The Kanva dynasty succeeded the Shungas around 73 BCE. The Shunga dynasty was then replaced by the subsequent Kanvas. He was assassinated by his minister ( Vasudeva Kanva) and is said to have been overfond of the company of women. The last of the Shunga emperors was Devabhuti (83–73 BCE). Artistry also progressed with the rise of the Mathura art style. Patanjali's Mahābhāṣya was composed in this period. The Shunga Empire played an imperative role in patronising culture at a time when some of the most important developments in Hindu thought were taking place. The script used by the empire was a variant of Brahmi script and was used to write Sanskrit. Shunga rulers helped to establish the tradition of royal sponsorship of learning and art. They fought the Kalinga, the Satavahana dynasty, the Indo-Greek Kingdom and possibly the Panchalas and Mitras of Mathura.Īrt, education, philosophy, and other forms of learning flowered during this period including small terracotta images, larger stone sculptures, and architectural monuments such as the stupa at Bharhut, and the renowned Great Stupa at Sanchi. The dynasty is noted for its numerous wars with both foreign and indigenous powers. However, after the death of Agnimitra, the second king of the dynasty, the empire rapidly disintegrated: inscriptions and coins indicate that much of northern and central India consisted of small kingdoms and city-states that were independent of any Shunga hegemony. Pushyamitra Shunga ruled for 36 years and was succeeded by his son Agnimitra. Its capital was Pataliputra, but later emperors such as Bhagabhadra also held court at Besnagar (modern Vidisha) in eastern Malwa.
The dynasty was established by Pushyamitra Shunga, after taking the throne of the Maurya Empire. The Shunga Empire ( IAST: Śuṅga) was an ancient Indian dynasty from Magadha that controlled areas of the central and eastern Indian subcontinent from around 184 to 75 BCE.