sunga’s rule was that they revived the caste system in the society and advocated for the social supremacy of Brahmins.
Hinduism and Caste System:
The Manusmriti also brought into the people’s social life and discussed the reassures of the position of the Brahmins in society. During the Sungas Dynasty, society changed itself, and the impact of Buddhism on society started melting. Revived cast system led to the emergence of mixed castes. Indian culture also started mixing with foreigners. When the caste system interrupted the community, Brahmanism gradually transformed as the direction of Hinduism.
Cultural contributions
Sungas not only brought the revival of the caste system but also concentrated on Art, Education and Philosophy. During the Sunga dynasty, debates among the people arose on religious politics and changed the whole attitude of society towards Hinduism. The Kings cooperated the eminent persons to flourish philosophical thoughts among the people. So that the famous Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the Mahabhashyas were composed during the Sunga dynasty. Kalidasa also wrote the renowned magnum opus Malavikaagnimitra in the early period of the Sunga Dynasty.